775. Arpakshad

Lexical Summary

Arpakshad: Arphaxad

Original Word: אַרְפַּכְשַׂד
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Arpakshad
Pronunciation: ar-pak-SHAD
Phonetic Spelling: (ar-pak-shad')
KJV: Arphaxad
NASB: Arpachshad
Word Origin: [probably of foreign origin]

1. Arpakshad, a son of Noah
2. also the region settled by him

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Arphaxad

Probably of foreign origin; Arpakshad, a son of Noah; also the region settled by him -- Arphaxad.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
third son of Shem, also the region settled by him
NASB Translation
Arpachshad (9).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

אַרְמַּכְשַׁד proper name, masculine 3rd son of Shem ׳א Genesis 10:22,24; Genesis 11:12,13; 1 Chronicles 1:17,18,24; אַרְמַּכְשָׁ֑ד Genesis 11:10,11; doubtless a geographic name (derivation & meaning dubious, Thes derives from boundary (stem define, limit), compare also Ethiopic wall, + כשׁד = כֶּשֶׂד, i.e. Chaldean; so Schr^{COT Genesis 10:22} who identifies with Babylonia (compare Genesis 11:12f. & אוּר כַּשְׂדִּים Genesis 11:28; Genesis 11:31); see another interpretations Dl^{Pa 255}; according to most = Arrapachitis on Upper Zab, northeast from Nineveh, Assyrian Arba—a, Armen. Albak Lag^{Armen. Stud. 55 & references} so Bo MV, Di Genesis 10:22 Lag^{Sy i. 54} Nö^{ZMG 1882, 182}; but Assyrian Arba—a is unfavourable to this).

Topical Lexicon

Name and Place in Biblical Record

Arpachshad appears exclusively in genealogical contexts, introduced in the Table of Nations: “The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram” (Genesis 10:22). He is Shem’s third-listed son and the forefather through whom the Messianic line advances from Noah to Abraham. Nine Old Testament occurrences cluster in Genesis 10–11 and 1 Chronicles 1, underscoring his importance as a bridge between the post-Flood world and the Abrahamic covenant.

Occurrences

Genesis 10:22; Genesis 10:24

Genesis 11:10; Genesis 11:11; Genesis 11:12; Genesis 11:13

1 Chronicles 1:17; 1 Chronicles 1:18; 1 Chronicles 1:24

Lineage and Chronology

Genesis 11:10 notes, “Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arpachshad.” Shem lived another five hundred years, providing long overlap with his descendants and allowing direct transmission of pre-Flood revelation. Arpachshad fathered Shelah at thirty-five (Genesis 11:12), and Shelah fathered Eber, the eponym of the Hebrews. Thus Arpachshad stands three generations removed from Eber and nine from Abram (Abraham). Luke 3:36 retains his name in the genealogy of Jesus Christ, reflecting an unbroken line of promise.

Theological Importance

1. Preservation of the Seed. Arpachshad’s placement affirms God’s faithfulness in preserving a righteous lineage through which the covenant blessing would flow. Each genealogical step testifies that divine purposes advance despite human sin and historical upheaval.
2. Continuity of Revelation. By anchoring the post-Flood population in Shem’s line, the text links antediluvian faith to patriarchal covenant, demonstrating that the knowledge of God did not disappear with the deluge.
3. Anticipation of the Nations. The immediate mention of Elam, Asshur, and Aram alongside Arpachshad in Genesis 10 foreshadows future interactions between Israel and these peoples. The genealogy therefore serves both theological and geopolitical ends.

Geographical and Ethnological Considerations

Ancient writers associated Arpachshad with northern Mesopotamia or the Chaldean plain. Some locate his descendants near Ur, Abraham’s hometown (Genesis 11:31), suggesting a familial enclave from which God later called Abram. While Scripture does not equate Arpachshad with any specific territory, the proposal highlights how genealogies often double as ethnographic maps, tracing the spread of nations from Ararat toward the Persian Gulf.

