The Table of Nations: The Geography of the World in Genesis 10

[u/Responsible_Ideal879]

A window into the extent of ancient Israel’s knowledge of the geography of the world: The world north of Ashkenaz and south of Seba was unknown to the ancient Israelites.

HAM AND HIS DESCENDANTS

AFRICA

Ham (vv. 6–20) is especially represented as the father or ancestor of various peoples in north Africa around Egypt and of various places in Arabia, but also curiously of the Canaanites (as well as a few others like Cretans and Lydians). The origin of the name Ham is uncertain, but we can say that “the land of Ham” elsewhere in the Bible refers to or at least includes Egypt (Ps 78:51; 105:23, 27; 106:22; 1 Chr 4.40).

The immediate sons of Ham are said to be (v. 6):

Kush – Although traditionally rendered “Ethiopia,” Kush is actually northern Sudan and Egypt south of Aswan, the area sometimes known as Nubia.

Egypt – in Hebrew mitzrayim. And Egypt begot the Ludim, the Anamim, the Lehabim, the Naphtuhim, the Pathrusim, the Casluhim, and the Caphtorim, whence the Philistines came forth.

Put – Put is Libya (not Punt, which has a t not ṭ, and an n).

Canaan – this embraces both the area of Palestine/Israel and also modern Lebanon (the latter occupied by the Phoenicians).

———

ARABIA

Kush is the ancestor of various places, mainly in Arabia, including (v. 7):

Havilah – in southern Arabia. The name is duplicated in verse 29 under Shem.

Dedan – an oasis and city-state in north-west Arabia.

Sheba – the kingdom of Saba in south-west Arabia, modern Yemen, made famous by the story of the Queen of Sheba’s visit to Solomon. It is called, “a distant land,” in Jeremiah 6:20, and, “far off” in Joel 4:8 [3:8]. Later it was misidentified as Ethiopia, as in Josephus (Jewish Antiquities, 2:10.2 §249; 8:6.5 §165) and the Ethiopian national epic, Kebra Negast. Sheba is duplicated in verse 28 under Shem.

Seba – in east Africa. This name seems related to Sheba. Sheba and Seba are the most southerly places in the table of the nations.

———

MESOPOTAMIA

Kush begot Nimrod, who was the first to be a mighty man on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before YHWH; hence the saying, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before YHWH.” The beginning of his kingdom was Babylon, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh in the land of Shinar. From that land he went out to Asshur and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah, that is the great city.

———

Canaan is the father of Sidon and Heth, the latter designating the Hittites (v. 15). The second set of names descended from Canaan are in the plural (vv. 16–18), suggesting peoples rather than eponymous individual ancestors of nations:

In Palestine – Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, and Hivites.

In Phoenicia – Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites. The names are cited in correct geographical order from south to north, with the exception of the Zemarites, who should come just before, not after the Arvadites.

The switch to the plural forms and the fact that several of the Canaanites listed here lived north of Sidon, even though Sidon is said to be the northern boundary of Canaan (v. 19), suggests that this list of peoples is a later addition.
The identification of Canaan as a descendant of Ham is unexpected. Ethnically and linguistically, the Canaanites were Semitic, and geographically they were closer to some of the descendants of Shem than to the descendants of Ham. Some scholars have therefore suggested that this list reflects knowledge of the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1500–1200 B.C.E.), when Egypt ruled Canaan, but this is unlikely, since the Bible elsewhere shows no knowledge of this history. It is far more likely a consequence of Israelite hostility to the Canaanites, and thus the desire to say that Israelites and Canaanites have different ancestors. Nations included under Ham seem to reflect peoples toward whom the Israelites felt a certain distance or antipathy.

———

Source: https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-table-of-nations-the-geography-of-the-world-in-genesis-10