Shem

Shem, Ham and Japheth
Shem and the (Possible)

Melchizedek Connection
I generally do not enjoy or like discussions
revolving around mere speculation, and I
try to avoid them like the plague. However,
speculation that gets you into the meat of
God’s word is good. And studying the
Shem/Melchizedek connection is good.
Suddenly, those seemingly “boring”
genealogical tables take on new meaning.
One of the great mysteries of the Bible
concerns Melchizedek. Since there is very
little written about him in the Old
Testament, it is only natural that many
wonder just who he was. And for
someone who has little specifically said
about him, what is said is some mighty
powerful testimony to his godly character!
Melchizedek was the King and High Priest
of Salem, the original name given for the city
of Jerusalem. He met and greeted
Abraham, who was still called Abram at this
time, after he had rescued his brother
Haran’s son, Lot, from Chedorlaomer, one
of the kings who fought against the kings of
Sodom and Gomorrah and had taken Lot
and his goods captive (Genesis 14:9-18).
Abram offering tithes to Melchizedek.
Genesis 14:19-20
Upon meeting Melchizedek, Abram then
gave Melchizedek a tithe of all the booty he
had taken from the defeated kings, and
Melchizedek blessed Abram. Melchizedek
said: "Blessed be Abram by Elohim (God)
Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.
And blessed be Elohim (God) Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your
hand.” (Genesis 14:19-20).
So who is Melchizedek? We really do not

know, but a strong case can be made for
him being none other than Noah’s oldest
son, Shem.
Melchizedek is disclosed in only three books

of the Bible: Genesis, Psalms and
Hebrews.
Melchizedek
#1 Genesis 14:18:
“Then Melchizedek king of Salem

brought out bread and wine: he was
the priest of God Most High.”
#2 Psalm 110:4:
“The LORD has sworn and will not

relent, ‘You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.’ ”
#3 Hebrews 5:6:
“As He also says in another place:

‘You are a priest forever according to
the order of Melchizedek….’ ”
Melchizedek
Hebrews 6:20:
“...where the forerunner has entered

for us, even Jesus, having become
High Priest forever to the order of
Melchizedek.”
Hebrews 7:1:
“For this Melchizedek, king of Salem,

priest of the Most High God, who met
Abraham returning from the slaughter
of the kings and blessed him….”
Hebrews 7:9-10:
“9 Even, Levi who receives tithes,

paid tithes through Abraham, so to
speak, 10 for he was still in the loins
of his father when Melchizedek met
him.”
Abram offering tithes to Melchizedek.
Hebrews 7:11:
“Therefore, if perfection were through

the Levitical priesthood (for under it
the people receive the law), what
further need was there that another
priest should rise according to the
order of Melchizedek, and not
according to the order of Aaron?”
Hebrews 7:15,17:
“15 And it is yet far more evident if, in

the likeness of Melchizedek, there
arises another priest.
“17 For He testifies: ‘You are a priest

forever according to the order of
Melchizedek.’”
Hebrews 7:21:
“(for they have become priests without

an oath, but He with an oath by Him
who said to Him: ‘The LORD has sworn
and will not relent, 'You are a priest
forever according to the order of
Melchizedek’ ’ )….”
Melchizedek
Melchizedek is not in the order of Levi. In

fact, we are told Levi pays tithes to
Melchizedek by the very act of Abraham
paying tithes to Melchizedek. (This is
found in Hebrews 7:9.)
Melchizedek is a priest who precedes the

entire Levi line.
Melchizedek, who is the King of Salem,
which means the king of peace, of whom
Abraham pays tithes, has no known
parents to the people of that time.
A mystery in the Bible!? Who is

Melchizedek?
SHEM! (Possibly)
Shem
Some believe we can get the answer from
Genesis 11:10-26:
“10 This is the genealogy of Shem:
Shem was one hundred years old, and
begot Arphaxad two years after the
flood.
“11 After he begot Arphaxad, Shem
lived five hundred years, and begot
sons and daughters.
“12 Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and
begot Salah.
“13 After he begot Salah, Arphaxad lived
four hundred and three years, and begot
sons and daughters.
“14 Salah lived thirty years, and begot
Eber.
“15 After he begot Eber, Salah lived four
hundred and three years, and begot sons
and daughters.
“16 Eber lived thirty-four years, and begot
Peleg.
“17 After he begot Peleg, Eber lived four
hundred and thirty years, and begot sons
and daughters.
“18 Peleg lived thirty years, and begot
Reu.
“19 After he begot Reu, Peleg lived two
hundred and nine years, and begot sons
and daughters.
“20 Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot
Serug.
“21 After he begot Serug, Reu lived two
hundred and seven years, and begot
sons and daughters.
“22 Serug lived thirty years, and begot
Nahor.
“23 After he begot Nahor, Serug lived one
hundred and nineteen years, and begot
sons and daughters.
“24 Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and

