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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 10:21-32

Two things especially are observable in this account of the posterity of Shem:? I. The description of Shem, v. 21. We have not only his name, Shem, which signifies a name, but two titles to distinguish him by:? 1. He was the father of all the children of Eber. Eber was his great grandson; but why should he be called the father of all his children, rather than of all Arphaxad?s, or Salah?s, etc.? Probably because Abraham and his seed, God's covenant-people, not only descended from Heber, but... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 10:21

Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber ,.... And for the sake of those Shem is particularly said to be the father of, is this genealogy given, and indeed the whole book of Genesis wrote: Eber was the great-grandson of Shem, and is here spoken of by anticipation, and Shem is called not the father of either of his immediate sons, but of the posterity of this man; because the Hebrews sprung from him in his line, among whom the church of God and the true religion were preserved,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 10:22

The children of Shem ,.... Whose names are Elam and Ashur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram ; and who, as Josephus F6 Antiqu. l. 1. c. 6. sect. 4. says, inhabited Asia, from Euphrates to the Indian ocean: his first born, Elam, was the father of the Elymaeans, from whom sprung the Persians, as the same writer observes, and his posterity are called Elamites, Acts 2:10 their country Elam, and is sometimes mentioned with Media, when the Persians and Medes are intended, Isaiah 21:2 ... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 10:21

Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber - It is generally supposed that the Hebrews derived their name from Eber or Heber, son of Shem; but it appears much more likely that they had it from the circumstance of Abraham passing over (for so the word עבר abar signifies) the river Euphrates to come into the land of Canaan. See the history of Abraham, Genesis 14:13 ; (note). read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 10:22

Elam - From whom came the Elamites, near to the Medes, and whose chief city was Elymais. Asshur - Who gave his name to a vast province (afterwards a mighty empire) called Assyria. Arphaxad - From whom Arrapachitis in Assyria was named, according to some; or Artaxata in Armenia, on the frontiers of Media, according to others. Lud - The founder of the Lydians. In Asia Minor; or of the Ludim, who dwelt at the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris, according to Arias Montanus. ... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 10:21

Verse 21 21.Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber. Moses, being about to speak of the sons of Shem, makes a brief introduction, which he had not done in reference to the others. Nor was it without reason; for since this was the race chosen by God, he wished to sever it from other nations by some special mark. This also is the reason why he expressly styles him the ‘father of the sons of Eber,’ and the elder brother of Japheth. (320) For the benediction of Shem does not descend... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 10:1-32

PART II . THE POST - DILUVIAN AGE OF THE WORLD . CH . 10:1-11:26. FROM THE DELUGE TO THE CALL OF ABRAM . § 5. THE GENERATIONS or THE SONS OF NOAH ( CH . 10:1-11:9). I. THE historical credibility of the present section has been challenged. 1. On account of a fancied resemblance to the ethnographic mythologies of Greece, the genealogical table of the nations has been relegated to the category of fictitious invention. It has been assigned by... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 10:21

Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber ,—as Ham of Canaan ( Genesis 9:22 ; vide Genesis 9:24 )— the brother of Japheth the elder. Either the eldest brother of Japheth (Syriac, Arabic, Vulgate, Gesenius, Rosenmüller, Kalisch); or the brother of Japheth who was older ( LXX ; Symmachus, Onkelos, Raschi, Aben Ezra, Luther, Clerieus, Michaelis, Dathe); or the elder of Japheth's brothers, as distinguished from Ham the younger, i.e. the son who was older than Ham, But... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 10:22

The children of Shem were twenty-six in number, of whom five were sons. Elam . Elymais, a region adjoining Snaiana and Media, stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Rod Sea; the people first met with as Persians. And Asshur . The ancestor of the Assyrians (vide Genesis 10:11 ). And Arphaxad . A region in the north of Assyria; the Arrhapacitis of Ptolemy (Rosenmüller, Keil, Kalisch). The explanation of the name is "fortress of the Chaldaeans ' (Ewald); "highland of the Chaldaeans"... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Genesis 10:21-32

- XXXIII. Shem21. אבר 'eber, “‘Eber, yonder side; verb: pass, cross.”22. עילם 'eylām, “‘Elam.” עוּל ‛ûl, “suckle.” עלם ‛ālam, “hide; be mature.” ארפכשׁד 'arpakshad, “Arpakshad.” כשׂד ארף 'arp keśed, “boundary of Kesed, or (von-Bohlen) Arjapakshata, beside Aria.” ארם 'ǎrām, “Aram, high; verb: be high.”23. עוּץ ‛ûts, “‘Uts; verb: counsel; be firm, solid.” חוּל chûl, “Chul; verb: rub, twist, writhe, be strong, await.” גתר geter, “Gether, bridge?” משׁ meshek, “Mash; related: feel,... read more

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