The Generations of the Sons of Noah
Genesis 10
There are two basic approaches to preaching that you will find in most churches today. One is to approach the sermon from the felt needs of the congregation. As one pastor said, “Each week we think through needs in the congregation and preach a message to meet those needs.” This approach lends itself to topical or textual sermons that major on “How to” sermons that seek to help Christians overcome different issues they are facing. In this approach the meaning of the biblical text is often secondary to pressing need of the congregation or the topic of the sermon.
The second approach is expository preaching which starts with the biblical text, explaining and applying the Bible text so that the sermon’s content and intent are expresses the content and intent of a particular passage of Scripture. In other words, “the preacher says what the passage says, and he intends for his sermon to accomplish in his listeners exactly what God is seeking to accomplish through the chosen passage of his Word” (Mike Bullmore).
Felt-needs preaching often stems from a preacher’s love for his flock and his genuine desire to see people grow in Christ. But the problems I see with a constant use of this approach are:
- It communicates that the Bible is primarily about meeting our needs instead of receiving the revelation of God. A great danger in having felt needs as your starting point in preaching is man-centeredness. The Bible is not primarily about us, it is about God and our Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 24:24). Human history is not primarily about us, but about God and His purpose to redeem sinful humanity through Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:3–14). Approaching the Bible as God’s revelation of Himself to humanity puts God in the center of our lives and not ourselves.
- God knows our needs better than we do. God’s Word alone meets our every spiritual need and exposes the thoughts and intentions of the heart (2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 4:12). Our attempts to faithfully diagnose needs cannot compare to God’s: we need God’s Word to shine its light into our blind spots and expose our true needs. Expository preaching takes seriously the inspiration and sufficiency of the scriptures.
- We can miss the whole counsel of God. God gave us the Bible in book format, not random collections of verses and stories. If preachers only preach topical messages or one-off expositions, they often miss the overall intent of the passage and books of the Bible. Expository preaching enables Christians to understand the Bible better and treat it less like a book of inspirational quotations or a self-help manual.
I would dare say that people who believe that that we should preach to people’s felt needs would rarely if ever preach Genesis 10. I confess that I would not normally choose this chapter to preach upon, but expository preaching forces me to do it. I do it because I because I believe that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work,” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
The outline for Genesis 10 is straight-forward. Genesis 10:1 is the introduction, “Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood.” This verse marks the beginning of a new section in Genesis marked by the familiar “תּוֹלְדוֹת (tôlḏôṯ)” statement (Gen. 2:4; 5:1; 6:9). The genealogy explains the three families of nations that arise from the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Moses lists them in inverse order. First, we have the line of Japheth in Genesis 10:2-5. Second, in Genesis 10:6-20 the line of Ham. And finally in Genesis 10:21-31, the line of Shem. Genesis 10:32 is the summary and conclusion. Japheth’s descendants are probably listed first because they were the most remote from Israel (which is Moses’ common pattern in Genesis, to dispose of the least important matters first). Some descendants of Ham (the Canaanites) will figure prominently in the conquest of the promise land so they are mentioned next. Finally, since the rest of Genesis will major on the line of Shem, it comes last.
Genesis 10 is a genealogy, but not in the sense of Genesis 5 and 11, which trace successive generations from father to son. Rather, it contains individual names, place names, and names of tribes or people groups, mostly derived from the patriarch of that group. Genesis 10 does not include an exhaustive list of every single people group on the planet. Because this book was written to the nation of Israel as they were freed from slavery in Egypt, it focuses on those peoples known to the Hebrews. Thus, it traces the development of various nations, especially as they related to Israel at the time of the conquest of Canaan.
All of these nations began from Noah in the mountains of Ararat where the ark came to rest spreading to Shinar or Babylon then dispersing throughout the world. The Tower of Babel incident in Genesis 11:1-9, which accounts for the scattering of the nations, appears to happen chronologically in the middle of Genesis 10. We’ll look at that next time.
I’m not going to attempt account for every name Moses lists in the chapter. It is an interesting study to attempt to trace the names here to particular nations and tribes of people, but some of it is largely speculation since names change in spelling over the years and from language to language. Nevertheless, we can be fairly certain about many of the broad divisions and people movements. First we see,
1. The Line of Japheth (Gen. 10:2-5)
2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 5 From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.
