The Marriage and Ascendancy Pattern of Abraham's People

Alice C. Linsley


My sister took a course in Anthropology which exposed her to the discipline of kinship analysis. On the final exam 25% of the questions dealt with kinship. This question posed a real challenge: “The biblical pattern of tracing genealogy is patrilineal.” 

The answer that the professor wanted was “True.” 

Since my sister has followed my Genesis research for years she knew that this statement is only true in part. In fact, the biblical Hebrew had a pattern of double unilineal descent in which both the patrilineage and the matrilineage are recognized and honored, but in different ways.

Analysis of the structure of the Genesis "begats" reveals that lineage was traced through both the father and the mother (double descent). The double descent pattern is evident in the cousin bride's naming prerogative.

The Horite Hebrew had two wives. One was a half-sister (as was Sarah to Abraham) and the other was a patrilineal cousin (as was Keturah to Abraham). The first wife was the sister bride and the wife of the man's youth. The second wife was taken close to the time of the man's enthronement. 

Because there were two wives, there were also two first-born sons, but only one was the proper heir. The proper heir was the first-born son of the first wife. The first-born son of the cousin bride belonged to the household of his maternal grandfather. In his study of primitive kinship patterns Claude Levi-Strauss recognized in 1949 that mother and child do not always belong to the same household or clan.

Isaac ruled over Abraham's territory in Edom because he was Sarah's first and only son. The firstborn son of the cousin wife served the throne of his maternal grandfather, after whom he was named. The pattern is evident in this diagram.

Lamech the Elder had two wives. HIs daughter Naamah (Gen. 4) married her patrilineal cousin Methuselah and named their first-born son Lamech, after her father (Gen.5:26.)  

The line of the cousin wife is traced through the cousin bride’s naming prerogative. This custom explains why similar names appear in Genesis 4 and 5 two generations apart. For example: Irad’s daughter married her patrilineal cousin and named their first born son Jared after her father. Irad and Jared are linguistically equivalent names. Irad/Yrd is mentioned in Genesis 4:18 and Jared/Yrd is mentioned in Genesis 5:15.

The pattern continues to the time of Jesus Messiah. Lamech had two wives: Adah and Zillah. Abraham had two wives: Sarah and Keturah. Jacob had two wives: Rachel and Leah. Moses's father had two wives: Jochebed and Izhara. Moses had two wives: the "Kushite" bride and the Midianite bride, Zipporah. Samuel's father Elkanah had two wives: Penninah and Hannah. This was the pattern for the Horite Hebrew rulers who practiced endogamy.

Amram's cousin wife was Ishara/Izhar. She named their firstborn son Korah after her father. Korah the Younger ascended to the throne of his maternal grandfather. This means that Jochebed was Amram's half-sister wife. All of the people in this diagram are descendants of or kin to Seir the Horite Hebrew ruler (Gen. 36). 

Note that there are two named Esau in the diagram above. Esau the Elder married Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite. Esau the Younger married Oholibamah, the daughter of a Horite female chief named Anah. Esau the Younger would have been named for his mother's father, Esau the Elder. It is impossible to determine which wife was Esau the Younger's mother because the data is conflated in Genesis 26:34 and Genesis 28:9. Genesis 36:10 suggests that Esau the Elder's wives were Adah and Basemath. Both were Hittite brides, and probably the daughters of Horite Hebrew priests living among the Hittites of Canaan. The other wives are Judith (Hittite), Mahalath (Ishmaelite), and Oholibamah (Horite Hebrew). One of these women was probably a concubine, not a wife. 

This would mean that Esau was Jacob's half-brother. Esau was the son of Isaac's half-sister bride and his proper heir. Jacon was th son of Rebecca, Isaac's cousin bride. As such, Esau and Jacob would not have been in competition to rule over Isaac's territory. Esau was the proper heir and Jacob was the sent-away son. As Isaac's first-born son by his half-sister wife (a daughter of Abraham and Keturah), Esau would rule over the territory of his father Isaac. Jacob would have been sent away to establish himself in another territory.


The Cousin Bride's Naming Prerogative

The cousin bride's naming prerogative pertained to noble wives, not to concubines. Only the first-born sons ascended to rule in the Hebrew clans. The first-born of the first wife was the proper heir of his biological father. This explains why Isaac was Abraham's proper heir. The first-born son of the cousin bride served as a high official in the territory of his maternal grandfather.

