Biblical Elam

Who is Biblical Elam?

Elam in the Hebrew Bible is said to be one of the sons of Shem, the son of Noah. It is also used, for the ancient country of Elam in what is now southern Iran, whose people the Hebrews believed to be the offspring of Elam, son of Shem. This implies that the Elamites were considered Semites by the Hebrews, although their language was not Semitic, but is considered a linguistic isolate. This modern categorization does not conflict with the Hebrew Bible, since it holds that the diversity of human languages originated at the Tower of Babel.

Genesis also states that Elam's brother Arphaxad was born two years after the flood.

Elam is also mentioned in Genesis 14, describing an ancient war in the time of Abraham, involving a king of Elam it calls Chedorlaomer.

The prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah also mention Elam. The last part of Jeremiah 49 is an apocalyptic oracle against Elam which states that Elam will be scattered to the four winds of the earth, but "will be, in the end of days, that I will return their captivity," a prophesy self-dated to the first year of Zedekiah.

The Book of Jubilees may reflect ancient tradition when it mentions a son of 'Elam named "Susan", whose daughter Rasuaya married Arpachshad, progenitor of another branch of Shemites. Shushan was the ancient capital of the Elamite Empire.