B’ney banim: CHILDREN of CHILDREN. Biblical Grandparents & Grandkids.

Today is Grandparents’ Day in Canada, and many other countries in the world. It’s a particularly special one for me.

After years of searching I finally found my biological grandfather with the help of DNA. Unfortunately my Grampa Charlie died in 1992. I didn’t get a chance to meet him, but I have met and corresponded with some of my newly found relatives (nieces and nephews of Charlie). I “found” Charlie on December 27th, last year, but I didn’t discover his birth date until last month.

Ironically, his birthday is today, September 10th, Grandparents Day. He would have turned 106. I was excited to find out his birthday because I imagined having a great celebration on his day of birth… to make up for all the missed birthdays over the years. Perhaps we could have a special night out, or a simple toast with some fancy drinks under the stars. When I finally was able to see his birth record, however, my heart dropped a little. Charlie’s birthday happens to be on the anniversary of my husband’s death… today, September 10th. It’s been two years since Kevin passed away. 

Should I celebrate a birthday on a deathday? I actually think I will. Kevin’s passing took him to a wonderful place… a place of beauty and peace; without suffering or stress. Charlie deserves a birthday… and as his only grandchild, I think I will quietly celebrate today and raise a glass to a man I never met but am genetically VERY connected to. I will also raise a glass to the man I met and fell in love with. 

To Kevin & Charlie… ‘til we meet again, and for the first time!

Grandparent

In Genesis 10 we are given the genealogy of Noah and his descendants. This chapter is often referred to as the Table of Nations, as it outlines seventy early nations and their genealogical connection to Noah.

Noah’s three sons were Japheth, Ham and Shem. Ham was the son who saw his father’s nakedness (Genesis 9:18-27) and he is the one who was the ancestor of all of Israel’s greatest enemies, including the the Canaanites, Egyptians (Mizraim), the Babylonians (Babel), the Assyrians, and the Philistines (Casluhim).

Shem was the father of the “all the children of Eber”, meaning all the Hebrew (Eber) people (Genesis 10:21). According to the Bible, Eber was the great great great grandfather of Terah (Genesis 10:16-26). Terah was the father of Abram (Abraham):

Genesis 11:27:31

Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot. Haran died during the lifetime of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. Sarai was unable to conceive; she did not have a child.

Now Terah took his son Abram, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they departed together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran and settled there.

I don’t know about you, but I feel like I have to write it all out for this to make sense:

• Terah had three sons: Abram, Nahor, Haran
• Terah had, at the time, three grandchildren: Milcah, Iscah, and Lot (the children of Haran). Later we find out that Terah had a grandson Bethuel (son of Nahor and Milcah) and eight more grandsons through Abraham: Ishmael, Isaac and six sons (Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah) with his second wife Keturah (see Genesis 25:1-2).

Of Terah’s three sons, Abraham married Sarai. Nahor married Milcah (which literally means “queen”). She was the daughter of Haran, Nahor’s brother. (In other words, Nahor married his niece). Haran died while his father was still alive and living in Ur. We do not know the name of Haran’s spouse, but we are told he had three children, daughters Milcah and Iscah and son, Lot.

When Terah picked up and moved to the land of the Canaanites, he brought with him his son Abram, daughter-in-law Sarai, and nephew Lot (son of Haran). Nahor, Milcah and Iscah stayed behind.

According to the Bible, Nahor and Milcah, who stayed in Ur, had a son named Bethuel, and Bethuel was the father of Rebekah.

When it was time for Isaac to get married Abraham sent his servant to his family clan to find a suitable spouse for his son. He found a woman by the local well and she gave him and his camels a drink:

Genesis 24:45-47

“Then I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him’; and I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists.”

In other words, Rebekah was the daughter of Bethuel, and granddaughter to her grandparents, Nahor and Milcah. There is no specific word for grandparent, but the words paint the picture. We are also meant to sort out the genealogy with the clues laid out for us. Rebekah was the granddaughter of Nahor, brother to Abram. Rebekah would marry Abram’s son Isaac. Rebekah and Isaac were cousins, one generation removed.

