Chapter 3

Who are the people of the Middle East?

 

Hebrews, Israelites, Semites and Jews

 

People are sometimes confused by the use of these terms. It seemed appropriate, therefore, to include some information and definitions for those who may benefit by some clarification. Webster’s gives the following definitions for the terms:

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Hebrew n. lit., one from across (the river).

1. any member of a group of Semitic peoples tracing decent from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; Israelite in modern,esp. earlier, usage interchangeable with Jew.

2. a) the ancient Semitic language of the Israelites, in which most of the Old Testament was written b) the modern form of this language, the official language of Israel -- adj. 1. of Hebrew or the Hebrews 2. same as Jewish.

Israelite n. any of the people of ancient Israel or their descendants; Jew; Hebrew

---- adj. of ancient Israel or the Israelites; Jewish: also Is’ra/ el/ it’ish

Jew n. member of the tribe or kingdom of Judah:

1. a person descended, or regarded as descended, from the ancient Hebrews of Biblical times(underline mine)

2. a person whose religion is Judaism

 

Semite n.

1. a person regarded as descended from Shem

2. a member of any of the peoples speaking a Semitic language, including the Hebrews, Arabs, Assyrians, Phoenicians, etc.

3. same as Jew: a loose language.

 

Authors notes:

From the definitions above, we see that the terms Hebrew, Israelite and Jew are often used interchangeably. There are, however, distinctions that should be noted.

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The term Hebrew identifies those descended from Abraham, through his son Isaac, and grandson Jacob, who were descendants of Noah and Shem (see Genesis 11:10-31 and 17:5).

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Israelite refers to the people of Israel, especially those descended from Jacob. (see: Genesis 35:10).

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The term Jew is linked with the descendants of Judah, son of Jacob (Israel), but is now used more broadly to refer to all Hebrews and those who embrace Judaism as their religion (see Genesis 35:23). It can, therefore, refer to race or to religious belief.

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Semite or Semitic refers not only to those descended through Isaac and Jacob, but to all descendants of Shem including all those of Abraham, Nahor and Haran (Genesis 10:21-32; 11:10-32; 16:1-11; 21:1-20; 25:12-34; 35:22-29; 36-1-43).

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Other Middle East nationalities:

There are a number of countries within the area commonly referred to as the Middle East. While they are separate and distinct countries, most share; a common language, history, culture and, although there are differences, generally the same fundamental religious beliefs and political goals.

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Country            Nationality(ies)        Language(s)         Religion(s)

Bahrain                       63% Asian 10% Arab             Arabic*, Fars,                 98% Muslim

                                                                                    English, Urdui

 

Cypress                     77% Greek 10% Turkish          Greek, Turkish,         Greek Orthodox,                                                                                          English                       Catholic, Muslim

 

Egypt                         99% Egyptian                          Arabic*,  English        90% Muslim                                                                                                 French                         (most  Sunni)

 

Iran                            60% Persian,16% Azeri,        Persian 53%, Kurdish  89% Shi’a Muslim

                                         10% Kurd                                Azeri, Turkish              9% Sunni Muslim

 

                                   

Iraq                      75-80% Arab 15-20% Kurd         Arabic*, Kurdish.    60-65% Shi’a Muslim

                                                                                                Assyrian, Turkish   32-37% Sunni Muslim

 

Israel                       76.2% Jew 19.5% Arab             Hebrew* Arabic         Judiaism, Muslim,   

                                                                                                                      Christianity, Druze

 

Jordan           Mostly Arab, some Circassians,      Arabic*  English       92% Sunni Muslim

                        Amenians & Chechens

 

 

Kuwait                    32 % Kuwaiti,27% Arab,             Arabic                           85% Muslim

                                 37 % Asian                                                                (70% Sunni, 30% Shi’a)

 

Lebanon                95% Arab                            Arabic*, French   60% Muslim, 39% Christian

 

Oman          Arab, E.African, S.Asian E.African      Arabic*          Ibadhi, Muslim (Sunni,                                                                                                                  Shi’a), Hiundu, Christian

 

Gaza                        ####                                            Arabic                         ####

 

 

Palestine                  ####                                           Arabic                         ####

 

 

Qutar            Arab, Indian, Nepali, Filipino            Arabic*             Islam (state religion)

 

 

Saudi Arabia     90% Arab, !0% Afro-Asian             Arabic*                   Islam

 

 

Syria             90% Arab, Kurds, Armenians,       Arabic*, Kurdish,         74% Sunni Muslim,

