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Cush fathered Nimrod, the first great warrior on earth. The Lord saw him as a great hunter, and so it is said, “Like Nimrod, whom the Lord saw as a great hunter.” 10 The most important cities in his kingdom were Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh in the land of Shinar. 11 Asshur left that land and built Nineveh, Rehoboth City, Calah, 12 and Resen, the great city between Nineveh and Calah.

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The Descendants of Ham

6-20 Ham's descendants had their own languages, tribes, and land. They were Ethiopia,[a] Egypt, Put, and Canaan.

Cush[b] was the ancestor of Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca.

Raamah was the ancestor of Sheba and Dedan.

Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, a mighty warrior whose strength came from the Lord. This is why people say: “You hunt like Nimrod with the strength of the Lord!” Nimrod first ruled in Babylon, Erech, and Accad, all of[c] which were in Babylonia.[d] From there Nimrod went to Assyria and built the great city of Nineveh. He also built Rehoboth-Ir and Calah, as well as Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah.

Egypt was the ancestor of Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim, and Caphtorim, the ancestor of the Philistines.[e]

Canaan's sons were Sidon and Heth. Canaan was also the ancestor of the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.

Later the Canaanites spread from the territory of Sidon and settled as far away as Gaza in the direction of Gerar. They also went as far as Lasha in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim.

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Footnotes

  1. 10.6-20 Ethiopia: See the note at 2.13.
  2. 10.6-20 Cush: See the note at 2.13.
  3. 10.6-20 and Accad, all of: Or “Accad, and Calneh.”
  4. 10.6-20 Babylonia: The Hebrew text has “Shinar,” another name for Babylonia.
  5. 10.6-20 Casluhim, and Caphtorim, the ancestor of the Philistines: Hebrew “Caphtorim, and Casluhim, the ancestor of the Philistines.” The Philistines were from Caphtor (see Jeremiah 47.4; Amos 9.7), better known as Crete.

Cush became the father of Nimrod, who was the first on earth to become a powerful man. He was a powerful animal-killer in the eyes of the Lord. So it is said, “Like Nimrod, a powerful animal-killer in the eyes of the Lord.” 10 The beginning of his nation was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 He went into Assyria from the land, and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah 12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah. That is the great city.

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Cush also had a son named Nimrod who became a very powerful man on earth. He was a great hunter before the Lord. That is why people compare other men to him and say, “That man is like Nimrod, a great hunter before the Lord.”

10 Nimrod’s kingdom spread from Babylon to Erech, to Akkad, and then to Calneh in the land of Babylonia.[a] 11 Nimrod also went into Assyria. In Assyria, Nimrod built the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and 12 Resen. (Resen is the city between Nineveh and Calah, the big city.)

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 10:10 Babylonia Literally, “Shinar,” which may be a form of the name Sumer. Also in 11:2; 14:1.

Cush begot (A)Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty (B)hunter (C)before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.” 10 (D)And the beginning of his kingdom was (E)Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went (F)to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, 12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city).

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