Dictionary of the Bible
ARPACHSHAD was, according to Gen 10:22, the third son of Shem, and, according to Gen 11:10, he was the second in the line of descent from Shem to Abraham. Gen 10:22 is an enumeration of peoples (or countries) descended from Shem, from which Babylonia or Chaidæa is absent in the present text. The latter portion of the word furnishes Chesed (cf. Gen 22:22), which is the singular form of Chasdim (Chaldees). Probably two words in the original of Gen 10:22 were combined into one, the latter being Chesed and the former Arpach, which is a region south-west of Assyria, possibly the same as the Arrapachitis of Ptolemy. The mistaken reading in Gen 10:22 was then taken as the basis of Gen 11:10 ff.
J. F. McCurdy.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
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