Genesis 10:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and

NIV: From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah

NASB: From that land he went to Assyria, and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah,

CSB: From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah,

NLT: From there he expanded his territory to Assyria, building the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah,

KJV: Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,

NKJV: From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah,

The previous verses introduced Nimrod, one of the descendants of Ham. Apparently a great ruler of the time, he is described as a mighty hunter before the Lord. Most traditions of the time also paint Nimrod as a tyrant, wielding great power in his lifetime. After establishing his kingdom in the region of Shinar in the south, Nimrod moved north into Assyria. There he built the great city of Nineveh and the close-by towns of Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and those mentioned in the following verse.

Later in Scripture, Nineveh and the Assyrians will become famous for their might, cruelty, and wickedness. God will send the prophet Jonah to take a message of salvation to the people of Nineveh; Jonah will resist. The ruins of Nineveh remain to this day, near the modern city of Mosul in Iraq.

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.

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.

Genesis 9 described events that happened between God, Noah, and his three sons after the flood. Genesis 11 will tell the story of the Tower of Babel and the dispersal of the nations. Between them, Genesis 10 is a table of the nations that come from Japheth, Ham, and Shem after God divides and disperses humanity.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/10/2024 1:28:14 AM