5 min read

Shem Divided the East and Moses Would Inherit the Borders

Shem's lot on the mountain of Ararat named Elam, Asshur, Nineveh, and Shinar. Moses would walk those same borders centuries before they were his to walk.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. The Map That Preceded the Journey
  2. The World Moses Would Walk Through
  3. The Name That Carried Everything
  4. Moses Receiving His Own History

The Map That Preceded the Journey

The lots were cast on the mountain of Ararat and Shem's portion was read aloud and the names fell into the air like a prophecy no one yet understood. The first portion for Elam and his sons, eastward to the river Tigris, the whole land of India, the Red Sea coast, the waters of Dedan, the mountains of Mebri and Ela, the land of Sushan, and the river Tina. For Asshur: all the land of Asshur and Nineveh and Shinar, to the border of India.

The angel who delivered this record to Moses on Sinai paused. Moses was being given not only the history of the law but the history of the land, the original distribution, the first borders, the names that had been assigned before the empires that would bear them were built. Elam. Asshur. Nineveh. Shinar. These were not abstract geography. These were the backdrop of everything the Torah would subsequently describe.

The World Moses Would Walk Through

The names from Shem's lot were the names of the world the Torah moved through. Shinar was where the tower rose and fell. Nineveh was where Assyria would build its power and threaten Israel centuries later. The Tigris and the border of India were the eastern edges of the world as the ancient imagination mapped it. Moses, standing on Sinai receiving this recitation, was being told that the geography he would lead a people through had been assigned and named and witnessed in the heavenly tablets before any of those peoples existed to inhabit it.

Shem's lot was the backdrop of the covenant. The patriarchs would wander through it. The prophets would preach against the cities it named. Israel would be born and exiled and redeemed inside the territory whose borders Noah had traced when the world was still empty and the ink on the heavenly tablets was fresh.

The Name That Carried Everything

Shem means name. The man whose inheritance encompassed the most sacred geography in creation bore a name that meant the act of naming itself. He was the son who stayed close to his father on the mountain, who built his city near Noah's city and named it after his wife, who walked backward into the tent with his brother to cover their father's nakedness without seeing it. He was the reliable son, the one who did not transgress, the one who kept the boundary the lot had assigned him.

And the tradition gave his name to the whole of the people descended from him. Semites. The children of Shem. The name echoed through every subsequent generation of the family that would stand at Sinai and receive the law that had always been written, the calendar that had always been fixed, the land that had always been theirs in the heavenly tablets even when other people were living in it.

Moses Receiving His Own History

The Book of Jubilees is framed as a dictation: an angel of the presence speaks to Moses on Sinai and recites what the heavenly tablets contain. Moses learns the entire history of creation and the flood and the land distribution and the patriarchs as a single continuous record, as if he is being shown not just what happened but why the geography of the world is arranged the way it is and why Israel's claim to its particular territory is written into the structure of the earth itself.

When Moses read the borders of Shem's portion, Elam to the east, Asshur and Nineveh to the north, the Red Sea to the south, he was reading the borders of the world he would spend the rest of his life trying to reach. The land promised to Abraham, confirmed to Isaac and Jacob, was already named in the original lot. Noah had declared it Shem's portion before Abraham was born. Moses would bring the descendants of Abraham to its edges and die with his eyes on the landscape that had been designated, in the heavenly tablets, for the line he was leading home.

ShemNoahMosesJubileesInheritanceNationsLawEast
← All myths

From the tradition

Sources

3 sources

The texts this telling draws on, in full. Open a card to read inline, or expand it for a wider, quieter read.

Book of Jubilees 9:4Book of Jubilees

It's like a post-diluvian real estate transaction, recorded for posterity.

Specifically,

So, how did Shem divide his inheritance? He portioned it among his sons. First up: Elam. His chunk included the land east of the Tigris River, stretching all the way to the east, encompassing the whole of India. The text continues, painting a vivid picture: “and on the Red Sea on its coast, and the waters of Dêdân, and all the mountains of Mebrî and ’Êlâ, and all the land of Sûsân and all that is on the side of Pharnâk to the Red Sea and the river Tînâ.” It’s a sweeping panorama of the ancient Near East, a landscape dotted with cities and natural landmarks that would have been incredibly significant to the people of that time.

Next in line was Asshur. His portion included "all the land of Asshur and Nineveh and Shinar and to the border of India, and it ascendeth and skirteth the river." Notice that India is mentioned again, suggesting its significance as a boundary marker in this ancient worldview. Shinar, of course, is significant. We know it from the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis. It's a region rich in history and symbolism, right there at the heart of Asshur's territory.

What's so striking about this passage is the sheer scope of the geography involved. We're talking about vast distances, encompassing diverse cultures and landscapes. It gives you a sense of how these ancient people understood their world, how they mapped it, and how they perceived the relationships between different regions.

