Genesis 10
Expanded Bible
Nations Grow and Spread
10 ·This is the family history [L These are the generations; 2:4] of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah. After the flood ·these three men had sons [L sons were born to them].
Japheth’s Sons
2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai [C ancestor of the Medes], Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
3 The sons of Gomer [C ancestor of the Cimmerians] were Ashkenaz [C ancestor of the Scythians], Riphath, and Togarmah.
4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim [C ancestor of the people of Cyprus], and ·Rodanim [L Dodanim; see 1 Chr. 1:7]. 5 ·Those who lived in the lands around the Mediterranean Sea [L The people of the coastlands] ·came [spread] from these sons of Japheth. All the ·families [clans] grew and became different nations, each nation with its own land and its own language.
Ham’s Sons
6 The sons of Ham [C ancestors of near neighbors and rivals of Israel] were Cush [C ancestor of the Ethiopians], Mizraim [C ancestor of the Egyptians], Put [C perhaps ancestor of the Libyans], and Canaan.
7 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca.
The sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan [C some of their descendants were the people around the Red Sea and southern Arabia].
8 Cush also had a descendant named Nimrod, who became a very powerful man on earth. 9 He was a ·great [mighty] hunter before the Lord, which is why people say someone is “like Nimrod, a ·great [mighty] hunter before the Lord.” 10 ·At first Nimrod’s kingdom covered [L The beginning of his kingdom was] Babylon, ·Erech [or Uruk], Akkad, and Calneh [C well-known cities in southern Mesopotamia] in the land of ·Babylonia [L Shinar]. 11 From there he went to Assyria [C in northern Mesopotamia], where he built the cities of Nineveh, ·Rehoboth Ir [or that is a great city], and Calah. 12 He also built Resen, the great city between Nineveh and Calah.
13 Mizraim [10:6] was the father of the ·Ludites [C probably the Lydians], Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 14 Pathrusites, Casluhites, and the ·people of Crete [L Caphtorites]. (The Philistines came from the ·Casluhites [or Caphtorites].)
15 Canaan [C the son of Ham whom Noah cursed; 9:25–27] was the father of Sidon [C name of a famous coastal city in Syria], his first son, and of Heth [C ancestor of the Hittites, important inhabitants of Asia Minor]. 16 He was also the father of the Jebusites [C pre-Israelite inhabitants of Jerusalem], Amorites, Girgashites, 17 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 18 Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites [C peoples who lived in Syria-Palestine before the Israelites]. The ·families [clans] of the Canaanites scattered. 19 Their land reached from Sidon to Gerar as far as Gaza, and then to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
20 All these people were the sons of Ham, and all these ·families [clans] had their own languages, their own lands, and their own nations.
Shem’s Sons
21 Shem, Japheth’s older brother, also had sons. One of his descendants was the father of all the sons of Eber [C the Israelites were descended from Shem through Eber].
22 The sons of Shem were Elam [C a country east of Mesopotamia], Asshur [C in northern Mesopotamia], Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram [C north of Israel in Syria].
23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech.
24 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, who was the father of Eber. 25 Eber was the father of two sons—one named Peleg [C related to the Hebrew word for “divided”], because the earth was divided during his life, and the other was named Joktan.
26 Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these people were the sons of Joktan. 30 They lived in the area between Mesha and Sephar in the hill country in the East.
31 These are the people from the ·family [clans] of Shem, arranged by ·families [clans], languages, countries, and nations.
32 This is the list of the ·families [clans] from the sons of Noah, arranged according to their nations. From these ·families [clans] came all the nations who ·spread [branched out] across the earth after the flood.
Genesis 10
New Living Translation
10 This is the account of the families of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the three sons of Noah. Many children were born to them after the great flood.
Descendants of Japheth
2 The descendants of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
3 The descendants of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
4 The descendants of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.[a] 5 Their descendants became the seafaring peoples that spread out to various lands, each identified by its own language, clan, and national identity.
Descendants of Ham
6 The descendants of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
7 The descendants of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The descendants of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.
8 Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, who was the first heroic warrior on earth. 9 Since he was the greatest hunter in the world,[b] his name became proverbial. People would say, “This man is like Nimrod, the greatest hunter in the world.” 10 He built his kingdom in the land of Babylonia,[c] with the cities of Babylon, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh. 11 From there he expanded his territory to Assyria,[d] building the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, 12 and Resen (the great city located between Nineveh and Calah).
13 Mizraim was the ancestor of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 14 Pathrusites, Casluhites, and the Caphtorites, from whom the Philistines came.[e]
15 Canaan’s oldest son was Sidon, the ancestor of the Sidonians. Canaan was also the ancestor of the Hittites,[f] 16 Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 17 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 18 Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites. The Canaanite clans eventually spread out, 19 and the territory of Canaan extended from Sidon in the north to Gerar and Gaza in the south, and east as far as Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, near Lasha.
20 These were the descendants of Ham, identified by clan, language, territory, and national identity.
Descendants of Shem
21 Sons were also born to Shem, the older brother of Japheth.[g] Shem was the ancestor of all the descendants of Eber.
22 The descendants of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
23 The descendants of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.
24 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah,[h] and Shelah was the father of Eber.
25 Eber had two sons. The first was named Peleg (which means “division”), for during his lifetime the people of the world were divided into different language groups. His brother’s name was Joktan.
26 Joktan was the ancestor of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were descendants of Joktan. 30 The territory they occupied extended from Mesha all the way to Sephar in the eastern mountains.
31 These were the descendants of Shem, identified by clan, language, territory, and national identity.
Conclusion
32 These are the clans that descended from Noah’s sons, arranged by nation according to their lines of descent. All the nations of the earth descended from these clans after the great flood.
Footnotes
- 10:4 As in some Hebrew manuscripts and Greek version (see also 1 Chr 1:7); most Hebrew manuscripts read Dodanim.
- 10:9 Hebrew a great hunter before the Lord; also in 10:9b.
- 10:10 Hebrew Shinar.
- 10:11 Or From that land Assyria went out.
- 10:14 Hebrew Casluhites, from whom the Philistines came, and Caphtorites. Compare Jer 47:4; Amos 9:7.
- 10:15 Hebrew ancestor of Heth.
- 10:21 Or Shem, whose older brother was Japheth.
- 10:24 Greek version reads Arphaxad was the father of Cainan, Cainan was the father of Shelah. Compare Luke 3:36.
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.