Kejadian 8:20--10:32
Konteks8:20 Noah built an altar to the Lord. He then took some of every kind of clean animal and clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 1 8:21 And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma 2 and said 3 to himself, 4 “I will never again curse 5 the ground because of humankind, even though 6 the inclination of their minds 7 is evil from childhood on. 8 I will never again destroy everything that lives, as I have just done.
8:22 “While the earth continues to exist, 9
planting time 10 and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
and day and night will not cease.”
9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 9:2 Every living creature of the earth and every bird of the sky will be terrified of you. 11 Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority. 12 9:3 You may eat any moving thing that lives. 13 As I gave you 14 the green plants, I now give 15 you everything.
9:4 But 16 you must not eat meat 17 with its life (that is, 18 its blood) in it. 19 9:5 For your lifeblood 20 I will surely exact punishment, 21 from 22 every living creature I will exact punishment. From each person 23 I will exact punishment for the life of the individual 24 since the man was his relative. 25
9:6 “Whoever sheds human blood, 26
by other humans 27
must his blood be shed;
for in God’s image 28
God 29 has made humankind.”
9:7 But as for you, 30 be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and multiply on it.”
9:8 God said to Noah and his sons, 31 9:9 “Look! I now confirm 32 my covenant with you and your descendants after you 33 9:10 and with every living creature that is with you, including the birds, the domestic animals, and every living creature of the earth with you, all those that came out of the ark with you – every living creature of the earth. 34 9:11 I confirm 35 my covenant with you: Never again will all living things 36 be wiped out 37 by the waters of a flood; 38 never again will a flood destroy the earth.”
9:12 And God said, “This is the guarantee 39 of the covenant I am making 40 with you 41 and every living creature with you, a covenant 42 for all subsequent 43 generations: 9:13 I will place 44 my rainbow 45 in the clouds, and it will become 46 a guarantee of the covenant between me and the earth. 9:14 Whenever 47 I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 9:15 then I will remember my covenant with you 48 and with all living creatures of all kinds. 49 Never again will the waters become a flood and destroy 50 all living things. 51 9:16 When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will notice it and remember 52 the perpetual covenant between God and all living creatures of all kinds that are on the earth.”
9:17 So God said to Noah, “This is the guarantee of the covenant that I am confirming between me and all living things 53 that are on the earth.”
9:18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Now Ham was the father of Canaan.) 54 9:19 These were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated. 55
9:20 Noah, a man of the soil, 56 began to plant a vineyard. 57 9:21 When he drank some of the wine, he got drunk and uncovered himself 58 inside his tent. 9:22 Ham, the father of Canaan, 59 saw his father’s nakedness 60 and told his two brothers who were outside. 9:23 Shem and Japheth took the garment 61 and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned 62 the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness.
9:24 When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor 63 he learned 64 what his youngest son had done 65 to him. 9:25 So he said,
The lowest of slaves 68
he will be to his brothers.”
9:26 He also said,
“Worthy of praise is 69 the Lord, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem! 70
9:27 May God enlarge Japheth’s territory and numbers! 71
May he live 72 in the tents of Shem
and may Canaan be his slave!”
9:28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 9:29 The entire lifetime of Noah was 950 years, and then he died.
10:1 This is the account 73 of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons 74 were born 75 to them after the flood.
10:2 The sons of Japheth 76 were Gomer, 77 Magog, 78 Madai, 79 Javan, 80 Tubal, 81 Meshech, 82 and Tiras. 83 10:3 The sons of Gomer were 84 Askenaz, 85 Riphath, 86 and Togarmah. 87 10:4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, 88 Tarshish, 89 the Kittim, 90 and the Dodanim. 91 10:5 From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to its language, according to their families, by their nations.
