Identity is a powerful thing. Knowing who we belong to is important. Knowing who our people are gives us a place, and sometimes gets us into fights. We know (at least some of) who we are as we know more about our people.

Identity is a teaching tool. Parents tell their kids that “we” (those with our last name) “don’t act like that, we act like this.”

God made families. God also ordained communities and cities and states and nations. God gave languages and established boundaries for those peoples (see Acts 17:26). All of the distinctions and divisions are in His hands—for His glory—and are good, and bad.

Genesis 10:1-11:9 shows the good and the bad, even by the order in which Moses writes. Verse one of chapter 10 begins with the next toledot, the key word Moses used to divide the book of Genesis. This section extends through 11:9. The table of nations (10:1-32) and the tower of Babel (or, the dispersal of nations)(11:1-9) go together.

There must be a reason why chapter 10 precedes the Babel confusion in chapter 11 since it happens first. On a timeline, Act 2 (the tower of Babel) with a unified people of one language precedes Act 1 (the table of nations) and a diversified, scattered people with many languages. When we read verbs in chapter 10 such as “spread” (verse 5), “dispersed” (verse 18), and “spread abroad” (verse 32), we’re reading the result of “the LORD dispersed” in chapter 11 (verse 8).

According to chapter 10, the diversification appears as a (somewhat) natural consequence of men multiplying and filling the earth, even if we might wonder about the development of new languages. According to the flashback in 11:1-9, the language differences are a result of judgment on proud men and that men and families are spread out over the earth as a part of God’s judgment. The sense in chapter 11 is that all the earth was one, which means that the streams of civilization in chapter 10 comes from Babel headwaters. So why not put this genealogy after?

One of the reasons that the genealogy comes first is to demonstrate that God faithfully blesses His commission to Noah and Noah’s sons. The LORD repeated the mandate to be fruitful and multiply. This extensive parental trail provides the proof.

The genealogy also demonstrates that God is pleased with families and nations and languages, and also that our loyalties to such earthy identifications can only do so much. Putting our trust in other men above trust in God leads to God’s judgment, and He will make and use our divisions to point back to Him. So family is a blessing, nation and government and language can be a blessing, or a curse. Thanking God for His blessings in our earthly identifications is appropriate. Treating our earthy associations as god is appalling.

If Genesis 10 had followed Genesis 11:1-9, we’d have almost no other option than to interpret the division of nations as a negative. This way, however, the dispersal of humanity reflects elements of both God’s blessing and God’s displeasure.

We’ve already studied one long genealogy in Genesis, chapter 5. The genealogy in chapter 10 differs from that in chapter 5 in multiple ways. First, no worldwide destruction comes after this, meaning that this stream of civilization “sticks.” Second, no ages are mentioned in this genealogy. Third, nations and languages result from this one source. In fact, no place names or (tribal) names of peoples/nations are in chapter 5 at all (no “-im”s or “-ites”) there.

Why is this called the table of nations? A table is a set of facts or figures systematically presented. It’s a list, an index. It might be in columns and rows like data printed from a spreadsheet. Depending on arrangement, we might call it a tree of nations instead of a table.

Genesis 10 focuses on the great development and movement of families that were of interest to Israel. The table begins with, and treats most briefly, the sons of Japheth, those with whom Israel had the least contact. From the Hamites come the Babylonians, the Egyptians, and the Canaanites, those with whom Israel dealt the most and some of whom were Israel’s fiercest enemies. The Shemites are treated last, as is usually the order for the chosen line to follow (cf. Cainites before Sethites in Genesis 4-5, and Esau before Jacob in Genesis 37-50). It is the all the known world.

A “T and O” map represents the top-half of the globe. The T consists of the Mediterranean, the Russian Don River and the Nile, dividing the three continents, Asia, Europe and Africa, and the O is the encircling Ocean. Jerusalem was generally assumed to lie at the center of the circle.

The above map is clearly a simplified version, but even the following is a significant, if not also too simplified, generalization.

The above is a much more detailed map produced in the 19th century. It is not entirely accurate but it does give a good sense of where the sons of Noah went.

I am not a genealogy guy. I’m depending on a lot of work done by those in commentaries and Bible dictionaries.

It may very well be questioned whether a man should ever preach on a chapter such as this. (Leupold, 380).

Heading (verse 1)

These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood. (10:1)

Sons were born to them after the flood. Moses makes clear that Noah fathered no additional sons after the flood, that only these (but still all) three sons survived the flood, and that they fathered no sons until after the flood.

These facts unite the entire human race; every ethnic group comes from one blood.

The order in age is reversed in the table according to distance. Here is the whole known world (as 11:1 summarizes).

Japhethites - Europe (North and West)(verses 2-5)

The Indo-Europeans (Europe and one branch into Persia and India); or, as we might summarize, the Gentiles. Japheth is identified with coming across the Caucausus, a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia. It is home to the Caucasus Mountains. His descendants settled in Asia Minor near the Black Sea.

Sons of Japheth (verse 2)

Seven sons are listed.

