VERSE 1 Now these are the records of the generations of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah (tp,y"w" ~x' ~ve x;nO-ynEB. tdol.AT hL,aew> [waw w/adj.p.abs. elleh these + noun f.p.constr. toledoth descendants; "generations" + noun m.p.constr. ben son + proper noun Noah + proper noun Shem + proper noun Ham +waw w/proper noun Japheth]; and sons were born to them after the flood [lWBM;h; rx;a; ~ynIB' ~h,l' Wdl.W"YIw: [waw w/Niphal impf.3m.p. yaladh bear; "were born" + prep lamedh w/3m.p.suff. + noun m.p.abs. ben son + adv achar after + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. mabbul flood]).

ANALYSIS: VERSE 1

1. This section begins with the standard formula introducing a new section with Genesis (cf. 2:4; 5:1; 6:9).
2. This is the only instance where the family history of someone’s sons occurs (cf. 10:32).
3. Elsewhere it is always "the family history of X," or once, "heaven and earth" (2:4).
4. "After the flood" echoes 9:28, thus providing a link backward and a look forward to 10:32, the conclusion to the table of nations.
5. From a narrative prospective, it reminds us that Noah’s sons brought only their wives with them into the ark: no children were born until after the flood.
6. This chapter exclusively deals with the segmented genealogy of the descendants of Noah’s sons.
7. This genealogy serves to fulfill the divine blessing upon Noah and his sons.
8. The three sons have children and began the process of populating the earth (9:11).
9. This blessing is granted to all of these sons.
10. Even though Noah’s blessing bypasses Ham, not only does Ham reproduce, but Ham’s son Canaan, who was cursed by Noah, is the second most productive father, with eleven names to his credit.
11. Only Joktan produces more.
12. Noah’s sons are mentioned here in the same order as we find in 5:32 and 6:10.
13. This listing is not chronological according to their births but is rather euphonic.

Descendants of Japheth (vv. 2-5)

VERSE 2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer and Magog and Madai and Javan and Tubal and Meshech and Tiras (noun m.p.constr. ben son + proper noun Japheth + proper noun Gomer + waw w/proper noun Magog + waw w/proper noun Madai + waw w/proper noun Javan + waw w/proper noun Meshech + waw w/proper noun Tiras]).

ANALYSIS: VERSE 2

1. When Noah and his sons and their wives stepped off the ark they were the only people on earth.
2. It fell to Noah’s three sons to begin the process of repopulating the earth.
3. Of Noah’s grandchildren, 16 grandsons are mentioned in this chapter.
4. In the first generation after the flood men lived to be very old, with some outliving their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
5. The 16 grandsons of Noah were the heads of their family clans, which grew to become large populations in their respective areas.
6. People in various areas called themselves by the name of the man who was their common ancestor.
7. They called their land, and often their major city and river by his name.
8. Sometimes they fell into ancestor worship and it was common for them to name their god after the man who was ancestor to them all.
9. The seven sons of Japheth are listed in v.2.
10. The first is Gomer who is mentioned in the book of Ezekiel, along with Togarmah (son of Gomer), as residing in "the remote parts of the north."
11. In the prophetic context of Ezekiel 38, the people listed as Gomer are Turks.
12. In NT times this part of the world was called Galatia.
13. Flavius Josephus the Jewish historian says that the these peoples who were called Galatians (or Gauls) were previously called Gomerites.
14. They migrated westward to what is not France and Spain.
15. For centuries France was called Gaul (NW Spain is called to this day Galicia).
16. Some of these peoples migrated as far west as Wales.
17. The Welsh historian, Davis, records a traditional Welsh belief that the descendants of Gomer "landed on the Isle of Britain from France, some three hundred years after the flood."
18. He also records that the Welsh language is called Gomeraeg (after their ancestor).
19. Magog (2^nd son) according to Ezekiel (38:15; 39:2) resides in "the remote parts of the north."
20. Josephus records that those he called Magogites, the Greeks called Scythians.
21. Encyclopaedia Britannica the ancient name for the region that includes parts of Romania and Ukraine was Scythia.
22. The grandson Madai (3^rd son), along with Shem’s son Elam, is ancestor to the modern day Iranians.
23. The Madai were called Medes by the Greeks.
24. From the time of Cyrus the Medes are mentioned in connection with the Persians (Dan. 6:8,12,15; "the law of the Medes (Heb. Madai) and the Persians").
25. Later they were simply called Persians due to the prominence of the Persians.
26. Since 1935 they have called their country Iran.
27. The Madai also settled in India.
28. They are mentioned in the prophecy of the Russian confederation of Ezek. 38 (38:5).
29. Javan (4^th son) is the Hebrew word to Greece/Greek.
30. Greece, Grecia or Grecians appears five times in the OT, and is always the word Javan (cf. Dan. 8:21).
31. Number five is Tubal mentioned as well by Ezekiel along with Gog and Magog (39:1).
32. Tiglath-pileser I, king of Assyria in about 1100 BC, refers to the descendants of Tubal as the Tabali.
33. Josephus records their name as Thobelites, who were later known as Iberes.
34. Their territory was called by the Romans Iberia, and covers what is now (the former Soviet State of) Georgia whose capital to this day bears the name of Tubal as Tbilisa.
35. From here, having crossed the Caucasus mountains, this people migrated due north-east, giving their tribal name to the river Tobol, and hence to the famous city of Tobolsk.
36. Meshech, the name of the sixth son of Japheth, is the ancient name for Moscow.
37. Moscow is both the capital of Russia, and the region that surrounds the city.
38. To this day, one section, the Meschera Lowland, still carries the biblical name of Meshech.
39. According to Josephus, the descendants of Tiras (seventh son of Japheth) were called Thirasians.
40. The Greeks called them Thracians.
41. Thrace extended from Macedonia on the south to the Danube river on the north to the Black Sea on the east.
42. It encompassed much of what became Yugoslavia.
43. World Book Encyclopaedia says: "The people of Thrace were savage Indo-Europeans, who like warfare and looting."
44. Tiras was worshipped by his descendants as Thuras, or Thor, the god of thunder.

Sons of Gomer and Javan (vv. 3-4)

VERSE 3 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah (waw w/noun m.p.constr. ben son + proper noun Gomer + proper noun Ashkenaz + waw w/proper noun Riphath + waw w/proper noun Togarmah).