10:6 The sons of Ham were Cush, 92 Mizraim, 93 Put, 94 and Canaan. 95 10:7 The sons of Cush were Seba, 96 Havilah, 97 Sabtah, 98 Raamah, 99 and Sabteca. 100 The sons of Raamah were Sheba 101 and Dedan. 102
10:8 Cush was the father of 103 Nimrod; he began to be a valiant warrior on the earth. 10:9 He was a mighty hunter 104 before the Lord. 105 (That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”) 10:10 The primary regions 106 of his kingdom were Babel, 107 Erech, 108 Akkad, 109 and Calneh 110 in the land of Shinar. 111 10:11 From that land he went 112 to Assyria, 113 where he built Nineveh, 114 Rehoboth-Ir, 115 Calah, 116 10:12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city Calah. 117
10:13 Mizraim 118 was the father of 119 the Ludites, 120 Anamites, 121 Lehabites, 122 Naphtuhites, 123 10:14 Pathrusites, 124 Casluhites 125 (from whom the Philistines came), 126 and Caphtorites. 127
10:15 Canaan was the father of 128 Sidon his firstborn, 129 Heth, 130 10:16 the Jebusites, 131 Amorites, 132 Girgashites, 133 10:17 Hivites, 134 Arkites, 135 Sinites, 136 10:18 Arvadites, 137 Zemarites, 138 and Hamathites. 139 Eventually the families of the Canaanites were scattered 10:19 and the borders of Canaan extended 140 from Sidon 141 all the way to 142 Gerar as far as Gaza, and all the way to 143 Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 10:20 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and by their nations.
10:21 And sons were also born 144 to Shem (the older brother of Japheth), 145 the father of all the sons of Eber.
10:22 The sons of Shem were Elam, 146 Asshur, 147 Arphaxad, 148 Lud, 149 and Aram. 150 10:23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 151 10:24 Arphaxad was the father of 152 Shelah, 153 and Shelah was the father of Eber. 154 10:25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg because in his days the earth was divided, 155 and his brother’s name was Joktan. 10:26 Joktan was the father of 156 Almodad, 157 Sheleph, 158 Hazarmaveth, 159 Jerah, 160 10:27 Hadoram, Uzal, 161 Diklah, 162 10:28 Obal, 163 Abimael, 164 Sheba, 165 10:29 Ophir, 166 Havilah, 167 and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. 10:30 Their dwelling place was from Mesha all the way to 168 Sephar in the eastern hills. 10:31 These are the sons of Shem according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and according to their nations.
10:32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations, and from these the nations spread 169 over the earth after the flood.
[8:20] 1 sn Offered burnt offerings on the altar. F. D. Maurice includes a chapter on the sacrifice of Noah in The Doctrine of Sacrifice. The whole burnt offering, according to Leviticus 1, represented the worshiper’s complete surrender and dedication to the
[8:21] 2 tn The
[8:21] 3 tn Heb “and the
[8:21] 4 tn Heb “in his heart.”
[8:21] 5 tn Here the Hebrew word translated “curse” is קָלָל (qalal), used in the Piel verbal stem.
[8:21] 6 tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) can be used in a concessive sense (see BDB 473 s.v. כִּי), which makes good sense in this context. Its normal causal sense (“for”) does not fit the context here very well.
[8:21] 7 tn Heb “the inclination of the heart of humankind.”
[8:21] 8 tn Heb “from his youth.”
[8:22] 9 tn Heb “yet all the days of the earth.” The idea is “[while there are] yet all the days of the earth,” meaning, “as long as the earth exists.”
[8:22] 10 tn Heb “seed,” which stands here by metonymy for the time when seed is planted.
[9:2] 11 tn Heb “and fear of you and dread of you will be upon every living creature of the earth and upon every bird of the sky.” The suffixes on the nouns “fear” and “dread” are objective genitives. The animals will fear humans from this time forward.
[9:2] 12 tn Heb “into your hand are given.” The “hand” signifies power. To say the animals have been given into the hands of humans means humans have been given authority over them.
[9:3] 13 tn Heb “every moving thing that lives for you will be for food.”
[9:3] 14 tn The words “I gave you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:3] 15 tn The perfect verb form describes the action that accompanies the declaration.
[9:4] 18 tn Heb “its life, its blood.” The second word is in apposition to the first, explaining what is meant by “its life.” Since the blood is equated with life, meat that had the blood in it was not to be eaten.
[9:4] 19 tn The words “in it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:4] sn You must not eat meat with its life…in it. Because of the carnage produced by the flood, people might conclude that life is cheap and therefore treat it lightly. But God will not permit them to kill or even to eat anything with the lifeblood still in it, serving as a reminder of the sanctity of life.
[9:5] 20 tn Again the text uses apposition to clarify what kind of blood is being discussed: “your blood, [that is] for your life.” See C. L. Dewar, “The Biblical Use of the Term ‘Blood,’” JTS 4 (1953): 204-8.