The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. (10:2)

From Gomer came the Cimmerians who settled north of the Black Sea. Further descendants seem to have lived in Germany, France, Spain, and Britain. From Magog possibly came the Scythians who lived north of the Caspian Sea. From Madai came the Medes who lived south of the Caspian Sea in modern Northwest Iran. From Javan came the Ionians or Greeks who lived in Greece. From Tubal came the Turks who lived south of the Black Sea. From Meshech came the Slaves who lived between the Black and Caspian Seas. And from Tiras came the Etruscans who lived west of the Black Sea (Italy).

Grandsons of Japheth (verse 3-4)

Seven grandsons are listed, three sons of Gomer, and four sons of Javan.

the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. (verses 3-4)

The Jews identified Ashkenaz with Germany (to this day referred to as the Ashkenazi), though some Assyrian texts connect him with the Scythians (Wenham).

Togarmah is likely the ancestor of the Armenians; Turkey and Turkestan may be connected with him. Tarshish could be Carthage or Spain, while one scholar believes Tarshish could even be Mexico (C. H. Gordon, see Hamilton).

Formula (verse 5)

Look at the (simplified) map again.

Moses mentions ethnic (clans), geographic (lands, territories), linguistic (languages), political/government (nations) identities.

from these the coastland peoples spread in their lands, each with his own language, by their clans, in their nations. (10:5)

their lands, each with his own language, by their clans, in their nations. The order is different here than the similar formula in verses 20 and 31. In those verses, the order is ethno-political, linguistic, geographical. I suspect part of the reason is because the geographical distance from the Israelites was the biggest deal, and for the Hamites the biggest deal in relation to Israel were their politics and practices, since their geography was close and their language not as large a threat.

Hamites - Africa (South and West)(verses 6-20)

The length of this section must be noted. The descendants of Ham were well known to Israel and not because they were buddies. The peoples that came from Ham had a large influence on Israel’s politics and cultural, as well as religious life. While traditionally associated with the African peoples, Ham’s descendants are broader.

During the Middle Ages, Noah’s curse (9:25) was regularly interpreted as having created visible racial characteristics in Ham’s offspring, notably black skin. But the Bible restricts the curse to the offspring of Ham’s son Canaan, not to his other sons who are supposed to have populated Africa.

Sons of Ham (verse 6)

The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. (10:6)

Cush (the place) lies to the south of Egypt and refers to Ethiopia; he is the father of the Ethiopians as well as descendants in Arabia. Egypt (“Mizraim” - NAS) is well-known; he is the father of the Egyptians. The original readers of Genesis would have perhaps spent time in Egypt and were part of the Exodus. Put is traditionally identified with Libya; he is the father of the Libyans. And Canaan, and the various -ites that come from him, lived east of the Mediterranean Sea. They are those with whom Israel had most to do since God gave them the land.

Grandsons of Ham (verses 7-12)

The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. (10:7)

Sons of Cush (excerpt on Nimrod) (verses 8-12)

Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. (10:8-12)

There is more digression about Nimrod than any other individual in the chapter. He is probably the first tyrant on earth, oppressing others and using others for the furtherance of his own interests.

Nimrod was a mighty hunger before the LORD (verse 9). His name means “We shall rebel” and his were the first empires; The beginning of his kingdom, or “the first centers of his kingdom” (NIV) (verse 10). As Calvin noted, Aristotle referred to it as a “province” in his Politics. Babel is Babylon, the nemesis of Jerusalem.

He was powerful in hunting and in wickedness before the LORD, for he was a hunter of the sons of men, and he said to them, “Depart from the judgment of the Lord, and adhere to the judgment of Nimrod! Therefore is it said: “As Nimrod the strong one, strong in hunting, and in wickedness before the Lord.” (Jewish Targum)

The city of Erech was known as “Uruk” by the Babylonians and Gilgamesh was once its king (Wenham).

Sons of Egypt (verses 13-14)

More grandsons of Ham.

Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorim. (10:13-14)

All the names of Egypt’s sons end in “-im”.

Sons of Canaan (verses 15-19)

Canaan, the promised land. More space given to the Canaanites than any other group in the chapter, still grandsons of Ham.

Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the clans of the Canaanites dispersed. And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon in the direction of Gerar as far as Gaza, and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. (10:15-19)

Sidon with the Phoenicians, associated with the city Sidon, the later sister city of Tyre.

Sinites, people of the Far East named “Sinim” (Isaiah 49:12-NAS). Sinology is the study of Chinese history, perhaps then this is the father of the Oriental peoples.

Formula (verse 20)

These are the sons of Ham, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations. (10:20)

Conclusion

We’ll consider Shem next Lord’s Day.

The genealogy in Genesis 10 is a watershed. These streams are not ditchwater. All these tributaries will one day be gathered together into an ocean of praise. God divided to unite. The nations will unite to rebel (Psalm 2), but God will unite the nations to His everlasting Kingdom.

When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,
when he divided mankind,
he fixed the borders of the peoples
(Deuteronomy 32:8)

Nations are from Him and through Him and to Him. Image-bearing is an international responsibility.