Genesis 10
10
The descendants of Noah and the tower of Babel
The descendants of Noah
1After the flood Shem, Ham, and Japheth had many descendants.
The descendants of Japheth
2-5Japheth's descendants had their own languages, tribes, and land. They were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
Gomer was the ancestor of Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
Javan was the ancestor of Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim,#10.2-5 Dodanim: Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and one ancient translation have “Rodanim”. who settled along the coast.
The descendants of Ham
6-20Ham's descendants had their own languages, tribes, and land. They were Ethiopia,#10.6-20 Ethiopia: See the note at 2.13. Egypt, Put, and Canaan.
Cush#10.6-20 Cush: See the note at 2.13. was the ancestor of Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca.
Raamah was the ancestor of Sheba and Dedan.
Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, a mighty warrior whose strength came from the LORD. Nimrod is the reason for the saying, “You hunt like Nimrod with the strength of the LORD!” Nimrod first ruled in Babylon, Erech, and Accad, all of#10.6-20 and Accad, all of: Or “Accad, and Calneh”. which were in Babylonia.#10.6-20 Babylonia: The Hebrew text has “Shinar”, another name for Babylonia. From there Nimrod went to Assyria and built the great city of Nineveh. He also built Rehoboth-Ir and Calah, as well as Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah.
Egypt was the ancestor of Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim, and Caphtorim, the ancestor of the Philistines.#10.6-20 Casluhim, and Caphtorim, the ancestor of the Philistines: Hebrew “Caphtorim, and Casluhim, the ancestor of the Philistines”. The Philistines were from Caphtor (see Jeremiah 47.4; Amos 9.7), better known as Crete.
Canaan's sons were Sidon and Heth. He was also the ancestor of the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.
Later the Canaanites spread from the territory of Sidon and went as far as Gaza in the direction of Gerar. They also went as far as Lasha in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim.
The descendants of Shem
21-31Shem's descendants had their own languages, tribes, and land. He was the elder brother of Japheth and the ancestor of the tribes of Eber.
Shem was the ancestor of Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.
Aram was the ancestor of Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.
Arpachshad was the father of Shelah and the grandfather of Eber, whose first son was named Peleg,#10.21-31 Peleg: In Hebrew “Peleg” means “divided”. because it was during his time that tribes divided up the earth. Eber's second son was Joktan.
Joktan was the ancestor of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. Their land reached from Mesha in the direction of Sephar, the hill country in the east.
32This completes the list of Noah's descendants. After the flood their descendants became nations and spread all over the world.
© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
Genesis 10
10
1The following are the genealogies#10:1. These genealogies are repeated in 1 Chronicles 1:5-27. of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. They had sons born to them after the flood.
2The sons#10:2. Note that “sons” throughout this chapter can also mean “descendants.” of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
3The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
4The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.#10:4. “Dodanim”: the Septuagint takes the spelling to be Rodanim, as does the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 1:7. Note that the last two names at least are probably those of a group of people rather than a personal name. 5The descendants of these ancestors spread throughout the coastal areas, each group having their own language, with their families developing into different nations.
6The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
7The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca.
The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.
8Cush was also the father of Nimrod, who set himself up as the first tyrant on earth. 9He was a powerful fighter who defied#10:9. “Defied”: The Septuagint reads “against” or “versus.” the Lord; which is why there's the expression, “Like Nimrod, a powerful fighter who defied the Lord.” 10His kingdom began in the cities of Babel,#10:10. “Babel” or “Babylon.” Nimrod is the first person in Scripture described as having a kingdom, normally associated with an imposed rule using force. Erech, Akkad, and Calneh, all located in the land of Shinar.#10:10. “Shinar”: or “Babylonia.” 11From there he moved into Assyria#10:11. “Assyria”: in Micah 5:6 Assyria is called “the land of Nimrod.” and built the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, 12and Resen, which lies between Nineveh and the great city of Calah.
13Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, the Anamites, the Lehabites, the Naphtuhites, 14the Pathrusites, the Casluhites, and the Caphtorites (ancestors of the Philistines).#10:14. See Jeremiah 47:4 and Amos 9:7.
15Canaan was the father of Sidon, his firstborn, and of the Hittites,#10:15. “The Hittites”: literally “Heth.” 16the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, 17the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, 18the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.
Later the Canaanite tribes spread out 19and the territory of the Canaanites stretched from Sidon towards Gerar and all the way to Gaza, then towards Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, all the way to Lasha. 20These were the sons of Ham according to their tribes, languages, lands, and nation.
21Shem, whose older brother#10:21. See note on 5:32. was Japheth, also had sons. Shem was the forefather of all the sons of Eber.
22The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
23The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.#10:23. “Mash”: The Septuagint and 1 Chronicles 1:17 read “Meshech.”
24Arphaxad was the father of Shelah. Shelah was the father of Eber.
25Eber had two sons. One was named Peleg,#10:25. The word means “divided.” because in his time the earth was divided; the name of his brother was Joktan.
26Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. These were all sons of Joktan. 30They lived in the land lying between Mesha to Sephar, in the hill country to the east.
31These were the sons of Shem, according to their tribes, languages, lands, and nations.
32These were all the tribes descended from Noah's sons, according to their genealogies and national groups. From these ancestors the different nations of the earth spread around the world after the flood.
Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com