[9:5] 21 tn The word “punishment” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification. The verb דָּרָשׁ (darash) means “to require, to seek, to ask for, to exact.” Here it means that God will exact punishment for the taking of a life. See R. Mawdsley, “Capital Punishment in Gen. 9:6,” CentBib 18 (1975): 20-25.
[9:5] 22 tn Heb “from the hand of,” which means “out of the hand of” or “out of the power of” and is nearly identical in sense to the preposition מִן (min) alone.
[9:5] 23 tn Heb “and from the hand of the man.” The article has a generic function, indicating the class, i.e., humankind.
[9:5] 25 tn Heb “from the hand of a man, his brother.” The point is that God will require the blood of someone who kills, since the person killed is a relative (“brother”) of the killer. The language reflects Noah’s situation (after the flood everyone would be part of Noah’s extended family), but also supports the concept of the brotherhood of humankind. According to the Genesis account the entire human race descended from Noah.
[9:6] 26 tn Heb “the blood of man.”
[9:6] 27 tn Heb “by man,” a generic term here for other human beings.
[9:6] 28 sn See the notes on the words “humankind” and “likeness” in Gen 1:26, as well as J. Barr, “The Image of God in the Book of Genesis – A Study of Terminology,” BJRL 51 (1968/69): 11-26.
[9:6] 29 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:7] 30 sn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + pronominal subject + verb) here indicates a strong contrast to what has preceded. Against the backdrop of the warnings about taking life, God now instructs the people to produce life, using terms reminiscent of the mandate given to Adam (Gen 1:28).
[9:8] 31 tn Heb “to Noah and to his sons with him, saying.”
[9:9] 32 tn Heb “I, look, I confirm.” The particle הִנְנִי (hinni) used with the participle מֵקִים (meqim) gives the sense of immediacy or imminence, as if to say, “Look! I am now confirming.”
[9:9] 33 tn The three pronominal suffixes (translated “you,” “your,” and “you”) are masculine plural. As v. 8 indicates, Noah and his sons are addressed.
[9:10] 34 tn The verbal repetition is apparently for emphasis.
[9:11] 35 tn The verb וַהֲקִמֹתִי (vahaqimoti) is a perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive and should be translated with the English present tense, just as the participle at the beginning of the speech was (v. 9). Another option is to translate both forms with the English future tense (“I will confirm”).
[9:11] 38 tn Heb “and all flesh will not be cut off again by the waters of the flood.”
[9:12] 40 sn On the making of covenants in Genesis, see W. F. Albright, “The Hebrew Expression for ‘Making a Covenant’ in Pre-Israelite Documents,” BASOR 121 (1951): 21-22.
[9:12] 41 tn Heb “between me and between you.”
[9:12] 42 tn The words “a covenant” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:12] 43 tn The Hebrew term עוֹלָם (’olam) means “ever, forever, lasting, perpetual.” The covenant would extend to subsequent generations.
[9:13] 44 tn The translation assumes that the perfect verbal form is used rhetorically, emphasizing the certainty of the action. Other translation options include “I have placed” (present perfect; cf. NIV, NRSV) and “I place” (instantaneous perfect; cf. NEB).
[9:13] 45 sn The Hebrew word קֶשֶׁת (qeshet) normally refers to a warrior’s bow. Some understand this to mean that God the warrior hangs up his battle bow at the end of the flood, indicating he is now at peace with humankind, but others question the legitimacy of this proposal. See C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:473, and G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:196.
[9:13] 46 tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect of certitude.
[9:14] 47 tn The temporal indicator (וְהָיָה, vÿhayah, conjunction + the perfect verb form), often translated “it will be,” anticipates a future development.
[9:15] 48 tn Heb “which [is] between me and between you.”
[9:15] 50 tn Heb “to destroy.”
[9:16] 52 tn The translation assumes that the infinitive לִזְכֹּר (lizkor, “to remember”) here expresses the result of seeing the rainbow. Another option is to understand it as indicating purpose, in which case it could be translated, “I will look at it so that I may remember.”
[9:18] 54 sn The concluding disjunctive clause is parenthetical. It anticipates the following story, which explains that the Canaanites, Ham’s descendants through Canaan, were cursed because they shared the same moral abandonment that their ancestor displayed. See A. van Selms, “The Canaanites in the Book of Genesis,” OTS 12 (1958): 182-213.
