Table of Nations

Text and Content

Genesis 10 lists, in order, the clans (groups bound by kinship) that descended from the sons of Noah after the Flood. The text proceeds from Japheth (vv. 2–5) to Ham (vv. 6–20) and then to Shem (vv. 21–31), and it concludes in verse 32: "and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood." A nearly identical list appears in 1 Chronicles 1:4–23.

• Line of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, Tiras, and their descendants. These are commonly regarded as peoples of the regions to the north and of the western Mediterranean; Javan is identified with the Greeks and Madai with the Medes.
• Line of Ham: Cush, Mizraim (Egypt), Phut, Canaan, and their descendants (Genesis 10:6). Nimrod, a descendant of Cush, is introduced as one who "began to be a mighty one in the earth" and is presented as the founder of Babel in the land of Shinar and of Nineveh in the region of Assyria. This line also includes Egypt, the Philistines, and the various peoples of Canaan.
• Line of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, Aram, and their descendants. The text records that in the days of Peleg, son of Eber, "was the earth divided" (v. 25). The genealogy of Shem resumes in chapter 11 and continues down to Abraham.

Background

At the end of each line a recurring formula appears: "after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations" (vv. 5, 20, 31). This indicates that the list groups peoples not only by descent but also by language, geography, and political unit. For this reason, scholars sometimes read the list as a kind of map of the world known to ancient Israel. Canaan, for example, is placed in the line of Ham even though the Canaanites spoke a Semitic language, and Elam is placed in the line of Shem even though Elamite is not a Semitic language. Such features show that the list was not organized on linguistic criteria alone. Scholars differ on which modern peoples correspond to each name.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

The Table of Nations shows the command given at Creation, "Be fruitful, and multiply," being fulfilled anew after the Flood. The account of the Tower of Babel that follows (ch. 11) explains why the peoples were scattered, and in chapter 12 God promises Abraham, "in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Abrahamic covenant). Because of this sequence, many interpreters read God's calling of Israel as having been directed toward all nations from the very beginning.

In the New Testament, Paul says that God "hath made of one blood all nations of men" (Acts 17:26). Revelation 7:9–17 depicts people of every nation and kindred worshiping together. Some scholars connect the peoples of the many regions listed at the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:9–11) with the Table of Nations. The name Magog also appears in Ezekiel 38–39 and Revelation 20:7–15.

Interpretation and Issues

• Number of nations: Jewish tradition counts seventy names in the list and speaks of the "seventy nations." The Septuagint contains a few more names, and its list is sometimes counted as seventy-two. Some interpreters link this number to the seventy (or seventy-two) disciples of Luke 10, but the text does not make this connection explicitly.
• Order of arrangement: Languages are already divided in chapter 10, yet the account of the confusion of languages does not come until chapter 11. For this reason, a common view holds that chapter 10 is arranged thematically, presenting in advance the outcome of the events recounted in chapter 11.
• Racial classification and the "curse of Ham": Explanations that make the three sons the ancestors of races such as Europeans, Africans, and Asians are later interpretations not found in the text. The curse in Genesis 9 is directed not at Ham but at Canaan. Nevertheless, it was historically recast as the "curse of Ham" and used to justify slavery and racial discrimination. Today many denominations and scholars regard this as a misreading of the text.
• Some claim to trace the origin of the Korean people to particular figures in this list (for example, Joktan), but the text itself says nothing of the kind.

In the Korean Church

The word yeolbang ("the nations") is widely used in missions preaching and worship songs in the Korean church to mean "all the peoples of the world." Genesis 10–12 is frequently cited, together with the Great Commission, as a passage establishing the biblical basis for missions.