Elam (Hebrew Bible)
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Elam in the Hebrew Bible is a name for the Elamites. The name is a loan from the Akkadian language. By aitiology, the Elamites were considered the offspring of Elam son of Shem (Genesis 10:22, Ezra 4:9;) (Incidentally, this implies that the Elamites were considered Semites by the Hebrews, in spite of their language being unrelated to the Semitic languages).
Elam as a personal name also refers to eight other figures appearing in the Hebrew Bible:
- Elam is a son of Shashak of the tribe of Benjamin in 1 Chronicles 8:24 .
- Elam is the son of Meshelemiah, a Levite of the family of Kohath in 1 Chronicles 26:3.
- Elam is the ancestor of a family that returned with Zerubbabel in Ezra 2:1-2,7.
- Elam is the ancestor of a family that returned from the Captivity in Ezra 2:31. This is possibly the same man and family as in Ezra 2:1-2,7.
- Elam is the ancestor of a family that returned with Ezra in Ezra 8:7 .
- Elam is the grandfather of Shechaniah in Ezra 10:3.
- Elam is one of the men who joins Nehemiah in sealing the new covenant in Nehemiah 10:14.
- Elam is a priest who helps in the rededication of the rebuilt walls of Jerusalem in Nehemiah 12:42.sv:Elam