                      Circassians, Turkmans                     Armenian, Aramaic,    12% Alawis (Shi’ite),                                                                                      other                        10% Christian, other

 

Turkey         Turkish, Kurdish, other             Turkish*, Kurdish,      99% Muslim (majority                                                                               Arabic, Armenian,      Sunni),Christian, 

                                                                             Greek                             Bahai, Jewish

 

 

U. A. E.         Indian, Pakistani, other            Arabic*, other                    96% Muslim

 

 

Yemen          Arab (predominately)               Arabic*                Islam (Sunni incl. Sahf &                                                                                                               Salafi / Shi’a incl. Zaydi),                                                                                                                other

 

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Source:  U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Near East Affairs.

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Why is any of this important? What does it have to do with me or my family?

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Those two questions bring us right back to the opening questions regarding gasoline prices, the price of food, clothing, and virtually everything else as well as the threat of terror attacks, etc. They are all tied together and they are all related to the Biblical prophecies regarding the end of days.

 

 

It Started with Noah

Noah had three sons; Shem, Ham and Japheth. Many of us are aware that Shem was the ancestor of the Semitic peoples; the Jews, Arabs and some Afro-Asiatic groups. But who are the descendants of Ham and Japheth and why does it matter?

First let us look at who descended from these two sons of Noah;

Japheth:

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• Gomer --Cimmerians, Asserians, Scythians,

• Magog --Irish, Hungarians, Slavs

• Javan   -- Greece, Spain

• Tubal --  Spain, Portugal

• Meshach – Georgia, “The Sea People” who settled all through the Mediterranean area.

• Tiras – Persia (Iran)

Ham:

• Cush – Yemen , Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Somalia ----Babylon (Iraq)

• Mizraim – Egypt, Libya, Philistia (Gaza Strip)

• Phut – Libya, Phoenicia (Canaan  & coast of Fertile Crescent)

• Canaan: --Lebanon, Syria (father of: Sidon & Heth – ancestors of Jebuwites, Amorites, Girgasites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites & Hamathites)

 

We see then that the descendants of Japheth primarily settled the areas of Europe and Northwest Asia while the descendants of Ham primarily settled the Middle East, Southwest Asia and Africa.

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What then is the significance? We must look at scripture to understand.

Gen 9:18-27, NIV states;

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18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.)

19 These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the earth.

20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard.

21 When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent.

22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness and told his two brothers outside.

23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father's nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father's nakedness.

24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him,

25 he said, "Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers."

26 He also said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem.  

27 May God extend the territory of Japheth; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his slave."

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This may seem a rather extreme penalty for something that Noah brought on by his drunkenness. However, we must remember that we are viewing it with the benefit of hindsight in the Christian era – that is with the teachings of Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit. In addition, we must remember that Noah probably knew more about the character of his son, and grandson, than we could possibly hope to. We also need to remember that God knows every heart.

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We see here in these verses that Noah pronounced a curse, not upon Ham, but upon Ham’s son, Canaan and his descendants. Japheth is blessed with the extension of his territory and to live in the tents of Shem and have Canaan as his slave. Shem receives the special blessing of the LORD his God with Canaan as his slave. Canaan, and his descendants, are doomed to servitude.

This occurred several thousand years ago and might not seem important to us at first glance but let’s look at history:

Through Shem the family line is traced down through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) to a nation believing in one God through whom God delivered His word and His Savior for all mankind.

Who was it that benefited most from the revelation of the Gospel truth regarding God’s Savior? It was their northern neighbors, the descendants of Japheth.  It’s obvious that Northwestern Asia, Europe and eventually the U.S.A. were the great benefactors of Christianity until now.

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Through Ham we find the nations in Southwest Asia and Africa. Peoples who for centuries have existed as “third-world,” largely impoverished and often enslaved. Although individuals and even small groups have prospered, these nations, for the most part, have not.

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We can see, then, some basis for resentment on the part of the descendants of Ham. Notice that I said basis – not justification. Resentment toward those who receive God’s blessing is never justified. In Gen 4:6-7, when Cain resented God’s attitude toward Able, God told him;

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"Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?

7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." NIV.

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Unfortunately, Cain did not master his anger and resentment, so he slew Able. The descendants of Ham have not mastered the sin crouching at their door either. This does not, however, explain entirely the animosity of the Radical Muslim factions toward Israel and the U.S. To understand that animosity we must take a further look at scripture.

 

 

God's Covenant with Abraham

The man we now know as Abraham was originally named Abram. God made a covenant promise to Abram that he would bless him with great blessings in a land He would show him:

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1 Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.

2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Gen. 12:1-4; The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982. (Emphasis mine).

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So, Abram went to Canaan with his nephew Lot. Their herds and workers became so numerous it became a problem, so they separated. Then the Lord said to Abram.

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14 “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; 15 “for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.

 16 “And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.

17 “Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” Gen. 13:14-17; The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982. (Emphasis mine).

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The blessings promised here by the Lord are three-fold:

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• Personal- make your name great; make your descendants as the dust of the earth; bless those who bless you, curse him who curses you.

• Linear (national) - land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever; bless those who bless you, curse him who curses you.

• General (universal) - in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

 

Some years later Abraham had grown anxious about having no children and the Lord spoke to him again assuring him that he would have a son born of his own flesh to inherit his property and carry on his line. In Gen 15:1-6:

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1 -- the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” 2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

Eliezer was his chief servant.

3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 And he (Abram) believed in the Lord, and He (God) accounted it to him for righteousness.  NKJV. (Emphasis mine);

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The Lord continues in verses thirteen thru sixteen, affirming and expanding the detail of His promise to Abraham.

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13 Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 “And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 “Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16 “But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

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We know from scripture, and from history, that this prophecy was fulfilled by the enslavement of the Hebrews in Egypt and their deliverance after 400 years by the Lord under the leadership of Moses. Continuing with verses 17 & 18:

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17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. 18 On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates—

This was to include all the lands then occupied by following ten nations:

19 “the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20 “the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 “the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” Gen. 15:19-21; The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982. (Emphasis mine).  

        

Notice here that the Lord gave the Jews the land from the river bordering Egypt to the Euphrates in the north.  This means the Lord gave the Jews all of present day Israel plus all of Lebanon, all of present day Palestine, part of Jordan, most of Syria and part of Egypt from the Nile to the current Israeli border. Israel has never controlled this entire area – but it will! One writer indicated that this would be almost 50 times more land than they now occupy!

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God spoke to Abram again reaffirming and expanding His promise, when Abram was ninety-nine years old. See:  Gen 17:1-21 NIV:

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17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.

2 I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers."

3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,

4 "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations.

5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.

6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.

7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. (Emphasis mine).

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Everything the Lord has promised to Abraham to this point during this meeting; you will be the father of many nations, your name will be Abraham, I will make you very fruitful. I will make nations of you and kings will come from you, are all personal to Abraham. What now follows are the promises to Abraham’s descendants and the nation of Israel.

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8 The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God." Gen. 17:8; NIV. (Emphasis mine).

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Notice particularly in verses 9 thru 14; that this covenant pertaining to the land is an everlasting covenant (an unbreakable promise) of God and it is given with only one condition.

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9 Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.

10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.

11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.

12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner — those who are not your offspring.

13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.

14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant." Gen. 17:9-14; NIV. (Emphasis mine).

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Even their slaves were to be circumcised. This covenant the Jews have kept. Even today Jewish boys are circumcised on the eighth day. Then God adds a promise to Sarai as part of this covenant promise:

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15 God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.

16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her."

17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?"

18 And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!"

Then in verse nineteen God again reaffirms that this is an everlasting, unbreakable, covenant.

19 Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.

21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year." Gen. 17:19-21; NIV. (Emphasis mine).

 

 

Disgruntled Sons of Abraham

Next, we will look at how the covenant was implemented through Isaac and Jacob:

Isaac married Rebecca and when she was pregnant the Lord spoke to her. In Gen 25:23 NIV we find:

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23 The LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger."  (Emphasis mine).

Rebecca gave birth to twin boys. Esau was born first then Jacob. So, Esau, by custom, had the birthright. But the Lord had stated to Rebecca that the elder would serve the younger. Esau grew up to be the man’s man. Bold, strong, a very skillful hunter and outdoorsman. Jacob was his mother’s son. Not a sissy but more of a quiet domestic type. In Gen 25:29-34 NIV:

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29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished.

30 He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!" (That is why he was also called Edom.)

31 Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright."

32 "Look, I am about to die," Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?"

33 But Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So, Esau despised his birthright. (Emphasis mine).

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So, Jacob managed to get Esau’s birthright in exchange for a bowl of stew. That was the most expensive bowl of stew in history! This, however, wasn’t enough for Jacob and his mother. Sometime later when Isaac was old and virtually blind he decided it was time to give Esau his blessing. Jacob and Rachael decided to deceive Isaac by having Jacob bring Isaac some food disguised as Esau. So, Jacob took Esau’s blessing as well. We see the blessing is found in Gen 27:28-29 NIV.