[9:19] 55 tn Heb “was scattered.” The verb פָּצָה (patsah, “to scatter” [Niphal, “to be scattered”]) figures prominently in story of the dispersion of humankind in chap. 11.
[9:20] 56 sn The epithet a man of the soil indicates that Noah was a farmer.
[9:20] 57 tn Or “Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard”; Heb “and Noah, a man of the ground, began and he planted a vineyard.”
[9:21] 58 tn The Hebrew verb גָּלָה (galah) in the Hitpael verbal stem (וַיִּתְגַּל, vayyitggal) means “to uncover oneself” or “to be uncovered.” Noah became overheated because of the wine and uncovered himself in the tent.
[9:22] 59 sn For the second time (see v. 18) the text informs the reader of the relationship between Ham and Canaan. Genesis 10 will explain that Canaan was the ancestor of the Canaanite tribes living in the promised land.
[9:22] 60 tn Some would translate “had sexual relations with,” arguing that Ham committed a homosexual act with his drunken father for which he was cursed. However, the expression “see nakedness” usually refers to observation of another’s nakedness, not a sexual act (see Gen 42:9, 12 where “nakedness” is used metaphorically to convey the idea of “weakness” or “vulnerability”; Deut 23:14 where “nakedness” refers to excrement; Isa 47:3; Ezek 16:37; Lam 1:8). The following verse (v. 23) clearly indicates that visual observation, not a homosexual act, is in view here. In Lev 20:17 the expression “see nakedness” does appear to be a euphemism for sexual intercourse, but the context there, unlike that of Gen 9:22, clearly indicates that in that passage sexual contact is in view. The expression “see nakedness” does not in itself suggest a sexual connotation. Some relate Gen 9:22 to Lev 18:6-11, 15-19, where the expression “uncover [another’s] nakedness” (the Piel form of גָּלָה, galah) refers euphemistically to sexual intercourse. However, Gen 9:22 does not say Ham “uncovered” the nakedness of his father. According to the text, Noah uncovered himself; Ham merely saw his father naked. The point of the text is that Ham had no respect for his father. Rather than covering his father up, he told his brothers. Noah then gave an oracle that Ham’s descendants, who would be characterized by the same moral abandonment, would be cursed. Leviticus 18 describes that greater evil of the Canaanites (see vv. 24-28).
[9:22] sn Saw the nakedness. It is hard for modern people to appreciate why seeing another’s nakedness was such an abomination, because nakedness is so prevalent today. In the ancient world, especially in a patriarchal society, seeing another’s nakedness was a major offense. (See the account in Herodotus, Histories 1.8-13, where a general saw the nakedness of his master’s wife, and one of the two had to be put to death.) Besides, Ham was not a little boy wandering into his father’s bedroom; he was over a hundred years old by this time. For fuller discussion see A. P. Ross, “The Curse of Canaan,” BSac 137 (1980): 223-40.
[9:23] 61 tn The word translated “garment” has the Hebrew definite article on it. The article may simply indicate that the garment is definite and vivid in the mind of the narrator, but it could refer instead to Noah’s garment. Did Ham bring it out when he told his brothers?
[9:23] 62 tn Heb “their faces [were turned] back.”
[9:24] 63 tn Heb “his wine,” used here by metonymy for the drunken stupor it produced.
[9:24] 65 tn The Hebrew verb עָשָׂה (’asah, “to do”) carries too general a sense to draw the conclusion that Ham had to have done more than look on his father’s nakedness and tell his brothers.
[9:25] 66 sn For more on the curse, see H. C. Brichto, The Problem of “Curse” in the Hebrew Bible (JBLMS), and J. Scharbert, TDOT 1:405-18.
[9:25] 67 sn Cursed be Canaan. The curse is pronounced on Canaan, not Ham. Noah sees a problem in Ham’s character, and on the basis of that he delivers a prophecy about the future descendants who will live in slavery to such things and then be controlled by others. (For more on the idea of slavery in general, see E. M. Yamauchi, “Slaves of God,” BETS 9 [1966]: 31-49). In a similar way Jacob pronounced oracles about his sons based on their revealed character (see Gen 49).
