Division of the territories of SEM according to the Book of Jubilees
According to Scriptures, Shem begot Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. His descendants are the Semites.
Here is the portion allocated to SEM according to the Bible.
Genesis 10:30 “And their dwelling place was from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east.”
It should be noted that the term “East” could refer to the Middle East, eastern Persia, India, or East Asia. How did medieval scholars and contemporary theologians manage to draw up the table of nations based on such vague information?
Yet, when we take a closer look at the territories of SHEM from the perspective of these apocryphal books, another reality emerges. To understand the passages in the Book of Jubilees, it is essential to understand the meaning of the terms highlighted in red. Here is our analysis of what is written in the Book of Jubilees concerning the division of the Earth.
Chap 8:12-21
12. There came out on the writing as Shem’s lot the middle of the earth that he should take as an inheritance for himself and for his sons for the generations of eternity. From the middle of the mountain range of Rafa, to the mouth of the water from the river Tina, and his portion goes towards the west through the middle of this river, and it extends until it reaches the water of the abysses, out of which this river goes out and pours its waters into the sea Me’at, and this river flows into the great sea.13. All that is towards the north is Japheth’s, and all that is towards the south belongs to Shem. And it extends until it reaches Karaso, this is in the center of the tongue of land that looks towards the south.14. His portion extends along the great sea, and it extends in a straight line until it reaches the west of the tongue that looks towards the south, for this sea is named the tongue of the Egyptian Sea.15. And it turns from here towards the south towards the mouth of the great sea on the shore of its waters, and it extends to the west to Afra, and it extends until it reaches the waters of the river Gihon, and to the south of the waters of Gihon, to the banks of this river.16. It extends towards the east, until it reaches the Garden of Eden, to the south of it and from the east of the whole land of Eden and of the whole east, it turns to the east and proceeds until it reaches the east of the mountain named Rafa, and it descends to the bank of the mouth of the river Tina.17. This portion came out by lot for Shem and his sons, that they should possess it forever to his generations forever.18. Noah rejoiced that this portion came out for Shem and for his sons, and he remembered all that he had spoken with his mouth in prophecy; for he had said, “Blessed be Yah Elohim of Shem and may Yah dwell in the dwelling of Shem.”19. He knew that the Garden of Eden is the purest place, and the dwelling of Yah, and Mount Sinai the center of the desert, and Mount Zion which is the center of the navel of the earth, these three were created as pure places facing each other.20. And he blessed the Elohim of elohim, who had put the word of Yah into his mouth.21. And he knew that a blessed portion and a blessing had come to Shem and his sons and to their generations forever which was the whole land of Eden and the whole land of the Red Sea, and the whole land of the east and India, and on the Red Sea and the mountains of it, and all the land of Bashan, and all the land of Lebanon and the islands of Kaftur, and all the mountains of Sanir and Amana, and the mountains of Asshur in the north, and all the land of Elam, Asshur, and Babel, and Susan and Ma’edai, and all the mountains of Ararat, and all the region beyond the sea, which is beyond the mountains of Asshur towards the north, a blessed and spacious land, and all that is in it is very good. |
The River Tina and Karaso
The Tina River is a watercourse located in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Karaso is an intermittent watercourse located in central Africa, north of Rwanda.
The Great Sea and The Sea Meat
TThe Mediterranean Sea is the only sea that draws a visible line between the North (the European continent) and the South (the African continent). Given that the Mediterranean Sea flows into the Atlantic Ocean, we can deduce that, in this context, the Great Sea refers to the Atlantic Ocean and the Sea Meat refers to the Mediterranean Sea. This implies that Sem would have inherited the continent located directly south of the Meat/Mediterranean Sea, namely Africa.
The Egyptian Sea
Seems to refer to either the Arabian Peninsula, the Gulf of Suez, the Gulf of Aqaba, or the Red Sea.
Afra
Afra has often been considered another form of the toponym “Africa.”
The Gihon
In the Book of Jasher, it is written that the Loire flows into the Gihon, but in reality the Loire flows into the Atlantic Ocean. So the passage suggest that the Gihon is the Atlantic Ocean.
"The children of Riphat are the Bartonîm (Bretons) who live in the land of Bartonia (Brittany) near the Ledah river (Lira or La Loire), which pours its waters into the great sea of Gehon, which is the Ocean." |The Book of Jasher, Chap 10:9|
In Genesis 2:13 it is written that the Gihon surrounds the land of Cush. However, according to ancient maps, the land of Cush encompassed central and southern Africa, which is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean.
Genesis 2:13 "The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush."
If Shem's portion of land is surrounded by the waters of Gihon (the Atlantic Ocean) and extends to the southeast of the earth, then the passage essentially establishes that Shem would have inherited the African continent.
To understand the significance of the Earth's center, click on the “back” button.