translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: GEN

label: NET study note

text: Sons were born to them . A vertical genealogy such as this encompasses more than the names of sons. The list includes cities, tribes, and even nations. In a loose way, the names in the list have some derivation or connection to the three ancestors.


text: The Greek form of the name Japheth, Iapetos , is used in Greek tradition for the ancestor of the Greeks.


text: Gomer was the ancestor of the Cimmerians. For a discussion of the Cimmerians see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 49-61.


text: For a discussion of various proposals concerning the descendants of Magog see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 22-24.


text: Madai was the ancestor of the Medes, who lived east of Assyria.


text: Javan was the father of the Hellenic race, the Ionians who lived in western Asia Minor.


text: Tubal was the ancestor of militaristic tribes that lived north of the Black Sea. For a discussion of ancient references to Tubal see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 24-26.


text: Meshech was the ancestor of the people known in Assyrian records as the Musku . For a discussion of ancient references to them see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 24-26.


text: Tiras was the ancestor of the Thracians, some of whom possibly became the Pelasgian pirates of the Aegean.


text: The descendants of Gomer were all northern tribes of the Upper Euphrates.


text: Askenaz was the ancestor of a northern branch of Indo-Germanic tribes, possibly Scythians. For discussion see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 63.


text: The descendants of Riphath lived in a district north of the road from Haran to Carchemish.


text: Togarmah is also mentioned in Ezek 38:6 , where it refers to Til-garimmu, the capital of Kammanu, which bordered Tabal in eastern Turkey. See E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 26, n. 28.


text: The descendants of Elishah populated Cyprus.


text: The descendants of Tarshish settled along the southern coast of what is modern Turkey. However, some identify the site Tarshish (see Jonah 1:3 ) with Sardinia or Spain.


text: The name Kittim is associated with Cyprus, as well as coastlands east of Rhodes. It is used in later texts to refer to the Romans.


text: The descendants of Cush settled in Nubia (Ethiopia).


text: The descendants of Mizraim settled in Upper and Lower Egypt.


text: The descendants of Put settled in Libya.


text: The descendants of Canaan lived in the region of Phoenicia (Palestine).


text: The descendants of Seba settled in Upper Egypt along the Nile.


text: The Hebrew name Havilah apparently means “stretch of sand” (see HALOT 297 s.v. חֲוִילָה ). Havilah’s descendants settled in eastern Arabia.


text: The descendants of Sabtah settled near the western shore of the Persian Gulf in ancient Hadhramaut.


text: The descendants of Raamah settled in southwest Arabia.


text: The descendants of Sabteca settled in Samudake, east toward the Persian Gulf.


text: Sheba became the name of a kingdom in southwest Arabia.


text: The name Dedan is associated with à Ula in northern Arabia.


text: Erech (ancient Uruk, modern Warka), one of the most ancient civilizations, was located southeast of Babylon.


text: Akkad , or ancient Agade, was associated with Sargon and located north of Babylon.


text: Shinar is another name for Babylonia.


text: Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city situated on the Tigris River.


text: The name Rehoboth-Ir means “and broad streets of a city,” perhaps referring to a suburb of Nineveh.


text: Calah (modern Nimrud) was located twenty miles north of Nineveh.


text: Mizraim is the Hebrew name for Egypt (cf. NRSV).


text: The Ludites were African tribes west of the Nile Delta.


text: The Anamites lived in North Africa, west of Egypt, near Cyrene.


text: The Lehabites are identified with the Libyans.


text: The Naphtuhites lived in Lower Egypt (the Nile Delta region).


text: The Pathrusites are known in Egyptian as P-to-reshi ; they resided in Upper Egypt.


text: The Casluhites lived in Crete and eventually settled east of the Egyptian Delta, between Egypt and Canaan.


text: The Caphtorites resided in Crete, but in Egyptian literature Caphtor refers to “the region beyond” the Mediterranean.


text: Sidon was the foremost city in Phoenicia; here Sidon may be the name of its founder.


text: The Jebusites were the Canaanite inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem.


text: Here Amorites refers to smaller groups of Canaanite inhabitants of the mountainous regions of Palestine, rather than the large waves of Amurru, or western Semites, who migrated to the region.


text: The Girgashites are an otherwise unknown Canaanite tribe, though the name is possibly mentioned in Ugaritic texts (see G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 1:226).


text: The Hivites were Canaanite tribes of a Hurrian origin.


text: The Arkites lived in Arka, a city in Lebanon, north of Sidon.


text: The Sinites lived in Sin, another town in Lebanon.


text: The Arvadites lived in the city Arvad, located on an island near the mainland close to the river El Kebir.


text: The Zemarites lived in the town Sumur, north of Arka.


text: The Hamathites lived in Hamath on the Orontes River.


text: The Hebrew name Elam ( עֵילָם , ’ elam ) means “highland.” The Elamites were a non-Semitic people who lived east of Babylon.


text: Asshur is the name for the Assyrians. Asshur was the region in which Nimrod expanded his power (see v. 11 , where the name is also mentioned). When names appear in both sections of a genealogical list, it probably means that there were both Hamites and Shemites living in that region in antiquity, especially if the name is a place name.


text: The descendants of Arphaxad may have lived northeast of Nineveh.


text: Lud may have been the ancestor of the Ludbu, who lived near the Tigris River.


text: Aram became the collective name of the northern tribes living in the steppes of Mesopotamia and speaking Aramaic dialects.


text: traces the line of Shem through Eber ( עֵבֶר , ’ ever ) to Abraham the “Hebrew” ( עִבְרִי , ’ ivri ).


text: The name Almodad combines the Arabic article al with modad (“friend”). Almodad was the ancestor of a South Arabian people.


text: The name Sheleph may be related to Shilph, a district of Yemen; Shalph is a Yemenite tribe.


text: The name Hazarmaveth should be equated with Hadramawt, located in Southern Arabia.


text: The name Jerah means “moon.”


text: Uzal was the name of the old capital of Yemen.


text: The name Diklah means “date-palm.”


text: Obal was a name used for several localities in Yemen.


text: The name Abimael is a genuine Sabean form which means “my father, truly, he is God.”


text: The descendants of Sheba lived in South Arabia, where the Joktanites were more powerful than the Hamites.


text: Ophir became the name of a territory in South Arabia. Many of the references to Ophir are connected with gold (e.g., 1 Kgs 9:28, 10:11, 22:48 ; 1 Chr 29:4 ; 2 Chr 8:18, 9:10 ; Job 22:24, 28:16 ; Ps 45:9 ; Isa 13:12 ).


text: Havilah is listed with Ham in v. 7 .