The meaning of Patriarch; Patriachs in the Bible
(From International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)

pa'-tri-ark, patriarches). The word occurs in the New Testament in application to Abraham (Hebrews 7:4), to the sons of Jacob (Acts 7:8-9), and to David (Acts 2:29). In Septuagint it is used as the equivalent of the head of the fathers' house, or of a tribe (I Chronicles 24:31; I Chronicles 27:32; II Chronicles 26:12). Commonly now the term is used of the persons whose names appear in the genealogies and covenant-histories in the periods preceding Moses (Gen. 5; 11, histories of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc.; compare "patriarchal dispensation"). The problems connected with the longevity ascribed to the patriarchs in the genealogies and narratives in Gen. are dealt with in special articles.

See ANTEDILUVIAN PATRIARCHS; ANTEDILUVIANS (GENEALOGY).

James Orr

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