Gen 10:6-20 | TNotes | STEP | 10:6 The peoples descended from Ham’s four sons (Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Canaanites) were Israel’s most hostile neighbors. • Cush was possibly in Ethiopia or ancient Nubia (northern Sudan). • Mizraim was the ancient name for Egypt (50:11 ). • Put was in Libya. • Canaan encompassed southern Syria, Phoenicia, and Palestine west of the Jordan River. In Moses’ time, Egypt and Canaan were provinces of the same empire. Ham’s descendants were excluded from the blessing of Shem’s line (9:20-28 ).

10:6 ^a The peoples descended from Ham’s four sons (Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Canaanites) were Israel’s most hostile neighbors.

• Cush was possibly in Ethiopia or ancient Nubia (northern Sudan).

• Mizraim was the ancient name for Egypt (50:11 ^b).

• Put was in Libya.

• Canaan encompassed southern Syria, Phoenicia, and Palestine west of the Jordan River. In Moses’ time, Egypt and Canaan were provinces of the same empire. Ham’s descendants were excluded from the blessing of Shem’s line (9:20-28 ^c).
10:7 ^d The sons of Cush and Raamah together total seven.

• Seba was in northern Africa (see Isa 43:3 ^e; 45:14 ^f).

• Havilah was in southwest Arabia.

• Sabtah was in southern Arabia, in ancient Hadramaut, near the Persian Gulf.

• Raamah was in southwest Arabia near Najran.

• Sabteca was in ancient Samudake near the Persian Gulf.

• Sheba was a kingdom in southwest Arabia with commercial colonies (see 1 Kgs 10:1-29 ^g).

• Dedan was in northern Arabia.
Summary for Gen 10:8-12: 10:8-12 ^h Special attention is given to the early history of Babylonia and Assyria, the Mesopotamian empires that would conquer and exile Israel and Judah.
10:9 ⁱ Nimrod attained great fame by conquest and terror; his empire extended from Babylonia in the south to Assyria in the north (10:10-12 ^j).

• the greatest hunter in the world: Assyrian monarchs glorified their own power, often depicting themselves as valiant hunter-conquerors.
Summary for Gen 10:10-12: 10:10-12 ^k Babylonia is the area surrounding the Tigris and Euphrates in southern Mesopotamia. This kingdom eventually reached into northern Mesopotamia (Assyria).

• Of the cities mentioned, Babylon is most important because of its role in building the Tower of Babel (see 11:4 ^l and study note).

• Erech was ancient Uruk and is now Warka in southern Iraq (see Ezra 4:9-10 ^m).

• Akkad was the ancient Agade north of Babylon, home of the famous ruler Sargon (2370–2295 BC).

• The location of Calneh is uncertain, though it is presumably one of Nimrod’s cities located north of Aram-naharaim in southern Mesopotamia (cp. Amos 6:2 ⁿ).

• building ... Nineveh: Like Cain, Nimrod built cities (see Gen 4:17 ^o and comments). Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city on the east bank of the Tigris River in northern Iraq.

• Rehoboth-ir was a daughter-city of Nineveh or was located nearby.

• Calah is modern Tell Nimrud, south of Nineveh.

• Resen is possibly modern Selamiyeh, northwest of Tell Nimrud.
Summary for Gen 10:13-14: 10:13-14 ^p The Ludites were Lydian tribes west of the Nile delta.

• The identity of the Anamites is uncertain. They were possibly Egyptians near Cyrene, west of Egypt.

• The Lehabites were possibly a Libyan tribe.

• The Naphtuhites inhabited northern Egypt.

• The Pathrusites inhabited southern Egypt.

• The Casluhites possibly inhabited an Egyptian district also known as Cyrenaica.

• The Caphtorites were Cretans (see Jer 47:4 ^q; Amos 9:7 ^r).

• The Philistines from Crete were sea people who lived intermittently in southwest Canaan during the period of the Exodus and later (Exod 13:17 ^s; Amos 9:7 ^t). They were among Israel’s most troublesome enemies during the early monarchy (see 1–2 Samuel).
Summary for Gen 10:15-18: 10:15-18 ^u Sidon settled in Phoenicia, north of Canaan.

• Hittites: The Hittites in Genesis were a coalition of cities within Canaan (see 26:34-35 ^v; 27:46 ^w; Ezek 16:3 ^x). They were probably not the same as the Hittites of Anatolia (Asia Minor), whose empire was one of the great empires of antiquity during the patriarchal period.

• The Jebusites were ancient inhabitants of Jerusalem (Josh 15:63 ^y; Judg 19:10-11 ^z; 2 Sam 5:6-9 ^aa).

• The Amorites lived throughout the mountains of Palestine in Canaan (see Gen 15:16 ^ab; 48:22 ^ac; Num 13:29 ^ad; Deut 3:8 ^ae; Josh 10:5 ^af; Judg 1:35 ^ag; 10:8 ^ah; Ezek 16:3 ^ai).

• Little is known of the Girgashites, a Canaanite tribe (Gen 15:21 ^aj; Deut 7:1 ^ak; Josh 3:10 ^al).

• The Hivites were an uncircumcised Canaanite tribe (Gen 34:2 ^am, 13-24 ^an; Josh 9:1 ^ao, 7 ^ap; 11:3 ^aq; Judg 3:3 ^ar; 2 Sam 24:7 ^as).

• The Arkites resided in Tell ’Arqa in Lebanon.

• The Sinites formed a city-state and inhabited Phoenicia.

• The Arvadites inhabited Ruad in northern Phoenicia, near the El Kebir River. They were known for shipping (cp. Ezek 27:8 ^at).

• The Zemarites inhabited Sumur (modern Sumra), north of Arka on the Phoenician coast.

• The Hamathites founded what is now Hama on the Orontes River, the northern boundary of Canaan (see Num 34:8 ^au; Josh 13:5 ^av; 2 Sam 8:9-10 ^aw; 1 Kgs 8:65 ^ax; 2 Kgs 14:25-28 ^ay).
10:19 ^az The territory of Canaan is specifically marked off because it would be taken from its inhabitants and given to Israel (see 15:18 ^ba; Num 34:2-12 ^bb; Ezek 47:15-20 ^bc; 48:1-28 ^bd).

• An ancient north-south seacoast highway (the Via Maris) extended from Sidon ... to Gerar, connecting Egypt to Mesopotamia.

• Modern Gaza is 11 miles northwest of Gerar.

• Sodom and Gomorrah were cities on the border of the land southeast of the Dead Sea.

• Admah and Zeboiim are mentioned 15 times in connection with Sodom and Gomorrah (14:2 ^be, 8 ^bf; Deut 29:23 ^bg; see Hos 11:8 ^bh). All four cities were destroyed by God to cleanse the land (see Gen 19 ^bi).

• Lasha was possibly in the northern region of the Dead Sea.