Other sons were given gifts and sent away to establish territories of their own (Gen. 25:6). Many of the Bible's greatest figures were sent-away sons who had to rely on God's direction and provision to become established in their own territoires. This marriage and ascendancy pattern drove Kushite expansion out of Africa as has been confirmed by DNA studies. The same pattern contributed to the wide dispersion of the Horite Hebrew.

This marriage pattern is found among the Kushite pharaohs. For example, the Kushite ruler Amenhotep III was the father of Akhenaten the Younger who was named by Amenhotep's cousin wife after her father. This means that Akhenaten the Younger ascended to the throne of his maternal grandfather, after whom he was named.

Egypt under the Kushites had two thrones (symbolized by the double crown) and Horus was said unite the peoples. The Horite Hebrew were devotees of the High God and his son Horus. This belief in God Father and God Son is central to the faith of Abraham and his Horite Hebrew people. Abraham's faith lives in Christianity.

The Anthropolgical Evidence

The “begets” of Genesis 4 and 5 present a very old kinship pattern which I have diagrammed and analyzed using E.L. Schusky’s Manual for Kinship Analysis, one of the most important books of the 20th century because it presents a method for understanding ancient kinship patterns such as described in the Bible. Kinship patterns are like cultural signatures that can be used to trace the original homeland of a people or caste. The analysis of the kinship pattern presented in Genesis 4 and 5 directs us to the homeland of Abraham’s ancestors, who were ethnically Kushite. The antecedents of the Abraham's faith are found among the ancient Nilotes and Proto-Saharan ruler-priests. 

Analysis of the pattern shows that Cain and Seth married the daughters of a chief named Enoch. These brides named their first-born sons after their father. So it is that Cain's firstborn son is Enoch and Seth's firstborn son is Enosh. The names are linguistically equivalent and derived from the root NK. The names are related to African words that designate a proper heir or the one who its to ruler after his father. Enoch, anochi means one who ascends to the throne and the one who is heir. The title corresponds to the Hebrew first person singular pronoun forms anoki and ani and to the Akkadian first person singular pronoun anaku. In ancient Egyptian, the equivalent pronoun is ink which is related to the word Anochi, referring to the royal first person.

Among the Igbo, anochie means “a replacer” or “to replace” and among the Ashante the word anokyi means "Ano Junior" or the "Ano who follows his father." In both cases, one finds the idea of succession from father to son, suggesting a line of descent. A Nigerian friend reports that anochie also means "direct heir to a throne." The word Enoch is clearly associated with royal ascendancy.

Today a similar pattern is found among Nilotic and Kushitic rulers and metal working chiefs in Niger, Sudan, Nigeria, Cameroon, and the Horn of Africa. Emmanuel Kenshu Vubo, of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology of the University of Buea, Cameroon, has done a good deal of research on this among the peoples of Cameroon. However, the marriage and ascendancy pattern of the Horite Hebrew appears to be distinctive and probably unique to that ruler-priest caste.

The marriage and ascendancy pattern of these ancient rulers drove expansion into Africa, the Middle East, and Southern Europe. These are the Sumerian and Akkadian rulers of Genesis 11:1.

The Horite Hebrew dispersion under the ancient kingdom builders like Nimrod.

Before a man could become chief in his father's place, he had to have two wives. Rulers with this pattern include Lamech, Terah, Abraham, Jacob, Amram, Moses, Jesse, Elkanah, Ashur, Mered and Joash. The wives maintained separate households,usually on a north-south axis. Abraham's half-sister wife Sarah resided in Hebron, and his cousin wife Keturah resided in Beersheba to the south of Hebron. Their households marked the northern and southern boundaries of the chief’s territory.

The wives were placed on a north-south axis rather than on an east-west axis because the east-west axis marked the territory of the High God whose symbol was the Sun which makes a daily journey from east to west. Lamech's wives were Adah (dawn) and T-Zillah (dusk), suggesting that he assumed for himself equality with God.


Related reading: Moses's Horite Hebrew Family; Sent-Away Sons; Kushite Brides; The Social Structure of the Biblical Hebrew; The Cousin Bride's Naming Prerogative; The Pattern of Two Wives; Horite Hebrew Rulers With Two Wives

Methuselah's Wife

Lamech Segment Analysis
© 1998 Alice C. Linsley


According to the Hebrew Scriptures, the ruler Methuselah lived 969 years, the perfect number set in the context of ancient Egyptian numerology. By his cousin wife Naamah, he had a son named Lamech. This is Lamech the Younger named for Naamah’s father (see bottom portion of the diagram.)

