Genesis Chapter 10
“The tenth chapter of Genesis… stands absolutely alone in ancient literature, without a remote parallel, even among the Greeks, where we find the closest approach to a distribution of peoples in genealogical framework… The Table of Nations remains an astonishing accurate document.” (William F. Albright, cited in Boice)
A. The descendants of Japheth.
1. (1) The three sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood.
a. This is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: This may mark another transition in the records that Moses collected to compile the book of Genesis.
b. And sons were born to them after the flood: God told humanity to multiply after the flood, and this indicates that they did. Humanity and life went on.
2. (2) The sons of Japheth.
The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
a. The sons of Japheth: He was the father of the Indo-European peoples, those stretching from India to the shores of Western Europe. They are each linked by linguistic similarities that often seem invisible to the layman but are much more obvious to the linguist.
b. Gomer: From this son of Japheth came the Germanic peoples, from whom came most of the original peoples of Western Europe. These include the original French, Spanish, and Celtic settlers.
c. Magog…Tubal, Meshech: These settled in the far north of Europe and became the Russian peoples.
d. Madai: From this son of Japheth came the ancient Medes and they populated what are now Iran and Iraq. The peoples of India also came from this branch of Japheth’s family.
e. Javan: From this son of Japheth came the ancient Greeks, whose sea-faring ways are described in Genesis 10:5.
3. (3) The sons of Gomer.
The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
a. Ashkenaz: From this son of Gomer came the peoples who settled north of Judea into what we call the Fertile Crescent.
b. Togarmah: From this son of Gomer came the Armenians.
The historian has not arranged this catalogue according to seniority of birth. The account begins with the descendants of Japheth, and the line of Ham is given before that of Shem, though he is expressly said to be the youngest or younger son of Noah; and Shem was the elder brother of Japheth (Gen 10:21), the true rendering of that passage. The genealogy of the non-elect was always placed before the chosen line. For example, Cain before Seth (Gen 4–5), Ishmael before Isaac (Gen 25) and Esau before Jacob (Gen 26–27). The choice of Shem and the rejection of Ham has already been intimated (Gen 9:25–27), and this is confirmed in this chapter.
4. (4-5) The sons of Javan (the ancient Greeks).
The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.
The “Isles of Gentiles” is a phrase by which the Hebrews described all countries which were accessible by sea (Isa 11:11; 20:6; Jer 25:22). Japheth and his Decendents • Gomer and his sons: Cimmerians settled along the Danube and Rhine (Herodotus, Plutarch, et al.) Ashkenaz: linked to Germany Riphath: Josephus links to the Paphlagonians; “Europe” derives from Riphath language Togarmah: Armenians, Turkey, Turkestan • Magog and his sons: “Scythians” (Critical to understanding Ezek 38 and 39) Hesiod, Greek didactic poet, 8th century bc Herodotus, “The Father of History”, 5th century bc The descendants of Japheth, numbering fourteen, were given first. These were northern people, remote from Israel. Gomer represented the Cimmerians, thought to be of the same stock as the Scythians. Magog was the land of Gog, between Armenia and Cappadocia (Ezek 38:2; 39:6). The name represented Scythian hordes southwest of the Black Sea. • Madai: Medes (Kurds) Emerged about 10th century bc; formed a coalition with Persia (Elam), 7th century bc • Tubal: Eastern Anatolia (Turkey) • Meshech: Eastern Anatolia (Turkey) • Javan: Ionia; Greece • Tiras: Pelasgians of the Aegean; the Etruscans of Italy Madai represented the Medes east of Assyria and southwest of the Caspian Sea. Javan was the general word for the Hellenic race, the Ionians of western Asia Minor. Tubal and Meshech were northern military states in Anatolia, (now eastern Turkey). Tiras may refer to the seafaring Pelasgians of the Aegean coasts.
Japheth • Gomer Ashkenaz: related to the Scythians Riphath Togarmah: distant northern tribes (Armenians today call themselves “the house of Togarmah” and a few others identify with this name) • Javan Elishah: Alashiyah or Cyprus Tarshish (its possible its location could be the British Isles? From scripture, we know it is a distant island with a source of Tin; Britain has a source of tin) Kittim: Cyprus Dodanim
From the previous seven descendants of Japheth, seven more were derived. Three northern tribes came from Gomer and were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. The sons of Javan, two geographical names and two tribal names, were all kin to the Greeks. Elishah was Alashiyah or Cyprus and Tarshish was a distant coast in Asia Minor. The Kittim also dwelt on Cyprus. The “Dodanim” may have lived in Dodona,Greece unless “Dodanim” is a textual variant for Rodanim (Rhodes; cf. 1 Chron 1:7).
a. The sons of Javan were: Geographic names that spring from these names in this chapter abound. Linguists have no trouble seeing the connection between Kittim and Cyprus, Rodanim and Rhodes, Gomer and Germany, Meschech and Moscow, Tubal and Tobolsk.
b. Everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations: These divisions of mankind developed into language, genetic (families) and ethnic (nations) divisions.
