בראשית, פרק ל״ו, פסוק ל״ו

In the ancient world, power almost always passed down through strict family lines, with a king leaving his throne to his son. However, the early leadership structure in this region breaks that mold entirely. The sequence of changing rulers does not reflect a normal royal dynasty. Instead, each of the eight kings, such as Samlah from Masrekah, arrived from a completely different location, and perhaps even from a foreign country. Furthermore, three of these rulers established their own distinct capital cities.

This pattern leaves a clear impression that these leaders did not inherit their crowns. Rather than relying on a royal bloodline, they were selected for the throne based on their individual talents and qualities. Choosing a king for his personal skills rather than his family name was a highly unusual and surprising practice in the ancient landscape of kingship [ברכת אשר על התורה].