Naamah and Lamech are both names associated with the rulers among Abraham's people. Naamah is a royal name as attested by the name's connection with the Davidic Dynasty. David's grandson's mother was named Naamah (II Chron. 12:13). This is also the name of a region of Judah (Joshua 15:41). Lamech is a variant of la-melech which appears on several thousand Egyptian seals. It means "of the King" or "for the King."

Lamech ruled after Methuselah and is assigned another perfect number in the Masoretic text. He is said to have lived 777 years.[1] However, while the Scriptures agree on Methuselah’s 969 years, they disagree on the numbers assigned to Lamech. The Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) assigns Lamech 753 years, whereas the Samaritan Pentateuch assigns him 653 years. The Masoretic text provides the number that fits the biblical pattern. St. John Chrysostom noted the assignment of 7 to Cain, 77 to Lamech the Elder, and 777 to Lamech the Younger and believed that the number 7 in these cases speaks of God’s mercy shown to sinners.

It is likely that seven represents the seven visible planets and is linked to astrological concepts of ancient Egypt. We may never know exactly what these number sets signify, but the association of such auspicious numbers – 6, 7 and 9 – with Methuselah and his son Lamech indicate their greatness.[2]

Some view Lamech the Younger, named in Genesis 5, as the same Lamech named in Genesis 4 who bragged about killing a man. This is a mistake. Lamech the Elder is not presented as a righteous man, but as a braggart who set himself up as an equal to God.[3] Lamech the Younger, on the other hand, is the son of a righteous father and the father of Noah who found favor with God.

Why should there be such discrepancy in the number of years assigned to Lamech the Younger? Possibly the Septuagint didn’t recognize that there are two different persons named Lamech. Or the discrepancy might indicate dispute over Lamech’s character among the different recensions. Or it simply may be that the Septuagint and the Samaritan texts reflect lack of understanding of the kinship pattern of Abraham’s ruling ancestors.

I believe the discrepancy in numbers assigned to Lamech the Younger indicates lack of understanding of the kinship pattern. In this patrilineal system involving royalty and ascent to the throne, mother and first-born son do not belong to the same clan. The bride belongs to her husband’s clan while her son, if given her father’s throne name, belongs to the bride’s clan. The brilliant anthropologist, Lévi-Strauss recognized this in 1949, but his research was largely ignored by biblical scholars.

So it is that Naamah belonged to Methuselah’s clan, of the lne of Seth, while their first-born son belonged to the clan of his maternal grandfather, of the line of Kain.

NOTES



1.  The number seven has special significance as related to the first-born son’s marriage and his reception of a kingdom. In Jewish weddings the seven marriage blessings (Sheva Brachot) are recited under the huppah and the wedding feast lasts seven days. The assignment of 777 to Lamech the Younger symbolizes the son's marriage and ascension to the throne of his father.

2. Numbers were associated with totems such as the Lion, the Falcon, the Baboon, etc. The four sons of Horus are an example. Imsety is shown with a man’s head. Tuamutf is shown with a jackel’s head. Kabhsenuf is shown with a baboon’s head, and Hapi is shown with a falcon or hawk’s head. Mummification involved removing the body's organs which were placed in four jars adorned with the heads of these four sons. These four stood as guardians over the organs until such a time as the Ka and the Ba could be united, thus avoiding the second death (of which John speaks). Likewise, the Four Gospels have totems: Eagle (Matthew), Bull (Mark), Lion (Luke) and Man (John) and the Gospel writers are indeed guardians of Holy Tradition concerning the Son of God.

3. Lamech’s wives were named Adah (dawn) and t-Zillah (dusk), suggesting that Lamech the Elder placed his 2 wives on an east-west axis. All the other rulers listed in Genesis 4 and 5 likely had 2 wives also but it appears that they placed them on a north-south axis, as did Abraham. Sarah lived in Hebron and Keturah lived in Beersheba, to the south. By placing his wives on an east-west axis, Lamech the Elder claimed a territory corresponding to that of the Creator, whose emblem the Sun, makes a daily journey over the Earth, traveling from east to west. It is interesting to note that Mohammed, a descendent of Abraham by Keturah, placed his 2 wives’ apartments on the east and west sides of his mosque in Medina. Doubtless, this lent credibilty to his claim to be The Prophet of Allah.


