The table of nations
Beginnings · Draft · BSB
Content revision: 366f98ac83ed7cca · No editorial review date recorded
Date: not assigned.
The descendants of Shem, Ham and Japheth spread out into nations, each with its own land and language. Nimrod’s kingdom begins in Babel, Erech and Accad in the land of Shinar, Nineveh and Calah are built in Assyria, and the clans of Canaan spread from Sidon toward Gaza.
Genesis 10 groups peoples by clan, language, land and nation (10:5, 20, 31). Only some of its ancient names can be matched to known places; the map marks the cities it names that can be identified.
Primary Scripture
10:1 This is the account of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who also had sons after the flood.
10:2 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
10:3 The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
10:4 And the sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites.
10:5 From these, the maritime peoples separated into their territories, according to their languages, by clans within their nations.
10:6 The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
10:7 The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. And the sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.
10:8 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who began to be a mighty one on the earth.
10:9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; so it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD.”
10:10 His kingdom began in Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
10:11 From that land he went forth into Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah,
10:12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city of Calah.
10:13 Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, the Anamites, the Lehabites, the Naphtuhites,
10:14 the Pathrusites, the Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came), and the Caphtorites.
10:15 And Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites,
10:16 the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,
10:17 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites,
10:18 the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Later the Canaanite clans were scattered,
10:19 and the borders of Canaan extended from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
10:20 These are the sons of Ham according to their clans, languages, lands, and nations.
10:21 And sons were also born to Shem, the older brother of Japheth; Shem was the forefather of all the sons of Eber.
10:22 The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
10:23 The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.
10:24 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah was the father of Eber.
10:25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his days the earth was divided, and his brother was named Joktan.
10:26 And Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,
10:27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,
10:28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba,
10:29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.
10:30 Their territory extended from Mesha to Sephar, in the eastern hill country.
10:31 These are the sons of Shem, according to their clans, languages, lands, and nations.
10:32 All these are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their generations and nations. From these the nations of the earth spread out after the flood.
Related Scripture
Paul at Athens: from one man God made every nation.
Location evidence
No event map marker is assigned. Do not infer an exact venue from related places.
Babel (Babylon): Identified site. Coordinates [longitude, latitude]: [44.422222, 32.543333]. Classification source: editorial.
Erech (Uruk): Identified site. Coordinates [longitude, latitude]: [45.636111, 31.322222]. Classification source: editorial.
Accad: Proposed site. Coordinates [longitude, latitude]: [44.391944, 33.025556]. Classification source: editorial.
Nineveh: Identified site. Coordinates [longitude, latitude]: [43.1528, 36.3594]. Classification source: editorial.
Calah (Nimrud): Identified site. Coordinates [longitude, latitude]: [43.328889, 36.098056]. Classification source: editorial.
Sidon: Identified site. Coordinates [longitude, latitude]: [35.371944, 33.560985]. Classification source: editorial.
Gaza: Identified site. Coordinates [longitude, latitude]: [34.4644, 31.504]. Classification source: editorial.
For the class
Genesis lists the nations before God calls one family. What does that suggest about God’s concern for the whole world?
Interpretation and reuse
Narrative order is a reading arrangement, not a proven chronology. Dates retain their stated uncertainty. An identified locality does not establish the exact venue or prove an event. Region extents and routes are illustrative, not surveyed boundaries or ancient roads. Draft material has not completed editorial review.
Record source: editorial (content/authored/beginnings.json)
Place coordinates from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding Data, CC BY 4.0.
Teaching stops, summaries and regional extents are original editorial content of this atlas.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain. https://berean.bible/licensing.htm