Japheth’s descendants fanned out to the east and west from the probable landing site of the ark in eastern Turkey. It is generally agreed that the descedents of Gomer, Javan and Tiras into what is now Europe; Magog, Tubal, and Meschech moved north of the Caspian Sea towards what is now Russia; and Madai was the ancestor of the Medes and Persians, who eventually migrated into India. These peoples are related by the Indo-European language group. Most of us from European descent probably come from the line of Japheth. They are called “the coastland peoples of the Gentiles” because they were far from Israel and overseas from there.
The Japhethites became the great colonizers of the world. They went west and east, all the way to India, all the way across Russia, eventually all the way into the Americas. Noah’s prophecy that Japheth would be enlarged has certainly come to pass. The Japhethites will figure prominently in the expansion of the gospel in the New Testament.
Notice that the people groups are categorized in four ways: 1) their lands; 2) their languages; 3) their families; and 4) their nations. Moses will repeat this summary for Ham (Gen. 10:20) and Shem (Gen. 1031) also.
Next we see,
2. The Line of Ham (Gen. 10:6-20)
6 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. 7 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. 8 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.” 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, 12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city). 13 Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 14 Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and Caphtorim).
Ham’s progeny receives more attention than Japheth, and it is not surprising to find Egypt (Mizraim v. 6), Babylon (Babel, v. 10), and Assyria (Nineveh, v. 11) in his line. These three great ancient empires were the deadliest foes of Israel during the old covenant period. The sons of Ham spread out primarily toward Africa. Cush is mentioned often in Scripture, and refers to Ethiopia; Put probably refers to Libya. Hamites founded the first great world empires: Egyptian, Hittite, Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and possibly the Aztec and the Mayan empires as well.
Significant among Ham’s descendants is Nimrod. Genesis 10:9 calls him a “mighty hunter before the LORD.” Apparently, his name was proverbial in Moses’ day, much as we might say, “a dictator like Stalin.” At first glance, you might think that Nimrod was a good guy, since he is called a mighty hunter “before the Lord.” Literally this is “in the face” of the Lord, probably meaning that Nimrod asserted himself against the Lord. The term “mighty one” (Gen. 10:8) is the same word used for the powerful but wicked Nephilim (Gen. 6:4). Nimrod may have been more of a killer of men than a hunter of game. Moses is reminding us that Nimrod’s tyranny did not go unnoticed by God. Nimrod’s name means “we will revolt” he is the father of the Babylonian system that oppresses men and rebels against God. The line of Ham was characterized by mighty men like Nimrod—oppressive rulers, who engaged in city building, not to the glory of God, but to the glory of man.
Among the Hamites Moses also gives special attention to the descendants of Canaan (Gen. 10:15-20):
15 Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth; 16 the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; 17 the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; 18 the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were dispersed. 19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 20 These were the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands and in their nations.
These are the nations that would be inhabiting the land of Canaan when the Israelites began their conquest of the promised land. They are under the curse that Noah prophesied in Genesis 9. These were the wicked, perverse, idolatrous people that Israel was to drive out the land. Moses wrote to that generation (Deut. 20:17), “but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the LORD your God has commanded you” (also Exo. 33:2; 34:11; Josh. 9:1).
Finally Moses gives us,
3. The Line of Shem (Gen. 10:21-31)
21 And children were born also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder. 22 The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. 23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 24 Arphaxad begot Salah, and Salah begot Eber. 25 To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. 26 Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. 30 And their dwelling place was from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east. 31 These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations.
Of the sons of Shem, Eber is named at the head of the list (Gen. 10:21) and again later (Gen. 10:24) because the word “Hebrew” probably comes from his name. He was from the line of Arphaxad and was in the line leading to Abraham (Gen. 11:10-26). Elam was the ancestor of the Elamites, who lived in southeast Mesopotamia. Asshur was apparently the founder of the Assyrians, although they may have mixed with Hamites through Nimrod. Aram is the name of the Aramean tribes which lived on the steppes of Mesopotamia. The Shemites (or Semites) all seemed to settle in what we call the Middle East.
Moses makes a note of Peleg, the son of Eber, that “in his days the earth was divided” (Gen. 10:25). Most likely this refers to the dividing of the nations at Babel that we will read about in Genesis 11. It may have occurred during Nimrod’s time (three or four generations after the flood). If Nimrod built Babel, then God could have scattered the nations in his time (same as the time of Peleg), after which he moved north to conquer Ninevah.