VERSE 4 The sons of Javan were Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim (waw w/noun m.p.constr. ben + proper noun Javan + proper noun Elishah + waw w/proper noun Tarshish + proper noun Kittim + waw w/proper noun Dodanim]).

ANALYSIS: VERSES 3-4

1. Only grandsons of Japheth mentioned are the sons of Gomer (son #1) and Javan (son #6).
2. That is, apparently because the three sons of Gomer and the four sons of Javan produced distinct peoples.
3. The other sons of Japheth had sons but none of these are counted as ancestors of nations.
4. The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.
5. Ancient Armenia reached into Turkey.
6. The name Turkey probably comes from Togarmah.
7. Ashkenaz is the Hebrew word for Germany.
8. Javan’s four sons were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
9. The Elysians (an ancient Greek people) received their name from Elishah.
10. Tarshish is a place to which Jonah attempted to flee from the LORD (Jon. 1:3; 4:2).
11. Jonah caught a ship westbound ship across the Mediterranean Sea headed for Tarshish.
12. Most consider this to be modern Spain.
13. If so, then the descendants of Tarshish migrated here sometime following the dispersion.
14. Kittim (biblical name for Cyprus) refers to the people who settled around ancient Troy and worshipped Jupiter under the name Jupiter Dodonaeus.
15. His oracle was at Dodena.
16. The Greeks worshipped this god but called him Zeus.
17. Kittim is mentioned five times in the OT: Gen. 10:4; Num. 24:24; 1Chron. 2:10; Dan. 11:30.
18. "The ships of Kittim" in Dan. 11:30 is a cryptic reference to the Romans (cf. Jer. 2:10: "coastlands of Kittim").
19. Descendants of Kittim migrated to Italy and eventually dominated the known world for centuries.
20. Note the strange prophetic reference to the ships of Kittim in Baalam’s oracle in Num. 24:24.
21. Finally we have Javan’s son Dodanim (Gk. Danaoi) a people of the Peloponnesus during the Mycenean period (?).

Editorial Insertion (v.5)

VERSE 5 From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to his language, according to their families [race), into their nations (~h,yEAgB. ~t'xoP.v.mil. Anvol.li vyai ~t'cor>a;B. ~yIAGh; yYEai Wdr>p.nI hL,aeme [prep min w/adj.p.abs. elleh these; "from these" + Niphal perf.3p. paradh divide, separate + noun m.p.abs. i coast; isle + def.art.w/noun m.p.abs. goi nation; 560x in the OT + prep beth w/noun f.p.constr.w/3m.p.suff. eretz land + noun m.s.abs. ish man; "every one" + prep lamedh w/noun both s.constr.w/3m.s.suff. lashon tongue, language + prep lamedh w/noun f.p.constr.w/3m.p.suff. mishpachah clan; first seen in 8:19 of the animals that came out of the ark; translated there "kind"; here translated "their families"; here is like our term "race" + prep beth w/noun m.p.constr.w/3m.p.suff. goi nation]).

ANALYSIS: VERSE 5

1. The comment here and in vv. 20 and 32 round off the section dealing with the sons and grandsons of Japheth, Ham and Shem.
2. Here the interpretative issue is to whom does "from these" refer?
3. Is it all of Japheth’s sons and grandsons or is it referencing only the sons of Javan?
4. Admittedly, all the sons of Japheth cannot legitimately be designated coastland nations.
5. So it seems best to take this statement by the book’s author as referring just to the sons of Javan who were coastland nations.
6. These nations as with all nations are said to have been "separated into their lands (or territories)."
7. This process of immigration and settlement into specific territories is overseen by God throughout human history (Acts 17:26; see also Deut. 32:8).
8. No nation except for Israel was ever promised real estate in perpetuity.
9. God has throughout history even gone so far as to blot out nations (Ps. 10:6b).
10. God is the author of the rise and fall of nations/kingdoms/empires (Jer. 18:7-8).
11. Next we have listed the fact that each of these nations possessed a distinctive language/dialect.
12. "According to their families" (or clans) refer to the basic tribal unit.
13. The tribe of Javan includes four separate sons.
14. These individuals and the people who sprang from them established nations.
15. Nationalism is a fundamental stage in the process of migration and settlement.
16. The three main features listed in nationalism is territory, language, and race.
17. According to v. 32 all these sons and grandsons are connected with 70 nations following the dispersion from Babel.

The Four Sons of Ham (v. 6)

VERSE 6 The sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan (![;n"k.W jWpW ~yIr;c.miW vWK ~x' ynEb.W [waw w/noun m.p.constr. ben + proper name Ham + proper name Cush + waw w/proper name Mizraim + waw w/proper name Put + waw w/proper name Canaan]).

ANALYSIS: VERSE 6

1. The nations/peoples that descended from Ham reside in Africa and Asia Minor.
2. The Bible refers to Africa as the land of Ham (Ps. 105:23, 27; 106:22).
3. Ham’s oldest son Cush is the Hebrew term for Ethiopia (from Aswan south to Khartoum).
4. The designation Ethiopian in the English Bible is always a translation of the Hebrew Cush.
5. Josephus rendered the name as Chus, and says that the Ethiopians "are to this day, both by themselves and by all men in Asia, called Chusites.
6. Mizraim is the Hebrew term for Egypt (Gk).
7. The name Egypt occurs 600 times in the OT and 23 times in the NT.
8. At the burial of Jacob, the Canaanites observed the mourning of the Egyptians and called the place Abel Mizraim (Gen. 50:11).
9. Put, is the name for ancient Lybia.
10. It is so translated seven times in the OT (Gen. 10:6; 1Chron. 1:8; Jer. 46:9; Ezek. 27:10; 30:5; 38:5; Nah. 3:9).
11. Canaan, Ham’s fourth son, is the Hebrew term for the land later called by the Romans Palestine.

Sons of Cush (v. 7)

VERSE 7 The sons of Cush were Seba and Havilah and Sabtah and Raamah and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan (!d'd>W ab'v. hm'[.r; ynEb.W ak'T.b.s;w> hm'[.r;w> hT'b.s;w> hl'ywIx]w: ab's. vWk ynEb.W [waw w/noun m.p.constr. ben + proper noun Cush + proper noun Seba + waw w/proper noun Havilah + waw w/proper noun Sabtah + waw w/proper noun Raamah + waw w/noun m.p.constr. Raamah + proper noun Sheba + waw w/proper noun Dedan]).

