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Arphaxad

Portrait of Arphaxad

Arphaxad was a son of Shem born two years after the Flood, and the ancestor through whom the genealogy of Genesis 11 continues from Noah to Abraham. He is traditionally associated with the region of Arrapkha in ancient Mesopotamia. Scripture records that he fathered Salah at 35 and lived 403 years afterward.

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Biography

Father
Shem
Era
Primeval / Patriarchal

Family

Parents
โ†“
Arphaxad
Old Testament Genesis Genealogy

Did You Know?

1

Arphaxad was born just two years after the Flood, making him part of the first generation to repopulate the earth.

2

His name is often linked by scholars to the region of Arrapkha (near modern Kirkuk, Iraq), an early center of Mesopotamian civilization.

Key Chapters

Key Passages

The Generations of Arphaxad

Genesis 11:10-13

Arphaxad opens the post-Flood genealogy of Genesis 11, the bridge between Noah's family and Abraham's call.

T10hese are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:

11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 12 And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah: 13 And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

Read full chapter: Genesis 11 โ†’