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The book of Jasher, mentioned in the Biblical books of Joshua and Second Chronicles, was faithfully translated into English from the Rabbinical Hebrew in approximately A.D. 1840. Says the translator's preface, "the ever memorable events and transactions recorded in Scripture are with many others of the most interesting nature, comprehended in the Book of Jasher; and they are all arrayed in that style of simple, unadorned majesty and precision, which so particularly distinguishes the genius of the Hebrew language; and this, together with other numerous internal evidences, it is presumed will go far to convince the Hebrew scholar that the book is, with the exception of some doubtful parts, a venerable monument of antiquity; and that, notwithstanding some few additions may have been made to it in comparatively modern times, it still retains sufficient to prove it a copy of the book referred to in Joshua, chapter x, and 2 Samuel, chap. i. There are not more than seven or eight words in the whole book that by construction can be derived from the Chaldean language" (page iii-iv).

The title of the book in Hebrew, Sephir Ha Yasher, literally means "the book of the upright," or "the upright or correct record." Some have thought that "Jasher" was the name of a Hebrew judge in Israel, and a publication that arose in the middle of the eighteenth century (circa 1750 A.D.), purported itself to be a translation into English from a Hebrew manuscript of "Jasher" found at Gazna in Persia. That book was undoubtedly a fictitious book, a fraud, and most probably the work of some agnostic, cynical English skeptic, written in imitation of the language of Scripture. Its author, in his ignorance, presumed "Jasher" to have been the personal name of an ancient Hebrew figure, the original writer. But the mischievous deed was recognized by true scholars of Hebrew, for the pronoun "the" ("ha" in Hebrew) never precedes or is prefixed to proper names.

How is the Book of Jasher important to us, today? It sheds marvelous light on the Biblical story, from the time of Adam and Eve, the time of Enoch, and the account of Noah's Deluge, to the Tower of Babel, the tyrant Nimrod, and the story of Abraham and his descendants. The book of Jasher provides the details of this remarkable historical record, and completely authenticates and corroborates the Scriptural history of the period.

The book of Jasher provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of Enoch, who was a righteous ruler over men, continually instructing them in truth and uprightness, and a knowledge of the Most High God. It also tells us that in the days of "Peleg," not only were the nations at Babel divided and scattered, but the earth itself was also divided. From this book we also learn that Noah and Abraham were contemporaries.

Perhaps the most important key found in the Book of Jasher is that it corrects the erroneous chronological date for the birth of Abraham assumed by many Christian commentators, in particular archbishop James Ussher. Says the Translator of the book of Jasher:

"From this book we learn that Noah and Abraham were contemporaries. How

beautiful the contemplation of the meeting of these two Patriarchs, the one being

a monument of God's mercy, the other having the promises of the favor and grace

of God, not only to himself, but to his seed after him. This fact might be proved

from Scripture; but from the 32nd verse in the 11th chapter of Genesis, most of

the Christian commentators have erroneously dated the birth of Abraham 60 years

later than it actually took place; as it is generally stated that he was born A.M.

[after man, i.e., after Adam] 2008, whereas the regular calculation in the Bible leads

us to 60 years earlier, viz. 1948. The only cause of this error has been that Abraham's

departure from Haran, at the age of 75, is recorded close to the description of the

death of Terah, at the age of 205, in Gen. ch. xi, v. 32" (p.vi).

How should we view the book of Jasher, today? The translator correctly points out that although it is not divine Scripture, it nevertheless is a mighty historical and ancient work which relates directly to Biblical historical times and events. Thus the translator does not recommend it to people as Scripture, as a work of divine inspiration, but does "as a monument of history, comparatively covered with the ivy of the remotest ages; as a work, possessing in its language, all the characteristic simplicity of patriarchal times; and as such, he conceives it peculiarly calculated to illustrate and confirm the sacred truths handed down to us in the Scriptures" (p.vii).

