Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
GWs Covenant signified by the Itaiabow, GENESIS X, XI. Confusion of Tomjwx.
of tlii« prohibition was to prevent these excesses these quarters the early descend.ants of Japhetli had their settlements, tt. sons of Ham—emigiated southward, and their settlements were—that of Cush in Arabia, of Canaan in the country known by his name, and Mizraim in Egypt Upper and Lower. It is generally thought that his father accompanied him, and personally superintended the formation of the settlement, whence Egypt was called "the land of Ham." 8. Nimrod—mentioned as eclipsing all his family in renown. He early distinguished himself V)y his daring and successful prowess in hunting wild beasts. Jy those useful services he earned a title to public gratitude; and, having eslalilished a permanent ;uscendancy over the people, he founded the lirsl kingdom in the world. 10. the beginning of his kiiig- «lom—Thii kingdom, of course, though then considered great, would be comparatively limited in extent, and the towns but small forts. 11. Out of that land went forth Asshur—or, as the Margin has it, "He (Nimiod) at the head of his army went forth into Assyria," i. e., he pushed his conquests into that country, and biillded Nineveh —opposite the town of Mosul, on the Tigris, and the other towns near it. This ni.id into .Assyria was an inviision of the territories of Shem, and hence the name " Nimrod," signifying "rebel," is supposed to have been conferred on him from his daring revolt against the Divine distribution. 31. Unto Shem—The historian introduces him with marked distinction as "the father of Eber," the ancestor of the Hebrews. 33. Aram—in the general division of the earth, the countries of Armenia, Mesopotamia, and Syria, fell to his descendants. 34. Arpliaxad —The settlement of his posterity was in the extensive valley of Sliinar, on the Tigris, towards the southern extremity of Mesopotamia, including the country of Eden and the region on the cast side o;' the river. 35. Feleg; for in his days was tlie eartli divided—After the flood (ch. 11. 10-16) the descendants of Noah settled at pleasure, and enjoyed the iroduce of the undivided soil. But according to Divine instruction, made probably through Eber, who seems to have been distinguished for piety or a prophetic character, the earth was divided, and his son's name, "Peleg," was given in memory of that event. See Deuteronomy 32. 8; Acts 17, 2(i. 33. These are tlie families of the sons of Noah after their generations, in their nations, &c.—This division was made in the most orderly manner; and the inspired historian evidently intimates that the sons of Noah were ranged according to their nations, and every nation ranked by its families, so that every nation had its assigned territory, and in every nation the tribes, and in every tribe the families, were located by themselves. .
lit cannibal ferocity in eating flesli of living animals, to which men in the earlier ages of the world were liable. 5. surely your tilood of j'our llve« will I require—The fourth part establishes a new power {ov protcclinr/ IHu—the Institution of the civil niiigistrate (Romans 13. -1), armed with public and official authority to repress the commission of violence and crime. Such a power had not previously existed in patriarchal society. 6. Wlioso skeddetK man's blood . . . for in tlie imajcc of God mnde he man—It is true that image lias been ii\,jureil by the fall, but it is not lost. In this view, a high value is atta'^hetl to the life of every luan, even the poorest and humblest, and an awful criminality is involved in the destruction of it.
8-29 Rainbow. 13. I do set my bow In the clond
Set, I. e., constitute or appoint. This common and familiar phenomenon being made the pledge of peace, its appesirance when showers began to fall would be welcomed with the liveliest feelings of joy. 30. And Nonli . . . planted a vineyard—Noah had been probably bred to tlie culture of the soil, and resumed that employment on leaving the aik. 31. And lie drank of tUe ivine, and «R-S drunken—perhaps at the festivities of the vintage season. This solitars' stain on the character of so eminently pious a man must, it is believed, have been the result of age or inadvertency, a*. This incident could scarcely have happened till twenty years after the flood; for Canaan, wliose conduct was more offensive than that even of his father, was not born till after tluit event. It is probable that there is a long interval included between these verses, and that this prophecy, like tha t of Jacob on his sons, was not uttered till near the close of Noah's life, when the prophetic spirit came upon him; this presumption is strengthened by the mention of his death immediately after. 25. Cursed be Canaan—this doom has been fulfilled in the destruction of the Canaanites—in the degradation of Egj-^)t, and the slavery of the Africans, the descendants of Ilam. 86. Blessed be tlie Lord God of Sliem—rather, " Blessed of Jehovah, my God, be Shem," —an intimation that the descendants of Shem should be peculiarly lionoured in the service of the true God—His Cliiirch being for ages established amongst them (the Jews), and of them concerning the flesh Christ came. They got possession of Canaan, the people of that land being made their "servants " either by conquest, or, like the Gibeonltes, by submission. 37. God sliall enlarge Japheth—pointing to a vast increase in posterity and possessions. Accordingly his descendants have been the most active and enterprising, spread over the best and largest portion of the world, all Europe and a considerable part of Asia, he shall dwell in tlie tents of Shem—
CHAPTER XI.
prophecy being fulfilled at the present day, as in India British Government is established, and the Anglo-Saxons being in the ascendant from Europe to India, from India over the American continent. What a wonderful prophecy in a few verses ! Isaiah 46. 10; 1 Peter 1. 25.
Ver. 1-32. Confusion of Tongues. 1. the whole earth was of one language—The descendants of Noah, united by the strong bond of a common language, lH»d not separated, and notwithstanding the Divine command to replenish the earth, were unwilling to separate. The more pious and well-disposed would of course obey the Divine will; but a numerous body-^seemingly the aggressive horde menticmed (ch. 10. 10), determined to please themselves by occupying the fairest region thej' came to. 3. land of Shinar—the fertile valley watered by the Euphrates and Tigris was chosen as the centre of their union and the seat of their power. 3. brick—there being no stone in that quarter, brick is and wafe the only material used for building, as appears in the mass of ruins which at tiie Birs Nimroud may have been the very town formed by those ancient rebels. Some of these are sun-dried—otliers burnt in the kiln and of different colours, slime—bitumen, a mineral pitch, which, when hardened, forms a strong cement, commonly used in Assyria to this day, and forming the mortar found on the burnt-brick remains of antiquity. 4. a tower whose top may reocli unto heaven—a common figurative expression for great height (Deuteronomy 1.28; 9.1-6). 6. now nothing will be restrained from them—an apparent admission that the design was practicable, and would have been executed but for the Divine interposl*
CHAPTER X.
Ver. 1-32. Genealogies. 1. sons of Woah—The historian has not arranged this catalogue according to seniority of birth; for the account begins with the descendants of Japheth, and the line of Ham is given before that of Shem, though he is expressly said to be the youngest or younger son of Noah ; and Shem was theelderbrotherof Japheth (v.
21), the true rendering of that passage, generations, &c. the narrative of the settlement of nations existing in the time of Moses, perhaps only the principal ones ; for though the list comprises the sons of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, all their descendants are not enumerated. Those descendants, with one or two exceptions, are described by names indicative of tribes and nations, and ending in the Hebrew im, or tlie English Ue. 5. the isles of the Gentiles— phra.se by which the Hebrews described all countries which were accessible by sea (Isaiah 11. 11 ; 20. 6; Jeremiah
2&. 22). Such In relation to them were the countries of Europe, the peninsula of Lesser Asia, and the region lying on the east of the Euxlne. Accordingly, it was in