Career of Nimrod (vv. 8-11)

VERSE 8 Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth (#r,a'B' rBoGI tAyh.li lxehe aWh drom.nI-ta, dl;y" vWkw> [waw w/proper noun Cush + Qal perf.3m.s. yaladh to father + d.o. marker + proper noun Nimrod + pro.3m.s. hu he + Hiphil perf.3m.s chalal wound + prep lamedh w/Qal infin.constr. hayah to be + adj.m.s.abs. gibbor mighty man + prep beth w/noun both s.abs. eretz earth]).

VERSE 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD (hw"hy> ynEp.li dyIc;-rBogI hy"h'-aWh [pro.3m.s. hu he + Qal perf.3m.s. hayah to be; "was" + adj.m.s.abs. gibbor mighty + noun m.s.abs. tsayidh game; e.g. big game hunter + prep lamedh w/noun both p.constr. paneh face; "before" + proper noun Yahweh]; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD [hw"hy> ynEp.li dyIc; rABGI drom.nIK. rm;a'yE !Ke-l[; [prep al + adv ken = "therefore" + Niphal impf.3m.s. amar say + prep kaph w/proper noun Nimrod + adj.m.s.constr. gibbor mighty + noun m.s.abs. tsayid hunter + prep lamedh w/noun both p.constr. paneh face; "before + proper noun Yahweh])."

VERSE 10 The beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar [Sumer] (waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. hayah to be; "was" + noun f.s.abs. re-shith beginning + noun f.s.constr.w/3m.s.suff. mamelakah kingdom + proper noun Babel + waw w/proper noun Erech + waw w/proper noun Accad + waw w/proper noun Calneh + prep beth w/proper noun eretz land + proper noun Shinar]).

VERSE 11 From that land he went forth into Assyria, and built Nineveh and Rehoboth-Ir and Calah (xl;K'-ta,w> ry[iƒtboxor>-ta,w> hwEn>ynI-ta, !b,YIw: rWVa; ac'y" awhih; #r,a'h'-!mi [prep min from + def.art.w/noun both s.abs. eretz land [Shinar] + def.art.w/pro.3m.s. hi he; or ‘that one’ + Qal perf.3m.s. yatsa go forth + proper noun Ashshur; Ashur or Assyria + Qal impf.3m.s. banah build + d.o. marker + proper noun Ninevah + waw w/d.o. marker + proper noun Rehoboth-Ir + waw w/d.o. marker + proper noun Calah]),

VERSE 12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city (hl'doG>h; ry[ih' awhi xl;K' !ybeW hwEn>ynI !yBe !s,r,-ta,w> [waw w/d.o. marker + proper noun Resen + prep bayith between + proper noun Nineveh + waw w/prep bayith + waw w/proper noun Calah + def.art.w/noun f.s.abs. ir city + def.art.w/adj.f.s.abs. gadol great]).

