Shelah Summary
STEPBible TIPNR
Shelah, Judah's third son, and his descendants, the Shelanites.
third-born son of Judah (GEN 38:5)
Lineage: God › Adam › Seth › Enos › Cainan › Mahalaleel › Jared › Enoch › Methuselah › Lamech › Noah › Shem › Arphaxad › Cainan › Salah › Eber › Peleg › Reu › Serug › Nahor › Terah › Abraham › Isaac › Jacob › Judah › Shelah
Names
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en
Shelah
that breaks; that unties; that undresses
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en
Shelah
· Also called · H7956 · GEN 38:5 missile [a weapon], sprout
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he
שֵׁלָ֑ה
shelah · H7956 · GEN 38:5 missile [a weapon], sprout
- he שֵׁלָה · H7956
- he שֵׁלָנִי · H8024
- el Σηλωμ Sēlōm · GEN 38:5
- bg Шела
SDA Books
Awaiting permission to publishLinked through an explicitly cited Bible passage
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Conditional birth estimate
Conditional birth bounds under generation assumptions; not attested parental ages, biological limits or a lifespan.
The anchors give incompatible conditional intervals. This calculation establishes no birth year.
Below are relatives with a selected birth year, the generations separating them, and the interval allowed by each anchor. Each relative’s page shows available dates and sources. The overall estimate uses the intersection of the allowed intervals.
| Relative / anchor year | Generations | Conditional interval |
|---|---|---|
| Jacob · 1835 BC Ancestor |
2 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1795 BC – 1745 BC |
| Isaac · 1895 BC Ancestor |
3 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1835 BC – 1760 BC |
| Rebekah · 1876 BC Ancestor |
3 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1816 BC – 1741 BC |
| Abraham · 1995 BC Ancestor |
4 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1915 BC – 1815 BC |
| Sarah · 1985 BC Ancestor |
4 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1905 BC – 1805 BC |
| Terah · 2125 BC Ancestor |
5 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2000 BC – 1475 BC |
| Nahor · 2156 BC Ancestor |
6 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2006 BC – 1376 BC |
| Haran · 2056 BC Ancestor |
6 25–130 years per generation |
c. 1906 BC – 1276 BC |
| Serug · 2186 BC Ancestor |
7 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2011 BC – 1276 BC |
| Reu · 2218 BC Ancestor |
8 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2018 BC – 1178 BC |
| Peleg · 2248 BC Ancestor |
9 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2023 BC – 1078 BC |
| Eber · 2282 BC Ancestor |
10 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2032 BC – 982 BC |
| Salah · 2312 BC Ancestor |
11 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2037 BC – 882 BC |
| Arphaxad · 2347 BC Ancestor |
13 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2022 BC – 657 BC |
| Shem · 2447 BC Ancestor |
14 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2097 BC – 627 BC |
| Noah · 2948 BC Ancestor |
15 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2573 BC – 998 BC |
| Lamech · 3130 BC Ancestor |
16 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2730 BC – 1050 BC |
| Methuselah · 3317 BC Ancestor |
17 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2892 BC – 1107 BC |
| Enoch · 3382 BC Ancestor |
18 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2932 BC – 1042 BC |
| Jared · 3544 BC Ancestor |
19 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3069 BC – 1074 BC |
| Mahalaleel · 3609 BC Ancestor |
20 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3109 BC – 1009 BC |
| Cainan · 3679 BC Ancestor |
21 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3154 BC – 949 BC |
| Cain · 4004 BC Ancestor |
21 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3479 BC – 1274 BC |
| Enos · 3769 BC Ancestor |
22 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3219 BC – 909 BC |
| Adam · 4004 BC Ancestor |
22 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3454 BC – 1144 BC |
| Eve · 4005 BC Ancestor |
22 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3455 BC – 1145 BC |
| Seth · 3874 BC Ancestor |
23 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3299 BC – 884 BC |
Belonged to (1)
Was born in (1)
Shelah Article
STEPBible TIPNR
Shelah was the third and youngest son of Judah, born to him in Chezib (Gen 38:5). After the deaths of his older brothers, Er and Onan, Judah promised Tamar, Er's widow, that Shelah would marry her when he grew up. However, Judah did not keep this promise (Gen.38.11,14,26).
Shelah's descendants were called Shelanites (Num 26:20) and were one of the clans of Judah. They were included in the census of the tribe of Judah in the wilderness (Num 26:20) and in the genealogies of Judah (1Ch.2.3; 4.21). Shelah's descendants included potters and linen workers who lived in Judah (1Ch 4:21-23).
Shelah 1 Dictionary
Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
Sources: BibleData (CC BY 4.0, Shelah_2) · STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0, Shelah@Gen.38.5-1Ch) · Theographic Bible Metadata (CC BY-SA 4.0, shelah_2593)