10
Nations Grow and Spread
1This is the history of the families of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. They are Noah’s sons. These men had children after the flood.
Japheth’s Descendants
2Japheth’s sons were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
3Gomer’s sons were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
4Javan’s sons were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.#10:4 Dodanim Or “Rodanim, the people of Rhodes.”
5All the people who lived in the area around the Mediterranean Sea came from these sons of Japheth. The people separated and went to different countries according to languages, families, and nations.
Ham’s Descendants
6Ham’s sons were Cush,#10:6 Cush Another name for Ethiopia. Mizraim,#10:6 Mizraim Another name for Egypt. Also in verse 13. Put, and Canaan.
7Cush’s sons were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca.
Raamah’s sons were Sheba and Dedan.
8Cush also had a son named Nimrod who became a very powerful man on earth. 9He was a great hunter before the Lord. That is why people compare other men to him and say, “That man is like Nimrod, a great hunter before the Lord.”
10Nimrod’s kingdom spread from Babylon to Erech, to Akkad, and then to Calneh in the land of Babylonia.#10:10 Babylonia Literally, “Shinar,” which may be a form of the name Sumer. Also in 11:2; 14:1. 11Nimrod also went into Assyria. In Assyria, Nimrod built the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and 12Resen. (Resen is the city between Nineveh and Calah, the big city.)
13Mizraim was the father of the people of Lud, Anam, Lehab, Naphtuh, 14Pathrus, Casluh, and Caphtor. (The Philistine people came from Casluh.)
15Canaan was the father of Sidon. Sidon was Canaan’s first son. Canaan was also the father of the Hittites, 16Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 17Hivites, Arkites, the Sinites, 18Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites.
The families of Canaan spread to different parts of the world. 19The land where the Canaanites lived went from Sidon down along the coast to Gerar and from Gaza as far east as Sodom and Gomorrah and from Admah and Zeboiim as far north as Laish.
20All these people were descendants of Ham. They are arranged by families, languages, countries, and nations.
Shem’s Descendants
21Shem was Japheth’s older brother. One of Shem’s descendants was Eber, the father of all the Hebrew people.#10:21 One … Hebrew people Literally, “To Shem was born the father of Eber’s sons.”
22Shem’s sons were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
23Aram’s sons were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.
24Arphaxad was the father of Shelah.
Shelah was the father of Eber.
25Eber was the father of two sons. One son was named Peleg.#10:25 Peleg This name means “division.” He was given this name because the earth was divided during his life. The other son was named Joktan.
26Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these people were Joktan’s sons. 30They lived in the area between Mesha and the hill country in the East.#10:30 East This usually means the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers as far east as the Persian Gulf. Also in 11:2. Mesha was toward the country of Sephar.
31These are the people from the family of Shem. They are arranged by families, languages, countries, and nations.
32This is the list of the families from Noah’s sons. They are arranged according to their nations. From these families came all the people who spread across the earth after the flood.