ANALYSIS: VERSES 7-12

1. The five sons of Cush are: Seba which is located in northern Africa (see Isa. 43:3; cf. 45:14); Havilah a place name in southwest Arabia; Sabatah is again associated with southwest Arabia; Raamah is linked to the region of Najran in South Arabia; and Sabteca an unknown area of South Arabia.
2. As for Raamah’s sons Sheba and Dedan they settled in North Arabia.
3. The biographical information on Nimrod foreshadows the founding of the Tower of Babel and explains the origins of Mesopotamian civilization, the first civilization after the Flood.
4. Nimrod founds his empire on naked aggression (v.8).
5. His exploits were such that it became the basis for a proverb (v. 9).
6. His empire included all of southern Iraq (Babylonia) and extended to Assyria in the north (vv. 10-12).
7. His name derives from the Hebrew verb marad which means "we shall rebel."
8. The phrase, after recording his patrimony, is that "he became a mighty one (warrior) on the earth" signifying that this man took up arms to attain what he wanted.
9. He honed his skills in pursing wild animals.
10. Near Eastern kings prided themselves on their hunting prowess.
11. The phrase "before Yahweh" is simply superlative meaning that even in God’s estimation Nimrod was a mighty hunter and a man to be feared.
12. The main or chief centers of his kingdom are listed in v.10.
13. The Hebrew can be taken here as "first centers" or "chief centers."
14. Babel or Babylon is located on the Euphrates south of where the Euphrates and the Tigris River system approach.
15. Erech is modern Warka, the site in southern Iraq where archaelolgists situate the birth of the first civilization, which is called Sumer.
16. Akkad’s location is unknown at present.
17. It was the home of the famous Assyrian king Sargon.
18. Calneh is unidentified and unknown.
19. Some emend the vowel pointing of this word from kalneh to kullana ("all of them").
20. Shinar is the same as the Greek Mesopotamia and refers to the entire region.
21. Nimrod’s father Cush resided in the "land of Shinar
22. There they (father and son) developed the first civilization after the Flood.
23. We suggest in this study that the Sumerian city Kish (a name appearing in clay tablets) was named after the Hebrew "Cush" the father of Nimrod.
24. The early post-diluvian Sumerian king lists affirm that "kingship descended from heaven to Kish" after the great flood.
25. The Hebrew name "Cush" later moved to present-day Ethiopia as migrations took place to other lands from Mesopotamia.
26. The Sumerians, very early, developed a religio-politico state which was extremely binding on all who lived in it (except for rulers, who were a law unto themselves).
27. This system was to influence the Ancient Near East for over 3000 years.
28. Other cultures followed the Sumerian system were Accad, Babylon, Assyria and Persia.
29. "Kingship" is the authority to rule.
30. The means to gaining absolute authority in the Near East was by force or subterfuge, or a combination of both, which is the most usual method.
31. Kingship did not evolve; rather it was fabricated usually by a group of priest-nobles who supported one man in power.
32. Clever men manipulated the populace’s religious instincts to cause them to follow and obey the local god’s "son" (e.g. ruler).
33. He owned the people and the land, in theory at least.
34. When the literature and monuments were used to glorify and exalt this man as the son, or representative of god, religion became the opiate (binder and blinder) of the people!
35. Manipulation of religion for political purposes began in Sumer, was followed in Akkad (Old Babylon), revised with the same themes in Assyria and New Babylon, was enjoyed by the Persian monarchs.
36. Hocart (page 16) says of this process: "There would be nothing extraordinary in a worldwide diffusion of divine kingship: the doctrine evidently has exercised a great fascination over the human mind. Greece and Rome shook it off in their youth, but returned to it in their old age. When Alexander claimed to be the son of Zeus he was merely continuing, reviving, or borrowing from the East and ancient belief that the first-born of the king was really the son of a god who had assumed bodily form in order to lie with the Queen, a belief which was current in Egypt under the Early Dynasties of the Empire, if not earlier. The later Romans had to accept the divinity of kings with their empire…Having the re-established their sway over Western Europe the divine kings of the world did not surrender it except to another Divine King, of Spiritual King, incarnated once for all in order ever to rule over the souls of men."
37. This is of particular interest in light of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream-vision in which kingdoms would be finally smashed by the kingdom of Christ, the king who is truly divine (Dan. 2).
38. There are three principles basic to the function of "divine" kingship in the ancient Near East.
39. They are essential to using religion for political control.
40. The king is divine which from the beginning of written history, the Sumerians see the king as divine (see Sumerian Kinglist).
41. Hocart (p.7) "The earliest known religion is a belief in the divinity of kings. I do not say that it is necessarily the most primitive; but it the earliest records known, man appears to us worshipping gods and their representatives, namely kings."
42. To make the control effective the person at the top has to assume divinity or semi-divinity.
43. The second principle is that the king is above the laws, and he makes changes to it as he pleases as he gets his orders direct from "heaven."
44. The third important item is documents supporting the right to rule.
45. In the epic literature of the Near East we read that the hero has been chosen to rule.
46. Actually the literally texts and monuments were fabricated to create this very impression on the populace.
47. Early man was not unintelligent, but without God he was unscrupulous.
48. The elite deceived the working serfs and kept them in their place.
49. They were not taught to read and write.
50. Most literature is found in the palace-temple complex of ancient cities.
51. The shadowy myths and legend of the ancient Near East are deliberately shadowy.
52. They were fabricated originally, copied and, in successive societies, revised and reused to retain control.
53. In vv. 8-10 of Genesis 10 we learn that Nimrod established a kingdom.
54. We would expect perhaps to find such a man as Nimrod in the archaeological record considering the fact that there are flood stories in these records.
55. In addition to the Sumerians, the Babylonians wrote about this person; the Assyrians likewise; and the Hitties.
56. Even in Palestine, tablets have been found with this heroe’s name on them.
57. The prime candidate from this literature is Gilgamesh.
58. The first clay tablets naming him were found in the ruins of the temple library of the god Nabu (Biblical Nebo) and the palace library of Ashurbanipal in Ninevah.
59. The scholar Roux (pg. 114) concludes from these documents: "Yet his arrogance, ruthlessness and depravity were a subject of grave concern to the citizens of Uruk (his kingdom). They complained to the great god Anu, and Anu instructed the goddess Aruru to create another wild ox, a double of Gilgamesh, who would challenge him and distract his mind from the warrior’s daughter and the noblemen’s spouse, who it appears he would not leave in peace."
60. The Epic of Gilgamesh has in it some very indecent stories.
61. The first translator of the epic, Alexander Heidel, translated the vilest parts into Latin.
62. Spieser, however, translated it all into English (Pritchard 1955: 72).
63. Gilgamesh was a very vile person but the myth says he was 2/3 god and 1/3 man.
64. Josephus says of him, "Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah—a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe to God, as if it were through his means they were happy, but to believer that it was their own courage which procured happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny—seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into constant dependence upon his own power. He also said he would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach! And that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers (Ant. 1:iv:2).
65. At some point after the flood an influential person(s) opposed Yahweh and gathered others to his side.
66. Cain followed a similar pattern before the Flood founding a city.
67. Of Gilgamesh it is written in the epic; he is a shepherd (Heidel p. 18); from Uruk (Kramer calls Uruk, Erech); a giant (pg. 17; 11 cubits); builds cities (pg. 17); takes women (p. 18); mighty hunter (p. 18).
68. Is there a connection between Gilgamesh and Nimrod?
69. In the Gilgamesh Epic we have the hero Gilgamesh who is the strongest, greatest hero who ever lived, yet he is a vile, ruthless, perverted person (Heidel 34ff.)
70. In this epic myth Gilgamesh decides to kill the perpetrator of the Flood and sets out on a journey with a creature (Enkidu) who is half-man and half-beast to the Cedar Mountain (e.g. Lebanon) to kill one Huwawa (Humbaba in the Assyrian version).
71. On tablet 111 lines 147-150 we read of Gilgamesh saying to Enkidu: "If I fall, I will establish a name for myself. If Gilgamesh is fallen they will say, ‘in combat with terrible Huwawa.’"
72. The next five lines in the fable are missing from all tablets.
73. Heidel concludes regarding Tablet V: "All we can conclude from them (lost lines) is that Gilgamesh and Enkidu cut off the head of Humbaba and that the expedition had a successful issue (47).
74. Therefore he could come back to the cities and tell the people that they should not worry about Humwawa (e.g. Yahweh) anymore and that he will take care of them for he has avenged the killing of their ancestors.
75. The Bible tells us Nimrod was a tyrant, and that is what Gilgamesh was.
76. There was a flood in the Bible and there is a flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh.
77. Cush is mentioned in the Bible and Kish in the Epic.
78. In the Epic Gilgamesh made the trip to see the survivor of the Flood which more likely was Ham rather than Noah since Nimrod was Noah’s grandson.
79. Historically, Gilgamesh was the first dynasty of Uruk.
80. Jacobsen points out (139: 157) that kings prior to Gilgamesh may be fictional, but not likely.
81. Kings before Gilgamesh (e.g. Nimrod) were no doubt the giants before the flood.
82. Again, the fact the Gilgamesh Epic contains the Deluge story would link it with events immediately following the Flood.
83. S. N. Kramer says, "A few years ago one would have strongly doubted his (historical) existence…we now have the certitude that the time of Gilgamesh corresponds to the earliest period in Mesopotamian history (Kramer 1959: 117).
84. Sources: Heidel, A. The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament Parallels. Chicago: University Press; Jacobsen, T. The Sumerian Kinglist. Chicago: University Press; Josephus 1998 Jewish Antiquities. Books I-III, Loeb Classics, Cambridge MA; Harvard University Press; Kramer, S. N., ed. 1959 History Begins at Sumer. Garden City NY: Doubleday; Pritchard, J. 1969 Ancient Near Eastern Texts and the Old Testament. 3^rd ed. Princeton: University Press.
85. "From that land" refers to Shinar or southern Mesopotamia.
86. The debate in this verse is whether "he" (pro. w/def.art.) refers to Nimrod or Asshur.
87. Asshur is the second son of Shem (v. 22).
88. There is no preposition with the proper noun Asshur which we would expect if the person in question "went forth into."
89. If Asshur "went forth from that land" then it refers to a breakaway movement which rivals the kingdom of Nimrod in the south.
90. Next we have, "and built" (Qal impf. banah) followed by the listing of a series of four cities.
91. Nineveh is preeminent and was located on the east side of the Tigris River directly across from modern Mosol in Iraq.
92. The ambiguous builder is said to have built Rehoboth-Ir (plazas of the city) which place in unknown and is perhaps a suburb of Nineveh.
93. Calah is located where the Tigris and Upper Zab rivers meet.
94. Resen is probably modern Selamiyeh about 2.5 miles south of Nimrud (moder Tell Nimrud which is located about 20 miles south of Nineveh).
95. At the time Calah was the principal city, surpassed by Nineveh over the course of history.

