05.015. Chapter 10

Genesis 10:1-32 Shem, Ham, and Japheth became the fathers of the nations.

Shem: The Semitic peoples—Jews, Arabs, Babylonians, Assyrians, Arameans, Phoenicians.

Ham: The Hamitic peoples—Ethiopians, Egyptians, Canaanites, Philistines, possibly the African and Oriental peoples.

Japheth: The Japhetic peoples—the Medes, Greeks, Cypriots, etc. Probably the Caucasian people of Europe and of northern Asia. The order in this chapter is Japheth (Genesis 10:2-5), Ham (Genesis 10:6-20), and Shem (Genesis 10:21-31). The Spirit of God is going to center on Sheol and his descendants during the rest of the Old Testament. The different tongues of Genesis 10:5 probably look forward to the time after the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9).

Notice three references in this chapter to the division of the people. Genesis 10:5 describes the division of the Japhetic tribes into their different areas. Genesis 10:25 tells us that the division of the earth (at Babel) took place in the days of Peleg. Genesis 10:12 serves as an introduction to the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-32, when the families of the sons of Noah were divided into different nations with different languages.

Nimrod (Genesis 10:8-10) means “rebel.” He appears as the first of the “mighty ones in the earth” after the flood (Genesis 10:8) and as the first to establish a kingdom (Genesis 10:10). He built Babel (Babylon) in rebellion against God, and also Nineveh in Assyria (see Genesis 10:11 NASB), another inveterate enemy of God’s people. As already mentioned, Genesis 10:21 lists Shem as the older brother of Japheth (see NASB).

It is impossible to identify with certainty the places where the various people settled, but the following will prove helpful in later studies.

Tarshish (Genesis 10:4)—Spain Canaan (Genesis 10:6)—Palestine Kittim (Genesis 10:4)—Cyprus Asshnr (Genesis 10:11)—Assyria Cush (Genesis 10:6)—Ethiopia Elam (Genesis 10:22)—Persia Mizraim (Genesis 10:6)—Egypt Aram (Genesis 10:22)—Syria and Mesopotamia Put or Phut (Genesis 10:6)—Libya