[9:25] 68 tn Heb “a servant of servants” (עֶבֶד עֲבָדִים, ’eved ’avadim), an example of the superlative genitive. It means Canaan will become the most abject of slaves.
[9:26] 69 tn Heb “blessed be.”
[9:26] 70 tn Heb “a slave to him”; the referent (Shem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:27] 71 tn Heb “may God enlarge Japheth.” The words “territory and numbers” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[9:27] sn There is a wordplay (paronomasia) on the name Japheth. The verb יַפְתְּ (yaft, “may he enlarge”) sounds like the name יֶפֶת (yefet, “Japheth”). The name itself suggested the idea. The blessing for Japheth extends beyond the son to the descendants. Their numbers and their territories will be enlarged, so much so that they will share in Shem’s territories. Again, in this oracle, Noah is looking beyond his immediate family to future generations. For a helpful study of this passage and the next chapter, see T. O. Figart, A Biblical Perspective on the Race Problem, 55-58.
[9:27] 72 tn In this context the prefixed verbal form is a jussive (note the distinct jussive forms both before and after this in vv. 26 and 27).
[10:1] 73 tn The title אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת (’elle tolÿdot, here translated as “This is the account”) here covers 10:1–11:9, which contains the so-called Table of Nations and the account of how the nations came to be dispersed.
[10:1] 74 sn Sons were born to them. A vertical genealogy such as this encompasses more than the names of sons. The list includes cities, tribes, and even nations. In a loose way, the names in the list have some derivation or connection to the three ancestors.
[10:1] 75 tn It appears that the Table of Nations is a composite of at least two ancient sources: Some sections begin with the phrase “the sons of” (בְּנֵי, bÿne) while other sections use “begot” (יָלָד, yalad). It may very well be that the “sons of” list was an old, “bare bones” list that was retained in the family records, while the “begot” sections were editorial inserts by the writer of Genesis, reflecting his special interests. See A. P. Ross, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Structure,” BSac 137 (1980): 340-53; idem, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Content,” BSac 138 (1981): 22-34.
[10:2] 76 sn The Greek form of the name Japheth, Iapetos, is used in Greek tradition for the ancestor of the Greeks.
[10:2] 77 sn Gomer was the ancestor of the Cimmerians. For a discussion of the Cimmerians see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 49-61.
[10:2] 78 sn For a discussion of various proposals concerning the descendants of Magog see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 22-24.
[10:2] 79 sn Madai was the ancestor of the Medes, who lived east of Assyria.
[10:2] 80 sn Javan was the father of the Hellenic race, the Ionians who lived in western Asia Minor.
[10:2] 81 sn Tubal was the ancestor of militaristic tribes that lived north of the Black Sea. For a discussion of ancient references to Tubal see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 24-26.
[10:2] 82 sn Meshech was the ancestor of the people known in Assyrian records as the Musku. For a discussion of ancient references to them see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 24-26.
[10:2] 83 sn Tiras was the ancestor of the Thracians, some of whom possibly became the Pelasgian pirates of the Aegean.
[10:3] 84 sn The descendants of Gomer were all northern tribes of the Upper Euphrates.
[10:3] 85 sn Askenaz was the ancestor of a northern branch of Indo-Germanic tribes, possibly Scythians. For discussion see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 63.
[10:3] 86 sn The descendants of Riphath lived in a district north of the road from Haran to Carchemish.
[10:3] 87 sn Togarmah is also mentioned in Ezek 38:6, where it refers to Til-garimmu, the capital of Kammanu, which bordered Tabal in eastern Turkey. See E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 26, n. 28.
[10:4] 88 sn The descendants of Elishah populated Cyprus.
[10:4] 89 sn The descendants of Tarshish settled along the southern coast of what is modern Turkey. However, some identify the site Tarshish (see Jonah 1:3) with Sardinia or Spain.
[10:4] 90 sn The name Kittim is associated with Cyprus, as well as coastlands east of Rhodes. It is used in later texts to refer to the Romans.
[10:4] 91 tc Most of the MT
[10:6] 92 sn The descendants of Cush settled in Nubia (Ethiopia).
[10:6] 93 sn The descendants of Mizraim settled in Upper and Lower Egypt.
[10:6] 94 sn The descendants of Put settled in Libya.
[10:6] 95 sn The descendants of Canaan lived in the region of Phoenicia (Palestine).
