1 And these `are' births of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and born to them are sons after the deluge.
2 `Sons of Japheth `are' Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.
3 And sons of Gomer `are' Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.
4 And sons of Javan `are' Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
5 By these have the isles of the nations been parted in their lands, each by his tongue, by their families, in their nations.
6 And sons of Ham `are' Cush, and Mitzraim, and Phut, and Canaan.
7 And sons of Cush `are' Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah; and sons of Raamah `are' Sheba and Dedan.
8 And Cush hath begotten Nimrod;
9 he hath begun to be a hero in the land; he hath been a hero in hunting before Jehovah; therefore it is said, `As Nimrod the hero `in' hunting before Jehovah.'
10 And the first part of his kingdom is Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar;
11 from that land he hath gone out to Asshur, and buildeth Nineveh, even the broad places of the city, and Calah,
12 and Resen, between Nineveh and Calah; it `is' the great city.
13 And Mitzraim hath begotten the Ludim, and the Anamim, and the Lehabim, and the Naphtuhim,
14 and the Pathrusim, and the Casluhim, (whence have come out Philistim,) and the Caphtorim.
15 And Canaan hath begotten Sidon his first-born, and Heth,
16 and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite,
17 and the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,
18 and the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite; and afterwards have the families of the Canaanite been scattered.
19 And the border of the Canaanite is from Sidon, `in' thy coming towards Gerar, unto Gaza; `in' thy coming towards Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, unto Lasha.
20 These `are' sons of Ham, by their families, by their tongues, in their lands, in their nations.
21 As to Shem, father of all sons of Eber, brother of Japheth the elder, he hath also begotten:
22 Sons of Shem `are' Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.
23 And sons of Aram `are' Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.
24 And Arphaxad hath begotten Salah, and Salah hath begotten Eber.
25 And to Eber have two sons been born; the name of the one `is' Peleg (for in his days hath the earth been divided,) and his brother's name `is' Joktan.
26 And Joktan hath begotten Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,
27 and Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,
28 and Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba,
29 and Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab; all these `are' sons of Joktan;
30 and their dwelling is from Mesha, `in' thy coming towards Sephar, a mount of the east.
31 These `are' sons of Shem, by their families, by their tongues, in their lands, by their nations.
32 These `are' families of the sons of Noah, by their births, in their nations, and by these have the nations been parted in the earth after the deluge.
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Commentary on Genesis 10 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 10
Ge 10:1-32. Genealogies.
1. sons of Noah—The historian has not arranged this catalogue according to seniority of birth; for 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 (Ge 10:21), the true rendering of that passage.
generations, &c.—the narrative of the settlement of nations existing in the time of Moses, perhaps only the principal ones; for though the list comprises the sons of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, all their descendants are not enumerated. Those descendants, with one or two exceptions, are described by names indicative of tribes and nations and ending in the Hebrew im, or the English "-ite."
5. the isles of the Gentiles—a phrase by which the Hebrews described all countries which were accessible by sea (Isa 11:11; 20:6; Jer 25:22). Such in relation to them were the countries of Europe, the peninsula of Lesser Asia, and the region lying on the east of the Euxine. Accordingly, it was in these quarters the early descendants of Japheth had their settlements.
6. sons of Ham—emigrated southward, and their settlements were: Cush in Arabia, Canaan in the country known by his name, and Mizraim in Egypt, Upper and Lower. It is generally thought that his father accompanied him and personally superintended the formation of the settlement, whence Egypt was called "the land of Ham" [Ps 105:23, 27; 106:22].
8. Nimrod—mentioned as eclipsing all his family in renown. He early distinguished himself by his daring and successful prowess in hunting wild beasts. By those useful services he earned a title to public gratitude; and, having established a permanent ascendancy over the people, he founded the first kingdom in the world [Ge 10:10].
10. the beginning of his kingdom—This kingdom, of course, though then considered great, would be comparatively limited in extent, and the towns but small forts.
11. Out of that land went forth Asshur—or, as the Margin has it, "He [Nimrod] at the head of his army went forth into Assyria," that is, he pushed his conquests into that country.
and builded Nineveh—opposite the town of Mosul, on the Tigris, and the other towns near it. This raid into Assyria was an invasion of the territories of Shem, and hence the name "Nimrod," signifying "rebel," is supposed to have been conferred on him from his daring revolt against the divine distribution.
21. Unto Shem—The historian introduces him with marked distinction as "the father of Eber," the ancestor of the Hebrews.
23. Aram—In the general division of the earth, the countries of Armenia, Mesopotamia, and Syria, fell to his descendants.
24. Arphaxad—The settlement of his posterity was in the extensive valley of Shinar, on the Tigris, towards the southern extremity of Mesopotamia, including the country of Eden and the region on the east side of the river.
25. Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided—After the flood (Ge 11:10-16) the descendants of Noah settled at pleasure and enjoyed the produce of the undivided soil. But according to divine instruction, made probably through Eber, who seems to have been distinguished for piety or a prophetic character, the earth was divided and his son's name, "Peleg," was given in memory of that event (see De 32:8; Ac 17:26).
32. These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations, &c.—This division was made in the most orderly manner; and the inspired historian evidently intimates that the sons of Noah were ranged according to their nations, and every nation ranked by its families, so that every nation had its assigned territory, and in every nation the tribes, and in every tribe the families, were located by themselves.