Smoodock's Blog

Of the seventy nations mentioned in chapter 10 of the Book of Genesis, thirty arise out of Ham (Genesis 10:6-20). Of the sons of Noah, Ham is mentioned second (Genesis 10:6; cp. verse-2). Therefore, I believe Genesis 9:24 should be translated as the KJV, which shows Ham to be Noah’s “younger” and not “youngest” son, as many other translations render the Hebrew. Of the three sons of Noah, Ham’s descendants seem to be the most colorful, not most righteous, but there’s more information about them than the lines of the other two brothers.

As far as where Ham and his descendants settled is concerned, there seems to be a relationship to the name of Egypt: “…Ham is connected with the native name of Egypt, Kem, or, in full pa ta’ en Kem, “the land of Egypt,”[1] (see Psalm 78:51; 105:23, 27; 106:22). Nevertheless, as with the descendants of Japheth, much conjecture is used to establish the whereabouts of many of the other nations derived from him.

Out of the thirty nations that arose from Ham, four were his sons: Cush, Mizraim, Phut and Canaan (Genesis 10:6). Of the four, Phut’s sons were not distinguished enough to add to the thirty. It may be difficult to prove, but I believe Canaan, not Cush, is Ham’s firstborn, but, because he was cursed by Noah (Genesis 9:25), he is put last, losing firstborn rights, because Ham went in unto Noah’s wife and begat him, while Noah was drunk. The timeframe seems to be very near the time the family of eight left the ark (verse-18). They left in early to mid-spring (Genesis 8:14-15). Even if the time of Noah’s drunkenness was in autumn, one year later, this is still not enough time for Canaan to be Ham’s fourth son. The context seems to point to him being Ham’s firstborn.[2]

Cush, Ham’s second son, probably inherited firstborn rights, so is named first. He had five sons and two grandsons who were notable enough to be numbered among the thirty nations to arise out of Ham (Genesis 10:7).

We are told that Cush also begat Nimrod, a notable figure, who became a mighty one in the earth (Genesis 10:8). Taken literally, this seems off the mark, because why would “hunting” be so important? Except for here in verse-8, Nimrod isn’t listed among Ham’s sons. Why? I believe there may be a deeper meaning to the text, because immediately after being described as “a great hunter before the Lord” (Genesis 10:9), Nimrod is said to have been in authority over four kingdoms in the land of Shinar (Genesis 10:10). Moreover, he built (banah; H1129) Nineveh and the cities, Rehoboth, Calah, and Resen, the great city between Nineveh and Calah (Genesis 10:11-12).

The same Hebrew word used for building Nineveh is also used by Sara to say she could “obtain” (banah H1129) a child by Hagar (Genesis 16:2), and, similarly, by Rachal to say she could have a child by her handmaid (Genesis 30:3). The point is there are exceptions to the general rule of the choice of the English word by the translator. Nothing is said of what Nimrod did, although he was a mighty one who ruled several cities.

Nimrod’s name means rebellion, or we shall rebel.[3] To put this in perspective, consider what is said, as he began to rule the city of Babel, the beginning of his kingdom (Genesis 10:10):

“And they said, ‘Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth’” (Genesis 11:4; emphasis mine).

In other words, Whoever Nimrod is, he was making himself a name before the NAME/YHWH (Genesis 10:9)! As the Biblical scholar, Albert Barnes, puts it:

“The expression, ‘before the Lord,’ intimates, not merely that the Lord was cognizant of his proceedings, for he knows all things, but that Nimrod himself made no secret his designs, pursued them with a bold front and a high hand, and at the same time was aware of the name and will of Yahweh. This defiant air gives a new character to his hunting, which seems to have extended even to man, as the term is sometimes so applied (1Samuel 24:11; Jeremiah 16:16).”[4]

My point is this. Nimrod is not a literal person. Cush is said to have gendered Nimrod (meaning rebellion or we shall rebel). Consider what the sense of Romans 1:20-23 might have looked like. The text there concerns when idol worship began. It seems logical, at least to me, that if the Lord saw fit to show where idol worship began in the antediluvian era, he would do the same after the Genesis Flood, too. Thus, Nimrod was not a literal son of Cush, but refers to idol worship that Cush engendered.

Mizraim, Ham’s third son, according to my calculations had seven sons and one grandson who were numbered among the thirty nations to arise out of Ham (Genesis 10:13-14). Finally, I believe that Canaan was Ham’s firstborn (see above). Out of Canaan arose eleven nations (Genesis 10:15-18). The area of their settlement was “from Sidon (NW border) down along the coast to Gerar and from Gaza as far east as Sodom and Gomorrah and from Admah and Zeboiim as far north as Laish” (Genesis 10:19, ERV). Thus, concludes the mention of the sons of Ham concerning the families and languages, and in their lands and nations (Genesis 10:20).

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[1] See International Standard Bible Encyclopedia for “Ham” under #3 Meaning of the Word.

[2] This would make Phut the fourth son of Ham. He, but no of his descendants, became a nation among Ham’s thirty.

[3] See Hitchoch Bible Names and Albert Barns Notes on the Bible at Genesis 10:8-12.

[4] See Albert Barns Notes on the Bible at Genesis 10:8-12