Antediluvian Era

Who Was Arphaxad? — Patriarch

אַרְפַּכְשָׁד
“Uncertain / debated — possibly toponymic, linked by some to the region of Arrapcha near the upper Tigris, combined with a Hebrew element; no settled etymology”
Arphaxad — First-named of the line of Shem after the Flood
Quick Facts
Hebrew Name
אַרְפַּכְשָׁד (Arpachshad)
Meaning
Uncertain / debated — possibly toponymic, linked by some to the region of Arrapcha near the upper Tigris, combined with a Hebrew element; no settled etymology
Era
Antediluvian Era
Approx. Dates
Born two years after the Flood (Genesis 11:10, traditional)
Father
Shem
Role
Patriarch
Appears In
Genesis 10:22, 24, Genesis 11:10–13, 1 Chronicles 1:17–18, 24
Source Confidence
Primary

The Story of Arphaxad

Son of Shem, born two years after the Flood (Genesis 11:10)

Listed among the 'sons of Shem' in the Table of Nations (Genesis 10:22) and again as head of the line that continues to Avraham (Genesis 11:10–13)

Lived 438 years (Genesis 11:12–13)

“First-named of the line of Shem after the Flood”

Traditional note: Already referenced as a child of Shem in the master file (hebroni-family-tree.json); this entry completes that reference. Shem's wife is not named in the Hebrew Bible — per the schema's convention for unnamed mothers, 'mother' is left null here rather than guessed.

Family

Father
Children (named)

Scripture References

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