The translator concludes:

"Like all other ancient writings, (except the inspired volume,) it has in some

respects suffered from the consuming hand of time; and there is reason to believe that some additions have been made to it. In fine, it contains a history of the lives and memorable transactions of all the illustrious characters recorded in sacred history, from Adam down to the time of the Elders, who immediately

succeeded Joshua" (ibid.).

Having said these things, let's take a close look and see how the book of Jasher, then, impacts our understanding of ancient Biblical chronology, and what it means to us, today!

Chronology After the Flood

The book of Jasher recounts the story of mankind from Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, to the destruction of Noah's Flood (chapters 1-6). The story of the post-Flood world begins in chapter 7 where we are told that Terah was 38 years old when he begat Haran and Nahor, the older brothers of Abraham (v.22). What year was this? According to the chronology, from the Flood, we discover that Noah was 600 years old at the time of the Flood (Gen.7:6). The Flood occurred in the year 2348 B.C. Noah's son Shem begat Arphaxad 2 years after the Flood (Gen.11:10), or in 2346 B.C. From that time on we can trace the descendants of Shem (see Genesis 11:10-26):

Descendant Lived Begat Date

Arphaxad 35 years Salah 2311 B.C.

Salah 30 Eber 2281

Eber 34 Peleg 2247

Peleg 30 Reu 2217

Reu 32 Serug 2185

Serug 30 Nahor 2155

Nahor 29 Terah 2126 B.C.

Terah 70 Abram 2056 B.C.

At this point, the Biblical genealogy tell us, "And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran" (Gen.11:26). Yet the book of Jasher clearly states that "Terah was thirty eight years old, and he begat Haran and Nahor" (Jasher 9:22). Therefore, the fact that the Bible says Terah was 70 when he begat Abram, Nahor and Haran, must refer to the date when ABRAM was begotten -- 32 years after his two brothers. Abram was the youngest of the three, but is listed first because the birthright became his due to his righteousness and excellency.

This is a straight-forward chronology. However, it differs from that of Archbishop James Ussher. Ussher, in his mammoth chronological work, concluded erroneously that Abram was born seventy five years before Terah his father died. Terah died at the age of 205 (Gen.11:32). The next chapter of Genesis tells us that God told Abram to leave his country and Abram did so at the age of 75 (Gen.12:1-4). Ussher assumes that Terah's death and Abram's departure for Canaan was the same year -- therefore, since Terah died in 1921 B.C., Abram's birth would have been, according to Ussher, 75 years sooner -- in 1996 B.C.

Notice! This date is precisely 60 years later than the true date for Abram's birth! Unfortunately, Archbishop Ussher did not have access to the book of Jasher when he calculated the birth of Abram!

When this correction is made, however, it suddenly frees up our understanding of events that occurred after the Flood. But which are we to believe -- the book of Jasher or the conclusion of Archbishop James Ussher?

As incredible as it may sound, we have solid confirmation of the dates given in the book of Jasher. The ancient Jewish historian Flavius Josephus of the first century corroborates the date given by Jasher for the birth of Abraham! Notice this remarkable fact. Josephus writes in Antiquities of the Jews:

"I will now treat of the Hebrews. The son of Phaleg, whose father was Heber,

was Ragau; whose son was Serug, to whom was born Nahor; his son was Terah,

who was the father of Abraham, who accordingly was the tenth from Noah, and

was born in the two hundred and ninety second year after the Deluge; for Terah

begat him in his seventieth year" (bk.1, chapt.6, sec.5).

The Flood was in 2348 B.C. According to Josephus, Abraham was born 292 years after the Flood. This would put his birth in 2056 B.C., just as the book of Jasher states! Archbishop Ussher, who puts Abraham's birth 60 years later, in 1996 B.C., is thus proved to be in error on this point. Josephus also confirms that Abraham was born in Terah's 70th year -- not in his 130th year. Of course, this also confirms the Scriptural account which states plainly that Abram was born in Terah's 70th year (Gen.11:26). A straightforward reading of this passage could be interpreted as follows: "And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram [and he had also begotten] Nahor, and Haran . . ."

