The one from whom a person or group is descended, either literally or figuratively. The OT uses the term “ancestor” generally to refer to earlier generations of Israelites (Exod 3:15; Exod 20:5; Num 20:15; 1Kgs 14:15; Jer 7:22; Jer 16:11), and specifically to refer to the founders of the nation: Abraham and Sarah; Isaac and Rebekah; Jacob, Leah, and Rachel. God’s faithfulness to Israel and the gift of the land were often thought to be motivated by the divine promise that had originally been made to the ancestors (Deut 1:8; Deut 6:10; Deut 9:5; Deut 29:13; Deut 30:20; Gen 12:7; Gen 17:1-8; Gen 28:13-15). On the other hand, the sins of the ancestors were sometimes thought to bring God’s wrath on their children (Exod 20:5; Exod 34:7; Num 14:18).
