Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Brian Sullivan" <navillusbpi AT primus.com.au>]

Greetings to all on the list

Gen 10 21 reads UleShem yulad gam-hu avi kol-beney-Ever achi Yefet hagadol
and is rendered variously as
'the brother of Japheth the elder' (Green, J A literal translation of the 
Bible,1976)or 'Shem .... the elder brother of Japheth' (RSV).
Greek texts such as the LXX seem to support the view that Japheth was the 
elder as does Josephus in his Antiquities(1 chap. 6.§4) [1.143] which 
reads: "(1 chap. 6.§4) [1.143] Shem, the third son of Noah, had five sons, 
who inhabited the land that began at Euphrates" (Whiston 
translation)[Greek:Sêmai de tôi tritôi tôn Nôchou huiôn pente ginontai 
paides].
Please pardon my limited under standing of Hebrew but I truly do want a 
clearer understanding of the Hebrew text especially in view of the 
conflicting Hebrew translations on this phrase.
I wish to take to thank all for any assistance you can offer me in this 
matter,

Thankyou Most Sincerely,

Brian Sullivan