[10:7] 96 sn The descendants of Seba settled in Upper Egypt along the Nile.
[10:7] 97 sn The Hebrew name Havilah apparently means “stretch of sand” (see HALOT 297 s.v. חֲוִילָה). Havilah’s descendants settled in eastern Arabia.
[10:7] 98 sn The descendants of Sabtah settled near the western shore of the Persian Gulf in ancient Hadhramaut.
[10:7] 99 sn The descendants of Raamah settled in southwest Arabia.
[10:7] 100 sn The descendants of Sabteca settled in Samudake, east toward the Persian Gulf.
[10:7] 101 sn Sheba became the name of a kingdom in southwest Arabia.
[10:7] 102 sn The name Dedan is associated with àUla in northern Arabia.
[10:8] 103 tn Heb “fathered.” Embedded within Cush’s genealogy is an account of Nimrod, a mighty warrior. There have been many attempts to identify him, but none are convincing.
[10:9] 104 tn The Hebrew word for “hunt” is צַיִד (tsayid), which is used on occasion for hunting men (1 Sam 24:12; Jer 16:16; Lam 3:15).
[10:9] 105 tn Another option is to take the divine name here, לִפְנֵי יִהוָה (lifne yÿhvah, “before the
[10:10] 106 tn Heb “beginning.” E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 67, suggests “mainstays,” citing Jer 49:35 as another text where the Hebrew noun is so used.
[10:10] 108 sn Erech (ancient Uruk, modern Warka), one of the most ancient civilizations, was located southeast of Babylon.
[10:10] 109 sn Akkad, or ancient Agade, was associated with Sargon and located north of Babylon.
[10:10] 110 tn No such place is known in Shinar (i.e., Babylonia). Therefore some have translated the Hebrew term כַלְנֵה (khalneh) as “all of them,” referring to the three previous names (cf. NRSV).
[10:10] 111 sn Shinar is another name for Babylonia.
[10:11] 112 tn The subject of the verb translated “went” is probably still Nimrod. However, it has also been interpreted that “Ashur went,” referring to a derivative power.
[10:11] 114 sn Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city situated on the Tigris River.
[10:11] 115 sn The name Rehoboth-Ir means “and broad streets of a city,” perhaps referring to a suburb of Nineveh.
[10:11] 116 sn Calah (modern Nimrud) was located twenty miles north of Nineveh.
[10:12] 117 tn Heb “and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; it [i.e., Calah] is the great city.”
[10:13] 118 sn Mizraim is the Hebrew name for Egypt (cf. NRSV).
[10:13] 119 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:13] 120 sn The Ludites were African tribes west of the Nile Delta.
[10:13] 121 sn The Anamites lived in North Africa, west of Egypt, near Cyrene.
[10:13] 122 sn The Lehabites are identified with the Libyans.
[10:13] 123 sn The Naphtuhites lived in Lower Egypt (the Nile Delta region).
[10:14] 124 sn The Pathrusites are known in Egyptian as P-to-reshi; they resided in Upper Egypt.
[10:14] 125 sn The Casluhites lived in Crete and eventually settled east of the Egyptian Delta, between Egypt and Canaan.
[10:14] 126 tn Several commentators prefer to reverse the order of the words to put this clause after the next word, since the Philistines came from Crete (where the Caphtorites lived). But the table may suggest migration rather than lineage, and the Philistines, like the Israelites, came through the Nile Delta region of Egypt. For further discussion of the origin and migration of the Philistines, see D. M. Howard, “Philistines,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 232.
[10:14] 127 sn The Caphtorites resided in Crete, but in Egyptian literature Caphtor refers to “the region beyond” the Mediterranean.
[10:15] 128 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:15] 129 sn Sidon was the foremost city in Phoenicia; here Sidon may be the name of its founder.
[10:15] 130 tn Some see a reference to “Hittites” here (cf. NIV), but this seems unlikely. See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.
[10:16] 131 sn The Jebusites were the Canaanite inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem.
[10:16] 132 sn Here Amorites refers to smaller groups of Canaanite inhabitants of the mountainous regions of Palestine, rather than the large waves of Amurru, or western Semites, who migrated to the region.
[10:16] 133 sn The Girgashites are an otherwise unknown Canaanite tribe, though the name is possibly mentioned in Ugaritic texts (see G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 1:226).
