consanguineous

Can’t bear to admit that you’re related? Here’s a fine word to the rescue, allowing you to admit only to being consanguineous with someone, which amounts to the same thing but may confound your listeners. It’s from Latin, meaning “of the same blood.”

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Consanguineous means related or of a common ancestor

Part of Speech:	adjective
Synonyms:	agnate, akin, cognate, consanguine, consanguineal, consanguineous , kin, kindred

Obviously, the only way for mankind to multiply and cover the earth (Gen. 1:22, 28) was to marry and have children.  The only wives available for the first men to marry would have been sisters, even though most were not named in the genealogies.  Cain obviously married an un-named sister.  Seth also married an un-named sister.  We have a bit more information about subsequent consanguineous marriages as we read about Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 11:29; Genesis 12:13; Genesis 20:3, 9-16).  Likewise, Isaac and Rebekah also were related to each other by blood (Gen 24:3-4, 67; Gen 28:2).  Jacob and his two wives were more distantly related (Gen 29:15-30).

GENERATIONS OF TERAH AND TWO UNNAMED WIVES

Sons: Abram, Nahor and Haran (by unknown mother) Daughter: Sarai (by unknown mother)

Abram and Sarai—son was Isaac (his wife was Rebekah)

Esau and Jacob + Leah and Rachel 12 sons of Jacob + one daughter Nahor and Milcah—son was Bethuel (unknown wife)

Bethuel + unknown wife Rebekah and Laban See Isaac; Laban had two daughters: Leah and Rachel

Haran and unknown wife—Milcah, Iscah and Lot See Nahor; Milcah had two unnamed daughters Moab and Ammon Look closely at the scripture references that follow to verify the names which appear in the chart.

Genesis 11:27-32 27 Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. 28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.

29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.

30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.

32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

Genesis 20:12—But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

Genesis 22:20-22 20 And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor; 21 Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.

Genesis 22:23-24—And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother….

Genesis 24:29—And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well

GENESIS 22:20-24 GIVES CHILDREN OF NAHOR, WHICH ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE LIST ABOVE. 20 And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor; 21 Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel. 23 And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.

By the time of the exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land, the Israelite nation was at least 2.5 million strong.  “And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children” (Exod. 12:37).  Each man old enough to be in a standing army would likely have a wife and at least two children.  No doubt there were more than enough choices for marriage partners and no necessity for consanguineous marriages as there had been when human civilization began in the Garden of Eden.