Genesis Characters

Abel is Adam and Eve’s second child. He becomes a shepherd. Abel brings God an offering of sheep, which God accepts. Out of jealousy, Cain lures Abel into the field and kills him.

Ishmael is Abraham’s son by Hagar. He is born after Sarai gives up on bearing children and makes her husband take Hagar as a wife. When Sarah banishes Hagar for the second time, God spares Ishmael’s life in the wilderness and promises to make a great nation of him.

Seth is Adam and Eve’s son, born after Abel’s death.

Enoch is a descendant of Adam, through Seth, who is noted for walking with God and being taken by God at the end of his life, presumably instead of suffering a natural death.

Methuselah is a descendant of Adam, through Seth, who is noted for living 969 years. He is also Noah’s grandfather.

Lamech is Noah’s father.

Shem is one of Noah’s sons. After Ham is cursed for seeing his father’s nakedness, Shem receives a blessing from Noah. Shem’s descendants are said to become the Semitic peoples. Specifically, he is the ancestor of Abram (Abraham) and the people of Israel.

Ham is one of Noah’s sons. After Ham discovers Noah sleeping naked in his tent, Noah curses him, saying that Ham and his offspring will be slaves to Ham’s brothers and their offspring. Ham’s offspring settle across Egypt, northeastern parts of Africa, and Assyria.

Japheth is one of Noah’s sons. After Ham is cursed for seeing his father’s nakedness, Japtheth receives a blessing from Noah. His descendants settle across Asia Minor.

Shem’s descendant, Terah is the father of Abram (Abraham), Nahor, and Haran. He lives in Ur.

Nahor is Terah’s son and Abram’s brother; his wife his Milcah. He is the father of Bethuel, Rebekah’s father.

Haran is Terah’s son, Abram’s brother, and Lot’s father.

Milcah is Nahor’s wife.

King Melchizedek is the ruler of Salem (which later becomes Jerusalem), who blesses Abram. His origins are unexplained.

Bethuel is Nahor’s son and Rebekah’s father.

Keturah is Abraham’s second wife, who bears him many more children.

Reuben is Leah and Jacob’s firstborn son. He talks the rest of Joseph’s brothers out of killing him.

Simeon is Leah and Jacob’s second son. He takes part in the murder of Shechem and Hamor.

Levi is Leah and Jacob’s third son. He takes part in the murder of Shechem and Hamor.

Judah is Leah and Jacob’s fourth son. Judah begets children with his daughter-in-law Tamar. When Jacob blesses his sons, Judah’s offspring are singled out as future rulers.

Bilhah is Rachel’s maid, whom she gives to Jacob for childbearing purposes. While Rachel remains barren, Bilhah gives birth to Dan and Naphtali.

Dan is one of Bilhah and Jacob’s sons.

Naphtali is one of Bilhah and Jacob’s sons.

Zilpah is Leah’s maid, whom she gives to Jacob for childbearing purposes. She bears Gad and Asher.

Gad is one of Zilpah and Jacob’s sons.

Asher is one of Zilpah and Jacob’s sons.

Issachar is Leah and Jacob’s fifth son.

Zebulun is Leah and Jacob’s sixth son.

Seventh and last child (and only daughter) of Leah and Jacob. After her family moves back to Canaan, Dinah is raped by Shechem.

Shechem, Hamor’s son, rapes Dinah, then desires to marry her. Jacob deceives Shechem and his father by agreeing to a marriage if the men will be circumcised. While the men are recovering from the circumcisions, two of Jacob’s sons murder them to avenge Dinah.

Hamor is Shechem’s father, a prince in Canaan. He and Shechem are killed by two of Jacob’s sons in revenge for the rape of Dinah.

Benjamin is the second son born to Rachel and Jacob. Rachel initially names him Ben-oni and dies just as he is born.

Potiphar is Pharaoh’s captain of the guard, who purchases Joseph as a slave. He is so impressed with Joseph that he places Joseph in charge of his household. However, after Potiphar’s wife falsely accuses Joseph of attempted rape (angry that he’s rejected her advances), Potiphar throws him in jail.

Tamar marries Judah’s sons Er and Onan in turn. After they both die, Judah intends to marry Tamar to his son Shelah, but Judah ends up sleeping with her himself, believing her to be a prostitute. Tamar later gives birth to Judah’s sons Perez and Zerah.

Pharaoh refers to the ruler of Egypt during Joseph’s years there. When Joseph successfully interprets Pharaoh’s dreams, Pharaoh places him in charge of Egypt’s affairs to prepare for the predicted famine. Later, he allows Joseph to settle his entire family in the land of Goshen.

Asenath is Joseph’s Egyptian wife. She bears him two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

Manasseh is Joseph and Asenath’s older son.

Ephraim is Joseph and Asenath’s younger son. When Jacob is dying, he intentionally gives Ephraim the elder brother’s blessing, prophesying that he will become greater than Manasseh.