Read with Me
Genesis 10:21-32 (HCSB)
And Shem, Japheth’s older brother, also had sons. Shem was the father of all the sons of Eber. Shem’s sons were Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.
Aram’s sons: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.
Arpachshad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber. Eber had two sons. One was named Peleg, for during his days the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan. And Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were Joktan’s sons. Their settlements extended from Mesha to Sephar, the eastern hill country.
These are Shem’s sons by their clans, according to their languages, in their lands and their nations.
These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their family records, in their nations. The nations on earth spread out from these after the flood.
Listen with Me
In his genealogical lists, Moses finally arrives at the sons of Shem. These branches include the descendants of Eber, from whose name many scholars derive the word “Hebrew”. In this chapter, Shem’s descendants are only traced down to the fourth generation, the sons of Joktan.
The descendants of Shem listed here settled mostly in the Middle East, eastern Europe and northern Asia. Moses also notes that the earth was divided in Peleg’s day, thus his name, which means “divided”. That division in its context most naturally refers to the division of the people by language groups that happened at Babel.
Most of the genealogies in this chapter only extend out a generation or two past the Babel event, and even that expansion was limited to a narrow geographical area. In the generations that followed, branches of these people groups went further afield, by land, by sea, even by sled, eventually populating the whole planet. As each group settled in its location, it was genetically isolated, and thus developed the physical characteristics that some people use to categorize people into “races”. But even with all our differences, there is clearly only one race of humanity, since we all are descended from one of the three sons of Noah.
As individuals moved on, separating from the homelands of their original family groups, they took their genetics as well as their languages with them. In their new locations, they sometimes mixed with other groups, which resulted in a new group of people with a modified appearance. And their language was modified by those contacts with other people groups as well, bringing diversity to the verbal contours of the planet.
Only hints to that vast spreading out of humanity and the modification of family groups the accompanied it are preserved in the Scriptures. That is not because it didn’t happen, but merely because those further flung people groups didn’t impact the history of the Jewish people, the coming of the Messiah, and the spread of the Church that is the focus of God’s word.
Pray with Me
Father, thank You for helping me to see this chapter in its larger context. This all makes so much sense when we see it through Your eyes. And it makes even greater sense when we see that we truly are one race, all of whom need the same Savior. I praise You today, Lord. Amen.