Verse 1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.
The Hebrew word translated as “generations” is “towladah” and means descendants, results, or genealogies. This entire chapter is a listing of specific male descendants of each of Noah’s sons. The list does not appear to be complete in that many of the grandson’s male children are not listed. For example, there is no listing in verses 3-5 of the offspring of Japheth’s sons Magog, Madai, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras.
It would take an exhaustive study to follow the descendants through the pages of the Bible and therefore cannot be done here. The children listed were important because they were the fathers of future nations and of historical events.
Verse 2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.
These children were the foundation of all the nations that descended from Noah’s son, Japheth. Gomer is thought to have been the father of various Celtic families. Magog is thought to have produced several tribes of people that settled northward from what later became Israel. Madai is thought to have been the father of the Medes which became a great nation along with the Persians. Javan is thought to be the father of the Greeks and Ionians. Tubal’s descendants were thought to end up in the east in what was Asia Minor. Meshech’s descendants possibly ended up in land north of Israel. Tiras’ descendants most likely settled somewhere nearby, but not much is known regarding these people.
Verses 3-5 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.
In these verses, the sons of two of Japheth’s boys, Gomer and Javan, are listed due to the fact that they settled in regions that caused the land to be divided up into nations based on their heritage and on their language. Much of the land settled appears to be around the Mediterranean sea.
Verse 6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.
These children were the foundation of all the nations that descended from Noah’s son, Ham. The reader should remember that these nations inherited the curse that Noah placed on his son, Ham. The name “Cush” means “black” and is also translated as Ethiopia. It is believed that the descendants of Cush settled in North Africa. Mizraim is thought to be the father of the Egyptians. Phut is thought to be the father of the Libyans in northern Africa. Canaan is the father of the Phoenicians and of other nations who lived along the Mediterranean Sea in the area of Palestine.
Verse 7 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.
Not much is known about these sons, but they were all part of the settlement of the land around where the children of Israel would eventually be placed by God.
Verses 8-10 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
A lot is known about Cush’s son, Nimrod, both in the pages of Scripture and in the folklore that developed as a result of his leadership and rule. Notice that, so far in the lists of descendants, no mention is made of the LORD until this great grandson of Noah is mentioned. Nimrod established an empire that was located somewhere in what became the one-world governments of Assyria and then Babylon. It is thought that through his leadership the tower of Babel was designed and partially built which lead to a judgement from the LORD. The name, Nimrod, means “rebellion” and/or “valiant”. The implication from Scripture is that Nimrod was very strong and valiant and used his skills to hunt and provide game or food for other people. There is also an implication, based on folklore and legend, that Nimrod used his skills to hunt men also in some manner and that he was in rebellion against God. The land of Shinar will be mentioned in connection with the tower of Babel and again later in the Bible in reference to Abraham and to the captivity of the children of Israel, and it is believed to be the ancient name for the land of Chaldea and Babylon. The prophet Jeremiah pronounced judgement against Chaldea in Jeremiah 50 and 51.
Verses 11-12 Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, 12 And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.
The Asshur listed above may have been the son of Shem listed in verse 22 below. He established the kingdom of Assyria in which Nineveh was the capital and it was located on the Tigris river. It is to the nation of Assyria that the ten northern tribes of the children of Israel went into captivity.
Verses 13-14 And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, 14 And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.
The Hebrew word translated as “Philistim” is “Palishtiy” and is pronounced pel ish tee. It is translated as “Philistine” 287 times and as “Philistim” only once which is in the verse above. The Philistines settled on the western seacoast of Canaan and were a constant source of wars and fighting with the children of Israel.
Verses 15-18 And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth, 16 And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite, 17 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, 18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.
Heth was the father of the Hittites. The name means, “terror”. The Jebusites lived in or around the city of Jebus, which was the early name of the city of Jerusalem. The rest of the nations listed settled in the land of Canaan, some of which the children of Israel displaced or conquered when they entered the promised land under the leadership of Joshua.
Verse19 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.
Here is the first reference to the cities of Sodom, the name meaning “burning”, and Gomorrah, the name meaning “submersion”. These cities were located near the Dead Sea and the Jordan river.
Verse 20 These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.
In the Bible, the descendants of a man are referred to as his sons even though they are also grandsons and great grandsons, etc. So confusion can ocurr if the reader is not aware of this.
Verses 21-22 Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born. 22 The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.
Verse 21 above illustrates nicely how the multiple descendants of a man are referred to as his sons even though they are of a different generation. Shem is called “the father of all the children of Eber,” but Eber was the great grandson of Shem and he was the father of Peleg and Joktan who would also be called the sons of Shem even though they would be Shem’s great great grandsons.
Verse 23 And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.
Aram means “Syria” and he was the father of the Syrian nation.
Verses 24-25 And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber. 25 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.
The name Eber means “the region beyond”. The name Peleg means “division”. And the name Joktan means “smallness”. These names tell a story: the region beyond was divided into smaller regions. It is believed that the Earth, when created by God, was one large land mass, and that the seas were also one large body of water. The Hebrew word translated as “divided” is “palag” and it means to split, to cleave or to divide. Therefore, according to the Scripture, the Earth was divided up in the days of Peleg so that today there are continents or smaller land masses separated by seas. If that seems too fantastic to have occurred, just remember that it was the LORD who put the world together in the first place and He can certainly rearrange it if He so desires.
Verses 26-30 And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, 27 And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah, 28 And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba, 29 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan. 30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
It is believed that these descendants of Joktan settled in Arabia.
Verses 31-32 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations. 32 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.
Application: A reminder to the reader is that Moses wrote the first five books of the Old Testament. He had 40 years in the wilderness in which to accomplish this task. So how did he know all this genealogy and geography and history? Well, some of the information was passed down from generation to generation verbally. Some was written history. And it stands to reason that Moses, having lived in an Egyptian culture, would have some working knowledge of the people groups in the area, especially in northern Africa. But the real answer is given in 2 Peter 1:21. “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Remember, prophecy in the Bible is not predicting the future. It is bringing forth the Word of God. Moses brought forth the first five books of the Word of God because the Holy Spirit told him what to write. That is why the believer can be 100% assured that the historical information in the Bible is accurate.