Christianity
Genesis 10The Table of Nations
Summary
Genesis 10 lists the descendants of Noah's sons Japheth, Ham and Shem and the peoples and lands named after them. Highlights include Nimrod, a mighty hunter whose kingdom began at Babel; the building of Nineveh and other Assyrian cities; the borders of the Canaanites; and Peleg, in whose days the earth was divided. Jewish tradition counts seventy nations in the list. Scholars read it as an ancient map of known peoples arranged by kinship, language and geography rather than strict biology.
Key verse
“He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.”
Genesis 10:9
Themes
- Nations and Peoples
- Common Ancestry
- Kingdoms
- Diversity
Text
Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.
The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.
And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.
And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.
And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.
And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.
And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.
And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,
And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.
And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,
And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.
And Canaan begat Sidon his first born, and Heth,
And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,
And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,
And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.
And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.
These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.
Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.
The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.
And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.
And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber.
And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.
And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,
And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,
And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba,
And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.
And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.
These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.
Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.
Across traditions
Islam
Surah Al-Hujurat (49): Nations and TribesQuran 49:13 says God made humanity from a male and a female and into peoples and tribes so that they may know one another, and that the noblest is the most righteous.
Christianity
Acts 17: One BloodSpeaking in Athens, Paul says God made from one blood all nations to dwell on the face of the earth, a New Testament echo of the single family tree in Genesis 10.
Questions about Genesis 10
Who was Nimrod in the Bible?
Genesis 10:8 to 12 calls Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD whose kingdom began at Babel, Erech, Accad and Calneh. Later Jewish and Islamic traditions cast him as the king who opposed Abraham, though Genesis says nothing of that.
How many nations are listed in Genesis 10?
Jewish tradition counts seventy nations descended from Noah's sons. Modern counts vary slightly depending on how names are grouped.