Bible Strands
Genesis 10:21
And sons were also born to Shem, the older brother of Japheth; Shem was the forefather of all the sons of Eber.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Genesis narrator records this genealogical note while transitioning between the descendants of Ham and the detailed lineage of Shem. It appears in the Table of Nations as a structural bridge between the clan listings of Noah’s sons.
The words — The text uses אֲבִי ('a.Vi, "father of") and עֵבֶר ('E.ver, "Eber") to establish Shem’s ancestral role. It pairs these with יֻלַּ֖ד (yu.Lad, "was born") and גַּם (gam, "also") to indicate additional offspring.
The thread — The lineage of Eber reappears in Numbers 24:24 as a geopolitical reference and in Genesis 11:10 where Shem’s post-flood genealogy formally begins. This verse functions as a textual hinge linking the Table of Nations to the subsequent flood narrative.
Why it lands — The reader must track how Shem’s unspecified sons connect to the later named descendants of Eber. It demands attention to the genealogical structure that preserves ancestral lines without elaborating on their immediate history.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.
Cross-references
- Numbers 24:24 Ships will come from the coasts of Cyprus; they will subdue Asshur and Eber, but they too will perish forever.”
- Genesis 11:10 This is the account of Shem. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad.