Blog Archives
The Sons of Jokshan
“Yoqshan begat Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Ashshurim, Letushiym, and Leummiym.”
(Genesis 25:3)
Moses gives us the genealogies of only two of these sons of Abraham and Keturah. That does not mean that the other sons did not have children, but simply these sons were marked as examples of Abraham’s fruitfulness and, with respect to the children of Midyan (in the following verse), he is most likely the great granddaddy of the Midianites who will eventually cause the Hebrews such grief. In terms of Yoqshan’s (or Jokshan) descendants, do not get them confused with the sons of Raamah (Genesis 10:7) who is the grandson of Ham. There seems to be no connection other than the use of the same names, not a terribly uncommon occurrence even today.
- Sheba: Probably this is an abbreviated version of the word bAbDv (shebab), meaning “to cut or chop” — as one would do with firewood. The plural of this word is used in Hosea 8:6 to refer to the calf of Samaria being broken into pieces. Scholars believe that it is from this son of Abraham that the Arabian tribe of Sheba developed which would lead rise to the later Queen of Sheba who arises in Solomon’s throne-room.
- Dedan: Likely derived from the Hebrew håd∂d (dadah), which means “to toddle or hop.” Again, it seems that these sons migrated south and that the Arabian tribe of the same name finds its ancestry in this son of Abraham.
- Ashshurim (Asshurim): Traditionally, this name has been understood to mean “those who are in want” which perhaps comes from the later use of the term to refer to those Asshurim as people of a lower class on the social scale. Note that all three sons of Dedan are given names in the plural (the im/iym ending). It is very possible that these refer not so much to specific sons as to Arabian tribes that descend from Dedan. Assuming that this is the same group of people that will later be referred to as Asshur, then once again we have a group of raiders that will bring grief to the people of Israel (Psalm 83:8).
- Letushiym (Letushim): A name meaning “manual craftsman.” Similar to the Ashshurim, this seems an indication of their being a working class group of people.
- Leummiym (Leummim): Translated by some as “hordes,” an apt description of an Arab tribe if I have ever heard one. As with Letushiym, this is all we know of this line of descendants.
The bottom line is that the sons of Abraham are spreading out, this group to the south, and nations will arise from them. Sadly, most of these nations will reject the God of their great ancestor, Abraham, and will pursue idols of their own making. This will bring judgment to them, but also a great deal of grief to the nation of Israel as she is born. It is through Isaac that God’s covenant will move through and God is withholding his Spirit from all others. This is one more reminder of God’s doctrine of sovereign election. All these tribes had the same father, but only one son will follow the God of the universe. Those who come to the Son must be brought by the Father (John 6:44).
Signposts in the Future
“And so, that place was called Beer-Shaba for the two of them swore there.”
(Genesis 21:31)
And here we learn the origin of the name Beersheba, a place that has Biblical significance to God’s people throughout the Old Testament. It was at Beersheba that God appeared to Isaac to renew the covenant (Genesis 26:23-25), it was part of the inheritance of Simeon (Joshua 19:2), it was the place from which Samuel’s sons would judge Israel (1 Samuel 8:1-3), and it is the first place to which Elijah fled when he feared Jezebel’s threats to kill him (1 Kings 19:19:1-3). As a whole, Beersheba is located in the southernmost region of what would later become national Israel, and thus be juxtaposed with Dan (in the northernmost region) to speak of the whole of Israel: “from Dan to Beersheba.”
The term “Beersheba” comes from two Hebrew words. The first, rEaV;b (beer, pronounced as two syllables, with the first “e” being short and the second being long: be-ear), is the word that describes a well or a shaft into the ground. The second term, oAbDv (shaba) or oAbRv (sheba) depending on the occurrence, carries with it several connotations. Literally, in Hebrew, this is the number seven. Yet, the number seven carries with it the connotations of completeness and eternality, hence the connection with a covenant that has been made in this place. Thus, Beersheba has been variously translated as “the place of seven wells”, “the well of covenant”, or “the well of abundance.” All of these are correct translations, but since the scriptures tell us the purpose of naming the well (being the covenant made between Abraham and Abimelek), we ought to prefer the second term or translating Beersheba as “the well of covenant.”
The discussion is important on several levels, but most importantly because it illustrates a principle that was part of the bedrock of the Protestant Reformation — the principle that scripture can interpret itself. Given that scripture has one ultimate author, then we ought not be surprised that all of scripture is useful in the process of interpretation and thus we don’t really have permission to import our own preferences into the text. While “the place of seven wells” might be a legitimate translation of the Hebrew, it is not consistent with the rest of the text, thus it ought to be rejected.
Thus we have the word of God before us and we have the origin of the name to this location of Beersheba that becomes quite prominent throughout the rest of the Old Testament. Isn’t it remarkable the way God uses isolated events of our lives like this to make a lasting statement about his sovereignty. This name is given simply as a result of a dispute over water rights; yet the place of covenant between a believer and an unbeliever becomes a monument for all time. The question is what events in our own lives will God so use to work in the life of future generations?
O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home.
Time, like an ever rolling stream,
bears all who breathe away;
they fly forgotten, as a dream
dies at the opening day.
— Isaac Watts
The Preacher's Study 