Genesis 10:8-12

10:8 Cush was the father of ¹  Nimrod; he began to be a valiant warrior on the earth. 10:9 He was a mighty hunter ²  before the Lord. ³  (That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”) 10:10 The primary regions ⁴  of his kingdom were Babel, ⁵  Erech, ⁶  Akkad, ⁷  and Calneh ⁸  in the land of Shinar. ⁹  10:11 From that land he went ¹⁰  to Assyria, ¹¹  where he built Nineveh, ¹²  Rehoboth-Ir, ¹³  Calah, ¹⁴  10:12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city Calah. ¹⁵ 

[10:8]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ 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.”

[10:10]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Or “Babylon.”

[10:10]  ⁶ sn Erech (ancient Uruk, modern Warka), one of the most ancient civilizations, was located southeast of Babylon.

[10:10]  ⁷ sn Akkad, or ancient Agade, was associated with Sargon and located north of Babylon.

[10:10]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ sn Shinar is another name for Babylonia.

[10:11]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Asshur.”

[10:11]  ¹² sn Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city situated on the Tigris River.

[10:11]  ¹³ sn The name Rehoboth-Ir means “and broad streets of a city,” perhaps referring to a suburb of Nineveh.

[10:11]  ¹⁴ sn Calah (modern Nimrud) was located twenty miles north of Nineveh.

[10:12]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; it [i.e., Calah] is the great city.”