Genesis 10:8

ESV Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man.

NIV Cush was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth.

NASB Now Cush fathered Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth.

CSB Cush fathered Nimrod, who began to be powerful in the land.

NLT Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, who was the first heroic warrior on earth.

KJV And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

NKJV Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth.

What does Genesis 10:8 mean?

The majority of this chapter is a "table of nations," describing the origins of the various nations of the world. These are described according to their relationship to Noah and his sons. Verses 9 and 10 represent an interesting, unique pause in that purpose. Dropped into the middle of this table of nations is a fascinating historical aside about Nimrod, one of the sons of Cush.

Initially, we're told that Nimrod was the first on earth to become a "mighty man" or "champion," indicating that he was a powerful and renowned ruler. The Hebrew phrasing here can mean that Nimrod simply "began" to be mighty, or it can be interpreted to mean that he was the first person to attain that level of might.

Interestingly, in many English-speaking countries, the term "nimrod" is used to imply that a person is stupid, slow-witted, or incompetent. Various popular artists in the 1920s and 1930s sarcastically referred to specific hunters as "Nimrod," and popular culture eventually overtook the original implications of the term.

The follow verses give more detail about Nimrod's exploits and accomplishments.

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Context Summary
Genesis 10:6–20 details the descendants of Noah's son, Ham. The majority of these tribes settled in the regions south and east of the Promised Land. While Ham's son Canaan was cursed (Genesis 9:24–25), many of Ham's descendants established powerful nations. One of these is Mizraim, also known as Egypt. Though Canaan's sons were destined to fall to the sons of Shem, other sons of Ham would hold Israel captive for more than 400 years. This passage also contains an interesting aside about one particular man: Nimrod.

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Chapter Context
Genesis 10 is sometimes called the table of nations. It describes, in three sections, the peoples that descended from Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Japheth's people settled mostly to the north of what would be Israel. Ham's people became great nations in the region of the Middle East, including the people that would settle in the Promised Land before Israel drove them out. Shem's line would lead to Abraham and the Israelites.

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