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
1And these are the generations of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and to them were sons born after the flood. 2The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. 3And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. 4And the sons of Javan: Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 5From these came the distribution of the isles of the nations, according to their lands, every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.
6And the sons of Ham: Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. 7And the sons of Cush: Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. 8And Cush begot Nimrod: he began to be mighty on the earth. 9He was a mighty hunter before Jehovah; therefore it is said, As Nimrod, the mighty hunter before Jehovah! 10And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11From that land went out Asshur, and built Nineveh, and Rehoboth-Ir, and Calah, 12and Resen, between Nineveh and Calah: this is the great city. 13— And Mizraim begot the Ludim, and the Anamim, and the Lehabim, and the Naphtuhim, 14and the Pathrusim, and the Casluhim, out of whom came the Philistines, and the Caphtorim.
15— And Canaan begot Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth, 16and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite, 17and the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, 18and the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. And afterwards the families of the Canaanites spread themselves abroad. 19And the border of the Canaanite was from Sidon, as one goes to Gerar, up to Gazah; as one goes to Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, up to Lesha. 20These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, in their nations.
21And to Shem — to him also were sons born; he is the father of all the sons of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder. 22The sons of Shem: Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram. 23And the sons of Aram: Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash. 24— And Arphaxad begot Shelah; and Shelah begot Eber. 25And to Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan. 26And Joktan begot Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, 27and Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah, 28and Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba, 29and Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were sons of Joktan. 30And their dwelling was from Mesha, as one goes to Sephar, the eastern mountain. 31These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations. 32These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations. And from these came the distribution of the nations on the earth after the flood.
First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.