Table of Nations: Genesis 10
Genesis 10. All of us, living today, came from Japheth, Shem, and Ham.
It is an extensive subject, one that cannot be covered in a morning, but this may give you a place to begin your discoveries.
One may ask, “does it matter?” Absolutely it matters — if it didn’t matter it would not be in the Bible. Genealogy is a core part of the Bible: Genesis 10, 1 Chronicles 1, Luke 3, Matthew 1.
Many long books have been written tracing our ancestries back to these three men, and not all of them agree. But that’s OK — that does not mean it cannot be known, people are still looking.
Here are a few links I hope you may find useful, but there is so much more out there.
History of the Swedish People (Osterholm)
Following are a few notes I have put together reflecting my own conclusions:
Coastlands of the Sea are the people of Japheth
They raise their voices, they shout for joy;
They cry out from the [a]west concerning the majesty of the Lord.
15 Therefore glorify the Lord in the [b]east,
The name of the Lord, the God of Israel,
In the [c]coastlands of the sea.
16 From the ends of the earth we hear songs: “Glory to the Righteous One,” Isaiah 24:15
He will not be disheartened or crushed
Until He has established justice on the earth;
And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His [a]law.” Is 42:4
Let them give glory to the Lord And declare His praise in the coastlands. Is 42:12
My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth,
And My arms will judge the peoples;
The coastlands will wait for Me,
And they will wait expectantly for My arm. Is 51:5
Certainly the coastlands will wait for Me;
And the ships of Tarshish will come first,
To bring your sons from afar,
Their silver and their gold with them,
For the name of the Lord your God,
And for the Holy One of Israel because He has glorified you. Is 60:9
And I will send fire upon Magog and those who inhabit the coastlands in safety; and they will know that I am the Lord. Ez 39:6
The Lord will be terrifying to them, for He will [a]starve all the gods of the earth; and all the coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him, everyone from his own place. Zephaniah 2:11
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Shem was the Second Born
These are the records of the generations of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old when he fathered Arpachshad, two years after the flood. Genesis 11:10
And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Gen 5:32
But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. Matthew 21:28-31
Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. Matthew 21:43
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Sons of Ham
Not all of Ham’s descendants went straight to Africa. Though Cush is commonly know as a the father of the Ethiopians, he was also the father of an evil but great leader known as Nimrod, who founded Babel, Nineveh, and other great urban centers in the Middle East. Genesis 10:8-12
Sons of Ham include the Canaanites and the Philistines.
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Chinese
This story fascinates me but I have not settled in my own mind whether the Han Chinese are sons of Ham or Japheth. There are arguments on both sides. Does is matter? Yes, of course it matters, otherwise there would not be such extensive coverage of genealogies in the Bible.
But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. Titus 3:9
And yet: