Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,
Out of that land went forth Asshur. Our translators, in this rendering of the original, have followed the Septuagint and Vulgate; but it appears an abrupt and strange diversion of the course of the narrative to introduce among the descendants of Ham a notice of a son of Shem, which would come more appropriately in Genesis 10:22; and therefore the weight of critical opinion preponderates in favour of the marginal reading-namely, 'Out of that land he (Nimrod) went forth into Assyria.' Internal evidence strongly supports this translation; and although there is a difficulty connected with the grammatical construction, Asshur not having the appended sign of motion, yet, since there are other instances of a similar anomaly in the sacred history (1 Kings 11:17; 2 Kings 15:14), the omission of the local affix should not prevent our adoption of a version which the tenor of the context obviously requires, especially since the monumental inscriptions have clearly established the fact, that the earliest rulers of Assyria were not of Shemite, but Hamite descent (cf. Micah 5:6). The Hamites were the earliest and chief movers in the great work of social organization. Besides, the Arab tradition is, that Asshur, or Athur was lieutenant of Nimrod (Layard).
Builded Nineveh - the habitation of Nin, an Assyrian deity. This city was situated on the eastern bank of the Tigris, a little above the point of confluence of the greater Zab with that river, opposite to Mosul, which now stands on the western bank. And the city Rehoboth - literally, streets of a city; or, streets, a city; and hence, Jerome ('Quaest. in Genes.') considers it as referring to Nineveh. The Septuagint has teen Rooobooth polin-the city Rehoboth. Various sites have been chosen as representing Rehoboth; but strong objections have been urged against many of them. The most probable is one suggested by Colonel Chesney, who says that, 'on the right bank of the Euphrates, at the north-western extremity of the plain of Shinar, and three and a half miles south-west of the town of Mayadin, are extensive ruins, around a castle, still bearing the name of Rehoboth.'
Calah - or Halah (2 Kings 17:6). There is every reason to believe that the site of Calah is now occupied by the ruins of Nimrod, about twenty miles direct south from Nineveh.