Lesson 8: Genesis 10 And 11: Tower Of Babel
Having gone through much of Genesis 1-11 in a somewhat detailed fashion, it may be good to finish by stepping back to get the big picture. What might we learn from looking at the whole scope of the primeval history and the trajectory of the stories contained within it? Let’s take a look!
Table of Nations
A. Structure
1. Chapter ten is held together by an inclusion formed by verses one and thirty-two. Both verses list the names of Noah's sons and employ the phrase "after the flood."
2. Three sections are marked off by beginning with one of Noah's sons and concluding with the note including the words "language," "country," "clans," and "nations."
3. Thus the chapter may be outlined as follows:
1 Introduction
2-5 Japheth's sons
6-20 Ham's sons
21-31 Shem's sons
32 Conclusion
B. Numeric features
1. The list features an affinity for the number seven. Japheth has seven sons and seven grandsons as does Cush. There are seven sons of Egypt.
2. The list contains 70 names "and we cannot believe for a moment that this is accidental. Seventy stands for totality and completion" (Walton, 367). This also suggests that the list does not intend to be exhaustive. For example, it does not deal with any people group that lived outside of the known world of the ancient near east in the second millennium.
B. Explanation
1. verses 1-5
a. Verse one presents the now familiar "family history" heading. However, this is the only time that it covers someone's sons rather than an individual.
b. Wenham suggests that the mention of the flood serves to connect the narrative with what came before and also with what follows since the Hebrew for flood, mbl, is so close phonetically to Babel.
c. The descendants of Japheth are dealt with first and briefly, probably because they have the least to do with the future of Israel.
d. "Japheth's descendants can all be defined from an Israelite perspective as coming from across the sea ... Many of the names here are connected with the Mediterranean region ... Others are identified with the sections or peoples in Asia Minor and even extending to the area east in the region of the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea" (Walton, 368).
2. verses 6-20
a. This section deals with many of Israel's closest neighbors, thus explaining the length of the section as compared with that of Japheth.
b. "Ham's descendants lined the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea and both sides of the Red Sea" (Walton, 368).
d. Nimrod (verses 8-12)
The section dealing with Nimrod is a narrative expansion of the genealogical material. The identity of Nimrod is problematic. Some have sought to identify him with divine figures such as Marduk or Ninurta. Others have sought a more historical referent such as Sargon I of Akkad or Tukulti-Ninurta I of Assyria. Some have suggested Gilgamesh. None of these have been found universally appealing. Wenham concludes that it may be best to regard Nimrod as an "archetype of Mesopotamian ideals of kingship" (Wenham, 222). Walton has made a unique case for identifying Nimrod with Hammurabi. He finds that the Old Babylonian Empire whose principle king was Hammurabi best fits the dimensions marked out in this passage. In addition, he suggests that Nimrod is a Hebrew form of EN.MARDU a title meaning king of the Amorites (Babylonians).
3. verses 21-32
a. Lastly, we come to the line of Shem, last because from Shem comes the elect line. "Theological dead-ends are mentioned before the main highway is described" (Wenham, 227).
b. In the days of Peleg, it is said that the "earth was divided." This is a play on the name Peleg which comes from a root meaning to "divide." As a common noun, Peleg meant channel or canal. What it means for the earth to be divided is a subject of debate. Some take it to refer to the tower of Babel incident described in the next chapter. Others take it to refer to a division of the family of Eber between the sons of Peleg who became settled and dependent on irrigation channels and the sons of Joktan who remained wandering tribes. Some creationists take this to be a reference to the continental drift. Perhaps it reflects a split in the line of Eber between the non-elect line traced through Joktan and the elect line traced later through Peleg.
d. "The descendants of Shem settled along the Arabian Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Tigris and Euphrates, and stretched west across the Syrian desert" (Walton, 368).
