Limitless Word

Genesis 10

WEBKJVBSBESVNKJVNASBNLT

Part of The Nations and Babel📖 Genesis introduction

Read the chapter

1This is the account of the families of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the three sons of Noah. Many children were born to them after the great flood. ✦ 2The descendants of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. ✦ 3The descendants of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. ✦ 4The descendants of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim. ✦ 5Their descendants became the seafaring peoples that spread out to various lands, each identified by its own language, clan, and national identity. ✦ 6The descendants of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. ✦ 7The descendants of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The descendants of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. ✦ 8Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, who was the first heroic warrior on earth. ✦ 9Since he was the greatest hunter in the world, his name became proverbial. People would say, “This man is like Nimrod, the greatest hunter in the world.” ✦ 10He built his kingdom in the land of Babylonia, with the cities of Babylon, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh. ✦ 11From there he expanded his territory to Assyria, building the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, ✦ 12and Resen (the great city located between Nineveh and Calah). 13Mizraim was the ancestor of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, ✦ 14Pathrusites, Casluhites, and the Caphtorites, from whom the Philistines came. ✦ 15Canaan’s oldest son was Sidon, the ancestor of the Sidonians. Canaan was also the ancestor of the Hittites, ✦ 16Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, ✦ 17Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, ✦ 18Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites. The Canaanite clans eventually spread out, ✦ 19and the territory of Canaan extended from Sidon in the north to Gerar and Gaza in the south, and east as far as Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, near Lasha. ✦ 20These were the descendants of Ham, identified by clan, language, territory, and national identity. ✦ 21Sons were also born to Shem, the older brother of Japheth. Shem was the ancestor of all the descendants of Eber. ✦ 22The descendants of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. ✦ 23The descendants of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. ✦ 24Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah was the father of Eber. ✦ 25Eber had two sons. The first was named Peleg (which means “division”), for during his lifetime the people of the world were divided into different language groups. His brother’s name was Joktan. ✦ 26Joktan was the ancestor of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, ✦ 27Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, ✦ 28Obal, Abimael, Sheba, ✦ 29Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were descendants of Joktan. ✦ 30The territory they occupied extended from Mesha all the way to Sephar in the eastern mountains. ✦ 31These were the descendants of Shem, identified by clan, language, territory, and national identity. ✦ 32These are the clans that descended from Noah’s sons, arranged by nation according to their lines of descent. All the nations of the earth descended from these clans after the great flood. ✦

Tap any verse for its study page. Underlined terms mark a concept, person, or place; ✦ marks verses with cross-references.

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.

Where this chapter connects

Gen 10 ·12Ezek 27 ·111 Chr 1 ·10Gen 9 ·8Gen 11 ·7Isa 11 ·4Jer 25 ·4Num 24 ·4

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 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.

Resources, by level

Lay

  • ★ Start hereDocumentaryExpedition BibleJoel Kramer · Free · evangelical

    On-location biblical archaeology from a credentialed archaeologist (M.A., excavated in Israel) — the best free place to start on "did it really happen?"

  • ★ Start hereAudioThrough the WordThrough the Word · ~10 min/chapter · Free · evangelical

    A clear ~10-minute audio teaching for every one of the Bible's 1,189 chapters — the most systematic free way to study chapter by chapter.

  • ★ Start hereVideoOverview: Genesis 1–11BibleProject · 9 min · Free

    The single best free starting point for Genesis 1–11 — clear, visual, and faithful to the literary design.

  • VideoSpoken GospelSpoken Gospel · Free · evangelical

    Short, gospel-centered videos and spoken-word poems showing how each passage points to Jesus — especially strong on the Old Testament.

  • ReferenceBook of Genesis — Visual GuideBibleProject · Free

    A free structured guide to the whole book — outline, themes, and links to each video.

  • DocumentaryIs Genesis History?Del Tackett · Free · evangelical

    A young-earth-creationist case for a literal Genesis, free on YouTube. (YEC is one view held by faithful Christians; others read Genesis differently — see the genre guide on how to read it.)

Pastoral

  • SermonChuck Smith — C2000 SeriesChuck Smith · Free · evangelical

    Free verse-by-verse audio through the entire Bible from the founder of Calvary Chapel.

Seminary

  • ★ Start hereCommentaryGenesis (Word Biblical Commentary)Gordon J. Wenham · Paid · evangelical

    For decades the gold-standard commentary on Genesis — technical but rich. (See the ranked list for alternatives like Hamilton, NICOT.)

  • BookThe Pentateuch as NarrativeJohn H. Sailhamer · ~560 pp · Library · evangelical

    A literary-theological reading that makes Genesis's design visible.

Commentaries & study tools

← Genesis 9Genesis 11 →