Post-Biblical Tradition

Josephus (Ant. 1.6.4) links Arpachshad’s line to the Chaldeans, and later rabbinic sources treat him as ancestor of Shem’s “scholarly” children. Early Christian writers saw in Arpachshad evidence that God left Himself a witness among the Gentiles, anticipating the gospel’s reach.

Lessons for Faith and Ministry

• Genealogies matter. Arpachshad’s nine terse mentions remind believers that every person in God’s redemptive account is known by name, even when their deeds are not recorded.
• Patience in Promise. Centuries passed between Arpachshad’s birth and the covenant with Abraham, yet each generation carried forward God’s plan. Ministry today likewise participates in long-range purposes whose full harvest may outlast a lifetime.
• Unity of Scripture. The seamless line from Genesis through Chronicles to Luke affirms the coherence of the biblical narrative, encouraging confidence in the authority and reliability of Scripture.

Arpachshad, though silent in deeds, speaks through his place in the divine genealogy: a living link between the salvation preserved on the ark and the blessing promised to Abraham and fulfilled in Christ.

Forms and Transliterations

אַרְפַּכְשַׁ֖ד אַרְפַּכְשַׁ֗ד אַרְפַּכְשָׁ֑ד אַרְפַּכְשָׁ֔ד ארפכשד וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁ֖ד וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁ֣ד וארפכשד ’ar·paḵ·šaḏ ’ar·paḵ·šāḏ ’arpaḵšaḏ ’arpaḵšāḏ arpachShad vearpachShad wə’arpaḵšaḏ wə·’ar·paḵ·šaḏ

Englishman's Concordance

Genesis 10:22
HEB: עֵילָ֣ם וְאַשּׁ֑וּר וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁ֖ד וְל֥וּד וַֽאֲרָֽם׃
NAS: and Asshur and Arpachshad and Lud
KJV: and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud,
INT: Elam and Asshur and Arpachshad and Lud and Aram

Genesis 10:24
HEB: וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁ֖ד יָלַ֣ד אֶת־
NAS: Arpachshad became the father
KJV: And Arphaxad begat Salah;
INT: Arpachshad became of Shelah

Genesis 11:10
HEB: וַיּ֖וֹלֶד אֶת־ אַרְפַּכְשָׁ֑ד שְׁנָתַ֖יִם אַחַ֥ר
NAS: and became the father of Arpachshad two years
KJV: and begat Arphaxad two years
INT: years and became of Arpachshad years after

Genesis 11:11
HEB: הוֹלִיד֣וֹ אֶת־ אַרְפַּכְשָׁ֔ד חֲמֵ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת
NAS: the father of Arpachshad, and he had
KJV: after he begat Arphaxad five hundred
INT: after became of Arpachshad five hundred

Genesis 11:12
HEB: וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁ֣ד חַ֔י חָמֵ֥שׁ
NAS: Arpachshad lived thirty-five
KJV: And Arphaxad lived five
INT: Arpachshad lived five

Genesis 11:13
HEB: וַֽיְחִ֣י אַרְפַּכְשַׁ֗ד אַֽחֲרֵי֙ הוֹלִיד֣וֹ
NAS: and Arpachshad lived four
KJV: And Arphaxad lived after
INT: lived and Arpachshad after became

1 Chronicles 1:17
HEB: עֵילָ֣ם וְאַשּׁ֔וּר וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁ֖ד וְל֣וּד וַאֲרָ֑ם
NAS: Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud,
KJV: and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud,
INT: Elam Asshur Arpachshad Lud Aram

1 Chronicles 1:18
HEB: וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁ֖ד יָלַ֣ד אֶת־
NAS: Arpachshad became the father
KJV: And Arphaxad begat Shelah,
INT: Arpachshad became of Shelah

1 Chronicles 1:24
HEB: שֵׁ֥ם ׀ אַרְפַּכְשַׁ֖ד שָֽׁלַח׃
NAS: Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah,
KJV: Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah,
INT: Shem Arpachshad Shelah

9 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 775
9 Occurrences

’ar·paḵ·šāḏ — 4 Occ.
wə·’ar·paḵ·šaḏ — 5 Occ.