“Genesis 10:21-32”

Monday, November 11, 2019

“Also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, and the older brother of Japheth, children were born. The sons of Shem were Elam and Asshur and Arpachshad and Lud and Aram. The sons of Aram were Uz and Hul and Gether and Mash. Arpachshad became the father of Shelah; and Shelah became the father of Eber. Two sons were born to Eber; the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. Joktan became the father of Almodad and Sheleph and Hazarmaveth and Jerah and Hadoram and Uzal and Diklah and Obal and Abimael and Sheba and Ophir and Havilah and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. Now their settlement extended from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the hill country of the east. These are the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, according to their nations. These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations; and out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood.”

---End of Scripture verses---

“Also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber…” “Eber was his great-grandson; but why should he be called the father of all his children, rather than of all Arphaxad’s or Salah’s? Probably because Abraham and his seed, from Eber, were called Hebrews. Eber himself, we may suppose, was a man eminent for religion in a time of general apostacy.” (Benson Commentary). “Although he is the fourth generation from Shem, he receives special mention here because he is the ancestor both of Israel and of a variety of peoples with who Israelite history is closely intertwined. According to later genealogies in Genesis, these include Arameans, Ammonites, Moabites, Midianites, the Ishmaelite tribes, and Edomites. One would expect these descendants of Eber to be called ‘Hebrews’… Nevertheless, it is strange that of all the above-mentioned peoples, only the line of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob is so designated.” (Nahum Sarna)

“The older brother of Japheth” – As mentioned in an earlier Bible reading, I believe various verses in Genesis teach that Japheth was the oldest of the three brothers and Ham was the youngest. So what about this statement? This phrase can either be rendered, “the older brother of Japheth,” or “the brother of Japheth, who was older.” The Septuagint (Greek version of the Old Testament), Syriac and Latin Vulgate Bibles (and others) all translate it as the latter. The commentaries that I consult are divided as to which is the best rendering, but since the math in the other verses adds up to Japheth being the oldest son, that seems more logical to me. Having said that, some insist that, “the rules of Hebrew grammar will admit of no other rendering” than Shem being “the older brother of Japheth.” (Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers)

Quoting from the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on verses 22-24: “Elam—The name of a people and a country east of the Tigris and north of the Persian Gulf. The Elamites were at one time supreme in Western Asia… Asshur—The Assyrians were the most powerful of the Semitic peoples. Arpachshad—The two final syllables in which we naturally recognize Chesed, or the Chasdim = the ‘Chaldeans,” a people dwelling in the south of Babylonia… Lud—Presumably the Lydians of Asia Minor, though it is difficult to explain why they should be here associated with the ‘sons of Shem.’ Aram—The people inhabiting the whole country north-east of Palestine, the northern region of the Euphrates Valley… and the country of Syria proper… Uz—The country of Job: see Job 1:1. Generally considered to have been in the south of Palestine… Mash—In the parallel passage (1 Chronicles 1:17) = Meshech… Begat Shelah—R.V. marg. 'The Sept. reads begat Cainan, and Cainan begat Shelah.' This addition is followed in Luke 3:36. Eber—Eber is evidently the most important name in this genealogy. As the grandson of Arpachshad, his name stands geographically in some kind of connection with Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad and Aram. Êber in the Hebrew means ‘on the other side of.’ The ancestors of Israel are described as those who ‘dwelt of old time beyond the River’…on the other side of the Euphrates river…See Joshua 24:2.”

“Two sons were born to Eber; the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.” (verse 25) The name “Peleg” means “division”. The division of the earth has traditionally been taken to mean the confusion of the languages and dispersion of the people assembled en masse at Babel, recorded in the very next chapter. Another possible explanation is that there was a division among the Shemites, possibly the severance of the northern tribe from the southern tribe. Yet another possibility is the dividing of arable land by means of digging irrigation canals. Strangely enough, in Hebrew the word “peleg” can also mean “water channel” or “water course”. The genealogy of Peleg is not included in this chapter but is addressed starting in Genesis 11:18. Peleg's brother Joktan had an extensive family including 13 sons (verses 26-29), and his descendants settled the regions of the Arabian Peninsula.

“Now their settlement extended from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the hill country of the east.” (verse 30) “The extent of the settlements of the Joktanites is paralleled in the Table only by the boundaries of the Canaanites, again testifying to the special importance of this tribal league at some still unknown period in Israelite history. Mesha—This may be the same as Massa of 25:14, but that appears to be in northern Arabia, and a southerly location, otherwise unknown, is indicated here. Sephar—The word means 'border' in postbiblical Hebrew. The reference may be to Zafar, a port city and center of the spice trade in Hadramaut...” Verse “32 taken with verse 1, this summarizing conclusion forms a literary frame to the Table of Nations and forges the transition to the next episode.” (Nahum Sarna)

We will have some additional commentary on chapter 10 for tomorrow.

Have a great day!

- Louie Taylor

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