The Family of Nations
Noah's three sons become seventy nations, spread out by clan, language and land. Nimrod's kingdoms and Canaan's borders get named, quietly setting the map for everything that follows. The scattering is described here as spreading, before Babel explains why.
10 1This is the account of Noah's sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.
2The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
3The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim. 5From these the coastland peoples divided into their lands, each by language, clan, and nation.
6The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. 7The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. 8Cush fathered Nimrod, who was the first mighty man on the earth. 9He was a mighty hunter before God, so they say, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before God." 10The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. a a v10 Shinar refers to the region later associated with Babylon. 11From that land he went out to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, 12and Resen, between Nineveh and Calah; this is the great city. 13Mizraim fathered the Ludim, the Anamim, the Lehabim, the Naphtuhim, 14the Pathrusim, the Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and the Caphtorim.
15Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn, and Heth, 16and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, 17the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, 18the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the clans of the Canaanites spread out. 19Canaan's border ran from Sidon toward Gerar to Gaza, and toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, to Lasha. 20These are Ham's sons, by their clans, languages, lands, and nations.
21Children were also born to Shem, older brother of Japheth, father of all Eber's descendants. 22The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. 23The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 24Arphaxad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber. 25Eber had two sons: one named Peleg, for the earth was divided in his days, and his brother named Joktan. b b v25 Peleg means "division" — his name marks the time in his lifetime when the peoples of the earth were divided. 26Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. 30Their territory extended from Mesha toward Sephar, to the hill country of the east. 31These are Shem's sons, by their clans, languages, lands, and nations.
32These are the clans of Noah's sons, by their lines of descent, in their nations; from these the nations spread across the earth after the flood.
