Genesis 10:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

As we tally these, it seems to hark back to the beginning when it states: "Hush also begat Nimrod: this one began to be strong on the earth." He was a mighty hunter before the Lord, hence it is said, "A mighty hunter, like Nimrod, before the Lord." His kingdom originated with Babylon, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh, situated in the land of Sennar. From this region, Assur emerged and founded Nineveh, along with Rehoboth-ir, Calah, and Resen, which lies between Nineveh and Calah, forming a great city (Gen. 10:8-12). Hush, identified first among Ham's sons, fathered the renowned giant Nimrod, and his five sons and two grandsons are already accounted for. It is conceivable that the giant was born after Hush’s grandsons, yet more likely the Scripture presents him solo due to his notable reputation, as his kingdom, which prominently included Babylon, is mentioned. The narrative concerning Assur, his emergence from the land of Sennar, and the establishment of Nineveh along with other cities occurs later and is stated in passing because of Assyria’s remarkable prominence, greatly enhanced by the endeavors of Nin, the son of Bel, the founder of Nineveh. The city bears his name - Nineveh originates from 'Nin.' Assur, the namesake of the Assyrians, descends not from Ham, but from Shem, the eldest of Noah's sons. This illustrates that those from Shem's lineage later occupied the territory ruled by the mighty Nimrod, and they further established additional cities, including the renowned Nineveh. The historian then shifts focus to another son of Ham, designated Mitzrayim, listing his descendants not individually, but as seven nations. Among these nations, it appears the Philistines arose from the sixth. Consequently, there are eight nations identified. The writer revisits Canaan, Ham's son who was cursed, and details the eleven descendants from him, specifying the known cities and their boundaries. Thus, when counting the sons and grandsons, a total of thirty-one individuals from Ham’s line emerges. Next, we turn to Shem’s sons. The recounting of his lineage, which begins with the youngest, gradually reaches him. However, a moment of ambiguity arises where the sons of Shem are introduced, necessitating elucidation as it closely relates to our focus. The passage states, "There were children also to Shem, the father of all the sons of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth" (Gen. 10:21). Shem is depicted as the patriarch of all his descendants that the narrative intends to mention, whether sons, grandsons, great-grandsons, or later generations. Notably, Shem did not father Eber; Eber appears as the fifth in the lineage of his descendants. Among his sons, Shem fathered Arphaxad, who fathered Cainan, who in turn fathered Salah, who fathered Eber. The prominence of Eber in this genealogy is not without cause; he is named first among those descended from Shem and precedes his sons. Clearly, this is due to the tradition that the Hebrews, or Heberians, drew their name from him. Although there is an alternate theory suggesting they were named after Abraham, the truth is that they are essentially called after Eber - Everaeans, later evolving to 'Jews' through the addition of a letter. Eventually, the Hebrew lexicon retained only one nation, Israel, in which the glory of God was made manifest through the saints and the entirety of the nation symbolically represented God’s presence. As a result, the six sons of Shem are introduced first, followed by four born to one of their grandsons. Another son also fathers a grandson, from whom Eber arises. Eber himself bore two sons, naming one Falek, meaning ‘the one who division.' The Scripture provides the rationale for this name, stating: "because in his days the earth was divided" (Genesis 10:25). The nature of this division will be clarified later. The other son of Eber produced twelve sons. Ultimately, the descendants from Noah’s three sons total seventy-three: fifteen from Japheth, thirty-one from Ham, and twenty-seven from Shem. The Scripture further records, "These are the sons of Shem according to their tribes, according to their tongues, in their lands, according to their nations." From these lineages, nations dispersed across the earth post-flood (Gen. 10:31-32). This establishes grounds for concluding that at this point, there existed seventy-three distinct nations, or more accurately (as will be shown), seventy-two nations, rather than individuals. For earlier, while listing Japheth’s sons, it concluded stating, "From these the islands of the nations were inhabited in their lands, each according to his language, according to his tribes, in his peoples" (Gen. 10:5). Many sons remain unmentioned because, upon their birth, they mixed into other nations and did not establish nations of their own. What is the rationale for listing only the offspring of two of Japheth’s eight sons, naming only the descendants of three of Ham's four sons, and including only the progeny of two out of six sons of Shem? It cannot be that the others were without heirs. Their offspring did not form nations warranting mention, as they assimilated into other nations upon their arrival.

