Elam

• An ancient nation.
• One of eight or nine men in the Old Testament.

Table of contents

1 The land of Elam 2 Biblical characters: 3 External Links

The land of Elam

The ancient nation of the Elamites lived to the east of Sumer and Akkad. They fought a number of wars with the states of Babylonia, which occasionally conquered them. After the Kassites defeated the Babylonians in 1460 BC, the Elamites defeated the Kassites in 1150 BC. The main Elamite city of Susa lay in the southwestern part of present-day Iran.

Elamite served as one of the official languages of the Persian Empire: Old Persian never displaced it in official use. One hypothesis suggests that the Elamite language had genetic links to the Dravidian languages, but this theory remains controversial.

Biblical characters:

• In Genesis 10:22, Elam, a son of Shem and grandson of Noah, appears as the ancestor of the Elamites, see Ezra 4:9.
• In 1 Chronicles 8:24 Elam is a son of Shashak of the tribe of Benjamin.
• In 1 Chronicles 26:3 Elam is the son of Meshelemiah, a Levite of the family of Kohath.
• In Ezra 2:1-2,7 Elam is the ancestor of a family that returned with Zerabbabel.
• In Ezra 2:31 Elam is the ancestor of a family that returned from the Captivity. This is possibly the same man and family as in Ezra 2:1-2,7.
• In Ezra 8:7 Elam is the ancestor of a family that returned with Ezra.
• In Ezra 10:3 Elam is the grandfather of Shechaniah.
• In Nehemiah 10:14 Elam is one of the men who joins Nehemiah in sealing the new covenant.
• In Nehemiah 12:42 Elam is a priest who helps in the rededication of the rebuilt walls of Jerusalem.

• The History of the Ancient Near East
• http://ancientneareast.tripod.com/Elam_Susiana.html