I'm continuing my informal study of the Bible's genealogies. One apparent motive of the biblical authors is to illustrate how God was silently involved in the building of families of the many descendants of Abraham.
Last time, I posted this chart:
I found this chart on Wikipedia (“Genealogy of Abraham”) that fills out the families of Terah's sons.
In this post, I'll unpack this second chart. Here is the family of Abraham's brother Nahor, from the KJV (which I use because it's public domain and I can quote big sections):
Genesis 22:17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.
20 And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;
21 Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,
22 And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.
23 And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother.
24 And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.
We know about Isaac and Rebekah and their boys Jacob and Esau. From this scripture, we learn that Rebekah was the granddaughter of Abraham’s brother Nahor and his wife Milcha, making Isaac and Rebekah first cousins once removed. We know from Genesis 11:27-29 that Milcah was the daughter of Nahor and Abraham’s brother Haran. So Nahor married his own niece.
OBVIOUSLY this is not scriptural warrant for interfamily marriage, but reflective of the times. We ALWAYS have to take into account the historical time period from which scripture is written.
Commentator Adam Clarke makes a crucial point about verse 20: "This short history seems introduced solely for the purpose of preparing the reader for the transactions related chap. xxiv., and to show that the providence of God was preparing, in one of the branches of the family of Abraham, a suitable spouse for his son Isaac” (Clarke’s Commentary, I, 141).
Torah: A Modern Commentary indicates that these twelve sons of Nabor with Milcah and Reumah likely represent twelve tribes, “a duodecimal principle of trial organization found also in extra-biblical sources” (pp. 147-148).
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Now let's look at what the chart illustrates about Lot. He is the son of Haran and brother of Milcah. Genesis 19 gives this story:
And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.
31 And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:
32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
35 And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.
37 And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.
38 And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.
Clarke writes: “The generation which proceeded from this incestuous connection, whatever may be said in extenuation of the transaction (its peculiar circumstances being considered) was certainly a bad one. The Moabites soon fell from the faith of God, and became idolaters, the people of Chmosh, and of Baal’peor, Num. xxi. 29; xxxv. 1-3; and were enemies to the children of Abraham. See Num. xxii.; Judg. iii, 14, &c. And the Ammonites, who dwelt near to the Moabites, united with them in idolatry and were also enemies to Israel. See Judg. xi. 4, 24; Deut. Xxiii. 3, 4. As both these people made afterwards a considerable figure in sacred history, the impartial inspired writer takes care to introduce at this early period an account of their origin” (Clarke’s Commentary, I, 129).
So the biblical genealogy makes a point about opponents of God's people---their ancestry is rooted in the sin of Lot's daughters, and also that the Moabites and Ammonites are rooted in the same families as God's people.
Significantly, though, the Moabites and Ammonites figure into the lines of David, and of Jesus.
Among his husbands of wives and concubines, Naamah is only wife of Solomon who is mentioned by name. She was an Ammonite. She is the mother of Solomon's heir, Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:21-31, 2 Chronicles 1), who was the first king of the Kingdom of Judah (the "Southern Kingdom" that survived until the Babylonian exile). Thus, the line of David continued through Solomon's and Naamah's son Rehoboam, and eventually to Jesus.
AND, the Moabite Ruth is the ancestor of King David, and of Jesus.
So there is a great deal of biblical history to which we can connect from these lists of names.
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We also have the history of Abraham’s additional family, after Sarah’s death.
Gen. 25 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.
2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.
3 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.
4 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.
5 And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.
6 But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.
7 And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.
8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.
9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;
10 The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.
11 And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi.
The New Interpreter’s Bible commentary on Genesis has this: “This author encloses this section (22:20-25:18), having to do with concluding events in Abraham’s journey, with genealogies (22:20-24, 25:1-18; cf. 33:18-36:43 and 47:27-50:26 for other closing accounts). The stories share a common focus: the preparation for the future of the family, as that involves both land and posterity (I, 501).
Genesis 25 continues with the family of Ishmael.
12 Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham:
13 And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
14 And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,
15 Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:
16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.
17 And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.
At this point, the story continues with Isaac and Rebekah and their twin sons.
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Here is the 1 Chronicles 1 list corresponding to these passages:
24 Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah,
25 Eber, Peleg, Reu,
26 Serug, Nahor, Terah,
27 Abram; the same is Abraham.
28 The sons of Abraham; Isaac, and Ishmael.
29 These are their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
30 Mishma, and Dumah, Massa, Hadad, and Tema,
31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael.
32 Now the sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine: she bare Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan; Sheba, and Dedan.
33 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Henoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these are the sons of Keturah.
34 And Abraham begat Isaac. The sons of Isaac; Esau and Israel.
Here is Luke 3:
.... 34son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor, 35son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah, 36son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech, 37son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalaleel, son of Cainan, 38son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God.
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