B. The descendants of Ham.
1. (6) The sons of Ham.
The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
a. Ham: The descendants of Ham are the peoples who populated Africa and the Far East.
b. Cush: Apparently, this family divided into two branches early. Some founded Babylon (notably, Nimrod) and others founded Ethiopia.
c. Mizraim: This is another way the Bible refers to Egypt. Put refers to Libya, the region of North Africa west of Egypt. Canaan refers to the peoples who originally settled the land we today think of as Israel and its surrounding regions.
The “sons of Ham” emigrated southward, and their settlements were: • Cush in the south in Arabia • Mizraim in upper and lower Egypt • Phut in the west in Africa • Canaan It is generally thought that Ham accompanied Mizraim and personally superintended the formation of the settlement as Egypt was called “the land of Ham” (Ps 105:23, 27; 106:22). Mizraim is a Hebrew dual word for Egypt, comprising the lower and the upper divisions of that land. The two capitals of Egypt were Memphis and Thebes. • Sheba was in southwest Arabia (cf. the queen of Sheba, 1 Kings 10:1-13) • Dedan was in northern Arabia • Seba was also in Upper Egypt • Havilah (“sand-land”) could refer to northern and eastern Arabia on the Persian Gulf or the Ethiopian coast • Sabtah, ancient Hadhramaut, was on the western shore of the Persian Gulf • Raamah and Sabtecah were in southern Arabia
Some of the people in these ancient kingdoms traced their lineage to Joktan from Shem (Gen 10:29). So there was a mixing in the settlement. The descendants of Ham formed the eastern and southern peoples ofMesopotamia. The Cushites (descendants of Cush) settled in south Arabia, and in present-day southern Egypt, Sudan, and northern Ethiopia. They became mingled with Semitic tribes dwelling in the same region; hence there is repetition of some of the names in other lines.
The final Hamite line that was significant for Israel was the Canaanite group. Once again the listing employs “begot” (yalad) to list the cities and tribes of people living in the Promised Land. Sidon was the predominant Phoenician city. Hittites (hòet, “Heth”) is problematic, but may refer to a pocket of Hittites from the early movements of tribes. The Jebusites dwelt in Jerusalem. Amorite was a general reference to western Semites, but here points to a smaller ethnic group in the mixed population of Canaan. The other seven Canaanite tribal names are less problematic; they were tribes that settled in Lebanon, Hamath on the Orontes River, and all through the land. Their listing is significant after the passage pronouncing the curse on Canaan (Gen 9:25-27). Among the Hamites are found not just all the Canaanite people but Israel’s other great enemies: Egypt (Mizraim), Babylon and Assyria.
2. (7-12) The sons of Cush.
The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.” And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city).
Nimrod • Nimrod means “Rebel” • First “World Dictator” • Founder of Babylon and Nineveh • (Details in next session) Inserted in the table of nations is the story of Nimrod. This is the first “begot” (“was the father of”) section and forms a major stylistic break from the tribal names preceding it. Attempts to identify or date Nimrod have proven unsuccessful. Because his name seems to be connected with the verb “to rebel” (marad), tradition has identified him with tyrannical power. He was the founder of the earliest imperial world powers in Babylon and Assyria. The table simply presents him as a mighty hunter, a trait found commonly in Assyrian kings. He was founder of several powerful cities. The centers he established became major enemies of Israel. Alexander Hislop, in his book, The Two Babylons, gives the background of how Nimrod was responsible for the Tower of Babel. It was he who attempted to bring together the human race after the Flood in an effort to get them united into a nation of which he could become the great world ruler. He was the rebel, the founder of Babel and the hunter of the souls of men. He was the lawless one, and he is a shadow or a type of the last world ruler, the Antichrist who is yet to appear. The first great civilization, therefore, came out from the sons of Ham.