Nimrod and the Birth of Abram

Now let's pick up the story of Nimrod, the world's first tyrant, after the Flood. The book of Jasher gives us a very interesting insight into Nimrod's kingdom and personality. The story begins with his father Cush. We read:

"And Cush, the son of Ham, the son of Noah, took a wife in those days, in his old age,and she bare a son, and they called his name Nimrod, saying, At that time the sons of men began to rebel and transgress against God, and the child grew up, and his father loved him exceedingly, for he was the son of his old age.

"And the garments of skin, which God made for Adam and his wife, when they went

out of the garden, were given to Cush. For after the death of Adam and his wife, the

garments were given to Enoch, the son of Jared, and when Enoch was taken up to God, he gave them to Methuselah, his son. And at the death of Methuselah, Noah took them and brought them to the ark, and they were with him until he went out of the ark. And in their going out, Ham stole those garments from Noah his father, and he took them and hid them from his brothers. And when Ham begat his firstborn Cush, he gave him the garments in secret, and they were with Cush many days. And Cush also concealed them from his sons and brothers, and when Cush had begotten Nimrod, he gave him those garments through his love for him, and Nimrod grew up, and when he was twenty years old he put on those garments.

"And Nimrod became strong when he put on the garments, and God gave him might

and strength, and he was a mighty hunter in the earth. . . . And when Nimrod was forty years old, at that time there was war between his brethren and the children of Japheth, so that they were in the power of his enemies. . . . And when Nimrod had joyfully returned from battle, after having conquered his enemies, all his brethren . . . assembled to make him king over them, and they placed the regal crown upon his head.

"And he placed TERAH THE SON OF NAHOR the prince of his host, and he dignified

him and elevated him above all his princes" (Jasher 7:23-41).

Notice! Although the Bible does not mention these fine details in the Scriptural narrative, nevertheless, Terah, Abram's father, was the commander-in-chief of Nimrod's army! He was a very important man in the post-Flood world, and in the government of Nimrod. This occurred when Nimrod was about forty years of age. The account goes on:

". . . . And Nimrod dwelt in Shinar . . . and his kingdom became very great . . . and

Nimrod reigned in the earth over all the sons of Noah, and they were all under his

power and counsel [he was the first World Ruler]. And all the earth was of one tongue and words of union, but Nimrod did not go in the ways of the Lord. . . . And Terah, the son of Nahor, prince of Nimrod's host, was in those days very great in the sight of the king and his subjects, and the king and princes loved him, and they elevated him very high.

"And Terah took a wife and her name was Ambhelo the daughter of Cornebo; and

the wife of Terah conceived and bare him a son in those days. Terah was SEVENTY

YEARS OLD when he begat him, and Terah called the name of his son ABRAM,

because the king had raised him in those days, and dignified him above all his princes" (Jasher 7:44-51).

The book of Jasher therefore plainly tells us Abram was born to Terah when he was 70 years old -- not 135, as Archbishop Ussher thought. The story continues that at the birth of Abram, the astrologers and wise men of Nimrod's kingdom saw a horrifying sign in the heavens, which they understood to mean that the child born to Terah that night would grow up and possess the earth, and would kill all the kings of the earth, posing a great threat to Nimrod himself. A plot was hatched to kill the child. Terah managed to save Abram by substituting the child of one of his servants instead, and then hid Abram, his mother and nurse, in a cave for ten years (Jasher 8:33-36).

The account goes on to tell us that Haran, Abram's oldest brother, took a wife when he wad 39 years of age, and when he was 42, she bare to him Sarai, in the tenth year of Abram's life (Jasher 9:1-4). Thus Sarai was ten years younger than Abram, whom she would later marry. She was born in 2046 B.C. This means that Haran was born 42 years earlier, in 2088 B.C., and was 32 years older than Abram. This is also corroborated in Jasher 12:16, where we read, "and Haran was in those days that Abram was born thirty and two years old." He was born when Terah his father was 38.

