The World after the Flood – Genesis 9:24-10:32

In this section we have the final and only recorded words of Noah as he delivers a Patriarchal prophecy concerning his three sons and their descendants. It is a similar scenario to Jacob’s prophecy concerning his 12 sons at the end of his life recorded in Genesis 49.

We also have the invaluable historical genealogy of chapter 10 which provides very helpful information on the development of the nations after the flood and is a tremendous testament to the doctrine of inspiration. It also lays down an important foundation for the account of Babel in chapter 11.

We will consider the text under two headings as follows:

• The Prophecy of Noah (Gen. 9:24-29).
• The Genealogy of Noah (Gen. 10:1-32)

The Prophecy of Noah (Gen. 9:24-29)

The incident of Noah’s drunkenness and the responses of his sons formed the catalyst for Noah’s pronouncements concerning the future of his sons and their descendants. Noah’s prophecy covers the following:

The Curse upon Ham’s Son (Vs. 24-25)

1. The Interpretation of the Curse (Vs. 24-25)
   1. The curse fell on Canaan, the youngest of Ham’s sons. At first glance, this may seem unfair but it is best understood as coming from Noah’s prophetic insights. Canaan would end up living out his father’s compromised ways. Wiersbe writes, “The word ‘curse’ is used only once but it is directed at Ham’s youngest son Canaan and not at Ham himself. This suggests that Noah was describing the future of his sons and one grandson on the basis of what he saw in their character, not unlike what Jacob did before he died (Gen. 49).”
   2. Canaan was the progenitor of the Canaanites who became infamous in Biblical history for their perversion and depravity. Archaeology has graphically illustrated just how debased these people were. Bright writes, “Canaanite religion presents us with no pretty picture. Numerous debasing practices, including sacred prostitution, homosexuality, and various orgiastic rites, were prevalent. Wright and Filson add that “the amazing thing about the gods, as they were conceived in Canaan, is that they had no moral character whatever. In fact, their conduct was on a much lower level than that of society as a whole, if we can judge from ancient codes of law…Worship of these gods carried with it some of the most demoralizing practices then in existence.” (Cited by Sarfati)
   3. There is a practical lesson in all of this. The sins of a parent can bear bitter fruit in the offspring. Parents, don’t just think about yourself in the decisions you make. Think about how your decisions might affect your children! You may only take your compromise so far but you are opening the door for your children to a life of devastation.
2. The Misapplication of the Curse.
   1. Sadly, Noah’s curse has been misused in history by some Christians as being a curse upon all of Ham’s descendants and thereby justifying the practice of slavery. It has also been misused by secularists to attempt to smear the Bible as a racist book.
   2. In reality, a proper reading of Noah’s curse reveals that it was not a general curse upon all of Ham’s descendants but upon one branch of Ham’s lineage, namely the Canaanites. Even with the Canaanites, God dealt with them justly, not judging them until the cup of their iniquity was full (See Genesis 15:16).
   3. Slavery in all its forms is a dark stain on human history and continues to this day with many enslaved in sex trafficking, forced labor etc.
   4. Barnhouse: “Any attempt to make black skin the fulfillment of this curse is unscholarly, prejudiced to the extreme and certainly without basis in the Bible.”
   5. In reality, Evolution has arguably done more than any other theory in the last 200 years to fan the fires of racism and prejudice. Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002) had to admit: “Biological arguments for racism may have been common before 1850, but they increased by orders of magnitude following the acceptance of evolutionary theory.”
   6. For example, the American high school biology textbook, Hunters Civic Biology stated: “At the present time there exist upon the earth five races or varieties of man, each very different from the others in instincts, social customs, and to an extent, in structure. These are the Ethiopian or negro type, originating in Africa; the Malay or brown race, from the island of the Pacific; the American Indian; the Mongolian or yellow race, including the natives of China, Japan and the Eskimos; and finally, the highest type of all, the Caucasians, represented by the civilized white inhabitants of Europe and America.” It was this book that the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) defended the right to teach in the infamous Scopes trial of 1925.
   7. It should be remembered that the campaign for the abolition of the slave trade was not led by atheists but by Bible believing, God fearing Christians such as William Wilberforce and John Newton.
   8. In all the discussion about racism today, almost nothing is said of the abortion industry and its role in wiping out millions of black babies. Since the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 in the USA, the biggest cause of death among black people in the USA has been abortion. According to a website called Black Genocide:
      • Minority women constitute only about 13% of the female population (age 15-44) in the USA but they underwent approximately 36% of the abortions.
      • According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, black women are more than five times as likely as white women to have an abortion.
      • On average, 1,876 black babies are aborted every day in the United States.
      • This incidence of abortion has resulted in a tremendous loss of life. It has been estimated that since 1973 black women have had about 16 million abortions. Michael Novak had calculated, “Since the number of current living Blacks (in the U.S.) is 36 million, the missing 16 million represents an enormous loss, for without abortion, America’s Black community would now number 52 million persons. It would be 36 percent larger than it is now. Abortion has swept through the Black community like a scythe, cutting down every fourth member.”
   9. Differences between people groups are cultural and not racial. While the Bible recognizes different people and language groups, it does not promote the idea of “race”. There is also nothing wrong with people marrying someone from another country and culture if it be God’s will. Believers who say they are against “interracial marriage” are expressing an evolutionary and not a biblical concept. “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth…” (Acts 17:26).
      1. Joseph married and Egyptian wife.
      2. Boaz married Ruth, the Moabitess.
      3. Jesus Christ, a Jew in his humanity, is espoused to a Gentile church!