Confused? It does rattle the brain, doesn’t it?

One of my hobbies (to which I devote much time) is genealogy. I am the family genealogist and I love exploring family history. Now that I’ve discovered who my grandfather was, I have a whole new side of the family to dive into! Charlie was Italian, and both of his parents were born in Southern Italy. I’ve enjoyed uncovering a whole new branch of ancestors and new family places across the world map. Genealogy is like an archaeological dig… peeling back the layers and digging up many historical treasures that are connected directly to you! 

Genealogy was important to the Biblical writers. It’s why we find so many lists of family trees in the Bible, including:

• Genesis 4 (Genealogy of Cain)
• Genesis 5 (Genealogy of Seth)
• Genesis 10 (Genealogy of Noah & the Table of Nations)
• Genesis 11(Genealogy of Abraham)
• Genesis 36 (Genealogy of Esau)
• Exodus 6 (Genealogies of the sons of Jacob)
• Ruth 4 (the line of David)
• 1 Chronicles 1 (Genealogies of Adam & Abraham)
• 1 Chronicles 2 (Genealogies of Jacob’s sons & David)
• 1 Chronicles 3 (continuing genealogy of David & genealogy of Solomon)
• 1 Chronicles 4 (Genealogies of Judah & Simeon)
• 1 Chronicles 5 (Genealogies of Rueben)
• 1 Chronicles 6 (Genealogy of the Priestly Line)
• 1 Chronicles 7 (Genealogies of Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtati, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher)
• 1 Chronicles 8 (Genealogies of Benjamin & King Saul)
• 1 Chronicles 9 (Genealogy of the Jerusalem people & the descendants of Saul)
• Ezra 7 (Genealogy of Ezra)
• Matthew 1 (Genealogy of Jesus)
• Luke 3 (Genealogy of Jesus)

We tend to skip over these detailed genealogies, but they are worthy of investigation. Check out this informative article by the Bible Project team about Jesus and the Genealogies.

Although we don’t get a specific word for grandfather or grandmother in these genealogies, the “begat” system verbally painted the picture of grandparents. 

The Hebrew word for begat is how’lid, from the root verb yalad, meaning “to bear” or “to bring forth”. Most translations (apart from a few that use “begat” such as the King James and the English Revised Version) say “fathered”; for example “Boaz fathered Obed”, but more literally it would be “Boaz brought forth (begat) Obed”.

Here is the genealogy of Perez (son of Judah, son of Jacob and Leah):

Ruth 4:18-22 (ERV)

Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez begat Hezron; and Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab; and Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon; and Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed; and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

In terms of David’s grandparents, this is how the above statement plays out in an ancestry chart:

• David’s father was Jesse
• David’s grandfather was Obed
• David’s great grandfather was Boaz
• David’s great great grandfather was Salmon
• David’s great great great grandfather was Nashon
• David’s great (x4) grandfather was Amminadab
• David’s great (x5) grandfather was Ram
• David’s great (x6) grandfather was Hezron
• David’s great (x7) grandfather was Perez (who was the son of Judah & Tamar, and grandson of Jacob & Leah)

Keep in mind, Yeshua (Jesus) was also, like David, a descendant of Jacob & Leah, Judah & Tamar.

Grandchildren

As we have seen, grandchildren make an appearance in the Bible, but, like grandparents, there is no word specifically linked to grandchildren. Instead the Bible describes them as “your children’s children”:

When Joseph was reunited with his family, he invited them to come to Egypt where he would provide for them, their children, and their children’s children:

Genesis 45:10-11a

[Joseph to his brothers:] “For you shall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children [u-vaneka veney וּבְנֵ֣י בָנֶ֑יךָ], and your flocks and your herds and all that you have. There I will also provide for you…”’

At Joseph’s invitation, his father Jacob and his brothers took him up on his offer and moved to Egypt:

Genesis 46:6b-7

…and (they) came to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him: his sons [banaw] and sons of his sons (grandsons) [u-v’ney vanaw וּבְנֵ֤י בָנָיו֙] with him, his daughters [b’notaw] and daughters of his sons (granddaughters) [u-v’noht banaw וּבְנֹ֥ות בָּנָ֖יו], and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.

