Genesis 10:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Hush was the father of Nimrod, who became a powerful figure on the earth (Gen. 10:8). The subsequent verse elaborates that his dominion initially encompassed Babylon, Erech, Akkad, and Halneh, located in the region of Sennar (Gen. 10:10). Nimrod was the first to establish a tyrannical reign, a concept that had not been embraced by the people previously, ruling in Babylon—a name derived from the confusion of tongues among the builders of the tower, as Babylon signifies 'mixing'. His reign extended to Erech, present-day Edessa; to Akkad, now referred to as Nisibia; and to Halneh, which was later named Seleucia after King Seleucus and is currently known as Ctesiphon.

Ham had four sons cited in the Holy Scriptures: Canaan, from whom the Canaanites descended; Hus, the ancestor of the Ethiopians and the tower-builder Nimrod; Mesraean, the forefather of the Egyptians; and Fud, known as the ancestor of the Troglodytes, a group associated with the Ethiopians. Additionally, Ham had other sons whose names are not recorded in the Holy Scriptures due to their lack of prominence. However, the Amsterdam Chronograph mentions one named Typhon, who is noted for having slain his brother Mesraean, the founder of a kingdom in Egypt.

Cush refers to Ethiopia, encompassing both ancient Arabia and Africa, which has its roots in this region. The association between Cush and Midian is demonstrated in the narrative of Moses (Ex. 3:1, Num. 12:1), as well as the geographical proximity of Cush to Arabia (2 Chr. 21:16) and the military engagements of the Cushites in Asia (4 Sam. 19:2, 2 Chr. 14:8). The identification of Cush with Ethiopia is further supported by the writings of Flavius (Antiquities I, p. 6), translations of the New Testament in Syriac and Arabic, and the mention of Ethiopia and Cush as synonymous (Acts 8:27), alongside the contextual references to the Ethiopians in Jeremiah (Jeremiah 13:23). Mitzrayim consistently denotes Egypt in the Scriptures.