Genesis 10:32 - Printer Friendly

ESV: These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.

NIV: These are the clans of Noah's sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.

NASB: These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their descendants, by their nations; and out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood.

CSB: These are the clans of Noah's sons, according to their family records, in their nations. The nations on earth spread out from these after the flood.

NLT: These are the clans that descended from Noah’s sons, arranged by nation according to their lines of descent. All the nations of the earth descended from these clans after the great flood.

KJV: These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

NKJV: These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood.

This verse serves as a formal conclusion to chapter 10's table of nations. It has finished its work of presenting the genealogy of Noah through his three sons and their sons and describing the peoples and nations that came from them, along with the regions in which they settled following the Tower of Babel. Rather than focusing on a single, deep line of fathers and sons, this list has emphasized the broad connection between all people. Instead of delving into the details of how they came to be separate people, with separate nations and languages, this passage simply explains how these men were related to each other.

The story of the Tower of Babel and the dispersal of humanity will be told in chapter 11, starting in the very next verse.

Genesis 10:21–32 details the descendants of Noah's son, Shem. Shem's brothers, Japheth and Ham, fathered the nations described in the earlier portion of this chapter. Shem's children would be especially blessed by God. Into Shem's line, Abraham (Abram) would be born, as would the nation of Israel, and eventually the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The context given here suggests that some of these descendants were born after the events of the Tower of Babel, explained in chapter 11.

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.