Genesis 10:10. The beginning of his kingdom was Babel— i.e.. Babylon was either the first city built by him, or the capital city of his kingdom: the former seems the most probable. Erech, there is great reason to believe, is the same with Arecca, mentioned by Ptolemy; Accad, with Sittace; and Calneh, with Ctesiphon upon the Tigris. read more
10. the beginning of his kingdom—This kingdom, of course, though then considered great, would be comparatively limited in extent, and the towns but small forts. read more
The Nations descended from NoahThis section gives the origins and situations of the nations of the world, as their relationships were conceived by the early Hebrews. Before passing to the history of the chosen race, the author traces the ties by which the rest of mankind are united with his own people, and shows the position of Israel among the nations. Each nation is regarded as a unity, and is summed up in the person of its supposed ancestor. The nations being treated as individuals, it... read more
(10) The beginning of his kingdom.—Nimrod’s empire began with the cities enumerated in this verse, and thence extended into Assyria, as is mentioned in Genesis 10:11. First, then, he established his sovereignty “in the land of Shinar: “that is, in Babylonia, the lower portion of Mesopotamia, as distinguished from Assyria, the upper portion. It is called Sumir in the cuneiform inscriptions. In Micah 5:6 Babylonia is called “the land of Nimrod.” His cities there were four.Babel.—That is, Bab-ili,... read more
V. THE GENERATIONS OF THE SONS OF NOAH CHAPTER 10 Shem, Ham, and Japheth and Their Seed 1. The sons of Japheth (Genesis 10:2-5 ) 2. The sons of Ham (Genesis 10:6-20 ) 3. The sons of Shem (Genesis 10:21-32 ) Here we have the beginning of the nations. God knows them and keeps track of the nations of the earth. The order of the sons of Noah is here changed. Japheth comes first. Ham’s place is unchanged. Shem comes last. This order is given in view of Noah’s prophecy. Among the descendants... read more
10:10 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. read more
DESCENDANTS OF NOAH In this chapter the genealogy of Japheth is given first (vs.1-5). Their history is not pursued in the book of Genesis: their character was that of the energy of independence, and though at first it seems they were involved in the building of the tower of Babel (for all Noah's family evidently remained at that time close to that area), yet they soon spread northward and had no significant connection with Abraham and his descendants. There is more said about the family of... read more
THE NATIONS This chapter is more than a list of names of individuals. Several are names of families or nations, and make it the most important historical document in the world. You will see that the stream of the race divides according to the three sons of Noah. Whose division is first traced (Genesis 10:2 )? What part of the world was settled by his offspring (Genesis 10:5 )? This might read: “By these were the coast lands of the nations divided,” and research indicates that the names of... read more
The Fountains of History Gen 10:1-5 Shall I be far wrong if I suppose that few of you have ever read the tenth chapter of Genesis right through? Certainly, from a glance at the long, hard names, one would think that there is not much here for the edification of the reader, and that the best thing that can be done is to skip the chapter. Yet there are some home-words here, and hidden under rough husks are some germs, out of which perhaps we ourselves may have come! In the fifth verse you find... read more
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Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Genesis 10:8-10
"Nimrod, the mighty hunter ..." As the founder of both Babylon and Nineveh, both of which were noted for their rebellion against God, Babylon, in fact, having come to stand in all ages as the great symbol for opposition and rebellion against God, Nimrod must be considered to have exhibited the same evil qualities. Whitelaw wrote that:"Eastern tradition has painted Nimrod as a gigantic oppressor of the peoples' liberties and an impious rebel against Divine authority. Josephus credited him with... read more