“Adam, Sheth, Enosh, Ken-an, Mahalaleel, Jered, Henoch, Methuselah, Lam­ech, Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and…”

Genealogies in the Bible seem to go on forever, don’t they?

This quote is from I Chronicles 1, and it continues for 407 verses—with about 1,000 names. While this is the longest familial list in the Bible, such daunting blocks of text are found throughout the Old Testament and can make reading God’s Word a challenge.

So why are genealogies included in Scripture?

Everything in the Bible has a purpose. Psalm 12:6 says, “The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” This means God preserved the names of people who lived thousands of years ago for a reason.

Think. Nations do not appear out of thin air—they each started small. Individuals named in Scripture had families and descendants over many generations. As families grew large, they gradually became nations. For example, the nation called Israel began with a man named Israel.

God wants Bible readers to understand scriptural lineages and identities because they are directly tied to understanding nations. He uses the nations of the world as instruments to fulfill His Plan. Job 12:23 states that God “makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them” (New King James Version). Many of the individuals named in Bible genealogies have become populous countries in today’s world.

Some nations were foretold in Scripture to become allies with one another, while others are bitter rivals. Some families grown large have become mighty empires, while others have more narrow, specialized roles to play.

This principle does not just apply to Jewish people in modern Israel, or only to certain lesser-known countries. The most powerful nations today have origins that can be directly traced to the pages of Scripture.

Understanding the Bible identities of modern nations reveals incredible insights into our world—as well as pointing to what role these peoples will play in prophecy.

America and Britain

The world has long been suspicious of America’s biblical origins. Puritan leader John Winthrop, in a 1630 sermon titled “A Model of Christian Charity,” said that, if the Puritans did justly, loved mercy and remained humble, “We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when He shall make us a praise and glory that men shall say of succeeding plantations, ‘may the Lord make it like that of New England.’”

In this last phrase, Winthrop was paraphrasing Genesis 48:20, which states: “The nation Israel will invoke blessings by you, saying, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh’” (Christian Standard Bible).

Little did Winthrop know what he was saying. The verse quoted helps prove the Bible identities of both the United Kingdom and America.

In Genesis 48, Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh were given separate blessings. Verse 19 states that Manasseh “shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.”

Scour the record of history. There are only two brother nations with a common heritage where one was a massive empire—a “multitude” or “company of nations”—and the other became a single, great nation. These are the United Kingdom with all of its commonwealth countries and the United States.

These blessings came to these nations as the result of a promise God gave to Ephraim and Manasseh’s great-grandfather Abraham. Because of this patriarch’s obedience, God assured him, “in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore” (Gen. 22:17).

That promise was passed down through Abraham’s line, and today’s residents of the U.S., UK and commonwealth nations are the unwitting recipients of this special blessing.

Britain also has heavy ties to ancient Israel.

In modern Britain, two hymns are often sung at royal weddings and funerals—as well as sporting events. One titled “Jerusalem” muses about a non-biblical legend of a young Jesus Christ coming to visit Britain with Joseph of Arimathea: “And did those feet in ancient time, walk upon England’s mountains green?”

There has even been a campaign to have “Jerusalem” replace “God Save the King” as Great Britain’s national anthem.

The other is the Welsh hymn “Bread of Heaven.” A literal translation of the words reveals a song about ancient Israel traveling to the Promised Land. It asks God to “guide me through the wilderness,” “give me manna,” and provide drink from “the sweet springs which gush forth from the rock.” Another translation calls this “the Rock that is.”

Is it any wonder these two hymns are so popular in modern Ephraim?

Then there is the stone that has sat beneath the coronation throne for every British king and queen for centuries. Writing about the crowning of King George IV, European Magazine said in 1821 that beneath the throne “is enclosed a stone, commonly called Jacob’s Stone, or the Fatal Marble, being an oblong square…of which tradition relates, that it is the stone on which Jacob lay his head, on the plains of Luz…”

Ancient Irish annals tell of a patriarch called Ollam Folla or Ollav Fola (roughly meaning “prophet” in both Hebrew and Celtic languages). Irish lore and historical evidence point to his identity as being the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah. These chronicles of Ireland also record that he brought with him the coronation stone. The tomb of Ollam Folla is still located near Oldcastle in Ireland today.

As far as character goes, Ephraim and Manasseh have historically been incredibly generous, fulfilling Genesis 22:18, which states that through Abraham’s descendants, “all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” The U.S. News & World Report stated that “the U.S. gives more money in foreign aid in total dollars than any other country in the world, distributing more than $530 billion globally between 2012 and 2021. In 2021 alone—the most recent year for which data is complete—the U.S. gave foreign countries about $52.4 billion.” The UK is in second place.