The city of “Babel” becomes the city of “Babylon.” All throughout scripture you have stories of two cities: Jerusalem as God’s city and Babylon as man’s city or Satan’s city. The streets of the city of Nineveh were known (as early as 2800 bc) as the center of the powerful Assyrian kingdom, which attained its height under Sennacherib, Esarhaddon, and Ashurbanipal. It was situated on the Tigris River, about 250 miles from the city of Babylon. It was against this stronghold that Jonah and Nahum directed their prophecies.
a. Cush begot Nimrod: One son of Cush worthy of note is Nimrod. He was a mighty one on the earth, but not in a good way. He ruled over Babel, which was the first organized rebellion of humans against God. The name Nimrod itself means, “let us rebel.”
b. Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD: The context shows that this is not a compliment of Nimrod. The idea is that Nimrod was an offense before the face of God.
i. “This is not talking about Nimrod’s ability to hunt wild game. He was not a hunter of animals. He was a hunter of men – a warrior. It was through his ability to fight and kill and rule ruthlessly that his kingdom of the Euphrates valley city states was consolidated.” (Boice)
ii. A Jerusalem Targum says: “He was powerful in hunting and in wickedness before the Lord, for he was a hunter of the sons of men, and he said to them, ‘Depart from the judgment of the Lord, and adhere to the judgment of Nimrod!’ Therefore it is said: ‘As Nimrod the strong one, strong in hunting, and in wickedness before the Lord’” (cited in Morris).
iii. Ginzberg quotes from a Jewish legend: “The great success that attended all of Nimrod’s undertakings produced a sinister effect. Men no longer trusted in God, but rather in their own prowess and ability, an attitude to which Nimrod tried to convert the whole world.”
iv. “Hence it is likely that Nimrod, having acquired power, used it in tyranny and oppression; and by rapine and violence founded the domination which was the first distinguished by the name of a kingdom on the face of the earth. How many kingdoms have been founded in the same way, in various ages and nations from that time to the present! From the Nimrods of the earth, God deliver the world!” (Clarke)
3. (13-14) The sons of Mizraim.
Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and Caphtorim).
4. (15-19) The sons of Canaan.
Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth; the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were dispersed. And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
a. Canaan begot Sidon: The family of Sidon, the son of Canaan, went north and is related to the Hittites and Lebanese.
b. And the Sinite: Many people believe the Oriental peoples descended from the Sinites.
These tribal names will be familiar to you as they emerge in the land of Canaan as the adversaries of Israel in the book of Joshua and Judges. The Philistines originally came out of Egypt (Mizraim), then went on to Cyprus and the land of the Philistines. The name “philistine” comes from the Romans who were fed up and frustrated by the revolts of Bar Kokhba, in approximately 140 ad. The Roman emperor Hadrian realized they could not rule Jerusalem as long as there was a Jewish presence. He levelled the city of Jerusalem and built a Roman city on top of it called “Aelia Capitolina.” There was death penalty initiated for any Jew caught in Jerusalem. They named the entire region after the Philistines, Israel’s enemies, as an attempt to deny any Jewish presence there. The word Philistine in Latin was “Palistina” and the term Palistine was designed to deny Israel’s place in the land. Anytime you hear the word Palistine, it is a label of Israel’s enemies!
The Sinites moved to what we know today as China. The Chinese are a derivative of Canaan. Sidon (Tzidon) moved to the north coast and became the Phoenicians. The capital of the Amorites was Jericho. Heth was the ancestor of the Hittites, and whose great empire held sway from 1600–1700 bc. The principal cities of the Hittites were Carchemish on the Euphrates and Kadesh on the Orontes. These people settled in the vicinity of Hebron, and witnessed Abraham’s purchase of the Cave of Machpelah from Ephron (23:8-10). Esau married into this tribe and the Hittites found their way into the Assyrian and Egyptian inscriptions. Archaeologists have found valuable remains of civilization of that powerful empire.
5. (20) The spread of the descendants of Ham.
These were the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands and in their nations.
Ham • Mizraim: Upper and Lower Egypt; Philistines (“Palestinians” = not sons of Ishmael) • Cush: Ethiopia, Kassites, east of Assyria (Settled south of the 2nd cataract of the Nile) Nimrod: Bab-El, Erech, Accad, Calneh • Phut: (Settled west of Egypt) Ethiopia, northern Africa • Canaan: Sidon to Gaza, Sodom and Gomorrah Khittae (“Cathay”) Sinites (Sino=China)
Shem • Elam: Persia (Iran); “High” Persians; (possible location of the Ark?) • Asshur • Arphaxad: Salah, Eber, Peleg (“earth divided;” Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, Abraham), Joktan • Lud • Aram: In the general division of the earth, the countries of Armenia, Mesopotamia, and Syria fell to his descendants
C. The descendants of Shem.
1. (21-22) The sons of Shem.
