Who are Semites?

Answer

Semites are a group of Near Eastern and African peoples descended from Shem. Shem, known as the father of the Semites, was one of Noah’s sons. He, along with seven other family members, entered the ark, survived the flood, and went on to repopulate the earth. The line of descent to Jesus Christ, the Messiah, passed through Shem. Eber, Shem’s great-grandson, was the ancestor of the group eventually known as the “Hebrews,” which included Abram (refer to Genesis 10 and 11 for further details on Shem’s lineage).

In Genesis 10:22, the five sons of Shem are listed: Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. This is followed by twenty-one other descendants of Shem: “The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshek. Arphaxad fathered Shelah, who in turn fathered Eber. Eber had two sons: one was named Peleg because the earth was divided in his time, and his brother was named Joktan. Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. These were the sons of Joktan, whose territory extended from Mesha toward Sephar in the eastern hill country. These are the descendants of Shem, organized by their clans and languages, within their territories and nations” (Genesis 10:23-31).

The Elamites, Assyrians, Lydians, Arameans, and various Arab tribes are recognized as descendants of Shem. Many of these groups historically spoke related languages. These groups are collectively referred to as the Semites.

Geographically, the descendants of Shem spread from Lydia to Syria, Assyria, and Persia. Armenia marked the northern boundary, while the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf formed the southern boundary. Presently, members of Semitic language groups are dispersed across North Africa and the Middle East.

Scholars of philology, the study of language, traditionally categorize the Semitic language family into three branches.

All divisions. East Semitic (sometimes classified as Northeast) was used in ancient Babylon and Assyria and includes the Akkadian (or Accadian) language. The Northwest classification encompasses Hebrew, Aramaic, Canaanite, Syrian, Phoenician, Samaritan, Palmyrene, Nabatean, Eblaite, and Ugaritic languages. South Semitic languages include Arabic, Sabean, Minean, and Ethiopic. Of the more than 70 different known forms of Semitic languages, some contain vast libraries of literature; others have only a small collection, and some remain entirely unwritten. Modern Semitic languages in common use include Hebrew, Arabic, Neo-Aramaic, Amharic, and Maltese.

Today, anti-Semitism is a term that has come to mean “prejudice or hostility toward Jews as a religious, cultural, or racial group.” According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the term anti-Semitism was introduced in 1879 by Wilhelm Marr, a German agitator who used it to describe anti-Jewish campaigns that were taking place in central Europe at the time. The term is, in fact, a misnomer, as true anti-Semitism would imply discrimination against anyone of Semitic descent including Arabs, Ethiopians, and other Semites.