These were the descendants of Shem, identified by clan, language, territory, and national identity.
Parallel translations
- WEB These are the sons of Shem, by their families, according to their languages, lands, and nations.
- KJV These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.
- BSB These are the sons of Shem, according to their clans, languages, lands, and nations.
- NKJV These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations.
- NASB These are the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and according to their nations.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
This summarizes Shem's descendants by their families, languages, lands, and nations. The Shemite section of the Table closes.
Overview
The closing formula gathers Shem's line into an ordered survey of clans, tongues, and territories, paralleling the summaries of Japheth and Ham. It affirms the structured diversity of the nations. Shem's line is given special weight because through it God preserves the lineage of promise leading to Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Gen 10:20These are the sons of Ham, after their families, according to their languages, in their lands and their nations.
- Gen 10:5Of these were the islands of the nations divided in their lands, everyone after his language, after their families, in their nations.
- Acts 17:26He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 10:31 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.