[And He Walks With Me] Genesis 10
1-32 For the significance of genealogies in Genesis, see note on 4:17-24.
This particular genealogy is known as the Table of Nations. The following list includes 70 descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The significance of the number seven to ancient Hebrews is well documented, but they also valued factors of seven. Of these, ten times seven was thought to represent completion. Certainly, the list does not include all of the descendants of Noah and his children, but it represents all of the nations that were known by Israelites when Genesis was recorded.[11]
At first glance, it is difficult to find a lot of devotional value in genealogies like this, but if all Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable (2 Timothy 3:16), then there must be something here for us. In this case, I would observe that many of the people groups mentioned here developed hostility toward the Israelites. Yet, they were all connected at some point. This is a key lesson when dealing with people who oppose us or harm us. It is tempting to cut off all relationship and demean such people, but we must always remember that, despite that conflict, we are still connected and treat each other accordingly.
2-4 Japheth’s family record is provided first, either because he was Noah’s eldest son or because he was the furthest removed from the biblical events. Generally, the descendants of Japheth lived north and west of Canaan in Eurasia. This included the people of Gomer near the Black Sea, the people of Magog who lived in and around the Caucasus Mountains southeast of the Black Sea, and the descendants of Madai who later became the Medes and controlled a significant portion of modern Iran. Javan’s descendants settled in southern Greece and possibly western Asia Minor. Tubal was likely in the Moschian Mountains between the modern countries Georgia. Tiras may the the progenitor of Thrace in northeastern Greece, southeastern Bulgaria, and northwestern Turkey. Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah represented people groups that settled in the upper Euphrates River valley. The descendants of Elishah settled on Cyprus and/or Sicily. Those of Tarshish founded a city of the same name in southern Spain. The descendants of Kittim settled on Cyprus, and the peoples descended from Dodanim (some Hebrew manuscripts and the Septuagint (LXX) read this as Rodanim) may be the namesake of the Greek island of Rhodes.[12]
5 The terms used here are significant. Lands represents geographies. Clans indicate ethnicities. Nations refers to political entities, and languages refers to linguistic peculiarities.[13]
6-7 Generally, the descendants of Ham settled in southwest Asia and northeast Africa. This included the descendants of Cush in the upper Nile River region (e.g., Ethiopia), Mizraim in Egypt, Put in Libya, and Canaan in, of course, the territory later known as Palestine. Cush’s sons mentioned here spread out to cover Arabia, and Sheba and Dedan would later be revealed in 25:3 to be gransons of Abraham. Sheba, Dedan, and Raamah are mentioned in Ezekiel 27:20-22 as trade partners of Tyre.[14]
8-12 Nimrod was a particularly remarkable descendant of Cush (6). This could be the Hebrew name for Sargon I, the first king of the Akkadian Empire. The cities listed here were all significant by the time Genesis was written.[15]
13-14 Lud may have been the progenitor of the Lydians in what is today central Turkey. The descendants of Anam settled near Cyrene in northern Africa. Lehab may have been the father of tribes living in the Libyan desert. Naphtuh’s descendants settled in Lower (i.e., northern) Egypt. Pathrus’ descendants lived in Upper (i.e., southern) Egypt. The text notes that the Philistines were originally descendants of Casluh. The Philistines were known at the time Genesis was written as a maritime people that invaded Egypt, was driven out, and then settled in southwest Canaan. Later, they would exert heavy influence over much of the surrounding region. Caphtor apparently settled on Crete and became affiliated with the Philistines.[16]
15-19 The detailed list of Canaan’s descendants is a who’s who of Israel’s ancient nemeses. Sidon was a prominent commercial city northwest of Palestine. Heth was the progenitor of the Hittites, who formed an empire that controlled what is today western Turkey about the time Genesis was written. Whether these are the same Hittites mentioned in the Bible is unclear. The Jebusites were the inhabitants of Jerusalem (originally, Jebus (e.g., Joshua 18:28) until David captured the city in 2 Samuel 5. The Amorites lived in the hill country of Canaan when Joshua conquered the area. The Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites controlled a series of small city-states spread throughout much of the land of Canaan. Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim were city-states located in the region east and southeast of the Dead Sea.[17]
20-31 The descendants of Shem were later called Semites, which referred to people who spoke Arabic, Hebrew, or Aramaic. This would include the Hebrews, whose name is derived from Eber.[18]
The descendants of Elam, the Elamites, settled east of Mesopotamia. Ashur was the progenitor of the Assyrians who settled in northern Mesopotamia and later formed the Assyrian Empire. Arpachshad (NIV: Arphaxad) may be related to the Hebrew word for Chaldea, which was later affiliated with the Babylonians. See note on 10:13-14 for Lud. The descendants of Aram settled in northern and northeastern Canaan (i.e., modern Syria). Joktan was the progenitor of several Arabian kingdoms. Ophir would later be known for its gold deposits.
25 It is unclear whether the earth was divided in a geological sense (i.e., the continents were divided) or linguistically and geographically as at the end of 11:1-9.[19]