GENESIS CHAPTER 10 Noah's posterity, Genesis 10:1. Sons of Japheth, Genesis 10:2-5. Of Ham, Genesis 10:2-14; among whom Nimrod the first monarch and tyrant; he reigns in Babel, &c., Genesis 10:10. Asshur builds Nineveh, &c., Genesis 10:11. Sons of Canaan, Genesis 10:15. Their border, Genesis 10:19. Of Shem, Genesis 10:21-31. This chapter, though it may seem to some unprofitable, as consisting almost wholly of genealogies, yet hath indeed great and manifold uses.
1. To show the true original of the several nations; about which all other authors write idly, fabulously, and falsely; and thereby to manifest the providence of God in the government of the world and church, and the truth and authority of the Holy Scriptures.
2. To discover and distinguish from all other nations that people or nation in which God's church was to be, and from which Christ was to come.
3. That Noah's prophecy concerning his three sons might be better understood, and the accomplishment of it made evident.
4. To explain divers prophetical predictions and other passages of Scripture, as will appear in the sequel. For the better understanding of this chapter, compare with it 1 Chronicles 1:4-24. And consider these three things.
1. In the search of these genealogies we must avoid both carelessness, for the reasons now mentioned, and excessive curiosity about every particular person here named, and the people sprung from him; which is neither necessary nor profitable, nor indeed possible now to find out, by reason of the great changes of names, through length of time, loss of ancient records, differences of languages, extinction of families, conquest and destruction of nations, and other causes. It may suffice that divers of them, and those the most eminent, are evident and discernible at this day, as will appear in the progress, by which we may and ought to presume the truth of the rest, whose names are lost in the public confusions of the world in former ages, of whom I shall therefore be silent, and only speak of the principal persons, and that briefly.
2. The same people which were originally seated in one place did ofttimes shift their places, or at least sent forth colonies; and that sometimes into places far distant from their brethren, as appears from the ancient and famous expeditions mentioned in sacred and profane story. So you must not wonder if you meet with the same people in divers countries.
3. In general, the world was divided into three parts, whereof the more eastern parts were allotted to Shem and his issue, the more southern parts to Ham, and the more northern parts of it to Japheth.