Shem’s line and the age formula
Says אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת שֵׁם (’elleh toledot shem) is BSB’s “This is the account of Shem.” שֵׁם בֶּן־מְאַת שָׁנָה is “Shem was a son of a hundred years,” the Hebrew way of giving age. וַיּוֹלֶד אֶת־אַרְפַּכְשָׁד (vayyoled, “and he fathered”) is BSB’s “he became the father of”; Gen 10 used a simpler form of the same verb. The Hebrew ends with שְׁנָתַיִם אַחַר הַמַּבּוּל (“two years after the flood”), and BSB moves the phrase forward. The lexicon gives mabbul as “flood in time of Noah” and cites 11:10.
Says In 11:11 וַיְחִי־שֵׁם אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ אֶת־אַרְפַּכְשָׁד (“and Shem lived after he fathered Arpachshad”) gives the years that remain and closes וַיּוֹלֶד בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת (“and he fathered sons and daughters”). Unlike Gen 5, there is no total and no “and he died.”
Implies Ten names run from Shem to Abram, as ten run from Adam to Noah in Gen 5. The repeated shape suggests a selective list arranged to lead to Abram.
Uncertain Noah was 500 when his sons were born (5:32) and 600 at the flood (7:6), so Shem at 100 two years after the flood needs explaining: round numbers, an order of birth that is not Shem first, or a count from a different point. No lean is taken here.
Claims
- Saysאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת שֵׁם (’elleh toledot shem) is BSB’s “This is the account of Shem.” שֵׁם בֶּן־מְאַת שָׁנָה is “Shem was a son of a hundred years,” the Hebrew way of giving age. וַיּוֹלֶד אֶת־אַרְפַּכְשָׁד (vayyoled, “and he fathered”) is BSB’s “he became the father of”; Gen 10 used a simpler form of the same verb. The Hebrew ends with שְׁנָתַיִם אַחַר הַמַּבּוּל (“two years after the flood”), and BSB moves the phrase forward. The lexicon gives mabbul as “flood in time of Noah” and cites 11:10.
- SaysIn 11:11 וַיְחִי־שֵׁם אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ אֶת־אַרְפַּכְשָׁד (“and Shem lived after he fathered Arpachshad”) gives the years that remain and closes וַיּוֹלֶד בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת (“and he fathered sons and daughters”). Unlike Gen 5, there is no total and no “and he died.”
- ImpliesTen names run from Shem to Abram, as ten run from Adam to Noah in Gen 5. The repeated shape suggests a selective list arranged to lead to Abram.
- UncertainNoah was 500 when his sons were born (5:32) and 600 at the flood (7:6), so Shem at 100 two years after the flood needs explaining: round numbers, an order of birth that is not Shem first, or a count from a different point. No lean is taken here.
Citations
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 11:10–11 (WLC/OSHB; morph HC/Vhw3ms HAcfda HVhc/Sp3ms)
- BSB public domain Gen 11:10 (BSB)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 550 (leaf n573), archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, s.v. H3999 “flood in time of Noah”; checked against the printed page (scan)
2026-11-12
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