Part 5 - The Book of Genesis

 

 

 

The seventy nations of the world

10.1-5
The lineage of the three sons of Noah are discussed. The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.

The Jewish Study Bible translates coastland peoples as maritime nations. Ashkenaz refers to Scythians, who migrated to the Black Sea area. In the middle ages Jews referred to Scythians as Germans and later as the Jewish communities in central and northeastern Europe.

10.6-20 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.
Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.” And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city).
Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 14 Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and Caphtorim).

Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth; the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were dispersed. And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. These were the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands and in their nations.

With Ham we see Nimrod and the tower of Babel and the beginnings of Mystery Babylon. We also see the seeds of Assyria and their capital Nineveh. We see Sidon, of Tyre and Sidon, a later alliance with the united kingdom of Israel. From Ham’s line we see ancient enemies of Israel; the Jebusite, Amorite, Girgashite, Hivite, Philistines, and Canaanites. These were all pagan nations with sexual rites, that could explain the event in Gen 9.22-28 above. We also see Sodom and Gomorrah from this heritage.

 
10.21-32
And children were born also to Shem, the father of all the descendants of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder. The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.  The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. Arphaxad begot Salah, and Salah begot Eber. To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,  Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. 30 And their dwelling place was from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east. 31 These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations.
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.

Eber or Heber is the root word for Hebrew. This forefather named Eber would have lived long enough to see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob’s twelve sons became known as “Hebrews” in honor of this long lived member of the lineage of Shem to Jacob. Because Eber lived so long he would have had communications with the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The term Iberian comes from the root Eber and was the word used to identify Spain. Iberian or Iberia literally means ‘Hebrews.”

From Shem’s line then we see the Hebrew lineage emerge and later the word Semite.


 
THE TOWER OF BABEL 11.1-32

11.1-9
All peoples spoke the same language as they settled in the land of Shinar. The peoples decide to make bricks and use them instead of stones to build a great tower up to heaven lest they be scattered. God sees this and says, “we must” go down and confound their speech or man will soon do whatever they want. Their languages are confounded and man is scattered from Babel, which means Babylon, and the building is stopped.

Already man is rebelling from God and reaching beyond his boundaries. This is man saying to his Creator that he doesn’t need the Creator. They use bricks rather than stone because they can make bricks all the same size. That makes it easier to build with. Stones are all shapes and sizes and are harder to build with. This symbolizes the “spirit of this world” aka Satan and his ultimate rebellion towards God. The spirit of this world infuses man to create a “new world order” where there is no sovereignty of the individual or nation--but all comes under one authority--that of Satan. This is the New World Order also known as Mystery Babylon in the book of Revelation.

The “We” is God talking to Himself in the person of Jesus Christ who will come to save the world.

11.10-26 These verses review the line of Shem from which the Hebrew patriarchs and nation will emerge. This lineage is followed all the way to Abram (Abraham) and Lot. It also speaks of Eber the forefather of the Hebrews who would have lived long enough to know Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

10.27-32 Abram takes Sarai as his wife--she was barren. Terah, Abram’s father and Lot’s grandfather, takes his clan out from Ur of the Chaldees (Babylon) to go to the land of Canaan. They only get as far as Haran and settle there. Terah lives to be 205 and will die in Haran.


2. THE PATRIARCHS 12.1-50.26The final 39 chapters of Genesis will follow the lives of the three patriarchs of the nation to be.

 
ABRAHAM 12.1-25.1 Exile and danger

12.1-3
Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” This is God’s great promise to Abram and his descendants forever.

12.4-6 Abram obeys God and goes to Canaan taking his wife Sarai nephew Lot, and everything he owned with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran for Canaan.

12.7-20 The Lord appears to Abram and tells him his descendants will inherit the land and Abram builds an altar to the Lord. Abram then wanders around the land, builds another altar and invokes the Lord by name. He slowly moves toward the Negev.

There is a famine in the land and Abram moves to Egypt. He tells his wife to pretend she is his sister so they don’t kill him and take her away. They arrive in Egypt and Pharaoh sees how beautiful Sarai is and takes her into his palace. Abraham is blessed and grows in possession of cattle and slaves.

Pharaoh is afflicted with various plagues and finds out Sarai is Abram’s wife. He returns Sarai to Abram and scolds Abram for lying to him and bringing these plagues upon him. Pharaoh sends them away.

In this section Abram tours the land he and his descendants have been given. Then due to famine he must go down into Egypt. The Egyptians, to Abram’s mind, are sexual predators and he devises a plan keep them from harming him or his wife. We see that early in his relationship with the Lord, Abram’s faith was not that great--he tried to work things out his own way and did not fully trust the Lord.

This story foreshadows the story of Joseph and the Exodus as Abram goes to Egypt because of a famine, death is feared at Egyptian hands, and plagues come down on Pharaoh before Abram is told to go. All of the events that would later happen to the descendants happened to Abram the father. 

 

 

Next: Part Six