Genesis 10:1-32

The Table of Nations

10:1 This is the account of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.

10:2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, 10  and Tiras. 11  10:3 The sons of Gomer were 12  Askenaz, 13  Riphath, 14  and Togarmah. 15  10:4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, 16  Tarshish, 17  the Kittim, 18  and the Dodanim. 19  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, 20  Mizraim, 21  Put, 22  and Canaan. 23  10:7 The sons of Cush were Seba, 24  Havilah, 25  Sabtah, 26  Raamah, 27  and Sabteca. 28  The sons of Raamah were Sheba 29  and Dedan. 30 

10:8 Cush was the father of 31  Nimrod; he began to be a valiant warrior on the earth. 10:9 He was a mighty hunter 32  before the Lord. 33  (That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”) 10:10 The primary regions 34  of his kingdom were Babel, 35  Erech, 36  Akkad, 37  and Calneh 38  in the land of Shinar. 39  10:11 From that land he went 40  to Assyria, 41  where he built Nineveh, 42  Rehoboth-Ir, 43  Calah, 44  10:12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city Calah. 45 

10:13 Mizraim 46  was the father of 47  the Ludites, 48  Anamites, 49  Lehabites, 50  Naphtuhites, 51  10:14 Pathrusites, 52  Casluhites 53  (from whom the Philistines came), 54  and Caphtorites. 55 

10:15 Canaan was the father of 56  Sidon his firstborn, 57  Heth, 58  10:16 the Jebusites, 59  Amorites, 60  Girgashites, 61  10:17 Hivites, 62  Arkites, 63  Sinites, 64  10:18 Arvadites, 65  Zemarites, 66  and Hamathites. 67  Eventually the families of the Canaanites were scattered 10:19 and the borders of Canaan extended 68  from Sidon 69  all the way to 70  Gerar as far as Gaza, and all the way to 71  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 72  to Shem (the older brother of Japheth), 73  the father of all the sons of Eber.

10:22 The sons of Shem were Elam, 74  Asshur, 75  Arphaxad, 76  Lud, 77  and Aram. 78  10:23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 79  10:24 Arphaxad was the father of 80  Shelah, 81  and Shelah was the father of Eber. 82  10:25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg because in his days the earth was divided, 83  and his brother’s name was Joktan. 10:26 Joktan was the father of 84  Almodad, 85  Sheleph, 86  Hazarmaveth, 87  Jerah, 88  10:27 Hadoram, Uzal, 89  Diklah, 90  10:28 Obal, 91  Abimael, 92  Sheba, 93  10:29 Ophir, 94  Havilah, 95  and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. 10:30 Their dwelling place was from Mesha all the way to 96  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 97  over the earth after the flood.

Genesis 22:7

22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, 98  “My father?” “What is it, 99  my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said, 100  “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

John 14:21-24

14:21 The person who has my commandments and obeys 101  them is the one who loves me. 102  The one 103  who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal 104  myself to him.”

14:22 “Lord,” Judas (not Judas Iscariot) 105  said, 106  “what has happened that you are going to reveal 107  yourself to us and not to the world?” 14:23 Jesus replied, 108  “If anyone loves me, he will obey 109  my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him. 110  14:24 The person who does not love me does not obey 111  my words. And the word 112  you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.

John 15:20

15:20 Remember what 113  I told you, ‘A slave 114  is not greater than his master.’ 115  If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they obeyed 116  my word, they will obey 117  yours too.

John 17:6

Jesus Prays for the Disciples

17:6 “I have revealed 118  your name to the men 119  you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, 120  and you gave them to me, and they have obeyed 121  your word.

John 17:2

17:2 just as you have given him authority over all humanity, 122  so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given him. 123 

John 4:7

4:7 A Samaritan woman 124  came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me some water 125  to drink.”


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.

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.

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.

sn The Greek form of the name Japheth, Iapetos, is used in Greek tradition for the ancestor of the Greeks.

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.

sn For a discussion of various proposals concerning the descendants of Magog see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 22-24.

sn Madai was the ancestor of the Medes, who lived east of Assyria.

sn Javan was the father of the Hellenic race, the Ionians who lived in western Asia Minor.

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 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.