It makes you wonder, doesn't it? What was it like to live in a world where these were the known boundaries? What stories were told around the campfires about the lands beyond, the places where the map faded into mystery? And what can this ancient division of land tell us about the roots of civilizations, the flows of trade, and the enduring connections between people across continents?

The Book of Jubilees offers us a tantalizing glimpse into a world long past, a world where the echoes of the Flood still resonated, and the future of humanity was being mapped out, one son, one inheritance, at a time. It reminds us that even the most ancient texts can offer fresh insights into who we are and where we come from.

Full source
Book of Jubilees 8:30Book of Jubilees

Book of Jubilees turns to Shem's Sacred Inheritance Includes the Garden of Eden.

The Book of Jubilees, in chapter 8, describes the division of the world among Noah's sons after the flood. This wasn't just a geographical exercise; it was a divinely ordained allocation, a sacred trust. And what fell to Shem, the ancestor of the Israelites? A portion to be held "forever unto his generations for evermore." A pretty big deal. Noah, overjoyed by this outcome, recalled his own prophetic words: "Blessed be the Lord God of Shem, And may the Lord dwell in the dwelling of Shem." This wasn't just a blessing; it was a recognition of a special relationship between God and Shem's descendants. But it gets even more intriguing.

Because the text then goes on to pinpoint specific locations… locations considered the most holy of holies. According to Jubilees, Noah knew that three places held unique significance: the Garden of Eden, Mount Sinai, and Mount Zion. Gan Eden, the Garden of Eden – the very place where humanity first walked with God. Then, Har Sinai, Mount Sinai – where the Torah was given, and the covenant between God and Israel was forged. And finally, Har Tzion, Mount Zion – the heart of Jerusalem, the site of the Temple, the earthly dwelling place of the Divine Presence.

The text emphasizes that these three holy places "were created as holy places facing each other." What does that mean, “facing each other?" Some interpret this spatially – literally, geographically. But perhaps it speaks more to a spiritual alignment, a connection of purpose. Eden representing the original, perfect relationship with God; Sinai representing the renewed covenant; and Zion representing the ongoing, present connection.

What's so powerful here is the linking of these three sites – Eden, Sinai, and Zion. It creates a kind of spiritual map, a constellation of holiness. It suggests a continuity, a through-line connecting the beginning of humanity's relationship with God to its ongoing development and expression.

The passage also alludes to eretz yisrael, the Land of Israel, being at the “centre of the navel of the earth.” This imagery, also found in other Jewish texts, highlights the centrality and importance of the land in the divine plan.

These weren't just random locations. They were, and are, points of connection, focal points where the earthly and the divine intersect. And according to the Book of Jubilees, they are all intimately connected to the legacy of Shem and his descendants. It makes you wonder, doesn't it? How can we connect to these places, even if we can't physically be there? How can we cultivate that sense of holiness in our own lives, wherever we may be?

Full source
Book of Jubilees 7:22Book of Jubilees

The familiar picture has Noah stepping off the ark and. well, what? Where did he go? What did he do?

The Book of Jubilees, a text not found in the Hebrew Bible but considered sacred by some, gives us a fascinating glimpse into those early days. It paints a picture of Shem, Noah's son, taking the initiative.

That Shem, instead of wandering aimlessly, actually built a city near his father on a mountain. He even named it after his wife, Sêdêqêtêlĕbâb. Try saying that five times fast! It's a mouthful, but it shows us the importance of family and legacy in this post-diluvian world.

It wasn't just one city. Jubilees goes on to mention that there were actually three cities nestled near Mount Lûbâr. Sêdêqêtêlĕbâb faced east, Na’êlâtamâ’ûk was to the south, and ’Adatanêsês watched over the west. Imagine that little triangle of civilization, springing up anew after the devastation. It's a powerful image.

Then, almost as an aside, Jubilees gives us a quick genealogy. "And these are the sons of Shem: Elam, and Asshur, and Arpachshad, this (son) was born two years after the flood. And Lud, and Aram." Notice that little detail about Arpachshad being born two years after the flood? It’s a tiny, humanizing touch that makes the story feel so much more real. These weren't just names on a page; they were people rebuilding their lives.

And then, in one last breath, we get a reminder of the larger family tree. "The sons of Japheth: Gomer and Magog and Madai and Javan, Tubal and Meshech and Tiras: these are the sons of Noah." It’s a reminder that this wasn't just about one family, one city, but about the repopulation of the entire world.

What strikes me most about this passage is the sense of immediacy. We often think of biblical stories as grand, sweeping narratives. But here, in the Book of Jubilees, we get a glimpse of the nitty-gritty: the building of cities, the naming of children, the slow, painstaking process of starting over. It’s a reminder that even the most epic stories are built on countless small, human moments. What does it mean to start over? What does it mean to rebuild? Maybe these are questions we're still confronting today.

Full source