begot Terah.
“25 After he begot Terah, Nahor lived one
hundred and nineteen years, and begot
sons and daughters.
“26 Now Terah lived seventy years, and
begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
Now if my calculations are correct, (and they

are, I have checked them!), Shem actually
outlived Abraham, who was his great-great-
great-great-great-great-great-great (at the
least) grandson, by 35 years! Who knows,
he may have even attended or, being the
High Priest of God, even officiated at the
funeral service of this great patriarch.
Even Noah, Shem's father, was alive during

the same time as Abraham, being 892 years
old when Abraham was born, some 293
years since the flood. Noah would continue
to live an additional 58 years before finally
passing away, just missing out on the birth
of the seed of Abraham in which the
promise of a Deliverer would come, that
being Isaac.
Noah and his family after flood.
Additionally, Noah, Shem and Abraham also

were all alive when there was only one
language as they all lived through the
events surrounding the building of the Tower
of Babel when Nimrod, that mighty hunter
before Jehovah, established the first world
empire and built Ninevah (Genesis 10:8-11).
Nimrod builds Ninevah
Tower of Babel
Shem, therefore, was 390 years old

when Abraham was born, and once
Abraham died at the age of 175,
Shem would have been 565 years old,
with still 35 years more in which to live
upon this earth.
What makes Shem so special to be the
candidate for Melchizedek? Melchizedek, as
we have noted, blessed Abram and therefore
must have been someone who possessed the
power to bless in God’s name.
Such an individual, such a personage, would

have commanded the recognition and respect
that Abram provided Melchizedek.
Melchizedek blessing Abram
Abram, it also turns out, was a direct
descendant of Shem (Genesis 11:10-27),
so he would have been in line to receive
the blessing that Shem originally received
from Noah in Genesis 9:26:
“And he said, ‘Blessed be Jehovah, the

God of Shem. And let Canaan be his
servant.’ ”
So we see from the testimony of Noah

himself that Shem was a faithful and
righteous man of the One True God,
Jehovah. In this case, we see a
blessing invoking a father’s prayer of
peace and prosperity upon his son.
In addition, Abram’s deference to

Melchizedek, despite having just gained
a major triumph on the battlefield,
indicates the kind of homage one would
expect to be given to a revered
forefather such as Shem would have
been, especially in the culture of the
Mideast.
The only other reference to Melchizedek
in the Old Testament outside the book of
Genesis is when David compared
Yahweh-Elohim to a priest after the order
of Melchizedek. He wrote the following in
the Psalms about him. "Yahweh hath
sworn, and will not repent, ‘Thou art a
priest for ever after the order of
Melchizedek.’ ” (Psalm 110:4)
This is the first indication of the high

esteem the nation of Israel held toward
Melchizedek’s priesthood. David by the
Holy Spirit is clearly associating Yahweh
Elohim with the priesthood of
Melchizedek, and not the Aaronite
priesthood.
Melchizedek
He also reveals that it was without end.

This showed that the former priesthood
was of a higher order than the latter,
which was a temporary priesthood and a
shadow of the Melchizedek priesthood.
It was astonishing that the Hebrews

writer spoke the following about the
Aaronite priesthood: "The Holy Ghost
this signifying, that the way into the
holiest of all was not yet made
manifest, while as the first tabernacle
was yet standing:
"Now when these things were thus

ordained, the priests went always into
the first tabernacle, accomplishing
the service of God. But into the
second went the high priest alone
once every year, not without blood,
which he offered for himself, and for
the errors of the people:
“The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the

way into the holiest of all was not yet
made manifest, while as the first
tabernacle was yet standing: Which was
a figure for the time then present, in
which were offered both gifts and
sacrifices, that could not make him that
did the service perfect, as pertaining to
the conscience.” (Hebrews 9:6-9)
Moses’ account of Melchizedek in Genesis

14 was very brief and furnishes very little
detail about the man. There is neither a
mention of Melchizedek’s genealogy nor
life history, but there are some important
facts that Moses does reveal about
Melchizedek.
Melchizedek
First, he was king of the city of Salem,

which as has been pointed out was the
ancient name of Jerusalem. It appears
that even at this time before the formation
of Israel, Salem held some special
significance among the Gentiles as a place
of religious consequence.
This is further confirmed when Israel,

under the leadership of Joshua, entered
the land of Canaan and began to fight the
inhabitants for their inheritance. A Gentile
king named Adonizedek ruled Jerusalem
at that time (Joshua 10:3). He called the
Gentile nations together to make war
against Israel.
Second, Melchizedek was a “priest of the
Most High" (Genesis 14:18) that the kings of
this region held in high esteem. The fact that
Melchizedek was a priest implied that he
communicated with Elohim and that Elohim
had given him some special powers to bless
people. In this same manner Elohim gave
Baalam the Prophet, a Gentile, power to bless
and curse people (Numbers 22:5-6).
Melchizedek blesses Abram
The fact that both Baalam and