11 sn Tiras was the ancestor of the Thracians, some of whom possibly became the Pelasgian pirates of the Aegean.

12 sn The descendants of Gomer were all northern tribes of the Upper Euphrates.

13 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.

14 sn The descendants of Riphath lived in a district north of the road from Haran to Carchemish.

15 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.

16 sn The descendants of Elishah populated Cyprus.

17 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.

18 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.

19 tc Most of the MT mss read “Dodanim” here, but 1 Chr 1:7 has “Rodanim,” perhaps referring to the island of Rhodes. But the Qere reading in 1 Chr 1:7 suggests “Dodanim.” Dodona is one of the most ancient and revered spots in ancient Greece.

20 sn The descendants of Cush settled in Nubia (Ethiopia).

21 sn The descendants of Mizraim settled in Upper and Lower Egypt.

22 sn The descendants of Put settled in Libya.

23 sn The descendants of Canaan lived in the region of Phoenicia (Palestine).

24 sn The descendants of Seba settled in Upper Egypt along the Nile.

25 sn The Hebrew name Havilah apparently means “stretch of sand” (see HALOT 297 s.v. חֲוִילָה). Havilah’s descendants settled in eastern Arabia.

26 sn The descendants of Sabtah settled near the western shore of the Persian Gulf in ancient Hadhramaut.

27 sn The descendants of Raamah settled in southwest Arabia.

28 sn The descendants of Sabteca settled in Samudake, east toward the Persian Gulf.

29 sn Sheba became the name of a kingdom in southwest Arabia.

30 sn The name Dedan is associated with àUla in northern Arabia.

31 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.

32 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).

33 tn Another option is to take the divine name here, לִפְנֵי יִהוָה (lifne yÿhvah, “before the Lord [YHWH]”), as a means of expressing the superlative degree. In this case one may translate “Nimrod was the greatest hunter in the world.”

34 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.

35 tn Or “Babylon.”

36 sn Erech (ancient Uruk, modern Warka), one of the most ancient civilizations, was located southeast of Babylon.

37 sn Akkad, or ancient Agade, was associated with Sargon and located north of Babylon.

38 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).

39 sn Shinar is another name for Babylonia.

40 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.

41 tn Heb “Asshur.”

42 sn Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city situated on the Tigris River.

43 sn The name Rehoboth-Ir means “and broad streets of a city,” perhaps referring to a suburb of Nineveh.

44 sn Calah (modern Nimrud) was located twenty miles north of Nineveh.

45 tn Heb “and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; it [i.e., Calah] is the great city.”

46 sn Mizraim is the Hebrew name for Egypt (cf. NRSV).

47 tn Heb “fathered.”

48 sn The Ludites were African tribes west of the Nile Delta.

49 sn The Anamites lived in North Africa, west of Egypt, near Cyrene.

50 sn The Lehabites are identified with the Libyans.

51 sn The Naphtuhites lived in Lower Egypt (the Nile Delta region).

52 sn The Pathrusites are known in Egyptian as P-to-reshi; they resided in Upper Egypt.

53 sn The Casluhites lived in Crete and eventually settled east of the Egyptian Delta, between Egypt and Canaan.

54 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.

55 sn The Caphtorites resided in Crete, but in Egyptian literature Caphtor refers to “the region beyond” the Mediterranean.

56 tn Heb “fathered.”

57 sn Sidon was the foremost city in Phoenicia; here Sidon may be the name of its founder.

58 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.

59 sn The Jebusites were the Canaanite inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem.

60 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.

61 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).

62 sn The Hivites were Canaanite tribes of a Hurrian origin.

63 sn The Arkites lived in Arka, a city in Lebanon, north of Sidon.

64 sn The Sinites lived in Sin, another town in Lebanon.

65 sn The Arvadites lived in the city Arvad, located on an island near the mainland close to the river El Kebir.

66 sn The Zemarites lived in the town Sumur, north of Arka.

67 sn The Hamathites lived in Hamath on the Orontes River.

68 tn Heb “were.”

69 map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.

70 tn Heb “as you go.”

71 tn Heb “as you go.”

72 tn Heb “And to Shem was born.”

73 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.

