Genesis 10 · The Lantern

Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and unto them were sons born after the flood.

The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.

And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.

And the sons of Javan: Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

Of these were the isles of the nations divided in their lands, every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.

And the sons of Ham: Cush, and Mizraim, and Put, and Canaan.

(Verse 6) The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. Cush, even to this day, is called Ethiopia by the Hebrews; Egypt is called Mizraim, and Put is called Libya. From Put, the river of Mauritania is called as such, and the entire region surrounding it is known as the Putian region. Many Greek and Latin writers attest to this.

The river Phison separates all the countries of India [lying along its course] from the country of the Huns. In scripture the Indian region is called Euilat (Havilah). For it is thus written in Genesis: Now the river goeth out from Eden to water Paradise. And from there it was parted and became four heads.

The sons of Ham: Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut and Canaan. Cush is today called Ethiopia by the Hebrews, Mizraim is Egypt, Phut is Libya, from whom even to this day a river in Mauretania is called Phut, and the whole region around it is called Phutensis. Moreover, Canaan possessed the land which the Jews subsequently took over by expelling the Canaanites.

And the sons of Cush: Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah: Sheba, and Dedan.

And Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

(82) Why was Chus the father of Nimrod, who began to be a giant and a hunter before the Lord: on which account they said, "Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord?" (#Ge 10:8).

A Nimrod, who goes round the world, made rough With deep ravines and wooden crags, and strives To waylay some by fraud and secret wiles, To vanquish others by his giant arms And spread his deadly triumphs far and wide.

Moreover, Cush begat Nimrod. He began to be mighty on the earth, and he was a mighty hunter before the Lord. While the progeny of Shem and Japheth remained in the innocence of a simple life, a cursed offspring was born of the lineage of Ham, who would pervert the state of human interaction with a new way of living, being lifted up with unique power, living first by hunting; the…

He was a mighty hunter before HaShem; wherefore it is said: 'Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before HaShem.'

And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

Nimrod too, however, in his turn in imitation of his forebear did not take due advantage of his natural preeminence but hit upon another form of servitude in endeavoring to become ruler and king. You see, there would not ever be a king unless there were people being ruled.

(Verse 10.) And it was, he said, the head of his kingdom, Babel and Arach, and Achad, and Chalanne in the land of Sennaar. Nimrod, the son of Chus, first seized an unprecedented tyranny among the people, and he reigned in Babylon, which was named after him because the tower of the builders' confusion occurred there. For Babel means confusion.

Now the beginning of his kingdom was Babylon and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. In the following passages, it is more fully explained how Babylon was made; but here it is first stated that it is left unmentioned that Nimrod was the builder of that city and its most proud tower.

Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and Rehoboth-ir, and Calah,

and Resen between Nineveh and Calah--the same is the great city.

And Mizraim begot Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,

and Pathrusim, and Casluhim--whence went forth the Philistines--and Caphtorim.

And Canaan begot Zidon his firstborn, and Heth;

and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite;

and the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite;

and the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite; and afterward were the families of the Canaanite spread abroad.

And the border of the Canaanite was from Zidon, as thou goest toward Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest toward Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim, unto Lasha.

These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, in their nations.

And unto Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, to him also were children born.

The sons of Shem: Elam, and Asshur, and Arpachshad, and Lud, and Aram.

And the sons of Aram: Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.

And Arpachshad begot Shelah; and Shelah begot Eber.

And unto Eber were born two sons; the name of the one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.

And Joktan begot Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah;

and Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah;

and Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba;

and Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan.

And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest toward Sephar, unto the mountain of the east.

These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.

These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations; and of these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

Genesis10