Melchizedek had paranormal abilities
shows that Elohim was no respecter of
persons (Acts 10:34, Deuteronomy
10:17), did communicate with the
Gentiles, and gave them spiritual
powers.
I believe this also disproves the belief

that Melchizedek was an angel or
some other supernatural being, but
showed that more than likely he was
just a man in whom Elohim had
blessed with special capacities.
The fact that King Melchizedek was a

priest and blessed Abram, the father of
the Israelites, after he had defeated
the kings of Babylon, Persia and
Canaan (Genesis 14:18-20), who had
taken Abram’s nephew, Lot, captive,
holds special significance.
As has been stated earlier, it is clear from
the writings of King David that the Hebrew
tradition had high veneration or esteem
for the priesthood of Melchizedek. This
priesthood was thought of as a higher
order than the Aaronite priesthood that
officiated in the tabernacle and the
temples because Melchizedek was
equated with the priesthood of Elohim.
The fact that Melchizedek, a Gentile

priest, would be used in analogy to
describe the Messiah’s priesthood that
would replace the Aaronite priesthood
is astounding. This showed that Elohim
was not a respecter of persons.
The Hebrews writer correlates the

Messiah under the New Covenant as
being the High Priest after the order of
Melchizedek in Hebrews 5:6 and 10,
which had no beginning or end
(Hebrews 7:3).
This spiritual priesthood succeeded the

Aaronite or Levitical priesthood, which was
established under the Old Covenant at Mt.
Sinai (Exodus 19:6) and was brought to an
end (Romans 10:4) by Jesus the Messiah
fulfilling this Old Covenant or the Law and
Prophets (Matthew 5:17-18; Romans 10:1-
4).
This is a further revelation of King David’s

writing we read from Psalm 110:4.
In the seventh chapter of Hebrews the

writer points out various correlations
between the Messiah and Melchizedek
that was revealed after the outpouring of
the Holy Spirit.
The Hebrews writer says the names of
"Melchizedek" and "Salem" have special
meaning in that they prefigured the
Messiah. Now "Melchizedek" means
"righteousness" and the city named "Salem"
means "Peace” (Hebrews 7:1-3). The
Messiah is both peace and righteousness
(John 14:26-27), which He has revealed in
our hearts by the shedding of His blood.
Abram before Melchizedek
Hebrews 7:1:
“For this Melchizedek, king of Salem,

priest of God Most High, who met
Abraham returning from the
slaughter of the kings and blessed
him,….”
Hebrews 7:2:
“to whom also Abraham divided a

tenth part of all (being first, by
interpretation, King of righteousness,
and then also King of Salem, which is
King of peace;….”
Hebrews 7:3:
“...without father, without mother,

without genealogy, having neither
beginning of days nor end of life,
but made like unto the Son of God),
abideth a priest continually.”
John 14:26:
“But the Comforter, even the Holy

Spirit, Whom the Father will send
in My name, He shall teach you all
things, and bring to your
remembrance all that I said unto
you.”
John 14:27:
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I

give unto you: not as the world
giveth, give I unto you. Let not your
heart be troubled, neither let it be
fearful.
Moses did not reveal Melchizedek’s birth,
death, or his genealogy in Genesis. The
Hebrews writer correlates the omission of
non-lineage with him having no beginning
or end and being without mother and
father likened unto Jesus the Messiah,
who is Elohim in a body and the true High
Priest throughout eternity.
Melchizedek
The fact that Melchizedek was set up first

before the Aaronite priesthood shows the
end declared from the beginning (Isaiah
46:9-10). The Aaronite priesthood was a
type and shadow of the true priesthood
that eventually had to come an end.
Abram offering tithes to
Melchizedek.
Isaiah 46:9-10:
“9 Remember the former things of old:

for I am God, and there is none else; I am
God, and there is none like Me; 10
declaring the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times things that are
not yet done; saying, ‘My counsel shall
stand, and I will do all My pleasure;….’ ”
The Hebrews writer states: "If therefore
perfection were by the Levitical
priesthood, (for under it the people
received the law,) what further need was
there that another priest should rise after
the order of Melchizedec, and not be
called after the order of Aaron?”
(Hebrews 7:11)
Now Melchizedek represents the Messiah
who is the King and Priest in our hearts and
minds. Just as Israel was made a kingdom
of priests under the Law of Moses (Exodus
19:5-6), the Messiah has made all true
believers, male and female, kings and
priests after the order of Melchizedek under
the New Covenant.
Jesus our High Priest
John in Revelation wrote: "And from Jesus
Christ, who is the faithful witness, and
the first begotten of the dead, and the
Ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto Him
that loved us, and washed us from our
sins in His own blood, and hath made us
kings and priests unto God and His
Father; to Him be glory and dominion for
ever and ever. Amen.” (Revelation 1:5-6)
Following is a chart I made showing the