Sons of Mizraim (vv. 13-14)

VERSE 13 Mizraim became the father of Ludim and Anamim and Lehabim and Naphtuhim (~yxiTup.n:-ta,w> ~ybih'l.-ta,w> ~ymin"[]-ta,w> ~ydIWl-ta, dl;y" ~yIr;c.miW [waw w/proper name Mizraim + Qal perf. 3m.s. yaladh father + d.o. marker + proper noun Ludim + waw w/d.o. marker + proper noun Anamim + waw w/d.o. marker + proper noun Lehabim + waw w/d.o. marker + proper noun Naphtuhim])

VERSE 14 and Pathrusim and Casluhim (from which came the Philistines) and Caphtorim (waw w/d.o. marker + proper noun Pathrusim + waw w/d.o. marker + proper noun Casluhim + rel.pro. asher + Qal perf.3m.p. yatsar go out, come + prep min from w/adv sham there + proper noun Philistine + waw w/d.o. marker + proper noun Caphtorim]).

ANALYSIS: VERSES 13-14

1. The "im" suffix on each of these sons of Ham indicated a common ethnic heritage.
2. Ludim are most likely the Lydians of North Africa (cf. Jer. 46:9; Ezek. 30:5).
3. The Anamim may be connected to the people of Cyrene, as the A-na-mi are mentioned in a cuneiform text from the time of Sargon II (8^th century BC).
4. The Lehabim are unknown.
5. The Naphtuhim are unknown, but the Hebrew term looks like a Hebraization of the "Ptahites," that is the people who settled in Memphis (middle Egypt).
6. The Pathrusim is a Hebrew equivalent of Egypt and refers to the inhabitants of Pathos, or Upper (i.e. southern) Egypt.
7. Casluhim, are according to this verse, somehow connected with the Philistines who eventually settled on the coast of the land of Israel.
8. The Casluhim could have settled in northern Egypt, the Delta region.
9. Amos 9:7 says that the Philistines came from Capthor (e.g. Crete).
10. And finally, we have the Caphtorim which is an island in the Aegean Sea, such as Crete.

Thirteen Sons of Canaan (vv. 15-20)

VERSE 15 Canaan became the father of Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth (waw w/proper noun Canaan + Qal perf.3m.s. yaladh beget + d.o. marker + proper noun Sidon + noun m.s.constr.w/3m.s.suff. bekor firstborn + waw w/d.o. marker + proper noun Heth])

VERSE 16 and the Jebusite and the Amorite and the Girgashite (yviG"r>GIh; taew> yrImoa/h'-ta,w> ysiWby>h;-ta,w> [waw w/d.o. marker + def.art.w/proper noun Jebusite + waw w/d.o. marker + def.art.w/proper noun Amorite + waw w/d.o. marker + def.art.w/proper noun Girgashite])

VERSE 17 and the Hivite and the Arkite and the Sinite (ynIySih;-ta,w> yqir>[;h;-ta,w> yWIxih;-ta,w> [waw w/d.o. marker + def.art.w/proper noun Hivite + waw w/d.o. marker + def.art.w/proper noun Arkite + waw w/d.o. marker + proper noun Sinite])

VERSE 18 and the Arvadite and the Zemarite and the Hamathite (ytim'x]h;-ta,w> yrIm'C.h;-ta,w> ydIw"r>a;h'-ta,w> [waw w/d.o. marker + def.art. w/proper noun Arvadite + waw w/d.o. marker + def.art.w/proper noun Zemarite + waw w/d.o. marker + def.art.w/proper noun Hamathite]; and afterward the families of the Canaanite were spread abroad [ynI[]n:K.h; tAxP.v.mi Wcpon" rx;a;w> [waw w/adv achar afterwards + Niphal perf.3pl. putz scatter + noun f.p.constr. mishpachah family + def.art.w/proper noun Cannanite]).

VERSE 19 The territory of the Canaanite extended from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza (hZ"[;-d[; hr'r'g> hk'a]Bo !doyCimi ynI[]n:K.h; lWbG> yhiy>w: [waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. hayah to be; "extended" + noun m.s.constr. gebul border + def.art.w/proper noun Canaanite + prep min from + proper noun Sidon + Qal infin.constr.w/2m.s.suff. bo go + proper noun Gerar + adv adh until + proper noun Gaza]; as you go toward Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha [[v;l'-d[; ~yIboc.W hm'd>a;w> hr'mo[]w: hm'dos. hk'a]Bo [Qal infin.constr.w/2m.s.suff. bo go; travel + proper noun Sodom + waw w/proper noun Gomorrah + waw w/proper noun Admah + waw w/proper noun Zeboiim + adv adh as far as + proper noun Lasha]).

