A'Ram (highland, high, exalted) is the last son listed of Shem's five sons. Shem is one of Noah's three sons and the Scripture says, "from these all the earth's population spread abroad" following the global Flood.
Genesis 6 says, "The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that HE had made man on earth, and it grieved Him to His Heart. So the LORD said, 'I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground, man and beast and creeping things and birds of the air, for I AM SORRY that I HAVE MADE THEM."(6:5-8)
After creating the first couple, GOD said:"Here I have given to you all vegetation bearing seed which is on the surface of the whole earth and every tree on which there is the fruit of a tree bearing seed.To you let it serve as food." To the first man HE also said:"From every tree of the garden you may eat plenty to satisfaction," adding a prohibition on one tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and bad (Genesis1:29, 30; 2:16,17). From that time until the Flood, the Scripture gives no indication that man included the flesh of animals in his diet. A distinction was made between clean and unclean animals with regard to animals used for sacrificial purposes (Genesis 7:2). When Noah was commanded to take the animals into the Ark, GOD told Noah:"As for you, take for yourself every sort of food that is eaten; and you must gather it to yourself, and it must serve as food for you and for them(Genesis 6:21). After the Flood GOD allowed man to add flesh to his diet, saying:"Every moving animal that is alive may serve as food for you. And in the case of green vegetation, I do give it all to you. Only flesh with its soul -its blood- you must not eat"(Genesis 9:3,4).
Although Noah's three sons are consistently listed as "Shem, Ham and Japhet,"there is some uncertainty as to their relative positions according to age. The fact that Shem is mentioned first is of itself no definite indication that Shem was Noah's firstborn, since Shem's own firstborn son, Arpach'Shad, is listed 3rd in the genealogical records.
Genesis 10 says, "To Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, children were born. The son of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpach'Shad, Lud, and Aram. The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. Arpachshad became the father of Shelah; and Shelah became the father of Eber. To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother's name was Joktan. Joktan became the father of Almo'Dad, She'Leph, Hazarma'Veth, Jerah, Hador'Am, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abim'a-El, Sheba, Ophir, Hav'I-Lah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan." (10: 21-30)
The Scripture says that Noah began to father sons after reaching 500 years of age, the Flood occurring in his 600th year (Genesis 5:32; 7:6). Already married at the time of the Flood (Genesis 6:18), Shem is stated to have fathered his first son, Arpach'Shad, two years after the Flood when he (Shem) was 100 years old (Genesis 11:10). This means that Shem was born when Noah was 502 years of age and, since Ham appears to be referred to as the "youngest son"(Genesis 9:24), Japheth would be the first son born to Noah, when he was 500 years of age.
1Chronicles 1 says, "The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpach'Shad, Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech. Arpach'Shad was the father of Eber. To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg (for in his days the earth was divided), and the name of his brother Joktan. Joktan was the father of Almo'Dad, Sheleph, Hazarma'Veth, Jerah, Hador'Am, Uzal, Diklah, Ebal, Abim'a-El, Sheba, Ophir, Hav'I-Lah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan." (1:17-23)
Following the birth of Arpach'Shad, other sons and daughters were born to Shem, including Elam, Asshur, Lud and Aram (Genesis 10:22; 11:11). After Aram, the parallel account at 1 Chronicles 1:17 also lists "Uz and Hul and Gether and Mash," but at Genesis 10:23 these are shown to be the sons of Aram.
1Chronicles 1 also says, "Shem, Arpach'Shad, Shelah; Eber, Peleg, Re'U; Serug, Nahor, Terah; Abram, that is, Abraham. (24)
Aram and his four sons, Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash, constituted 5 of the 70 post-Flood families, and their descendants were the Arameans and Syrians. A'Ram, used alone, applies to Syria. It includes the region from Lebanon Mountains across to Mesopotamia and from the Taurus Mountains in the North down to Damascus and beyond in the South. Aram-Naharaim in Greek is "Mesopotamia," which is understood to refer to "land between Rivers." The two Rivers were the Euphrates and the Tigris.
Stephen speaks of Abraham as living in Mesopotamia while yet down in Ur of the Chaldeans (Acts 7:2), and when sending his servant to seek a wife for Isaac many years later, Abraham told his servant to go to the city of Nahor in Upper Mesopotamia (Aram-Naharaim) (Genesis 24:2-4,10)
Paddan-Aram is used with reference to the area around the city of Haran in Upper Mesopotamia (Aram-Naharaim) (Genesis 25:20; 28:2-7,10). The Arameans were to be found throughout all these areas. Additionally, the name Uz, one of A'Ram's 4 sons, is applied to the area of the Arabian Desert East of the Promised Land and touching on the borders of Edom (Job 1:1; Lamentations 4:21).
Aramaic's language was closely related to Hebrew and in time became an international language of both trade and diplomacy throughout the regions of the Fertile Crescent. (2 Kings 18:26) Aramaic was employed particularly from the 2nd millennium BC to about 500 CE. It is one of the three languages in which the Scripture was originally written.
Biblical Aramaic, formerly called Chaldee, is found in Ezra 4:8 to 6:18 and 7:12-26; Jeremiah 10:11; and Daniel 2:4 to 7:28. The Hebrew word "Ara-mith" occurs five times and is translated "in the Syrian language" or "in the Aramaic language." (2Kings 18:26; Isa 36:11; Daniel 2:4; Ezra4:7[twice])
Aramean kingdoms begin to be mentioned in the Scripture contemporaneously with the development of the nation of Israel.
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