We will pick up in this lesson today with Genesis 10:13 “And Mizraim
begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,”
Genesis 10:14 “And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came
Philistim,) and Caphtorim.”
We must remember, here, that these were the descendents of Ham. We
remember Mizraim was Egypt. whether all, or a portion, I do not know.
Ludim was mentioned in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and several other prophetic
books, and seemed to be always at odds with God. Egypt, or one of the
African nations, seemed to be home for Ludim. All that is known for sure
about Anamin was right here. There were no other Scriptures that directly
connect him. He was, probably, Egyptian.
The tribe of Lehabim was believed to be the fairhaired, blue-eyed
Lybians of Midianite stock.
The family of Naphtuhim, just as Lehabim, seemed to just drop out of
Bible history. As we have said before, this happened very often in the
Bible, when it was not important to the lesson to be learned, or when they
were not in the lineage of Jesus.
The only thing known abut the Pathrusim name was that the city Pathros,
Egypt, probably originated from these people.
Nothing is known about Calsuhim and Philistim, unless, Philistim became
Philistia. It is too difficult to trace to any degree of accuracy. The names
were just similar, and from the same area.
Caphtorim were the inhabitants of Caphtor, or Crete. In Jeremiah,
Caphtor was said to be the area the Philistines came from. this, too, makes
you believe that Philistia and the Philistines were, probably, the same.
Genesis 10:15 “And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,”
Genesis 10:16 “And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,”
Genesis 10:17 “And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,”
Genesis 10:18 “And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and
afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.”
The verses above were not only telling us the names of the sons of
Canaan, but also, the tribes that were started through them. Sidon was also
Zidon; the town associated with this was sometimes called Saida located in
present day Lebanon. these people were Phoenecians, seafaring people. these
people became known as the Sidonians. In I Kings 11:5 “For Solomon went
after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the
abomination of the Ammonites.” who are the same people. These Sidonians
followed after false gods and goddesses.It seemed to have been a family
trait.
Heth was the father of the Hittites. It seems, Heth settled near evil
Canaan. In later years, Abraham bought a burial place near Hebron from the
Hittites. The Hittites worshipped a large group of Egyptian and Babylonian
deities and were in opposition to the Israelites, One interesting thing to
know about the word Heth, it is the 8th letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
The Jebusites, as their relatives above, were one of the tribes that
Joshua ran out of Canaan, but not out of Jerusalem. They lived together
there. They, too, had a bad background of false Gods.
“Amorite” means (the high one). The Amorites were one of the seven
tribes whose land was given to Israel. they were very prominent in the Bible
in opposition to Israel, Sometimes, Amorite and Canaanite are
interchangeable. They settled where present day Israel is.
The Girgasite and the Girgashite were the same people. they, also, were
one of the 7 tribes in Canaan that Joshua took over for Israel. They,
probably, settled west of the Jordan River.
The Hivite, also, was one of the 7 tribes destroyed by Israel. They
seemed to be settlers around Lebanon.
The Arkite group settled Lebanon, as well. They were, probably, the
same as the Arvad group mentioned in Ezekiel 27:8-11. It seemed as though
they were a maritime group. Very little else is known.
This Sinite is the only time this group was mentioned in the Bible.
The Zemarite tribe and the Hamathite tribe were just 2 more of these
settlers of Canaan, who were overthrown by the Israelites, and seemed to
just drop out of view. This last sentence in verse 18 said it all, when it
said the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.
Genesis 10:19 “And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou
comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and
Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.” Genesis 10:20 “These [are] the sons of
Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, [and] in
their nations.”
We have already discussed Sidon, It seemed all of these people of
Canaan settled around the old evil Canaan, that was to be overthrown by the
Israelites. This Gerar, mentioned here, was the same as the one mentioned in
connection with Abraham and Isaac telling a story about their wives to
Abimelech. Abimelech lived in Gerar. Gaza, which means stronghold, was a
border city of Canaan, The Hebrew name for Gaza is Azzah (mentioned in
Deuteronomy, Kings, and Jeremiah). it was the capital of the Philistines.
