Bible Commentaries

^a Now these [are] the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.

(a) These generations are here recited, partly to declare the marvellous increase, and also to set forth their great forgetfulness of God's grace towards their fathers.

The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and ^b Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.

(b) Of Madai and Javan came the Medes and Greeks.

By these were the ^c isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.

(c) So do the Jews call all countries which are separated from them by sea, as Greece, Italy etc, which were given to the children of Japheth, of whom came the Gentiles.

And the sons of Ham; ^d Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.

(d) Of Cush and Mizraim came the Ethiopians and Egyptians.

And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a ^e mighty one in the earth.

(e) Meaning, a cruel oppressor and tyrant.

He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even ^f as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.

(f) His tyranny came into a proverb as hated both by God and man: for he did not cease to commit cruelty even in God's presence.

And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of ^g Shinar.

(g) For there was another city in Egypt, called Babel.

And Mizraim begat ^h Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,

(h) Of Lud came the Lydians.

Unto ⁱ Shem also, the father of all the children of ^k Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were [children] born.

(i) In his stock the Church was preserved: therefore Moses stops speaking of Japheth and Ham, and speaks of Shem extensively.

(k) Of whom came the Hebrews or Jews.

And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one [was] Peleg; for in his days was the earth ^l divided; and his brother's name [was] Joktan.

(l) This division came by the diversity of language, as appears in (Genesis 11:9).