Knowing The Word in Genesis 10, The Nations Descended from Noah

1 These are the generations [introduces a new section] of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood. [There are 70 sons listed, which is not happenstance.]

2 The sons of Japheth [were]: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras [7 sons]. 3 The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. [Between Gomer and Javan there are another 7 sons.] 5 From these the coastland peoples spread in their lands, each with his own language [anticipates Babel], by their clans, in their nations. [These are the groups of people that Israel had the least contact.]

6 The sons of Ham: Cush [south of Egypt], Egypt [Israel’s well known neighbor], Put [Libya], and Canaan [the territory of modern Israel, Lebanon, and part of Syria]. 7 The sons of Cush [all found in Arabia]: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. 8 Cush fathered Nimrod [an unexpected 6th child, whose name means “we shall rebel”]; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” 10 The beginning of his kingdom was Babel [Babylon], Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh [founded 4500 BC; its ruins are opposite Mosel], Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and 12 Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. 13 Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 14 Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorim.

15 Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, 16 and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, 17 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, 18 the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the clans of the Canaanites dispersed. 19 And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon in the direction of Gerar as far as Gaza, and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. [This is the first description of the Promised Land in the Bible.] 20 These are the sons of Ham, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.

21 To Shem [listed last because the elect line goes through him] also, the [fore] father of all the children of Eber [the Hebrew origin of the word “Hebrew”], the elder brother of Japheth, children were born. 22 The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. 23 The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 24 Arpachshad fathered Shelah; and Shelah fathered Eber. 25 To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother's name was Joktan. [The descendants of Peleg will be taken up in 11:18-26.] 26 Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. 30 The territory in which they lived extended from Mesha in the direction of Sephar to the hill country of the east. 31 These are the sons of Shem, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.

32 These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood. [The table of nations, unique in world literature, shows all humans are linked genealogically to the sons of Noah. We are all brothers and sisters of each other.]