Samson lived there. This was one of the cities Phillip ministered in. Today,
this is the center of the Gaza Strip. Sodom and Gomorrah were near the Dead
Sea, out in the desert. They were both well known for being evil cities that
God destroyed except for lot’s family. You see, the original people of
Canaan were evil,and disobedient to God. It seemed that time only worsened
the morals of Sodom and Gomorrah. It seemed Admah was destroyed with Sodom
(probably a suburb). Nothing else is known of Admah. Zeboim, also, was
destroyed for evil. Lasha has no other mention, but was believed to be near
the Dead Sea.
There is a break here between verse 20. The evil sons of Ham, and verse
21, the sons of Shem.
Genesis 10:21 “Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber,
the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were [children] born.”
We must take a very good look at these people (the descendents of
Sham), because this was the line Jesus would come from.
Eber seems to be Heber in Luke 3:35. It very well may be that Hebrew
came from this Eber, as well. (I really believe what it was trying to say is
that Shem was the father of the Hebrew nation.)
The Bible does not always mean child, when it says children. It
sometimes means grandchild, or great-grandchild, as is obviously the case
with Eber in the above Scripture. Eber, the man, is actually the grandson of
Arphaxad, as we will see in the next few verses.
Genesis 10:22 “The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad,
and Lud, and Aram.”
Arphaxad, along with Sham, was mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus.
Elam, probably, settled Persia (the part that became known as Elam).
“Asshur” means that these people of Asshur went to Assyria. Arphaxad settled
in the mountains near Nineveh. This Lud was not the same one mentioned in
the line of Ham, but nevertheless, probably settled in Asia. Aram, probably,
settled in Armenia. On the mother’s side. Jacob’s children were, probably,
Armenian from this connection.
Genesis 10:23 “And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and
Mash.”
Uz was mentioned later on as the Land that Job lived in somewhere in
the Arabian desert. Probably, Uz and Hul settled in the same area. At any
rate, these people were all Hebrews. Gether and Mash did not seem to be
prominent in the line of Jesus, and fade away with this mention of them.
Mash is called Meshach in 1 Chronicles.
Genesis 10:24 “And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber.”
Salah is mentioned in one other place, but called Shalah in 1
Chronicles. He is mentioned in the lineage of Jesus, as is Eber, which we
have already touched on. This mention here of Eber is the man, and not the
Hebrew nation.
Genesis 10:25 “And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one [was]
Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name [was]
Joktan.”
The word Peleg means division. What an appropriate name this is. The
statement, the earth divided, I believe is accurate. The continents did
divide (the scientists tell us that they are still moving apart a few inches
a year). Peleg also is in the genealogy of Jesus. It should not be so hard
for us to believe that the land mass was altogether one time. In the new
heaven and the new earth there will be no sea. Very little is known of
Joktan, except that he was the brother of Peleg. You see the Bible does not
go into detail on a person, unless it is important later on in the bible.
Genesis 10:26 “And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth,
and Jerah,” Genesis 10:27 “And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,” Genesis 10:28
And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba,” Genesis 10:29 “And Ophir, and Havilah,
and Jobab: all these [were] the sons of Joktan.”
All of these sons of Joktan seemed to settle parts of Arabia, and they,
as their father, seem to just drop into obscurity. Two of these names with
interesting meanings are Hazer-maveth which means (village of death) and
Jobab which means (howler or one who calls shrilly).
There were 13 of these sons who just disappear in Bible history.
Genesis 10:30 “And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto
Sephar a mount of the east.”
This seems to be in the desert of Arabia.
Genesis 10:31 “These [are] the sons of Shem, after their families,
after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.” Genesis 10:32
“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.”
God is just explaining again that through Noah’s three sons the whole
world was populated. The flood left 8 people to begin again. Eight, you
remember, means new beginnings.
For the nest lesson read chapter 11 several times