Moses concludes in Genesis 10:32, “These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood.”
Many commentators and historians have done fascinating studies of Genesis 10 from the standpoint of geography, history and languages. Those who have studied it in detail remark on its amazing historical accuracy. This chapter is a sacred thread that joins the beginnings of earth history to the rest of the Bible, and ultimately to you and to me.
What can we learn from Genesis 10?
A. The Unity of the Human Race.
After the flood everyone on earth is descended from Noah through one of his sons—Shem, Ham or Japheth. All seven billion people on earth descend from these three sons of Noah. And even though the human race is hopelessly divided into a bewildering variety of tribes, nations, empires, and languages, we are really all one human family. The human race is diverse in geography, language, culture, skin color, physical capabilities, dress, habits, diet, and so on. But those differences, as real and profound as they are, are not the final truth.
There is much to appreciate in the variety within humanity. But let us be clear on this point: There is only one race in God’s eyes—the human race. Secondary differences do not matter to Him the way they seem to matter so much to us sinful people.
Genesis teaches that we are all made in the image of God. Why then are people so quick to divide from one another and to oppress one another? The history of the human race has been one power struggle after another in every level of society and among the various nations. Why? Paul writes “For there is no difference,” that is, no difference between people, Jew or Gentile, “… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:22b-23). As God said to Noah after the flood, “the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Gen. 8:21). That’s the problem with the human race: sin. That is your need and mine: to repent of our sin, pride, and prejudice, and to receive God’s forgiveness by faith in Jesus Christ.
It’s amazing that within just a few centuries after the flood, within just a few generations from godly Noah, almost all these diverse nations in Genesis 10 had forgotten the true God, rebelled against Him, and degenerated into idolatry. People are quick to forget God. Surely there were remnants of the faithful, but the nations as a whole turned from God. Yes, I’m sure there were remnants of the faithful (like Job, Melchizedek and Abram), but the nations as a whole turned from God. As Paul writes in Romans 1,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man–and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. (Rom. 1:21-23)
There is one human race and everyone in it is a sinner in need of a savior. Paul, speaking to the Greeks in Athens said that God “… made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27) and now God “commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30) and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31).
That brings us to our other point of application:
B. God’s purpose of Redemption
We believe that the gospel, what God did in sending His Son Jesus Christ into this world to die for sins and be raised from the dead, is the most important thing in the world. One of the things I hope that our study of Genesis is teaching you is that God did not accomplish our salvation through a Christ who just appeared out of the blue one day. Instead, God provided salvation for us by first promising that He would. Everything in biblical history is there to prepare the way for the kingdom of God in Christ. What I am saying is that this list of names in Genesis 10 is part of the story of how God accomplishes our salvation through Christ.
Ray Stedman called his sermon on Genesis 10, “God’s Funnel.” A funnel is an instrument for concentrating the flow of something from a wide area into a small area. That’s what’s happening here. Although it appears that God is working only with nations, the end of the chapter reminds us that the line of promise goes from one man to another. The line that started with Adam then Seth goes to Noah, then to Shem, on to Peleg, eventually to Abraham, and thousands of years later will climax with the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. The flow of the biblical story moves from many nations to one man, Abraham, through whom all the nations on earth will be blessed. And how will this blessing come to the nations? Through the ultimate “Seed of Abraham,” the Lord Jesus Christ.
And after Christ it is like turning the funnel around the other way and through this one man, now the blessing of redemption moves out and ultimately includes a multitude which no man can number, the product of the grace of God. In Revelation 7:9-10 John writes,
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Jewish scholars count the number of nations in Genesis 10 as 70 (26 from Shem, 30 from Ham [not including the Philistines, mentioned in passing; 10:14], and 14 from Japheth). It is significant that our Lord chose 70 to go out to preach the gospel (Luke 10:1). It was like He was saying, “I want a worker for every nation.” God’s purpose has always been to save all kinds of people from every nation, tribe, people and language. That is our commission as well, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.” (Matt. 28:19-20).
I hope you have seen that even in a list of obscure names like Genesis 10, because it is the word of God, “Holy Scripture,” it is “able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus,” (2 Tim 3:15). I urge you, turn from your sin and believe in your heart on the Lord Jesus Christ today. He will save you. He will give you a new life and make you a child of God, eager to love Him and serve Him. May God help you to come to Jesus and confess Him as Lord today. That’s His desire not only for the nations, but for you.