In the same book, while detailing the genealogies of Noah's sons, it states, "These are the sons of Ham, according to their tribes, according to their tongues, in their lands, in their nations" (Gen. 10:20). Likewise, regarding Shem’s sons, it asserts, "These are the sons of Shem, according to their tribes, according to their tongues, in their lands, in their nations" (Gen. 10:31). Additionally, it notes: "These are the tribes of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations. From them, the nations spread over the earth after the flood." Initially, the whole earth shared one language and one dialect (Gen. 10:32-11:1). Hence, from the fact that there was a single language and dialect throughout the earth, signifying a common means of communication, we may infer that at the moment people began to migrate over the earth, they all communicated in one tongue. This stands in contrast to earlier statements regarding their distinct tribes having unique languages. It would not have been stated that separate tribes formed distinct nations with their own languages while also indicating a singular language for all; thus, it is concluded, "There was one language and one dialect across the entire earth." The narrative subtly reverts to describe how the single language diverged into many. It quickly transitions to recount the construction of a tower, during which God ordained a judgment against pride, leading to the dispersion of humanity according to their languages.

It is beneficial to explore works like 'On Antiquities' authored by Varron, Sisinius Capiton, the Greek Phlegontes, and other esteemed scholars, to understand how Greek settlers occupied numerous islands, coastal regions, and maritime territories around the world, establishing their presence from the mountains of Aman and Taurus all the way to the British Ocean.

Some argue that Slavic peoples trace their roots to Riphat, a son of Gamer, while others assert they originate from Forgama, Riphat's brother. The names of Moscow and White Russia are said to come from different sources. Nevertheless, it is sufficient to acknowledge our descent from Japheth, as Mosoch was Japheth's son, while Riphat and Forgama were his grandsons, both children of Gamer. The Cimmerians, or Cymbrians, are linked to the Slavic language. For more on the Cimmerians, refer to the hagiographies of Saints Methodius and Constantine for May. The Pechersk Synopsis discusses the Slavs, Russians, and Cimmerians as well. 7. Firas is recognized as the ancestor of the Thracians, a region where Byzantium later emerged, now known as Constantinople or Tsargrad. In some Russian Bibles, an eighth son named Elias is listed among Japheth’s children; however, it is believed that he was not a son of Japheth but rather a grandson, being the child of his son Jovan.

Bochart associates this with Italy, connecting the prophecies of Balaam (Num. 24:24) and Daniel (Dan. 11:29, 30) regarding the ships of Kittim to the Romans, suggesting that the name Latium translates from the Arabic Ketam, meaning hidden. It is more plausibly believed that Kittim refers to Macedonia, as indicated by the author of the first book of Maccabees who uses this term (1 Mac. 1:1, 1 Mac. 8:5). The prophecies concerning Kittim’s lands and islands (Is. 23:1, Ezek. 27:6) align with this understanding, and the ancient name for Macedonia, Makketta or Maketia, closely resembles Kittim. Dodanim. In some genealogical accounts in the book of the Chronicles (1 Chronicles 1:7), there is a reference to Rodanim. Scholars adhering to this version search for the tribe of Rodanim either on the island of Rhodes, as noted by seventy commentators and Jerome, or near the mouth of the Rodana River (Rhone) and the city of Rodanusia, as Bochart suggests. If we accept the first interpretation, the settlement of Dodanim might be situated in Epirus, where the oracle, river, and city share this name: Dodona. The ancient practice of divination at Dodona, as documented by Herodotus, along with the legends surrounding it, support this theory. According to Egyptian sources, the oracle was delivered by a priestess, while the myth among Dodonian priests attributes it to a dove. This inconsistency is clarified by the Phoenician or Hebrew term יונית Javanif or Ionif, which could signify either a woman of the tribe of Javan or a dove.