Gen 10:7-10 | NET2full | STEP | The sons of Cush were Seba , Havilah , Sabtah , Raamah , and Sabteca . The sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan .

‏ Genesis 10:7-10

7 The sons of Cush were Seba, ^{▼▼sn The descendants of Seba settled in Upper Egypt along the Nile.} Havilah, ^{▼▼sn The Hebrew name Havilah apparently means “stretch of sand” (see HALOT 297 s.v. חֲוִילָה). Havilah’s descendants settled in eastern Arabia.} Sabtah, ^{▼▼sn The descendants of Sabtah settled near the western shore of the Persian Gulf in ancient Hadhramaut.} Raamah, ^{▼▼sn The descendants of Raamah settled in southwest Arabia.} and Sabteca. ^{▼▼sn The descendants of Sabteca settled in Samudake, east toward the Persian Gulf.} The sons of Raamah were Sheba ^{▼▼sn Sheba became the name of a kingdom in southwest Arabia.} and Dedan. ^{▼▼sn The name Dedan is associated with ʿUla in northern Arabia.}

8 Cush was the father of ^{▼▼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.} Nimrod; he began to be a valiant warrior on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter ^{▼▼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).} before the Lord. ^{▼▼tn Another option is to take the divine name here, לִפְנֵי יִהוָה (lifne yehvah, “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.”} (That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”) 10 The primary regions ^{▼▼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.} of his kingdom were Babel, ^{▼▼tn Or “Babylon.”} Erech, ^{▼▼sn Erech (ancient Uruk, modern Warka), one of the most ancient civilizations, was located southeast of Babylon.} Akkad, ^{▼▼sn Akkad, or ancient Agade, was associated with Sargon and located north of Babylon.} and Calneh ^{▼▼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).} in the land of Shinar. ^{▼▼sn Shinar is another name for Babylonia.}