When Abram was ten years old, he came out of the cave. The king Nimrod and all his soothsayers thought he was long dead by this time. However, taking no chances, we read that:

"And when Abram came out from the cave, he went to Noah and his son Shem,

and he remained with them to learn the instruction of the Lord and his ways,

and no man knew where Abram was, and Abram served Noah and his son Shem

for a long time.

"And Abram was in Noah's house thirty nine years, and Abram knew the Lord

from three days old, and he went in the ways of the Lord until the day of his death,

as Noah and his son Shem had taught him; and all the sons of the earth in those

days greatly transgressed against the Lord, and they rebelled against him, and they

served other gods, and they forgot the Lord who had created them in the earth . . . .

And Terah had twelve gods of large size, made of wood and stone, after the twelve

months of the year. . . " (Jasher 5-8).

Thus Abram, from age 10 to 49, was in the house of Noah, learning the truth of God! This would have been from the year 2046 (the year Sarai was born) until the year 2007 B.C. During this time, "king Nimrod reigned securely, and all the earth was under his control, and all the earth was of one tongue and words of union" (Jasher 9:20).

At this time Nimrod and his great men took counsel to build a "strong tower, and its top reaching heaven: (verse 21). While they built it, they "imagined in their hearts to war against him and to ascend into heaven" (v.25). As the Scriptures tell us, and the book of Jasher confirms, the gigantic tower was destroyed in a mighty paroxysm. Says the book of Jasher, "And as to the tower which the sons of men built, the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up one third part thereof, and a fire also descended from heaven and burned another third, and a third part is left to this day, and it is of that part which was aloft, and its circumference is three days' walk" (v.38).

This tremendous event would have occurred just before Abram left the house of Noah in the year 2007 B.C. The tower of Babel catastrophe, therefore, would have occurred somewhere around the year 2008 B.C. It was shortly after this awesome lesson from the heavens, that Abram comes forth from hiding and exile, and returns to the house of his father Terah.

Abram Confronts Nimrod

When Abram was 50 years old, he left Noah's house and returned to his father's house. Terah was still steeped in idolatry, and still captain of the host of Nimrod (Jasher 11:13-15). Abram remonstrated with his father about his strange gods (verses 26-50). Incensed, Terah reported this incident to Nimrod , who sent soldiers to seize Abram. Nimrod, all his princes, and Terah were present, when Abram witnessed before them, urging the king to repent of his follies and wickedness, his idolatries, and to serve the "God of the whole universe, who created thee, and in whose power it is to kill and keep alive" (Jasher 11:54-55). He ended his testimony, saying, "O foolish, simple, and ignorant king, woe unto thee forever" (v.56).

Nimrod was so indignant and full of wrath, that he ordered Abram put into prison, and then asked his counselors what ought to be done with him. They counseled that Abram should be thrown alive into a flaming furnace and be burned to death (Jasher 12:6). For three days and nights a mighty fire was prepared in the king's furnace, and all the inhabitants of the land stood to see Abram being brought out to be burned. Jasher estimates the crowd at about 900,000 (Jasher 12:7-8).

What happened? Jasher relates:

"And the Lord loved Abram and he had compassion over him, and the Lord

came down and delivered Abram from the fire and he was not burned. But all

the cords with which they bound him were burned, while Abram remained and

walked about in the fire. . . .

"And Abram walked in the midst of the fire three days and three nights, and

all the servants of the king saw him walking in the fire, and they came and told

the king . . . . And when the king heard their words his heart fainted and he would

not believe them. . . and the king rose to go and see it, and he saw Abram walking

to and fro in the midst of the fire . . ." (Jasher 12:24-28).