VERSE 20 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, by their nations (~h,yEAgB. ~t'cor>a;B. ~t'nOvol.li ~t'xoP.v.mil. ~x'-ynEb. hL,ae [adj.p.abs. elleh these + noun m.p.constr. ben son + proper noun Ham + prep lamedh w/noun f.p.constr.w/3m.p.suff. mishpachah family + prep lamedh w/noun both p.constr.w/3m.p.suff. lashon tongue, language + prep beth w/noun f.p.constr.w/3m.p.suff. eretz land + prep beth w/noun m.p.constr.w/3m.p.suff. goi nation]).

ANALYSIS: VERSES 15-20

1. Canaan’s firstborn is Sidon after which a well known Phoenician city is named, located some twenty-eight miles south of Beirut.
2. It was the dominant Phoenician city until Tyre gained preeminence around the 11^th century.
3. Heth is connected with the Hittites, who ruled over much of western Asia from Anatolia.
4. The Hittites are connected with the Canaanites and Phoenicians.
5. The Jebusites appear among the pre-Israelite inhabitants of Jerusalem (Salem; cf. Gen. 15:21; Ex. 3:8, 17; 13:5, etc.).
6. They inhabited Jerusalem until David captured the city (2Sam. 5:6-8).
7. According to Ezek. 16:3, the Amorites were the other founders of Jerusalem.
8. They were scattered throughout Israel’s hill country on either side of the Jordan (Num. 13:29).
9. At the time of Jacob, they are found in Shechem (Gen. 48:22); at the time of Moses, in Transjordan from the Arnon River to Mount Hermon (Deut. 3:8) and from the wilderness to the Jordan (Judg. 11:22); at the time of Joshua, in five towns of Judah (Josh 10:3); and in the next generation in three towns (Judg. 1:35).
10. In the Judges era they also appear in Gilead (Judg. 10:8).
11. At this juncture in the listing of Canaan’s son the designation for each is not according to the founder’s personal name but according to the name the people he fathered were known by (e.g. Canaan versus Canaanite).
12. Girgashites are another component in the pre-Israelite population of Palestine.
13. The name appears in the OT only in lists (Gen. 15:21; Deut. 7:1; Josh. 3:10; 24:11).
14. They may be connected with the NT Gadarenes/Gerasenes/Gergesenes (Matt. 8:28; Mk. 5:1; Lk. 8:26, 37).
15. The Hivites may be an alternate spelling for Horites, who in turn may be related to the Hurrians, an important people in upper Mesopotamia.
16. Mitanni is the kingdom of the Hurrians.
17. Arkites and Sinites appear only here and in 1Chron. 1:15-16.
18. The Arkites may be connected with the place name Arqat/Irqata in the Armana Letters, a town in Phoenician territory about eleven miles north of modern Tripoli, Lebanon.
19. The Sinites are another northern Canaanite people and their home may be identified with th city-state of Siyanu.
20. They were seldom self-governing, being controlled by Ugarit, the Hitties, and Assyrians.
21. The Arvadites are the inhabitants of Arvad, a city in Phoenicia, and are associated with Tyre in Ezek. 27:8, 11).
22. Arvad is about 95 miles north of Beirut.
23. Like Tyre, it was an island city, situated about two miles off the coast.
24. The Zemarites were located about 12 miles south of Arvad.
25. The Hamathites are inhabitants of modern Hama, the ancient Syrian city on the Orontes River.
26. It marked the northernmost boundary of the land of Canaan (Num. 34:8; Josh. 13:5; 2Sam. 8:9-10; 1Kgs. 8:65; 2Kgs. 14:25-28).
27. "were spread abroad" looks to the punitive judgment that led to the dispersion from Babel.
28. In v. 19 we have borders of the land of Canaan stretching from Sidon in the north along the north-south seacoast highway which connected Egypt with Mesopotamia.
29. The border extends south to Gaza (same as modern) and from there it extends east or southeast to Sodom and Gomorrah (Dead Sea), Admah and Zeboim, as far as the mysterious Lasha.
30. This area encompasses the real estate God granted in perpetuity to the racial descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
31. The wording of verse 19 is similar to that of a travel guide (note the impersonal "as you go")!
32. The concluding notation about the Hamites is similar to that of the Japhethites, except the sequence "lands…languages…clans" is reversed here ["nations" is 4^th in both lists].
33. The four basic ingredients for divine institution #4 is (a) territory [lands]; (b) common language [languages]; (c) ethnic/racial identity [families]; and establishment chain of command [nations].
34. Culture is the product of all four of these factors couple with a history.

The Sons of Shem (vv. 21-32)

VERSE 21 Also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, and the older brother of Japheth, children were born (lAdG"h; tp,y< yxia] rb,[e-ynEB.-lK' ybia] aWh-~G: dL;yU ~vel.W [waw w/prep lamedh w/proper noun Shem (name) + Qal (pass) perf.3m.s. yaladh to father; "were born" + conj. gam also + pro.3m.s. hu he "to him" + noun m.s.constr. abh father + noun m.s.constr. kol all + noun m.p.constr. ben son; "children" + proper noun Eber (ford) + noun m.s.constr. ach brother + proper noun Japheth + def.art.w/adj.m.s.abs. gadol great; "older"]).