[10:17] 134 sn The Hivites were Canaanite tribes of a Hurrian origin.
[10:17] 135 sn The Arkites lived in Arka, a city in Lebanon, north of Sidon.
[10:17] 136 sn The Sinites lived in Sin, another town in Lebanon.
[10:18] 137 sn The Arvadites lived in the city Arvad, located on an island near the mainland close to the river El Kebir.
[10:18] 138 sn The Zemarites lived in the town Sumur, north of Arka.
[10:18] 139 sn The Hamathites lived in Hamath on the Orontes River.
[10:19] 141 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[10:19] 142 tn Heb “as you go.”
[10:19] 143 tn Heb “as you go.”
[10:21] 144 tn Heb “And to Shem was born.”
[10:21] 145 tn Or “whose older brother was Japheth.” Some translations render Japheth as the older brother, understanding the adjective הַגָּדוֹל (haggadol, “older”) as modifying Japheth. However, in Hebrew when a masculine singular definite attributive adjective follows the sequence masculine singular construct noun + proper name, the adjective invariably modifies the noun in construct, not the proper name. Such is the case here. See Deut 11:7; Judg 1:13; 2:7; 3:9; 9:5; 2 Kgs 15:35; 2 Chr 27:3; Neh 3:30; Jer 13:9; 36:10; Ezek 10:19; 11:1.
[10:22] 146 sn The Hebrew name Elam (עֵילָם, ’elam) means “highland.” The Elamites were a non-Semitic people who lived east of Babylon.
[10:22] 147 sn Asshur is the name for the Assyrians. Asshur was the region in which Nimrod expanded his power (see v. 11, where the name is also mentioned). When names appear in both sections of a genealogical list, it probably means that there were both Hamites and Shemites living in that region in antiquity, especially if the name is a place name.
[10:22] 148 sn The descendants of Arphaxad may have lived northeast of Nineveh.
[10:22] 149 sn Lud may have been the ancestor of the Ludbu, who lived near the Tigris River.
[10:22] 150 sn Aram became the collective name of the northern tribes living in the steppes of Mesopotamia and speaking Aramaic dialects.
[10:23] 151 tc The MT reads “Mash”; the LXX and 1 Chr 1:17 read “Meshech.”
[10:23] sn Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. Little is known about these descendants of Aram.
[10:24] 152 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:24] 153 tc The MT reads “Arphaxad fathered Shelah”; the LXX reads “Arphaxad fathered Cainan, and Cainan fathered Sala [= Shelah].” The LXX reading also appears to lie behind Luke 3:35-36.
[10:24] 154 sn Genesis 11 traces the line of Shem through Eber (עֵבֶר, ’ever ) to Abraham the “Hebrew” (עִבְרִי, ’ivri).
[10:25] 155 tn The expression “the earth was divided” may refer to dividing the land with canals, but more likely it anticipates the division of languages at Babel (Gen 11). The verb פָּלָג (palag, “separate, divide”) is used in Ps 55:9 for a division of languages.
[10:26] 156 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:26] 157 sn The name Almodad combines the Arabic article al with modad (“friend”). Almodad was the ancestor of a South Arabian people.
[10:26] 158 sn The name Sheleph may be related to Shilph, a district of Yemen; Shalph is a Yemenite tribe.
[10:26] 159 sn The name Hazarmaveth should be equated with Hadramawt, located in Southern Arabia.
[10:26] 160 sn The name Jerah means “moon.”
[10:27] 161 sn Uzal was the name of the old capital of Yemen.
[10:27] 162 sn The name Diklah means “date-palm.”
[10:28] 163 sn Obal was a name used for several localities in Yemen.
[10:28] 164 sn The name Abimael is a genuine Sabean form which means “my father, truly, he is God.”
[10:28] 165 sn The descendants of Sheba lived in South Arabia, where the Joktanites were more powerful than the Hamites.
[10:29] 166 sn Ophir became the name of a territory in South Arabia. Many of the references to Ophir are connected with gold (e.g., 1 Kgs 9:28, 10:11, 22:48; 1 Chr 29:4; 2 Chr 8:18, 9:10; Job 22:24, 28:16; Ps 45:9; Isa 13:12).
[10:29] 167 sn Havilah is listed with Ham in v. 7.
