Genesis 10:21

10:21 And sons were also born ¹  to Shem (the older brother of Japheth), ²  the father of all the sons of Eber.

Genesis 10:1

The Table of Nations

10:1 This is the account ³  of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons ⁴  were born ⁵  to them after the flood.

Genesis 1:5-7

1:5 God called ⁶  the light “day” and the darkness ⁷  “night.” There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day. ⁸ 

1:6 God said, “Let there be an expanse ⁹  in the midst of the waters and let it separate water ¹⁰  from water. 1:7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. ¹¹  It was so. ¹² 

Isaiah 66:19

66:19 I will perform a mighty act among them ¹³  and then send some of those who remain to the nations – to Tarshish, Pul, ¹⁴  Lud ¹⁵  (known for its archers ¹⁶ ), Tubal, Javan, ¹⁷  and to the distant coastlands ¹⁸  that have not heard about me or seen my splendor. They will tell the nations of my splendor.

Ezekiel 27:7

27:7 Fine linen from Egypt, woven with patterns, was used for your sail

to serve as your banner;

blue and purple from the coastlands of Elishah ¹⁹  was used for your deck’s awning.

Ezekiel 27:12-14

27:12 “‘Tarshish ²⁰  was your trade partner because of your abundant wealth; they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your products. 27:13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your clients; they exchanged slaves and bronze items for your merchandise. 27:14 Beth Togarmah exchanged horses, chargers, ²¹  and mules for your products.

Ezekiel 27:19

27:19 and casks of wine ²²  from Izal ²³  they exchanged for your products. Wrought iron, cassia, and sweet cane were among your merchandise.

Ezekiel 38:2

38:2 “Son of man, turn toward ²⁴  Gog, ²⁵  of the land of Magog, ²⁶  the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. ²⁷  Prophesy against him

Ezekiel 38:6

38:6 They are joined by ²⁸  Gomer with all its troops, and by Beth Togarmah from the remote parts of the north with all its troops – many peoples are with you. ²⁹ 

Ezekiel 38:15

38:15 and come from your place, from the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a vast army.

Ezekiel 39:1

39:1 “As for you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal!

Revelation 20:8

20:8 and will go out to deceive ³⁰  the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, ³¹  to bring them together for the battle. They are as numerous as the grains of sand in the sea. ³² 

[10:21]  ¹ tn Heb “And to Shem was born.”

[10:21]  ² 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.

[10:1]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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.

[1:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “he called to,” meaning “he named.”

[1:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “and the darkness he called night.” The words “he called” have not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:5]  ⁸ tn Another option is to translate, “Evening came, and then morning came.” This formula closes the six days of creation. It seems to follow the Jewish order of reckoning time: from evening to morning. Day one started with the dark, continued through the creation of light, and ended with nightfall. Another alternative would be to translate, “There was night and then there was day, one day.”

[1:6]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew word refers to an expanse of air pressure between the surface of the sea and the clouds, separating water below from water above. In v. 8 it is called “sky.”

[1:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the waters from the waters.”

[1:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the expanse.”

[1:7]  ¹² tn This statement indicates that it happened the way God designed it, underscoring the connection between word and event.

[66:19]  ¹³ tn Heb “and I will set a sign among them.” The precise meaning of this statement is unclear. Elsewhere “to set a sign” means “perform a mighty act” (Ps 78:43; Jer 32:20), “make [someone] an object lesson” (Ezek 14:8), and “erect a [literal] standard” (Ps 74:4).

[66:19]  ¹⁴ tn Some prefer to read “Put” (i.e., Libya).

[66:19]  ¹⁵ sn That is, Lydia (in Asia Minor).

[66:19]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “drawers of the bow” (KJV and ASV both similar).

[66:19]  ¹⁷ sn Javan is generally identified today as Greece (so NIV, NCV, NLT).

[66:19]  ¹⁸ tn Or “islands” (NIV).

[27:7]  ¹⁹ sn This is probably a reference to Cyprus.

[27:12]  ²⁰ sn Tarshish refers to a distant seaport sometimes believed to be located in southern Spain (others identified it as Carthage in North Africa). In any event it represents here a distant, rich, and exotic port which was a trading partner of Tyre.

[27:14]  ²¹ tn The way in which these horses may have been distinguished from other horses is unknown. Cf. ASV “war-horses” (NASB, NIV, NRSV, CEV all similar); NLT “chariot horses.”

[27:19]  ²² tc The MT leaves v. 18 as an incomplete sentence and begins v. 19 with “and Dan and Javan (Ionia) from Uzal.” The LXX mentions “wine.” The translation follows an emendation assuming some confusions of vav and yod. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:82.

[27:19]  ²³ sn According to L. C. Allen (Ezekiel [WBC], 2:82), Izal was located between Haran and the Tigris and was famous for its wine.

[38:2]  ²⁴ tn Heb “set your face against.”

[38:2]  ²⁵ sn This may refer to a Lydian king in western Asia Minor in the seventh century b.c. Apart from Ezek 38-39, the only other biblical reference to this king/nation is in Rev 20:8. For a study of the names appearing in this verse, see E. Yamauchi, Foes From the Northern Frontier, 19-27.

[38:2]  ²⁶ sn One of the sons of Japheth according to Gen 10:2; 1 Chr 1:5.

[38:2]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the prince, the chief of Meshech and Tubal.” Some translate “the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal,” but it is more likely that the Hebrew noun in question is a common noun in apposition to “prince,” rather than a proper name. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:434-35. As Block demonstrates, attempts by some popular writers to identify these proper names with later geographical sites in Russia are anachronistic. See as well E. Yamauchi, Foes From the Northern Frontier, 19-27.

[38:6]  ²⁸ tn The words “they are joined by” are added in the translation for purposes of English style.

[38:6]  ²⁹ sn The seven-nation coalition represents the north (Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, Beth-Togarmah), the south/west (Ethiopia, Put) and the east (Persia). The use of the sevenfold list suggests completeness. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:441.

[20:8]  ³⁰ tn Or “mislead.”

[20:8]  ³¹ sn The battle with Gog and Magog is described in the OT in Ezek 38:1-39:20.

[20:8]  ³² tn Grk “of whom the number of them [is] like the sand of the sea” (an allusion to Isa 10:22).