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Patriarchs (Bible)

The Patriarchs (also known as the Avot in Hebrew) according to the Judeo-Christian Old Testament, are Abraham, his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob. Collectively, they are referred to as the three patriarchs (shloshet ha-avot) of Judaism, and the period in which they lived is known as the patriarchal period.

Their primary wives – Sarah (wife of Abraham), Rebekah (wife of Isaac), and Leah and Rachel (the wives of Jacob) – are known as the Matriarchs. Thus, classical Judaism considers itself to have three patriarchs and four matriarchs.

Other uses

In the New Testament, King David is referred to as a patriarch, as are Jacob's twelve sons THESE ancestors of the Twelve tribes of Israel).

In addition, the title patriarch is often applied to the ten antediluvian figures Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah. According to the Book of Genesis, these ten men are the ancestors of the entire human race. Moses and Joseph are also known as patriarchs.

Ages of the Patriarchs

In the conventional reading of the Bible, these are the lifetimes given.

Adam 930; Seth 912; Enosh 905; Kenan 910; Mahalalel 895; Jared 962; Enoch 365 (did not die, but was taken away by God); Methuselah 969; Lamech 777; Noah 950.

However, as well as being much greater than human lifetimes today, they cause problems of chronology for Bible scholars, as the following quotation shows.

“The long lives ascribed to the patriarchs cause remarkable synchronisms and duplications. Adam lived to see the birth of Lamech, the ninth member of the genealogy; Seth lived to see the translation of Enoch and died shortly before the birth of Noah. Noah outlived Abraham’s grandfather, Nahor, and died in Abraham’s sixtieth year. Shem, Noah’s son, even outlived Abraham. He was still alive when Esau and Jacob were born!”

Alternative readings and discussion of the ages are given under Methuselah.

Relation to other tribes

Many of the tribes living in the Middle East, between the time of Abraham and the time of Christ, have a genealogical connection to the Patriarchs or their descendants. This list, taken from the book of Genesis, gives the details of that genealogy.