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28 May God give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness — an abundance of grain and new wine.

29 May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed." NIV. (Emphasis mine).

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So once again, even though deception was used, we see the covenant promises headed directly down to Israel.

Now Jacob and Esau resolved their differences later in their lives, but their descendants never got along.

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9 This is the account of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir. (Mt. Seir) Gen 36:9; NIV. (Emphasis and insert mine).

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When the Lord brought the Hebrews out of Egypt Moses sent an envoy to the king of Edom requesting permission to cross their land on the way to the Promised Land but the king of Edom refused to allow them to pass through. In Num. 20:18-21 we find:

 

18 But Edom answered: "You may not pass through here; if you try, we will march out and attack you with the sword."

19 The Israelites replied: "We will go along the main road, and if we or our livestock drink any of your water, we will pay for it. We only want to pass through on foot — nothing else."

20 Again they answered: "You may not pass through." Then Edom came out against them with a large and powerful army.

21 Since Edom refused to let them go through their territory, Israel turned away from them. NIV. (Emphasis mine).

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Many years later we see that they were still enemies:

In 2 Sam 8:13:

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13 And David became famous after he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. NIV. (Emphasis mine).

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You recall that Abraham pleaded with God on behalf of his son Ishmael and the Lord agreed to make Ishmael fruitful and make nations of his descendants. After tensions arose between Sarah and Hagar, over Hagar’s pregnancy, Hagar decided to run away. Notice what scripture says about this event and God’s promise to Hagar regarding Ishmael:

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8 And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.

9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.”

10 The angel added, “I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.”

11 The angel of the LORD also said to her: “You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery.

12 He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” Gen 16:8-12; NIV. (Emphasis mine).

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But Ishmael and Esau were not the only disgruntled sons of Abraham. When Sarah died Abraham married again. Midian was the son of Abraham by his second wife Keturah.

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16 The LORD said to Moses,

17 "Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them, Num 25:16-17l NIV.

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Then in Gen 36:12:

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12 Esau’s son Eliphaz also had a concubine named Timna, who bore him Amalek. NIV. (Emphasis mine).

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So, Midian, Abraham’s son by Keturah was the father of the Midianites and Amalek Esau’s grandson, Abraham’s great – great – great grandson, was father of the Amalekites.

Then in Judges 6:33-34 we see that the Midianties and Amalekites with others not mentioned by name invaded Israel in numbers too great to count plundering their crops, pastures and animals:

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33 Now all the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.

34 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. Judges 6:33-34 NIV. (Emphasis mine).

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Most of you are probably familiar with the story of how Gideon laid a fleece before the Lord then, when he was convinced the Lord was with him, he summoned a large army. The Lord had other plans and told him his army was too large. So, the Lord whittled the army down to 300 and devastated the enemy whose army had camels too numerous to count.

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And the list goes on. But we don’t have time to trace the roots and history of every group in the east. We can see with this sampling that there is a long history of animosity among the descendants of Ham and fierce hatred between the descendants of Ham and Shem, as well as, between the covenant descendants of Abraham and those of his descendants who were left out of the covenant.

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                                       Abraham Lineage Chart

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                                                              Abraham (Abram)

                  |--------------------------------|---------------------------------|

         Sarah (Sarai)                                   Hagar                                            Ketura

                  |                                                    |                                                     |

               Isaac &                                Ishmael (Ishmaelites)                   Midian (Midianites)

              Rebecca                                          |

                  |                                     12 sons ----12 nations

        |-------------|                          His decendants settled in the 

 Jacob (Israel)  Esau (Edomites)   area from Havila to Shur, near

                                                         the  border of Egypt, as you go toward  

 12 tribes       This was Esau           Asshur. And they lived in hostility

 of Israel          father of the             toward all the tribes related to them. Gen. 25:18 NIV

                            Edomites.               (This is the general area we now know as

                        Gen. 36:43 NIV      Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and Iran.)

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 NAMES IN RED - These are the nations that  lived in hostility toward Israel and other nations, especially against the U.S.A.  and other nations allied with Israel.

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Some would probably sympathize with the descendants of Ham and those left out of the covenant relationship feeling they did not get a fair shake. However, we must remember that God reads hearts more clearly and easily than we read a children’s book. He knows precisely what every individual thinks, and what they will do long before they do it.

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16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Ps 139:16; NIV. (Emphasis mine).