Martin Luther on the Table of Nations
This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah’s sons, who themselves had sons after the flood.
The sons of Japheth:
Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshek and Tiras.The sons of Gomer:
Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah.The sons of Javan:
Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites and the Rodanites. (From these the maritime peoples spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with its own language.)The sons of Ham:
Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan.The sons of Cush:
Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteka.The sons of Raamah:
Sheba and Dedan.Cush was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD.” 10The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah—which is the great city.
Egypt was the father of
the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, Pathrusites, Kasluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites.Canaan was the father of
Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites.Later the Canaanite clans scattered and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, as far as Lasha.
These are the sons of Ham by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.
Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber.
The sons of Shem:
Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram.The sons of Aram:
Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshek.Arphaxad was the father of Shelah,
and Shelah the father of Eber.Two sons were born to Eber:
One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.Joktan was the father of
Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.
These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.
These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.
Genesis Chapter 10
This chapter of the Bible blows my mind!
It’s important to study the truths in Genesis chapter 10 so that we recognize that God’s word is in fact real and true. It amazes me how this ancient document provides an accurate account of the origins of today’s races and nations.
The flood is over. Only Noah, his three sons, and their wives remain. The entire human race is represented right here, right now, by eight people. What we have in Genesis chapter 10 is the origin of the races or what is often referred to as the Table of Nations. We don’t know how every line of every one of the sixty descendants of Noah named in this chapter works out, but most we do. Ethnology, linguistic studies, archeology, and physical anthropology continue to verify the truths of the Bible.
In this post I won’t address all sixty descendants of Noah but you’ll read about some of the more notable lines of ancestry. Most of this post is done in an outline format. Each indentation is an indication of a subsequent generation.
This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah’s sons, who themselves had sons after the flood. (v.1) (emphasis mine) Notice the order here — Shem is listed first. This is appropriate because Shem’s line turns out to be the most important as we’ll see later.
The Japhethites
The sons of Japheth: (v.2) Japheth’s descendants are that group of tribes that make up the Indo-European nations.
Parenthetically: It’s interesting to note that the Indian culture has its own account of the great flood. In it the hero is one who bears an Indian name however his sons are named Iyapati, Harma, and Sharma which correspond to Japheth, Ham, and Shem. And in the story the hero’s son Harma is cursed because he laughed at his father when he was drunk. This is an obvious reference to the same events found in the Biblical account of the flood.
Japheth: The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshek and Tiras. (v.2)
Gomer: The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah. (v.3)
Ashkenaz: Ashkenaz is widely regarded as the father of the ancient Germanic people as well as the Scandinavians. It’s thought that the name Ashkenaz evolved into the name Askania which eventually became Scandanavia.
Riphath: Not obvious from our English translation but some scholars feel that the word Riphath, linguistically, implies ancestry to the Europeans.
Togarmah: Togarmah is interesting because even today the Armenians call themselves the House of Togarmah. The only controversy related to this ancestry is whether or not the Armenians are the whole house of Togarmah or are only one line of the house of Togarmah.
Javan: The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites and the Rodanites. 5 (From these the maritime peoples spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with its own language.) (v.4-5) Javan is the father of the Greeks. The Greeks say that the father of their race and all humanity is named Japetos, interesting because this name is linguistically linked to the name Japheth.
Elishah: some scholars believe that in this case the word Elishah translates as the word for Hellas which also implies an ancestry to the Greeks. Today we call the period of history in which the Greeks had the greatest influence in the world, the Hellenistic period and the Greeks of today refer to their country as Hellas. (see Hellas=Greece)
Tarshish: The name Tarshish is obviously connected to a place in the Bible — it’s mentioned 19 different times in the book of Psalms, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jonah as well as other places. But it’s difficult to pinpoint Tarshish’s exact ancestry in the world. About all that we can be sure of is that the name is associated with the sea, islands, and a place far away. It also seems to be associated with smelting of metals.
More sons of Japheth:
Magog: Magog is widely believed to be the father of the Russian people. It’s interesting to note that a Babylonian king writing to an Egyptian Pharoah places Magog to the North of the Black Sea. The Great Wall of China erected to keep out the Russian people is called by the Chinese, the wall of Magog.
