Dumb question: what exactly is a Semite?

[Taverner]

Yes, it's clear that Israelis are Semites. However, are Palestinian Arabs Semites? Are Lebanese Semites? And for that matter, would Jordanians be Semites?

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

1. anyone from the middle east is a semite

A member of a group of Semitic-speaking peoples of the Near East and northern Africa, including the Arabs, Arameans, Babylonians, Carthaginians, Ethiopians, Hebrews, and Phoenicians.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=semite

[Taverner]

3. Ethiopia too?

Interesting...

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

4. according to the dictionary definition, yea

[Taverner]

5. Interesting that the etemology (sp?) of the word comes from Shem

one of Noahs sons....

Although I thought Genesis said that the Jews are the children of Jacob, and the Arabs the sons of Essau?

Oh well - how well can you trust a folk tale :shrug:

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

6. Shem populated that area of the world after the flood

then years later is the story of Abraham who beget two sons. Ishmael with his servant Hagar, whose bloodline is the genius of the Arab people, and Issac with his wife Sarah, whose bloodline is the Jews

[meow2u3]

8. Actually, Ethiopians are Hamites

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamitic

[Gormy Cuss]

2. Semitic languages include both Hebrew and Arabic

and Aramaic, among others. Semites are people from cultures that speak those languages at least.:shrug:

[Karenina]

7. One of THEM or

one of US, depending of course on your personal view.