Genesis 10
1 This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah’s sons, who themselves had sons after the flood.
The Japhethites
2 The sons of Japheth:
Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshek and Tiras.
3 The sons of Gomer:
Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah.
4 The sons of Javan:
Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites and the Rodanites. 5 (From these the maritime peoples spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with its own language.)
The Hamites
6 The sons of Ham:
Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan.
7 The sons of Cush:
Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteka.
The sons of Raamah:
Sheba and Dedan.
8 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.” 10 The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in Shinar. 11 From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah 12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah—which is the great city.
13 Egypt was the father of
the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 14 Pathrusites, Kasluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites.
15 Canaan was the father of
Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites, 16 Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 17 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 18 Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites.
Later the Canaanite clans scattered 19 and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, as far as Lasha.
20 These are the sons of Ham by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.
The Semites
21 Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber.
22 The sons of Shem:
Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram.
23 The sons of Aram:
Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshek.
24 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah,
and Shelah the father of Eber.
25 Two sons were born to Eber:
One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.
26 Joktan was the father of
Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.
30 The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.
31 These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.
32 These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.
Genesis 10 (NIV)
From Genesis 1 to this point, we went from
Adam and Eve to Cain, Abel and Seth,
then from Seth to Noah,
from Noah to Shem, Ham and Japheth
and now, we are learning about the descendants of these three.
Noah had 3 sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. After the flood Noah and his wife, and his sons and their wives got out of the ark and the Lord blessed them and said “be fruitful and multiply”. It came to pass that Noah’s sons had their own children and grand children.
Genealogies in the Bible provide a great way to keep track of God’s promises across generations. They also help us understand why certain things happen the way they did: why some people were so favored and on others not so much, and how people’s words and actions affected their descendants after them.
Lessons from Genesis 10
- When God gives a word, it always comes to pass: after the flood was over, God said to Noah: “As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.” (Genesis 9:7), and just as God had declared, it came to pass. Out of Noah’s descendants, God birthed whole nations.
- Just like God used Noah’s few sons to fill the earth, He can use your few resources to bless you and the world around you. Never look at what you have and think “I have too little”, entrust God with whatever it is that you have and He shall multiply onto you that you may be blessed and He be glorified, hallelujah!
- One origin, different people: As the descendants of Noah began to multiply, they spread out in their own territories and new nations began to form with new languages and new cultures. This should be a reminder to you that everyone you encounter is family. We may all look different: different skin color, hair texture, accents, cultures, etc., but we are all family. Let this be reflected in how you treat others.
- Words you speak today can have consequences that will span over multiple generations: in Genesis 9, Noah’s son Ham had walked in on him drunk and naked and had gone to his brothers Shem and Japheth and made fun of their father (Noah). After Noah found out what happened, he cursed Ham and his descendants and declared that they will be slaves to Shem and his descendants. As you study the Bible further, you will realize that indeed this came to pass: Canaan (Ham’s son) became the the ancestor of the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites – the people God drove out of territories so that those lands could be occupied by the Israelites (descendants of Shem). Words have power, be wise about what you say – control your tongue.
Reflection
- Do you remember the promises God made to you?
- Are you using your mouth to bless of to curse?
- Do you believe that God can use what little you have to bless you and many others?
Further reading
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James 3:2,5-6,10 [We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.]
Prayer
God thank you for your word that teaches me who you are and who I am in you. As I study these words, I am transformed into you likeness with ever increasing glory. Your word is a lamp onto my feet and a light onto my path. I declare today that I will watch my tongue and no foul language shall proceed from my lips. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Community
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God bless you!