Yet God also calls out the sinful character of these nations. Isaiah 28:1 mentions the “drunkards of Ephraim” and Hosea 7:11 calls the tribe “a silly dove without heart.” These criticisms go beyond just the British people, as Ephraim is often used in Scripture to include all the tribes of Israel (Ezek. 37:16).

What will befall the modern nations of Israel is found throughout the prophets in the Old Testament, including punishment for national sins.

Israel

The nation of Israel has its roots in biblical times and was formed from the descendants of a man named Israel, who had 12 sons. Following the death of King Solomon, the nation was divided into two separate kingdoms. One was the House of Judah—which consisted of descendants of Israel’s fourth oldest son Judah, as well as Benjamin, the youngest son, and Levi, the third oldest son. The other kingdom was called the House of Israel. Over time, the descendants of Israel lost their identity.

Judah, however, was never considered lost and is understood to be the Jewish peoples of today. The Jews never lost sight of their biblical identity—because they generally continued to observe the seventh-day Sabbath, a sign that identifies God’s people (Ex. 31:13).

One of the first things the House of Israel did when it split from Judah was set up its own holy days, laws and other religious observances. Israel rejected the identifying sign that would have, over the centuries, reminded them of their ancient origin. Today, most who are descended from Israel—the U.S., UK, Ireland, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland and Greenland—believe they are Gentiles!

Russia

There is a much older culture at work in Russia than what was born in the minds of communist leaders such as Vladimir Lenin and Josef Stalin. This should have been especially known to Stalin, who was of the Ossetians—a people who hold to the traditions of the ancient Scythians.

Some Scythians (a broad term for a number of tribes who lived north of the Caspian Sea) had similar earmarks to Russian culture as seen during the Soviet era and today.

The modern-day nation of Georgia, which borders Russia’s North Ossetia region, claims ties to a tribe similar to the Scythians—the Meskhetians—who also lived between the Black and Caspian seas. This people has been variously called Meskhi or Moschi throughout history.

Bible historians almost unanimously believe that Moschi equates with Meshech, a tribe mentioned throughout the Old Testament. Meshech slowly moved north, along with his brother Tubal’s descendants, until they settled in modern Russia.

Notice Genesis 10: “The sons of Japheth”—one of Noah’s three sons—“Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras” (vs. 2). Interestingly, Tubal (sometimes spelled Tabal) and Meshech (Moschi) are phonetically similar to the modern-day Russian cities of Tobolsk and Moscow.

Throughout history, the Russians have been known to use human-wave military tactics, sending hordes of soldiers to overwhelm the enemy. Similarly, the nation is known for banding together and sacrificing for a common cause. Ezekiel 32:26 alludes to these characteristics when mentioning “Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude.”

Note that Madai gave rise to the Medes. So when Meshech or the Medes are mentioned in Bible prophecy—events that have not yet occurred—you should think Russia. All the Medes and Russians who have ever lived have a giant role to play in prophecy, as recorded in Eze­k­iel 38-39, Jeremiah 51:11 and Isaiah 13:17-18.

Turkey

Encyclopaedia Britannica explains the dual branches of Turks: “The Turkic peoples may be divided into two main groups: the western and the eastern. The western group includes the Turkic peoples of southeastern Europe and those of southwestern Asia inhabiting Anatolia (Asian Turkey) and northwestern Iran. The eastern group comprises the Turkic peoples of Central Asia, Kazakhstan, and the autonomous region of Xinjiang in China. Turkic peoples display a great variety of ethnic types.”

While there has been some intermarriage, the western Turks are generally Caucasoid (white) and known as Oguz. The eastern clans are distinctly Mongoloid (of Asian descent).

You are likely familiar with the Ottoman Empire. A clue to the origin of the Oguz Turks can be found in the name “Ottoman.” Note that it was adapted from the ruler Osman, which is also spelled Othman and Uthman. Volume II of Edward Gibbons’ Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire includes additional spellings: “…Thaman, or Athman, whose Turkish name has been melted into the appellation of the caliph Othman.”

Thaman was a family name with roots in the Bible: Teman was a chieftain of the ancient Edomite kingdom and the grandson of Esau. William Hazlit’s The Classical Gazetteer spells Teman as Thaman.

So the modern Turks are the descendants of Esau.

The Old Testament shows that Esau was the son of Isaac and older twin of Jacob (who was renamed Israel). Both brothers were grandsons of the patriarch Abraham. The Oguz Turks have a direct tie to the land of Israel as Esau was born in that region.

Esau is another nation that has forgotten its ancient roots. Read Genesis 36: “These were dukes [chieftains] of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn son of Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz” (vs. 15).