ANALYSIS: VERSE 21

1. The Shemites are mentioned last in the table of nations because they are the most crucial with respect to the line of Christ from which Abraham emerged.
2. Their placement is for dramatic effect.
3. The genealogy of Shem is also framed by the typical opening and closing formula (vv. 22, 21).
4. It is placed last because Shem fathers the messianic line, and that line is always dealt with last.
5. Spiritual dead ends (cf. Cain’s line) are mentioned before the main highway is described.
6. There is some repetition between the account of Shem’s descendants here and in 11:10-26 (cf. the two genealogies of Adam 4:1-26; 5:1-32).
7. Furthermore, within the lineage of the Shemites, Eber appears to be significant.
8. He was three generations from Shem, and yet his name appears in the introductory formula of this verse.
9. So, it is not just Shemites that are pivotal, but the Eberites in particular.
10. Eber is a name which looks forward to the emergence of the Hebrews as the two proper names are very closely related.
11. The verse begins by saying that Shem was the ancestor (e.g., "father") "of all the sons of Eber."
12. According to verse 25 Eber had two sons: Peleg and Joktan.
13. There is ambiguity regarding whether Shem or Japheth is the oldest.
14. We know for sure that Ham is the youngest of the three sons of Noah.
15. The Hebrew phrase in strict order reads: "brother of Japheth the older."
16. If "brother" modifies "older," then Shem is the oldest of the trio.
17. If "brother" modifies "Japheth," then Japheth is the oldest.
18. "Brother" comes at the end of the Hebrew line and has the definite article.
19. We know from 9:24 that Ham is "the youngest son" even though is always mentioned second in the listings of the three men (5:32; 6:10; 7:13; 9:18; 10:1; 1Chron. 1:4).
20. Why bother to mention Japheth at all in this introduction if Shem is the oldest?

Shem’s Four Sons (v. 22)

VERSE 22 The sons of Shem were Elam and Asshur and Arpachshad and Lud and Aram (~r'a]w: dWlw> dv;k.P;r>a;w> rWVa;w> ~l'y[e ~ve ynEB. [noun m.p.constr. ben son + proper noun Shem + proper noun Elam + waw w/proper noun Asshur + waw w/proper noun Arpachshad + waw w/proper noun Lud + waw w/proper noun Aram]).

VERSE 23 The sons of Aram were Uz and Hul and Gether and Mash (vm;w" rt,g<w> lWxw> #W[ ~r'a] ynEb.W [waw w/proper noun Aram + proper noun Uz + waw w/proper noun Hul + waw w/proper noun Gether + waw w/proper noun Mash]).

ANALYSIS: VERSES 22-23

1. From Shem’s firstborn came Elam, the ancestor of the Elamites.
2. Elam is mentioned in Gen. 14:9 and its king Chedorlaomer as the head of a coalition of nations that invaded the land of Canaan during Abraham’s lifetime.
3. This people is mentioned in Isa. 11:11; 21:2; Jer. 25:25; 39:34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39; Ezek. 32:24 (cf. "province of Elam" in Dan. 8:2).
4. The territory of Elam lay east of Mesopotamia.
5. The Elamites were rivals to the powers that dwelt in Mesopotamia.
6. Curiously Elamite is not a Semitic language.
7. In later times Assyrians deported Israelites to Elam (Ezra 4:9).
8. Shem’s second son Asshur is to be identified with the Assyrian race which race persists to this day in small numbers.
9. The Hebrew noun Asshur is translated Assyria in the English versions.
10. Assyria figures large in the history of Israel and the OT.
11. Assyria took the Northern Kingdom of Israel into captivity in the 8^th century BC.
12. Its capital city was Nineveh and it was to this people that Jonah was sent on a successful evangelistic mission.
13. Assyria along with Israel and Egypt will constitute a trinity of great nations during the 1000 years (see Isa. 19:23-25).
14. Assyrian civilizations supplanted the Sumerian civilization (Hamitic) in Mesopotamia.
15. Arpachshad has been identified with the Kasdim, that is the Chaldeans (?).
16. A more likely connection is with the Arraphu of the cuneiform inscriptions, perhaps to be identified with Kirkuk.
17. The lineage of Arphachshad is expanded in 11:12-17 as he is the father of Shelah who is counted in the line of Messiah.
18. Arphachshad was born to Shem two years after the Flood (11:10).
19. Lud is connected with the Lydians in Asia Minor.
20. Aram is the ancestor of the Armeans (Syrians).
21. Their territory in OT times covers an area from beyond the Jordan River and northeast of Palestine into the Tigris-Euphrates Valley.
22. Amos 9:7 traces the Armeans to Kir, in southern Babylonia in the vicinity of Elam, though their movement to this southern location may have been as temporary as Israel’s in Egypt and the Philistines in Crete.
23. Uz is to be placed somewhere in northwest Mesopotamia (cf. 22:21).
24. Gen. 36:28; Jer. 25:20-21; and Lam. 4:21 point to Uz near Edom in the Arabian desert.
25. Hul and Gether are unidentified.
26. Mash has been connected with Mount Masius of northern Mesopotamia or the mountains of Lebanon.

Peleg’s Lineage (vv. 24-25)

VERSE 24 Arpachshad became the father of Shelah; and Shelah became the father of Eber (waw w/proper noun Arpachshad + Qal perf.3m.s. yaladh father + d.o. marker + proper name Shelah + waw w/proper noun Shelah + Qal perf.3m.s. yaladh father + d.o. marker + proper name Eber]).

VERSE 25 Two sons were born to Eber; the name of the one was Peleg (gl,P, dx'a,h' ~ve ~ynIb' ynEv. dL;yU rb,[el.W [waw w/prep lamedh w/proper noun Eber + Qal perf.3m.s. yalad born to (pass) + adj.m. dual constr. shenayim two + noun m.p.abs. ben son + noun m.s.constr. shem name + def.art.w/adj.m.s.abs. echad one + proper noun Peleg], for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan [!j'q.y" wyxia' ~vew> #r,a'h' hg"l.p.nI wym'y"b. yKi [part ki for + prep beth w/noun m.p.constr.w/3m.s.suff. yom day + Niphal perf.3f.s. palag to divide, split + def.art.w/noun both s.abs. eretz + waw w/noun m.s.constr. shem name + noun m.s.constr.w/3m.s.suff. ach brother + proper noun Joktan]).

ANALYSIS: VERSES 24-25

1. The LXX version adds the name Cainan here and in 11:12-17.
2. The addition of this person in the messianic line provides the ten names between Shem and Abraham..
3. Cainan’s name is part of the lineage of Jesus Christ (see Lk. 3:35-36).
4. Shelah’s name is a shortened version of Methushaleh and means "sprout, branch, descendant."
5. The adjectival form of Eber is "Hebrew" (Gen. 14:13; 39:14; 40:15; 41:12; Ex. 2:11; 3:18).
6. Peleg’s name means "division" and prophetically points to the separation of the nations at Babel (11:1-9).
7. If Peleg was born in 2235 BC, lived 239 years and died in 1962 BC, then the dispersion of the nations probably was between 2200 and 2250 BC (see chronology chart).