descendants of Noah through Abraham, the
year they were born in relation to the flood,
how long they lived, and Noah’s and
Shem’s ages at the time of birth of their
descendants.
DESCENDANTS YEAR OF BIRTH AGE OF NOAH AGE OF SHEM
OF NOAH (950) AFTER FLOOD
Shem (600) 98 BF 500 XXX
Arpachshad (438) 3 602 100
Shelah (433) 38 637 135
Eber (464) 68 667 165

Peleg (239) 102 701 199
Reu (239) 132 731 229
Serug (230) 164 763 261
Nahor (148) 194 793 291

Terah (205) 223 822 320
Abram (175) 293 892 390
So is Shem Melchizedek? Possibly. Can

we be absolutely certain he was? Not at all.
But what we do know is that Melchizedek
was a great man, as was Shem.
And we can see from the preceding chart

that Shem was a contemporary of that great
patriarch, Abraham.
At the very least, I hope I have made at least

an interesting case that Melchizedek was
none other than Shem, Noah’s oldest
offspring.
There is more evidence that Shem and

Melchizedek are one and the same. In the
book of Jashar, Adonizedek the king of
Jerusalem (Melchizedek), is specifically
mentioned as being Shem. The book of
Jashar is a historical book that adds much
detail to the events recorded in the book of
Genesis.
The chronological details it provides fit

perfectly in line with those found in
Scripture in Genesis with absolutely no
variation. It is also referred to in the
Bible as a reliable and accurate source
of information as it is specifically
mentioned in Joshua 10:13 and 2
Samuel 1:18.
Joshua 10:13:
“And the sun stood still, and the moon

stayed, until the nation had avenged
themselves of their enemies. Is not this
written in the book of Jashar? And the
sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and
hasted not to go down about a whole
day.”
2 Samuel 1:18:
“...(and he bade them teach the

children of Judah the song of the
bow: behold, it is written in the book
of Jashar):….”
Melchizedek

Shem

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Shem, Ham and Japheth

Shem and the (Possible)

So who is Melchizedek? We really do not

Melchizedek is disclosed in only three books

“Then Melchizedek king of Salem

“The LORD has sworn and will not

“As He also says in another place:

“...where the forerunner has entered

“For this Melchizedek, king of Salem,

“9 Even, Levi who receives tithes,

“Therefore, if perfection were through

“15 And it is yet far more evident if, in

“17 For He testifies: ‘You are a priest

“(for they have become priests without

Melchizedek is not in the order of Levi. In

Melchizedek is a priest who precedes the

A mystery in the Bible!? Who is

“24 Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and

Now if my calculations are correct, (and they

Even Noah, Shem's father, was alive during

Additionally, Noah, Shem and Abraham also

Shem, therefore, was 390 years old

Such an individual, such a personage, would

“And he said, ‘Blessed be Jehovah, the

So we see from the testimony of Noah

In addition, Abram’s deference to

This is the first indication of the high

He also reveals that it was without end.

It was astonishing that the Hebrews

"Now when these things were thus

“The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the

Moses’ account of Melchizedek in Genesis

First, he was king of the city of Salem,

This is further confirmed when Israel,

The fact that both Baalam and

I believe this also disproves the belief

The fact that King Melchizedek was a

The fact that Melchizedek, a Gentile

The Hebrews writer correlates the

This spiritual priesthood succeeded the

This is a further revelation of King David’s

In the seventh chapter of Hebrews the

“For this Melchizedek, king of Salem,

“to whom also Abraham divided a

“...without father, without mother,

“But the Comforter, even the Holy

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I

The fact that Melchizedek was set up first

“9 Remember the former things of old:

Following is a chart I made showing the

Shem (600) 98 BF 500 XXX

Arpachshad (438) 3 602 100

Shelah (433) 38 637 135

Eber (464) 68 667 165

Peleg (239) 102 701 199

Reu (239) 132 731 229

Serug (230) 164 763 261

Nahor (148) 194 793 291

Terah (205) 223 822 320

Abram (175) 293 892 390

So is Shem Melchizedek? Possibly. Can

And we can see from the preceding chart

At the very least, I hope I have made at least

There is more evidence that Shem and