^10:22The sons of Shem were Elam,⁷⁴ Asshur,⁷⁵ Arphaxad,⁷⁶ Lud,⁷⁷ and Aram.⁷⁸^10:23The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.⁷⁹^10:24Arphaxad was the father of⁸⁰ Shelah,⁸¹ and Shelah was the father of Eber.⁸²^10:25Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg because in his days the earth was divided,⁸³ and his brother’s name was Joktan. ^10:26Joktan was the father of⁸⁴ Almodad,⁸⁵ Sheleph,⁸⁶ Hazarmaveth,⁸⁷ Jerah,⁸⁸^10:27Hadoram, Uzal,⁸⁹ Diklah,⁹⁰^10:28Obal,⁹¹ Abimael,⁹² Sheba,⁹³^10:29Ophir,⁹⁴ Havilah,⁹⁵ and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. ^10:30Their dwelling place was from Mesha all the way to⁹⁶ Sephar in the eastern hills. ^10:31These are the sons of Shem according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and according to their nations.

^10:32These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations, and from these the nations spread⁹⁷ over the earth after the flood.

Read in Logos

Footnotes

72 Heb “And to Shem was born.”
73 Or “whose older brother was Japheth.” Some translations render Japheth as the older brother, understanding the adjective הַגָּדוֹל (haggadol, “older”) as modifying Japheth. However, in Hebrew when a masculine singular definite attributive adjective follows the sequence masculine singular construct noun + proper name, the adjective invariably modifies the noun in construct, not the proper name. Such is the case here. See Deut 11:7; Judg 1:13; 2:7; 3:9; 9:5; 2 Kgs 15:35; 2 Chr 27:3; Neh 3:30; Jer 13:9; 36:10; Ezek 10:19; 11:1.
74 The Hebrew name Elam (עֵילָם, ’elam) means “highland.” The Elamites were a non-Semitic people who lived east of Babylon.
75 Asshur is the name for the Assyrians. Asshur was the region in which Nimrod expanded his power (see v. 11, where the name is also mentioned). When names appear in both sections of a genealogical list, it probably means that there were both Hamites and Shemites living in that region in antiquity, especially if the name is a place name.
76 The descendants of Arphaxad may have lived northeast of Nineveh.
77 Lud may have been the ancestor of the Ludbu, who lived near the Tigris River.
78 Aram became the collective name of the northern tribes living in the steppes of Mesopotamia and speaking Aramaic dialects.
79 The reads “Mash”; the and 1 Chr 1:17 read “Meshech.” Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. Little is known about these descendants of Aram.
80 Heb “fathered.”
81 The reads “Arphaxad fathered Shelah”; the reads “Arphaxad fathered Cainan, and Cainan fathered Sala [= Shelah].” The reading also appears to lie behind Luke 3:35–36.
82 Genesis 11 traces the line of Shem through Eber (עֵבֶר, ’ever) to Abraham the “Hebrew” (עִבְרִי, ’ivri).
83 The expression “the earth was divided” may refer to dividing the land with canals, but more likely it anticipates the division of languages at Babel (Gen 11). The verb פָּלָג (palag, “separate, divide”) is used in Ps 55:9 for a division of languages.
84 Heb “fathered.”
85 The name Almodad combines the Arabic article al with modad (“friend”). Almodad was the ancestor of a South Arabian people.
86 The name Sheleph may be related to Shilph, a district of Yemen; Shalph is a Yemenite tribe.
87 The name Hazarmaveth should be equated with Hadramawt, located in Southern Arabia.
88 The name Jerah means “moon.”
89 Uzal was the name of the old capital of Yemen.
90 The name Diklah means “date-palm.”
91 Obal was a name used for several localities in Yemen.
92 The name Abimael is a genuine Sabean form which means “my father, truly, he is God.”
93 The descendants of Sheba lived in South Arabia, where the Joktanites were more powerful than the Hamites.
94 Ophir became the name of a territory in South Arabia. Many of the references to Ophir are connected with gold (e.g., 1 Kgs 9:28, 10:11, 22:48; 1 Chr 29:4; 2 Chr 8:18, 9:10; Job 22:24, 28:16; Ps 45:9; Isa 13:12).
95 Havilah is listed with Ham in v. 7.
96 Heb “as you go.”
97 Or “separated.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

To Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, children were born. The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. Arpachshad fathered Shelah; and Shelah fathered Eber. To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan. Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. The territory in which they lived extended from Mesha in the direction of Sephar to the hill country of the east. These are the sons of Shem, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.

These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber.

The sons of Shem:

Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram.

The sons of Aram:

Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshek.

Arphaxad was the father of Shelah,

and Shelah the father of Eber.

Two sons were born to Eber:

One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.

Joktan was the father of

Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.

The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.

These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.

These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

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.

NLTNew Living Translation

Sons were also born to Shem, the older brother of Japheth. Shem was the ancestor of all the descendants of Eber.

The descendants of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.

The descendants of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.

Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah was the father of Eber.

Eber had two sons. The first was named Peleg (which means “division”), for during his lifetime the people of the world were divided into different language groups. His brother’s name was Joktan.

Joktan was the ancestor of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were descendants of Joktan. The territory they occupied extended from Mesha all the way to Sephar in the eastern mountains.

These were the descendants of Shem, identified by clan, language, territory, and national identity.

These are the clans that descended from Noah’s sons, arranged by nation according to their lines of descent. All the nations of the earth descended from these clans after the great flood.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the older brother of Japheth, children were also born. The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. And the sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. And Arphaxad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber. And to Eber two sons were born. The name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and the name of his brother was Joktan. And Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. And their dwelling place extended from Mesha in the direction of Sephar to the hill country of the east. These are the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, and according to their nations.

These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations and in their nations. And from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.

KJV 1900King James Version

Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born. The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram. And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash. And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber. And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah, And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba, And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan. And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east. These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations. These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

Public Domain