Joktan’s Thirteen Sons (vv. 26-29)

VERSE 26 Joktan became the father of Almodad and Sheleph and Hazarmaveth and Jerah (xr;y"-ta,w> tw<m'r>c;x]-ta,w> @l,v'-ta,w> dd'Aml.a;-ta, dl;y" !j'q.y"w> [proper name Joktan + Qal perf.3m.s. yaladh father + d.o. marker + proper name Almodad + waw w/d.o. marker + proper name Sheleph + waw w/d.o. marker + proper name Hazarmaveth + waw w/d.o. marker + proper name Jerah])

VERSE 27 and Hadoram and Uzal and Diklah (hl'q.DI-ta,w> lz"Wa-ta,w> ~r'Adh]-ta,w> [waw w/d.o. marker + proper name Hadoram + waw w/d.o. marker + proper name Uzal + waw w/d.o. marker + proper name Diklah])

VERSE 28 and Obal and Abimael and Sheba (ab'v.-ta,w> laem'ybia]-ta,w> lb'A[-ta,w> [waw w/d.o. marker + proper name Obal + waw w/d.o. marker + proper name Abimael + waw w/d.o. marker + proper name Sheba])

VERSE 29 and Ophir and Havilah and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan (!j'q.y" ynEB. hL,ae-lK' bb'Ay-ta,w> hl'ywIx]-ta,w> rpiAa-ta,w> [waw w/d.o. marker + proper name Ophir + waw w/d.o. marker + proper name Havilah + waw w/d.o. marker + proper name Jobab + noun m.s. constr. kol all + adj.p.abs. elleh these + noun m.p.constr. ben + proper name Joktan]).

VERSE 30 Now their settlement extended from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the hill country of the east (~d,Q,h; rh; hr'p's. hk'a]Bo av'Memi ~b'v'Am yhiy>w:

[waw w/Qal impf.3m.s. hayah be + noun m.s.constr.w/3m.p.suff. moshasbh assembly; "their settlement" + prep min w/proper noun Mesha + Qal infin.constr.w/2m.s.suff. bo go, enter + proper noun Sephar + noun m.s.abs. har hill + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. qedem east]).

ANALYSIS: VERSES 26-30

1. Joktan, Eber’s second son, bears a name meaning "watchful."
2. Joktan is the forefather of tribes of southern Arabia.
3. In contrast to his brother’s line, which leads to Abraham (cf. 11:16-26), Joktan’s line reaches an cul-de-sac.
4. Almodad is a region or tribe in Yemen.
5. Sheleph is a Yemenite tribe.
6. Hazarmaveth is the south Arabian region Hadramaut.
7. Jerah is unknown.
8. Hadoram is an Arabian tribe.
9. Uzal is the traditional pre-Islamic name of Sana’a, capital of Yemen.
10. Diklah is South Arabian oasis meaning "palm-land."
11. Obal lies between Hodeida and Sana’a in southwest Arabia.
12. Abimael is unidentified.
13. Sheba is probably the same location as Seba of 10:7.
14. Ophir is situated between Sheba and Havilah in southwest Arabia and with gold in its wadis (Job 22:24).
15. Also, it possibly includes the coast of Africa opposite the land of Punt in Egyptian sources.
16. Havilah is probably the same as the Havilah of 10:7.
17. Jobab is a disputed name.
18. This thirteenth son of Joktan possibly refers to Job of the book of Job fame.
19. In verse 30 we have mention of the territory these tribes/nations occupied.
20. The name Mesha refers to North Arabia.
21. Sephar is identified with Isfar in the south of Hadramut or Zafar harbor in Oman or Yemen.
22. Clearly the Arabian Peninsula is in view here.

Summation of Shem’s Line (v. 31)

VERSE 31 These are the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, according to their nations (~h,yEAgl. ~t'cor>a;B. ~t'nOvol.li ~t'xoP.v.mil. ~ve-ynEb. hL,ae [adj.p.abs. elleh these + noun m.p.constr. ben + proper name Shem + prep lamedh w/noun f.p.constr.w/3m.p.suff. mishpachah family, clan + prep lamedh w/noun p.constr.w/3m.p.suff. lashon tongue, language + prep beth w/noun f.p.constr.w/3m.p.suff. eretz land + prep lamedh w/noun m.p.constr.w/3m.p.suff. goi nation]).

ANALYSIS: VERSE 31

1. This concludes the subsection of Noah’s son Shem and his descendants.
2. As was the case with Japheth and Ham each section ends with a summary observation (cf. vv. 5 and 20).
3. Each of these summations varies in either the sequence of the nouns or the prepositions that are prefixed to these nouns differ.
4. Vv. 20 and 31 are the closest to each other.
5. Here is the respective sequence with the preposition which is prefixed to each: (1) V.5: lands (b); language (l); clans (l); nations (b); (2) V.20: clans (l); language (l); lands (b); nations (b); (3) V.31: clans (l); language (l); lands (b); nations (l).
6. These four factors constitute divine institution number 4: nationalism.

Summary of the Entire Table (v. 32)

VERSE 32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies (~t'dol.Atl. x;nO-ynEB. txoP.v.mi hL,ae [adjl.p.abs. elleh these + noun f.p.constr. mishpachah clan, family + noun m.p.constr. ben + proper noun Noah + prep lamedh w/noun f.p.constr.w/3m.p.suff. toledoth descendants; "genealogies"], by their nations; and out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood [lWBM;h; rx;a; #r,a'B' ~yIAGh; Wdr>p.nI hL,aemeW ~h,yEAgB. [prep beth w/noun m.p.constr.w/3m.p.suff. goi nation + waw w/prep min from w/adj.p.abs. elleh these + Niphal perf.3p. paradh divide, separate + def.art.w/noun m.p.abs. goi nation + prep beth w/noun both s.abs. eretz earth + adv achar after + def.art.w/noun m.s.abs. flood]).

ANALYSIS: VERSE 32

1. This verse brings the Table of Nations of a close, and serves to summarize the entire list of three entries.
2. What this table serves to show is that all humanity shares a common origin despite geographical, linguistic or racial differences.
3. Genesis 10 was behind Paul’s words when he spoke in Acts 17:26: "and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation."