The period of time when the biblical fathers of Israel lived. The Bible talks about:
The patriarchs who lived long lives before the flood (Genesis 1–5)
A line of patriarchs after the flood (Genesis 10–11)
However, the word usually refers to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12–36) and also includes Joseph (Genesis 37–50).
When Did the Patriarchs Live?
It is difficult to find the exact date of the patriarchs. The kings mentioned in Genesis 14:1–2 are the only point of reference to identify a date. This chapter refers to historical persons and places, but we cannot identify the kings with certainty. Italian archaeologists at Tell Mardikh (ancient Ebla) found clay tablets with the names of the “Cities of the Plain” from Genesis 14:2 and the name of one of their kings. However, these tablets date to before 2000 BC and before Abraham. All they show is that the cities existed before Abraham.
The patriarchs lived in the middle Bronze Age, likely early in the second millennium BC. This was the time when the Amorites moved into Palestine from the northwest. The Amorites moved into Palestine in two “waves":
The first involved a group moving in temporary dwellings (like Abraham’s friends Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre) (see Genesis 14:13)
The second wave was from Syria and involved people moving into the cities (these were “the Amorites”) (Exodus 3:8)
The society of the patriarchs had two types:
The city communities
The rural communities (or seminomadic tribes) who would move around the cities
Joseph lived in Egypt, but Scripture does not give us the name of this pharaoh.
Where Did the Patriarchs Live?
The patriarchal history covers a wide geographic range, spanning hundreds of miles. Abraham lived in Ur, an old Sumerian city near the Persian Gulf. Then he moves Haran in the northwest, between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers in the north. From there, he moves southwest to Palestine but travels back to Haran twice and twice to Egypt. Even in Palestine, the patriarchs are always moving from place to place. They mostly travel north and south along the mountains, but sometimes they travel to the coast and even to the Transjordan (east of the Jordan River). Some join the city cultures (like Lot in Genesis 13:12), while others move to the desert (like Ishmael in Genesis 25:18 or Esau in 36:6–8).
Why Are the Patriarchs Important?
The patriarchs are very important to God’s plan of redemption. The process that leads to the coming of Christ begins with Abraham (John 8:56). Of course, God’s plan of salvation begins in the first chapters of Genesis. But God’s plan becomes clear with the call of Abraham in Genesis 12:1–3 and continues through the lives of all the patriarchs. The Bible often speaks of God as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for a reason. This is because the revelation made to the earlier patriarchs is the foundation for everything that follows. In the New Testament, Christians call Abraham their “father” too (Romans 4:16).