The Esau-Eliphaz-Teman line gave rise to the Ottoman Turks and modern Turkey. The Ottoman-Teman connection is just one proof of where most of Esau’s descendants reside today. Esau is synonymous with Edom: “Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom” (Gen. 36:8).

A classic Edomite trait is allying with other peoples and adopting their cultures—such as the Oguz among the Mongoloid Turks.

This started with Esau himself. He married a daughter of Ishmael (the father of the modern Arabs), a daughter of the Hittites, and another Hittite woman who also had ties to the Hivites (Gen. 36:2-3).

Psalm 83, Isaiah 63 and the book of Obadiah reveal Edom’s role early in God’s Kingdom. Amos 9:11-15 reveals a happy ending for Esau’s descendants after tumultuous events.

Palestine

The name Palestine encompasses the ancient Holy Land and the modern nation of Israel. The Romans assigned this name to the region about the second century AD, switching it from Judea. The change was likely an attempt to quell the continued revolts from Jews in the area.

Yet Palestine can still be found in the Bible. The Hebrew term Pelesheth, which refers to the land of the ancient Philistines—Philistia—can be found in Exodus 15:14, Isaiah 14:29 and 31 and Joel 3:4.

Gaza is also referenced throughout the Bible.

The Philistines were descend­ants of Ishmael, the half-brother of Isaac. The friction between those siblings continues today in modern Israel. To learn more, read our article “Israel vs. Hamas: 4,000 Years in the Making.”

Germany

British lexicographer Sir William Smith described the early Germans: “Their men found their chief delight in the perils and excitement of war. In peace they passed their lives in listless indolence, only varied by deep gaming and excessive drinking.”

Germans have long been known to have an almost Jekyll-and-Hyde personality—changing drastically between wartime and peace.

Biographer Emil Ludwig said in The Germans: Double History of a Nation: “The Romans no more than the Franks or the Italians—indeed, not a single neighbor of the Germans—could ever trust the Germans to remain peaceable. No matter how happy their condition, their restless passion would urge them on to ever more extreme demands.”

British filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger mused on the dual nature of Germans in their 1943 film “The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.” One character, seeing WWI German officers in a prisoner-of-war camp quietly listening to orchestral music, observed: “I was thinking, how odd they are…For years and years they are writing and dreaming of beautiful music and beautiful poetry. All of a sudden they start a war: they sink undefended ships, shoot innocent hostages, and bomb and destroy whole streets in London, killing little children. And then they sit down in the same butcher’s uniform and listen to Mendelssohn and Schubert.”

Most historians believe the Germans originated in Europe along the Baltic Sea but are unclear as to where the people derive their ancient roots.

Smith reveals a clue to their origin: “The Germans regarded themselves as indigenous in the country; but there can be no doubt that they were a branch of the great Indo-Germanic race, who, along with the Celts, migrated into Europe from the Caucasus and the countries around the Black and Caspian seas [modern-day Turkey], at a period long anterior to historical records.”

Anthropologist Sir Leonard Woolley records in his book The Sumerians a strikingly similar tribe living in the same region: “To the north and east of them, in the Zagros hills and across the plain to the Tigris, there lived a people of very different stock, fair-haired and speaking a ‘Caucasian’ tongue, a hill-people akin to the Guti…” (Some historians equate the Guti with the Germanic tribe known as the Goths.)

Woolley continues by stating that after an attempt to take over the Tigris River valley, they “remained in what was afterwards Assyria…”

When looking at how Assyria is described in the Bible, their ties to the modern Germans become clear. Isaiah 10:5-7 lays bare the nation’s character: “O Assyrian, the rod of My anger, and the staff in their hand is My indignation…Howbeit he means not so, neither does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.” God, who ultimately directs world events and the future of nations, is describing the Assyrian people as a tool of punishment.

Germany was at the heart of both world wars. Yet those in the nation today are adamant that they will never again do such a thing.

The Assyrians repeatedly clashed with ancient Israel. For instance, Assyrian King Tiglath-Pileser III (Pul) forced the nation to pay tribute to him (II Kings 15:19-20). The Assyrians will again be used to punish Israel in prophetic events—with both nations ultimately coming to peaceful ends (Isa. 11:16).

All Nations

There are many other national identities that could be covered. For example, China, India and other Asian nations descend from Japheth, and they play a role in “the kings of the east” in Revelation 16:12.

In addition, many prophecies mention all nations—and it means all nations, usually including everyone who has ever lived. Notice Isaiah 2:2: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’ s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.”

God’s Plan includes all nations, yet He often focuses on Israel because He expects more from it—God intended it to be a model nation (Deut. 4:5-8).

Read America and Britain in Prophecy for much more understanding of what the Bible says about today’s geopolitical players.