Tubal and Meshek: Tubal and Meshek are also associated with the Russian people. Meshek is linked to the Muskovy, an obvious reference to the Russian people. Even today we call those living in Moscow, Moscovites. Tubal and Meshek were regarded by the great conquerer Sargon as the Musky.
Madai is the father of the Medes. They settled West of the Caspian Sea. They’re obviously referred to often in the Bible, most prominently in the book of Daniel.
The Hamites
Ham: The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan. (v.6) We owe a great deal to the Hamitic nations because they were the ones who were blessed with the gift of exploration and adaptation. The Hamites were the first to explore and settle the frontier.
Cush: The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteka. The word Cush is often translated Ethiopia although both the Ethiopians and the Cassites were both descended from Cush.
Raamah: The sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. (v.7)
Sheba and Dedan: Sheba and Dedan as well as Havilah from the previous generation are all the ancestors of the people we associate with Arabia today.
Nimrod: Nimrod is not mentioned in the original list of the sons of Cush but receives his own separate little vignette in the middle of the genealogies of Genesis chapter 10. Cush was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD.” The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah—which is the great city.(v.8-12) According to the Jewish Talmud Nimrod was not only a hunter of game but also a hunter of the souls of men. The name Nimrod means “we will rebel.” It’s interesting that Nimrod, this rebel against God, founded Babylon and Assyria, two nations that warred against Israel. The Assyrians carried the ten Northern tribes of Israel into captivity in 722 BC and the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC. We’ll learn more about where Nimrod’s rebellion takes his followers in the next chapter.
Egypt: Egypt throughout history and to this day speaks of the nation… Egypt. Egypt was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, Pathrusites, Kasluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites. (v.13)
Kasluhites: The people from whom the Philistines came. The Philistines we see often in the Bible. It’s interesting to note that their ancestry came from Egypt, ultimately.
Put: Put is the ancestor of the people of Libya.
Canaan: The Canaanites or the land Canaan are mentioned in the Bible 158 times. Their geographic area was that of Israel and the territory around it. Of course the Canaanites play a large role in numerous places in scripture. Their culture was so debauch that they eventually had to be wiped out, but not before God gave them 400 years to repent. Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites. Later the Canaanite clans scattered and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, as far as Lasha. (v.15-19) This group of “-ites” are the seven nations of the Canaanites who were dominant when Joshua conquered the land of Canaan.
Hittites: Interestingly, there was a time when scholars pointed to the Hittite civilization as an example of Biblical inaccuracy because there was no evidence to support the existence of this people. Since then much archeological evidence has been uncovered substantiating the existence of the Hittites.
Sinites: Many believe that the Sinites settled the area now called China and are the ancient ancestors of the Chinese.
The Semites
Shem: Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber. The sons of Shem: Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram. (v.21-22)
Aram: The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshek. (v.23) Aram was the father of the Aramaeans. The name Uz was the name of the homeland of Job.
Arphaxad: Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah the father of Eber. (v.24) Eber is where we get the word Hebrew. Eber is the father of the Hebrews. Abraham was six generations removed from Eber yet Abraham is identified as a Hebrew. Of course it will be from this line that the Messiah will come. For this reason the Bible says in Genesis 9:26 “Praise be to the LORD, the God of Shem!”
Eber: Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan. (v.25)
Peleg: Some very good scholars think the comment the earth was divided means that this was the time when the continents were divided and began to drift apart. Other well respected scholars have the view that this was the time discussed in Genesis 11 when the people of the earth were divided linguistically at the Tower of Babel. The name Peleg means divided.
Joktan: Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. (v.26-29)
Jobab: Jobab is identified by some scholars as the man Job from the book of Job in the Bible.
These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood. (v.32)
The origins of the nations are laid out for us in Genesis chapter 10 as though God is speaking to us by showing that His word is real and true. He does this through the great dispersion of humanity throughout the earth and he also speaks to us in the tiniest details found in other parts of scripture as well as the small events in each of our personal lives.
The question is: are you listening?
Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise;
apply your heart to what I teach,
for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
and have all of them ready on your lips.
So that your trust may be in the LORD,
I teach you today, even you.Proverbs 22:17-19
References:
Dictionary of Scripture Proper Names by J.B. Jackson
