Genesis 10-11: Babel and Its Aftermath
Faith Bible Fellowship Church Sunday School March 22, 2020 Genesis 10-11: Babel and Its Aftermath Understanding the Text Genesis 10: The Table of Nations The Table of Nations begins a new section of Genesis, this time tracing the descendants of Noah. As the new start of humanity, all of the people of the earth are descended from Noah, and this chapter explains the relationships between his descendants and their locations. In the structure of the first eleven chapters of the book, this chapter serves as a transition from the history of the whole human race to a focus on God’s involvement with Israel. The focus of the chapter is on people groups more than on specific people. o Even though the language of “son of” and “fathered” (or “begot”) is used, it is not always indicating a direct ancestry relationship. o A number of the names indicate cities or nations. Some examples (not exhaustive): . Cities or places: Tarshish, Babylon, Erech, Akkad, Shinar, Nineveh, Sidon . Nations or tribes: Kittim, Dodanim, Ludim, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites o Some names are clearly individuals: Noah, Shem, Ham, Japheth, Peleg, Nimrod, and all the descendants listed in Shem’s line o The point of the table is to explain how the families of the earth moved out to fill the earth according to God’s command (v. 32). Groups of people and cities are not literal descendants of those listed, but the table indicates how they are related to Noah’s sons and then back to Noah. The purpose of the table is to inform Israel of her relationship to her neighbors (see table at the end of the notes).
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