And children were born also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder. The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
a. Children were born also to Shem: From Shem comes Elam, who was an ancestor of the Persian peoples; Asshur, who was the father of the Assyrians; Lud was father to the Lydians who lived for a time in Asia Minor; and Aram was father to the Arameans, who we also know as the Syrians. Arphaxad was the ancestor of Abram and the Hebrews.
2. (23) The sons of Aram.
The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.
a. Uz: Later, a region in Arabia was named after this son of Aram. Job came from the land of Uz (Job 1:1).
The children of Eber comprised many different groups among the sons of Shem. The name “Eber” has been associated with the word “Hebrew,” and was the name by which the Israelites were known by other people. They were the ones who possessed the knowledge of the true God. The term “Hebrew” is racial, while “Israelite” is national. In later days, these words were used as synonyms.
The Elamites, descendants of Shem’s first son Elam, dwelt in the highlands east of Babylonia. Asshur was the name of the region and people of Assyria, where Nimrod, a Hamite, had founded several cities. Arphaxad resided northeast of Nineveh. Lud was the Ludbu of the Assyrians. Perhaps Lud was a shortened form of Ludda, possibly another name for Lydia (in what is now western Turkey). Aram was an ancestor of the Aramean tribes in the steppes of Mesopotamia. His descendants (v. 23) are not well known.
3. (24-30) The sons and descendants of Arphaxad.
Arphaxad begot Salah, and Salah begot Eber. To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. And their dwelling place was from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east.
a. All these were the sons of Joktan: The names after the son of Joktan (son of Eber, son of Salah, son of Arphaxad) are all associated with various Arabic peoples.
b. And Jobab: The one named Jobab may be the one we know as Job in the Old Testament.
Peleg means “division.” Ophir was famed for its fine gold. Solomon sent his men along with Hiram’s to extract it and to transport it to Palestine. In addition to gold, they found precious metals and gems in great abundance. Soon Solomon’s kingdom rivaled all the surrounding lands in wealth. Ophir was probably a seaport on the coast of Arabia. It has been located as far away as the mouth of the Indus. Much of the gold overlay of the Temple of Solomon came from Ophir.
4. (31) The spread of the descendants of Shem.
These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations.
5. (32) Summary statement: the nations after the flood.
These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood.
Here is a colophon-type ending, reminding the readers that all families came from Noah, but some were of special interest for the nation Israel. (Ethnology makes it evident that neither the sons of Japheth nor thesons of Ham ever comprised what some people call the lost ten tribes of Israel.) The
Table of Nations • 70 Nations from Noah (Ham, Shem, and Japheth) • 70 Families entered Egypt (Gen 46:10) and boundaries were set (Deut 32:7, 8). These two are deliberately linked: “bounds of nations set.”
Framework • “the sons of Bene” occurs twelve times in verses 2-4, 6-7, 20- 23, 29, 31 and 32 • Yalad means “he begot” and is mentioned in verses 8, 13, 15, 21, 25 and 26 • Canaan’s descendants are emphasized in verses 15 through 18 • the Boundaries of Promised Land are mentioned in verse 19
The basic framework of the Table of Nations is the bene (“the sons of”) motif. Other times, however, the chapter uses yalad (“he begot”), which seems to suggest that these were interpretations given to the bene table. The yalad sections in line with the idea of the toledot, trace the significant developments of personages within the structure of the table. (The NIV renders the yalad verb “was the father of” in vv. 8, 13, 15, 26, “was the ancestor of” in v. 21, and “were born to” in v. 25.) Of special note are verses 15-19, in which Canaan’s descendants are traced and even the boundaries of the Promised Land are given. The writer of the Table of Nations was apparently using an ancient table to clarify which of Noah’s descendants would experience blessing and which ones would experience cursing. Most of the yalad (“he begot”) sections pertain to the Canaanites or the Hamites, the tribes close to Israel. To see which neighbors would face blessing and which ones cursing, Israel need only consult this table. Wars and conflicts inevitably result from this arrangement.
a. “Hence one must consider this chapter of Genesis a mirror in which to discern that we human beings are, namely, creatures so marred by sin that we have no knowledge of our own origin, not even of God Himself, our Creator, unless the Word of God reveals these sparks of divine light to us from afar… This knowledge the Holy Scriptures reveal to us. Those who are without them live in error, uncertainty, and boundless ungodliness; for they have no knowledge about who they are and whence they came.” (Luther, cited in Boice)