74 sn The Hebrew name Elam (עֵילָם, ’elam) means “highland.” The Elamites were a non-Semitic people who lived east of Babylon.

75 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.

76 sn The descendants of Arphaxad may have lived northeast of Nineveh.

77 sn Lud may have been the ancestor of the Ludbu, who lived near the Tigris River.

78 sn Aram became the collective name of the northern tribes living in the steppes of Mesopotamia and speaking Aramaic dialects.

79 tc The MT reads “Mash”; the LXX and 1 Chr 1:17 read “Meshech.”

80 tn Heb “fathered.”

81 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.

82 sn Genesis 11 traces the line of Shem through Eber (עֵבֶר, ’ever ) to Abraham the “Hebrew” (עִבְרִי, ’ivri).

83 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.

84 tn Heb “fathered.”

85 sn The name Almodad combines the Arabic article al with modad (“friend”). Almodad was the ancestor of a South Arabian people.

86 sn The name Sheleph may be related to Shilph, a district of Yemen; Shalph is a Yemenite tribe.

87 sn The name Hazarmaveth should be equated with Hadramawt, located in Southern Arabia.

88 sn The name Jerah means “moon.”

89 sn Uzal was the name of the old capital of Yemen.

90 sn The name Diklah means “date-palm.”

91 sn Obal was a name used for several localities in Yemen.

92 sn The name Abimael is a genuine Sabean form which means “my father, truly, he is God.”

93 sn The descendants of Sheba lived in South Arabia, where the Joktanites were more powerful than the Hamites.

94 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).

95 sn Havilah is listed with Ham in v. 7.

96 tn Heb “as you go.”

97 tn Or “separated.”

98 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This is redundant and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

99 tn Heb “Here I am” (cf. Gen 22:1).

100 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Here is the fire and the wood.’” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here and in the following verse the order of the introductory clauses and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

101 tn Or “keeps.”

102 tn Grk “obeys them, that one is the one who loves me.”

103 tn Grk “And the one.” Here the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated to improve the English style.

104 tn Or “will disclose.”

105 tn Grk “(not Iscariot).” The proper noun (Judas) has been repeated for clarity and smoothness in English style.

106 tn Grk “said to him.”

107 tn Or “disclose.”

108 tn Grk “answered and said to him.”

109 tn Or “will keep.”

110 tn Grk “we will come to him and will make our dwelling place with him.” The context here is individual rather than corporate indwelling, so the masculine singular pronoun has been retained throughout v. 23. It is important to note, however, that the pronoun is used generically here and refers equally to men, women, and children.

111 tn Or “does not keep.”

112 tn Or “the message.”

113 tn Grk “Remember the word that I said to you.”

114 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.

115 sn A slave is not greater than his master. Jesus now recalled a statement he had made to the disciples before, in John 13:16. As the master has been treated, so will the slaves be treated also. If the world had persecuted Jesus, then it would also persecute the disciples. If the world had kept Jesus’ word, it would likewise keep the word of the disciples. In this statement there is the implication that the disciples would carry on the ministry of Jesus after his departure; they would in their preaching and teaching continue to spread the message which Jesus himself had taught while he was with them. And they would meet with the same response, by and large, that he encountered.

116 tn Or “if they kept.”

117 tn Or “they will keep.”

118 tn Or “made known,” “disclosed.”

119 tn Here “men” is retained as a translation for ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") rather than the more generic “people” because in context it specifically refers to the eleven men Jesus had chosen as apostles (Judas had already departed, John 13:30). If one understands the referent here to be the broader group of Jesus’ followers that included both men and women, a translation like “to the people” should be used here instead.

120 tn Grk “Yours they were.”

121 tn Or “have kept.”

122 tn Or “all people”; Grk “all flesh.”

123 tn Grk “so that to everyone whom you have given to him, he may give to them eternal life.”

124 tn Grk “a woman from Samaria.” According to BDAG 912 s.v. Σαμάρεια, the prepositional phrase is to be translated as a simple attributive: “γυνὴ ἐκ τῆς Σαμαρείας a Samaritan woman J 4:7.”

125 tn The phrase “some water” is supplied as the understood direct object of the infinitive πεῖν (pein).