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.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Genesis 10
Commentary on Genesis 10 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 10
This chapter shows more particularly what was said in general (ch. 9:19), concerning the three sons of Noah, that "of them was the whole earth overspread;' and the fruit of that blessing (ch. 9:1, 7), "replenish the earth.' Is is the only certain account extant of the origin of nations; and yet perhaps there is no nation but that of the Jews that can be confident from which of these seventy fountains (for so many there are here) it derives its streams. Through the want of early records, the mixtures of people, the revolutions of nations, and distance of time, the knowledge of the lineal descent of the present inhabitants of the earth is lost; nor were any genealogies preserved but those of the Jews, for the sake of the Messiah, only in this chapter we have a brief account,
Gen 10:1-5
Moses begins with Japheth's family, either because he was the eldest, or because his family lay remotest from Israel and had least concern with them at the time when Moses wrote, and therefore he mentions that race very briefly, hastening to give an account of the posterity of Ham, who were Israel's enemies and of Shem, who were Israel's ancestors; for it is the church that the scripture is designed to be the history of, and of the nations of the world only as they were some way or other related to Israel and interested in the affairs of Israel. Observe,
Gen 10:6-14
That which is observable and improvable in these verses is the account here given of Nimrod, v. 8-10. He is here represented as a great man in his day: He began to be a mighty one in the earth, that is, whereas those that went before him were content to stand upon the same level with their neighbours, and though every man bore rule in his own house yet no man pretended any further, Nimrod's aspiring mind could not rest here; he was resolved to tower above his neighbours, not only to be eminent among them, but to lord it over them. The same spirit that actuated the giants before the flood (who became mighty men, and men of renown, ch. 6:4), now revived in him, so soon was that tremendous judgment which the pride and tyranny of those mighty men brought upon the world forgotten. Note, There are some in whom ambition and affectation of dominion seem to be bred in the bone; such there have been and will be, notwithstanding the wrath of God often revealed from heaven against them. Nothing on this side hell will humble and break the proud spirits of some men, in this like Lucifer, Isa. 14:14, 15. Now,
Gen 10:15-20
Observe here,
Gen 10:21-32
Two things especially are observable in this account of the posterity of Shem:-