Related reading:  The Cousin Bride's Naming Prerogative; African Naming Practices; An African Reflects on Biblical Names

The Cousin Bride's Naming Prerogative

Alice C. Linsley


Among Abraham's Hebrew caste, the rulers had two wives. The first was usually a half-sister and the second was usually a patrilineal cousin. The first-born son of the first wife was the ruler's proper heir. The first-born son of the cousin wife belonged to the household of his maternal grandfather and after he came of age, he served in the territory of his maternal uncle. (See The Hebrew Hierarchy of Sons.)

The relationship between the cousin bride's first-born son and her father is illustrated by a distinctive naming practice which I refer to as "the cousin bride's naming prerogative." This prerogative pertains only to cousin wives of high-status Hebrew rulers. These were the second wives, taken prior to the ruler's assuming control over his father's territory. The diagram below illustrates the cousin bride's naming prerogative.

Lamech the Elder (Gen 4) had a daughter Naamah. She married her patrilineal cousin Methuselah (Gen. 5) and named their first-born son Laech after her father.

As the sister wife had the same father as her husband, there was no need to identify her firstborn with the ruling father. The first-born son of the half-sister bride was his father's proper heir. 

Sarah was Abraham's half-sister bride and Isaac was Abraham's proper heir. Keturah was Abraham's patrilineal cousin bride, and her first-born son would have served as a high official in the territory of her father.

Beginning in chapter 11, Abraham becomes the focal point of Genesis. We are told that he was Hebrew, and he was very rich in cattle, silver, and gold (Gen. 13:2). His high social status is evident in the personal audiences he had with Pharoah and King Abimelech. Melchizedek, the priest-king of Jerusalem, ministered to Abraham after battle. This involved ritual cleansing from blood. The Hittites (descendants of Heth the Hebrew) recognized Abraham as a "great prince" among them. Abraham’s personal guard consisted of at least 318 warriors trained in his household.

 

Names and Titles

Throughout the Bible we find examples of women naming their sons. In the case of Benjamin, Rachel's name choice of 'Ben Oni' was overruled by Jacob (Gen. 35:17-20). Mary was told to name her son Jesus. Elizabeth was told to name her son John. 

Names are changed to make a statement. Jacob came to be called Israel. Abram became Abraham.

Some names indicate the person's office or title. Terah means priest. Lamech is related to the word melek, meaning king. Na'Hor and Hur are Horus names. Horus names appear among the Horite Hebrew. 

Some name changes appear to disguise the ruler's ancestry, and this may be intentional in some cases.

Right of Primogeniture

The first-born sons of concubines were given gifts and sent away from the chief's proper heir. This is what Abraham did (Gen. 25). Often these "sent-away sons" became rulers, having established themselves in new regions. An example is Nimrod, a Kushite kingdom builder who established his kingdom in Mesopotamia (Gen. 10). Another example is Abraham. Abraham received his calling to go to Canaan after his father died in Haran and his older brother assumed control of Terah's holdings. God directed Abraham's future course as a sent-away son. 

Keeping with the custom of his Hebrew ancestors, the ruler-priest Terah had two wives. One wife was the mother of Nahor and Abraham, and the second wife was the mother of Haran and Sarah. Nahor was Terah's proper heir. Haran's mother was a cousin bride as is evident by the cousin bride's naming prerogative. She named her first-born son Haran after her father, the chief of Haran, shown on this map.

 

Terah's firstborn sons were Haran and Nahor. Haran died in Ur and Nahor ascended to Terah's throne and ruled over Terah's territory between Haran and Ur. This means that Nahor, not Abraham, was the firstborn son of Terah's sister wife. Abraham was led by God to relocate to another region, and Abraham went to where his mother's kin lived in Canaan. This is what Jacob did also.

Among Abraham's Hebrew people the right of primogeniture was figured through the fathers, but ethnicity or blood line was figured through the mothers. This is evident even today among Jews. One is Jewish only if one's mother is Jewish, or if one has properly converted under the supervision of a rabbi.


Related reading: Who Were the Horite Hebrew?; The Hebrew Were a Caste; Hebrew Rulers with Two Wives; Royal Sons and Their Maternal Uncles; Abraham the Hebrew