GENESIS, CHAPTER TEN

(Genealogies Of The Sons Of Noah;

"Table Of Nations")

A.This Chapter is an amazing document -- a carefully composed, objective record made by God Who knows everything and everyone.

B.It stands in contrast to the mythical writings of ancient people who did not know God.

C.Just as all of us find our ancestry in Adam, so we also find our ancestry somewhere in Genesis 10.

10:1 NOW THESE [ARE] THE GENERATIONS OF THE SONS OF NOAH, SHEM, HAM, AND JAPHETH: AND UNTO THEM WERE SONS BORN AFTER THE FLOOD.

10:2 THE SONS OF JAPHETH; GOMER, AND MAGOG, AND MADAI, AND JAVAN, AND TUBAL, AND MESHECH, AND TIRAS.

10:3 AND THE SONS OF GOMER; ASHKENAZ, AND RIPHATH, AND TOGARMAH.

10:4 AND THE SONS OF JAVAN; ELISHAH, AND TARSHISH, KITTIM, AND DODANIM.

10:5 BY THESE WERE THE ISLES OF THE GENTILES DIVIDED IN THEIR LANDS; EVERY ONE AFTER HIS TONGUE, AFTER THEIR FAMILIES, IN THEIR NATIONS.

A.See the rise of families, and even some nations.

B.No time is given, no ages stated; So no way to add it up, as Mr. Ussher tried to do (he used averages before Chap. 10 and after Chap. 10, and applied them to Chap. 10).

10:6 AND THE SONS OF HAM; CUSH, AND MIZRAIM, AND PHUT, AND CANAAN.

**MIZRAIM is another name for Egypt.

10:7 AND THE SONS OF CUSH; SEBA, AND HAVILAH, AND SABTAH, AND RAAMAH, AND SABTECHAH: AND THE SONS OF RAAMAH; SHEBA, AND DEDAN.

10:8 AND CUSH BEGAT NIMROD: HE BEGAN TO BE A MIGHTY ONE IN THE EARTH.

10:9 HE WAS A MIGHTY HUNTER BEFORE THE LORD: WHEREFORE IT IS SAID, EVEN AS NIMROD THE MIGHTY HUNTER BEFORE THE LORD.

A.NIMROD is a synonym for "hunter."

B.He seems to be a significant man who was already a legend in Moses' time (as Moses wrote the Book of Genesis).

10:10 AND THE BEGINNING OF HIS KINGDOM WAS BABEL, AND ERECH, AND ACCAD, AND CALNEH, IN THE LAND OF SHINAR.

10:11 OUT OF THAT LAND WENT FORTH ASSHUR, AND BUILDED NINEVEH, AND THE CITY REHOBOTH, AND CALAH,

**NINEVEH is to be mentioned numerous times in Scripture (mostly in JONAH and NAHUM).

10:12 AND RESEN BETWEEN NINEVEH AND CALAH: THE SAME [IS] A GREAT CITY.

10:13 AND MIZRAIM BEGAT LUDIM, AND ANAMIM, AND LEHABIM, AND NAPHTUHIM,

10:14 AND PATHRUSIM, AND CASLUHIM, (OUT OF WHOM CAME PHILISTIM,) AND CAPHTORIM.

10:15 And CANAAN BEGAT SIDON HIS FIRSTBORN, AND HETH,

10:16 AND THE JEBUSITE, AND THE AMORITE, AND THE GIRGASITE,

A.The JEBUSITES were the people who lived in the City of Salem (will read about it and its king, Melchizedek, in Chap. 14).

B.Scholars think the Jebusites' city, Salem, came to be called Jebusalem, and finally, Jerusalem.

10:17 AND THE HIVITE, AND THE ARKITE, AND THE SINITE,

10:18 AND THE ARVADITE, AND THE ZEMARITE, AND THE HAMATHITE: AND AFTERWARD WERE THE FAMILIES OF THE CANAANITES SPREAD ABROAD.

10:19 AND THE BORDER OF THE CANAANITES WAS FROM SIDON, AS THOU COMEST TO GERAR, UNTO GAZA; AS THOU GOEST, UNTO SODOM, AND GOMORRAH, AND ADMAH, AND ZEBOIM, EVEN UNTO LASHA.

10:20 THESE [ARE] THE SONS OF HAM, AFTER THEIR FAMILIES, AFTER THEIR TONGUES, IN THEIR COUNTRIES, [AND] IN THEIR NATIONS.

10:21 UNTO SHEM ALSO, THE FATHER OF ALL THE CHILDREN OF EBER, THE BROTHER OF JAPHETH THE ELDER, EVEN TO HIM WERE [CHILDREN] BORN.

A.TONGUES/COUNTRIES/NATIONS: This is after the DIVISION of Verse 25, details of which will be seen in Chapter Eleven.

B.Abram was to come through SHEM, and Christ also.

C.The name SHEM may be the origin of the word SEMITIC.

10:22 THE CHILDREN OF SHEM; ELAM, AND ASSHUR, AND ARPHAXAD, AND LUD, AND ARAM.

10:23 AND THE CHILDREN OF ARAM; UZ, AND HUL, AND GETHER, AND MASH.

10:24 AND ARPHAXAD BEGAT SALAH; AND SALAH BEGAT EBER.

10:25 AND UNTO EBER WERE BORN TWO SONS: THE NAME OF ONE [WAS] PELEG; FOR IN HIS DAYS WAS THE EARTH DIVIDED; AND HIS BROTHER'S NAME [WAS] JOKTAN.

A.PELEG: "Division."

B.IN HIS DAYS WAS THE EARTH DIVIDED:

  1. DIVIDED in drawings? If so, this is the BEGINNING of map-making (some ancient maps have been discovered which are surprising in their accuracy).
  2. DIVIDED by nations and languages? - Note Verses 31-32.

10:26 AND JOKTAN BEGAT ALMODAD, AND SHELEPH, AND HAZARMAVETH, AND JERAH,

10:27 AND HADORAM, AND UZAL, AND DIKLAH,

10:28 AND OBAL, AND ABIMAEL, AND SHEBA,

10:29 AND OPHIR, AND HAVILAH, AND JOBAB: ALL THESE [WERE] THE SONS OF JOKTAN.

10:30 AND THEIR DWELLING WAS FROM MESHA, AS THOU GOEST UNTO SEPHAR A MOUNT OF THE EAST.

10:31 THESE [ARE] THE SONS OF SHEM, AFTER THEIR FAMILIES, AFTER THEIR TONGUES, IN THEIR LANDS, AFTER THEIR NATIONS.

10:32 THESE [ARE] THE FAMILIES OF THE SONS OF NOAH, AFTER THEIR GENERATIONS, IN THEIR NATIONS: AND BY THESE WERE THE NATIONS DIVIDED IN THE EARTH AFTER THE FLOOD.