At this time Abram was 50 years old. Nimrod was the son of Cush, the son of Ham. Ham begat Cush probably 2346 B.C., two years this side of the Flood. If Cush were 251 years of age, when he begat Nimrod, then Nimrod would have been born in 2095 B.C. Remember, he was expressly born in Cush's old age, "the son of his old age" (Jasher 7:23). Thus he would have been about 30 years younger than Terah, the chief over his host. He would have been approximately 40 years older than Abram.

Keep this date in mind, for later we will see how well it correlates with another date signpost we will discover in the book of Jasher! There are many "date links" given in the book of Jasher which are unavailable any where else.

Abram's Place of Safety

After this, king Nimrod had a disturbing dream, which his counselors interpreted to mean that "the day will come when Abram and his seed and the children of his household will war with my king, and they will smite all the king's horses and all his troops . . . this means nothing else but the seed of Abram which will slay the king in latter days" (Jasher 12:53-55). Abram got secret word of this and the conspiracy to have him killed, and "Abram hastened and ran for safety to the house of Noah and his son Shem, and he concealed himself there and found a place of safety" (v.61).

Terah came to visit his son, after he had been with Noah for a month, at which time Abram encouraged his father to come with him to Canaan, so that they would both be delivered from the hand of Nimrod (v.65). Terah hearkened to his son's wisdom, and they came as far as the land of Haran, and remained there (Jasher 13:1). "And Abram remained in the land of Haran three years, and at the expiration of three years the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, I am the Lord who brought thee forth from Ur Casdim, and delivered thee from the hands of all thine enemies. And now therefore if thou wilt hearken to my voice and keep my commandments, my statutes and my laws, then will I cause thy enemies to fall before thee, and I will multiply thy seed like the stars of heaven . . ." (Jasher 13:3-4).

At this time God told Abram, "Arise now, take thy wife and all belonging to thee and go to the land of Canaan and remain there . . ." (v.5).

Abram's FIRST Trip to Canaan

Abram went to Canaan, and dwelt there 3 years. Jasher records, "At that time, at the end of three years' of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan, in that year Noah died, which was the fifty-eighth year of the life of Abram; and all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years and he died" (Jasher 13:9).

Noah was 600 years when the Flood came. He lived beyond the Flood 350 more years, and died in the year 1998 B.C. Abram was born in 2056 B.C. Thus Noah indeed died in Abram's 58th year, just as the book of Jasher tells us!

The book of Jasher then tells us, "And in the tenth year of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan (7 more years, or in the year 1991 B.C., when Abram was 65) there was war between Nimrod king of Shinar and Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Nimrod came to fight with Chedorlaomer and to subdue him. For Chedorlaomer was at that time one of the princes of the hosts of Nimrod. . . . And Nimrod assembled all his princes and subjects, about seven hundred thousand men, and went against Chedorlaomer, and Chedorlaomer went out to meet him with five thousand men . . . And all those kings fought there, and Nimrod and his people were smitten . . . and there fell from Nimrod's men about six hundred thousand . . . And Nimrod fled and returned in shame and disgrace to his own land, and he was under subjection to Chedorlaomer for a long time" (Jasher 13:12-16).

Jasher continues the story of Abram: "And it was in the fifteenth year of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan, which is the seventieth year of the life of Abram (the year 1986 B.C.), and the Lord appeared to Abram in that year and he said to him, I am the Lord who brought thee out from Ur Chasdim to give thee this land for an inheritance. Now therefore walk before me and be perfect and keep my commandments . . . And thou shalt come to thy fathers in peace and in good age, and the fourth generation shall return here in this land and INHERIT IT FOREVER" (Jasher 13:17-19).

Now notice carefully! God told Abram that He would give him the land from the river of Egypt, the Nile, to the river Euphrates -- and he then told Abram that he would die, peaceably, and in a good old age -- but notice now! Abram would RETURN in the fourth generation, and inherit the land FOREVER! This is a prophecy for the FUTURE! In this instance, the fourth "generation" means 4,000 years, for a full "generation" is a thousand years in fulfillment -- one "day" (II Pet.3:8-10). Abram was born and lived circa 2,000 B.C. Four "generations" or four thousand years from that time brings us to circa 2000 A.D.! This is one more astonishing evidence that we are surely living in the generation of the END TIME!