Although we like the quick and easy, one word explanation, this was just a different way of saying the same thing. If you do read grandson (for example) in your translation, rest assured, the Biblical text actually reads son of your son.

As the story goes, after generations of living in Egypt (at the invitation of Joseph), things went sour for the Hebrew people. Their population grew in size and that scared Pharaoh. In fear of an insurrection, he enslaved them to keep them in check. But YHWH saw their distress and put a plan in place to save them. He called on Moses to lead His people out of Egypt, and with majestic force, YHWH paved a way for their freedom.

In the following Biblical text, YHWH called on the Hebrew people to pass down, to their children and grandchildren, their freedom-story of  how God rescued them from slavery in Egypt:

Exodus 10:2

[YHWH to Moses:] “…you may tell in the presence of your son, and of your grandson [son of your son: u-ven bin’ka וּבֶן־בִּנְךָ֗], how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I performed My signs among them, so that you may know that I am YHWH.”

The Treasure of Children and Children’s Children

To the Hebrew people, children were treasures and grandchildren were like the icing on the cake:

Proverbs 17:6

Grandchildren [children of children: b’ney vanim בְּנֵ֣י בָנִ֑ים] are the crown of the old, and the glory of sons is their fathers.

The Proverbs also indicated that grandchildren were considered important and worthy of inheritance:

Proverbs 13:22

A good person leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren [children of children: b’ney vanim בְּנֵֽי־בָנִ֑ים] , and the wealth of a sinner is stored up for the righteous.

Psalm 128 is a beautiful prayer of blessing, and it ends with a blessing for grandchildren:

Psalm 128

A Song of Ascents.

Blessed is everyone who fears YHWH, who walks in His ways.

When you eat the fruit of the labour of your hands, you will be happy and it will go well for you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house, your children like olive plants around your table.

Behold, for so shall a man who fears YHWH be blessed. YHWH bless you from Zion, and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.

Indeed, may you see the children to your children [vanim l-vaneka בָנִ֥ים לְבָנֶ֑יךָ]. Peace be upon Israel!

Grandparents & Grandchildren in the B’rit Chadashah (New Testament)

Although grandchildren aren’t specifically mentioned, Yeshua (Jesus) celebrated children and, it’s safe to say, children of children:

Matthew 19:14-15

Then some children were brought to Him (Jesus) so that He would lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Leave the children alone, and do not forbid them to come to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 

There is only one mention of a grandparent/grandchild relationship in the New Testament and it’s in the letter Paul wrote to Timothy:

2 Timothy 1:2-5

[Paul to Timothy:] To Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelled in your grandmother [Greek: mammé] Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.

What we learn from this passage is that there is a genealogy of faith that should be passed down and it’s even more important that genetic genealogy. In this case, Paul had great confidence that Timothy would be strong in his faith because he came from a line of strong women of sincere faith.

We are called to pass down the heritage of our faith to the next generation:

Psalm 78:1-7

Listen, my people, to my instruction; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will tell riddles of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

We will not conceal them from their children, but we will tell the generation to come the praises of YHWH, and His power and His wondrous works that He has done.

For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers that they were to teach them to their children, so that the generation to come would know, the children yet to be born, that they would arise and tell them to their children, so that they would put their confidence in God and not forget the works of God, but comply with His commandments.

We are called to share the praise, the power, and the wondrous works of YHWH to each generation, through stories, testimonies, riddles and parables. 

Each and every one of us is a grandchild to at least two sets of grandparents (I was fortunate enough to have three sets), but not all of us will become grandparents. That does not excuse us, however, from passing on God’s story of Salvation to the generations to come. We need to gently share the Gospel and aggressively pray for the world’s children… because they’re worth it! And with a good foundation, they will probably do better than we have when it comes to reflecting the face of YHWH to the burdened people of this planet.

Have hope for the future, because YHWH has good things in store! And it is our children, and the children of our children, who will help bring YHWH’s plan for salvation a little closer to it’s beautiful conclusion.  

Next week: Teach me!