TABLE OF NATIONS

Noah’s Ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat in Turkey (previously known as Asia Minor). Josephus, a first century Jewish historian, wrote of ark remnants still in that area in AD 100. All serious archaeological evidence points to this area in Turkey being the origin of the second civilization after the flood.

At that time, all of the descendants of Noah spoke one language. Noah lived another 300 years after the flood – long enough to see a vast repopulation of his great and great-great grandchildren. They began to migrate east to the land of Shinar (Mesopotamia). In Genesis 11, the descendants of Noah and try to build the Tower of Babel and are stopped by God when He confuses their language. From that very location (the city of Babylon), they are divided into 70 nations and sent off in different directions.

Genesis 10:32: "These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations; and out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood."

From Noah's sons (Shem, Ham, & Japheth) and their descendants come all the peoples of the earth: 26 nations from Shem, 30 from Ham and 14 from Japeth. The list is probably not complete, but we get a concise picture of the division of race based on these 70 nations.

In general, the descendants of SHEM stayed in Mesopotamia (Middle East) or headed southeast; the descendants of HAM went southwest (Africa / India) and the descendants of JAPETH went north (Asia / Europe). Not all of the various nations have been identified.

Simplified, the descendants of HAM include: Egyptians (origin of the Philistines), Africans, Ethiopians, Canaanites, Phoenicians and Hittites... pretty much all the villains of the OT!

The descendants of JAPETH (after the languages were confused) spoke what we classify as Indo-European languages, including: English, Spanish, German, Latin, Greek, Russian, Armenian, Persian.

SHEM is the guy to keep your eyes on, though. He was blessed by Noah above his brothers (Genesis 9:26–27), and it is through his lineage that the promised “Seed” will eventually come. Shem lived to be 600 years of age (Genesis 11:10–11) and most of his descendants are well documented. They include the Hebrews, Persians and Assyrians. The descendants of Shem (Shemites) were termed “Semites” in the 1770's. Today the term “Semite” refers to speakers of the Semitic languages (i.e. Jews/Arabs). [The term “antisemitism was derived from “Semite” to refer to anyone who discriminates or is hostile to Jews, in particular.]

Genesis 10:21 tells us that “Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber”. This is important because “Eber” is the origin of “Hebrew”.