The Seventy Nations Descended from Noah’s Sons

Genesis 10

Biblical Period

1These are the lines of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah: sons were born to them after the Flood.

2The descendants of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3The descendants of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4The descendants of Javan: Elishah and Tarshish, the Kittim and the Dodanim. 5From these the maritime nations branched out. [These are the descendants of Japheth] by their lands—each with its language—their clans and their nations.

6The descendants of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. 7The descendants of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The descendants of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.

8Cush also begot Nimrod, who was the first man of might on earth. 9He was a mighty hunter by the grace of the Lord; hence the saying, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter by the grace of the Lord.” 10The mainstays of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh in the land of Shinar. 11From that land Asshur went forth and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, 12and Resen between Nineveh and Calah, that is the great city.

13And Mizraim begot the Ludim, the Anamim, the Lehabim, the Naphtuhim, 14the Pathrusim, the Casluhim, and the Caphtorim,a whence the Philistines came forth.

15Canaan begot Sidon, his first-born, and Heth; 16and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, 17the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, 18the Arvadites, the Ze-marites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the clans of the Canaanites spread out. (19The [original] Canaanite territory extended from Sidon as far as Gerar, near Gaza, and as far as Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, near Lasha.) 20These are the descendants of Ham, according to their clans and languages, by their lands and nations.

21Sons were also born to Shem, ancestor of all the descendants of Eber and older brother of Japheth. 22The descendants of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpach-shad, Lud, and Aram. 23The descendants of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 24Arpachshad begot Shelah, and Shelah begot Eber. 25Two sons were born to Eber: the name of the first was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided;b and the name of his brother was Joktan. 26Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the descendants of Joktan. 30Their settlements extended from Mesha as far as Sephar, the hill country to the east. 31These are the descendants of Shem according to their clans and languages, by their lands, according to their nations.

32These are the groupings of Noah’s descendants, according to their origins, by their nations; and from these the nations branched out over the earth after the Flood.

Notes

I.e., the Cretans; moved up for the sake of clarity; cf. Amos 9:7.

Heb. niphlegah, play on “Peleg.”

Credits

Reprinted from Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures by permission of the University of Nebraska Press. Copyright 1985 by the Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 1.

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