Abram's SECOND Journey to Canaan!

Now let's continue the story of Abram. "At that time Abram returned and went to Haran, to see his father and mother, and his father's household, and Abram and his wife and all belonging to him returned to Haran, and Abram dwelt in Haran five years. And many of the people of Haran, about seventy two men, followed Abram and Abram taught them the instruction of the Lord and his ways, and he taught them to know the Lord. In those days the Lord appeared to Abram in Haran, and he said to him, Behold, I spoke unto thee these twenty years back saying, Go forth from thy land, from thy birth-place and from thy father's house, to the land which I have shown thee to give it to thee and to thy children . . . Now therefore arise, go forth from this place, thou, thy wife, and all belonging to thee . . . and rise to return to the land of Canaan.

"And Abram arose and took his wife Sarai and all belonging to him . . . and they came out to go to the land of Canaan. And Abram went and returned to the land of Canaan, according to the word of the Lord. And Lot the son of his brother Haran went with him, and Abram was SEVENTY FIVE YEARS OLD when he went forth from Haran to return to the land of Canaan" (Jasher 13:20-26).

This was the SECOND time Abram went to the land of Canaan! The first time was when he was 55 years of age. This was 20 years later, when he was 75 years of age. The Bible does not tell us about these two different times Abram went to the land of Canaan. The book of Genesis telescopes and shortens much of the real story, giving us the highlights, as it were. But the book of Jasher fills in many very interesting and astounding details, giving us the true chronological order of the various events, births, and deaths, of the patriarchs, and recounts for us their activities and lives.

This second time Abraham went to Canaan, is also recorded in the book of Genesis, chapter 12. Here we are told that Abram departed, at age seventy five, taking Sarai, Lot, and all his substance with him (Gen.12:3). This was the year 1981 B.C.

Let us now skip down to the next events noted in the book of Jasher. Abraham was dwelling in the plain of Mamre many years, and his nephew Lot had decided to move down to the Sodom valley (Jasher 15). At that time, a war broke out.

War in the Middle East!

"At that time Chedorlaomer king of Elam sent to all the neighboring kings, to Nimrod, king of Shinar, who was then under his power, and to Tidal, king of Goyim, and to Arioch, king of Elasar, with whom he had a covenant, saying, Come up to me and assist me, that we may smite all the towns of Sodom . . . for they have rebelled against me these thirteen years. And these four kings went up with all their camps, about eight hundred thousand men . . . And these nine kings made war in the valley of Siddom; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah were smitten before the kings of Elam" (Jasher 16:1-4).

At this time, Abraham delivered his nephew Lot who had been taken captive by the kings who attacked Sodom. He smote them at night, when their troops were drunken and feasting, in a sudden surprise attack with only 318 men (Jasher 16:7). It is another intriguing story, whose details are filled out more completely in the book of Jasher.

The book of Jasher contains an absorbing account of the sins of the people of Sodom, and why God became furious with them, and the account of their divine judgment.

The Birth of Isaac and Death of Terah

Picking up the story, the book of Jasher also records the miraculous birth of Isaac when Abraham was 100 years of age. Since Abraham was born in 2056 B.C., the birth of Isaac would have occurred in the year 1956 B.C. Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned, and "Shem and Eber and all the great people of the land, and Abimelech king of the Philistines . . . came to eat and drink and rejoice at the feast which Abraham made" (Jasher 21:5). "Also Terah . . . came from Haran, they and all belonging to them, for they greatly rejoiced on hearing that a son had been born to Sarah" (v.6).

The next chronological link in the story, comes in chapter 22 of Jasher.

"And Terah died in that year, that is, in the thirty-fifth year of the birth of

Isaac son of Abraham. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years,

and he was buried in Haran" (Jasher 22:33

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