Genesis 10:1-32

Background

Last week we looked at the covenant that God made with Noah after the flood, and we saw the sin of man manifest itself in Noah and his sons.

Gen. 10:1-5

Consistent with the early records of mankind, a genealogy is given of the descendants of Noah and his 3 sons.

Recall God’s command to be fruitful and multiply.

Of note, all of the children listed were born to the 3 sons after the flood, not before.

Interestingly, the sons of Noah are listed in the same order as they always are, and yet the genealogy begins in reverse order, with the sons of Japheth.

One important fact to note: all of these names listed become the leaders or namesakes of cities, tribes, and/or nations.

Japheth had 7 sons and 7 grandsons listed. 2 things to note from the descendants of Japheth:

Magog is listed as a son of Japheth. Magog is listed in both Ezekiel and Revelation as a nation, as being present during/after the Millennial Reign of Christ, and is the epicenter of rebellion at the end of the 1,000 years (Rev. 20:7-8).

In verse 5, it is noted that the coastlands (maritime) were populated from these descendants, according to their language.

This helps us understand the timing of the events found in ch. 11, the tower of Babel - it must’ve occurred during the lifetime of Noah’s grandchildren or great-grandchildren.

This also means that the tower of Babel may have also happened during Noah’s lifetime.

Gen. 10:6-20

The descendants of Noah’s youngest son Ham are listed 2nd. Ham has 4 sons listed.

The first listed is Cush, who eventually became the ancestor of Nimrod, who is a primary focus.

Nimrod was not only a mighty hunter, he was also a city-builder. He founded Babel (which could be the precursor to Babylon, and will be discussed in detail next week) and also Erech in the land of Shinar.

There is a lot of speculation on Nimrod, including his deification by his contemporaries by calling him Marduk or Ninurta (Babylon), or Gilgamesh of Erech.

Mizraim is the ancient name of Egypt.

Canaan was the focus of Noah’s curse in the previous chapter as consequences of Ham’s sin against Noah.

Looking at the tribes and nations that come from him, many of them are listed in among the tribes which Israel was to destroy due to their iniquity (Exo. 3:8; 23:23-25; Deut. 7:1-6).

MAP

Canaan occupied the promised land but will eventually be judged.

God is outside of time. He knows what each nation will do long before they began to exist.

Gen. 15:13-16; Prov. 5:21; Heb. 4:13.

Gen. 10:21-32

Shem is listed as being the oldest of Noah’s sons, and 5 sons are listed.

Shem was most favorably blessed by Noah, and as is already known, it is Shem’s line which produces the nation of Israel.

That line will be covered in more detail next week.

Notice in v. 25 that during Peleg’s lifetime, the earth was divided. This refers to the tower of Babel (next week).

CHRONOLOGY CHART

It is not listed in the biblical record at this time, but based on written and archeological evidence, mankind had descended into idolatry even amongst the earliest of years after the flood.

Trivia - Jebusites, original inhabitants of Jerusalem.

In spite of this, God will unfailingly keep His covenant and promises.

APPLICATION

God is faithful to His promises and blessings.

The human heart is sick and in need of healing.

Next week, we will continue to examine the descendants of Noah and the tower of Babel.