Japhet, Ham and Shem, referred to in the above map, are the sons of Noah (Genesis 5:32). They, along with their wives and Noah and his wife, were the only eight people to survive the great flood brought on the entire world by God (Genesis 6:13, 17). The terms Hebrew or Hebrews are used as a synonym for Abraham's descendants (Israelites or the Twelve Tribes of Israel) or occasionally as a reference to Jews. The Biblical patriarch Eber (Genesis 10:24, 11:14-26) lived 464 years and was a great grandson of Noah and an ancestor of Abraham (Abram). It is from his name that the term Hebrew is derived. Abram (Abraham) was referred to as "Abram the Hebrew" (Genesis 14:13). |