The Commendation upon Two Sons (Vs. 26-27)

1. A Messianic blessing upon Shem (Vs. 26). Shem’s blessing would be primarily in spiritual things.
   1. Observe that “Noah didn’t bless Shem; he blessed “the LORD God of Shem”. Noah gave glory to God for what He would do with the descendants of Shem. Shem is the ancestor of Abraham (11:10-32) who is the founder of the Hebrew nation; so, Noah was talking about the Jewish people.” (Wiersbe)
   2. Shem’s descendants include the Israelites. To them were given the Scriptures, and from them came the Saviour (John 4:22). It would be through the line of Shem that Messiah would eventually come.
   3. Canaan would become his servant. This happened in a very real way when the Canaanites became “hewers of wood and drawers of water” for the Israelites (Josh. 9:23).
2. A Material blessing upon Japheth (Vs. 27). Japheth would be ‘enlarged’.
   1. This appears to be a reference to the expansion of Japheth’s descendants across the world. “History informs us that this enlargement was in lands and people. The descendants of Japheth filled more of the earth in population than the descendants of any of the other two sons of Noah.” (Butler)
   2. “He was the ancestor of what we now generally call the “Gentile nations”. We have here a play on words. In Hebrew the name Japheth is very close to the word that means “to enlarge.” The Hamites built large civilizations in the east, and the Semites settled in the land of Canaan and surrounding territory, but the descendants of Japheth spread out much farther than their relatives and even reached what we know as Asia Minor and Europe.” (Wiersbe)
   3. He would also have a close association and fellowship with Shem – “dwell in the tents of Shem”.

The Conclusion to Noah’s life (Vs. 28-29)

1. Noah lived a further 350 years after the flood bringing his total lifespan to 950 years.
2. “Provided there are no gaps in the genealogies of Genesis 11 this means that Noah continued living until Abraham was 58 years old. It is also likely that Noah lived until after the dispersion of the nations at Babel.” (Henry Morris)

The Genealogy of Noah (Gen. 10:1-32)

We will not be able to do a detailed analysis of this genealogy. There are helpful resources you can read (e.g., Henry Morris’ commentary) which provide further information. However, we will seek to trace the general development of the post flood civilization and highlight some prominent names along the way that are significant in Biblical history.

Japheth’s Lineage (Vs. 1-5)

1. Some noteworthy names (Vs. 4)
   1. Gomer: According to Josephus “Gomer founded those whom the Greeks now call “Galatians” (Antiquities Book 1, Ch. 6). The ancient region of Galatian was located in the region we know today as central Turkey.
   2. Magog: Regarding Magog, Morris writes, “Magog is commonly associated in the Bible with two other sons of Japheth – Meshech and Tubal (esp. Ezekiel 38:2). Meshech clearly is preserved in the name Muskovi (the former name of Russia) and Moscow. Tubal is know in the Assyrian monuments as the Tibareni and probably and has been preserved in the modern Russian city of Tobolsk. In Ezekiel 38:2 they are associated with “Rosh”, a name from which modern “Russia” was derived. Generally speaking, therefore, these three sons of Japheth – Magog, Meshech and Tubal – can be considered as the progenitors of the modern Russian peoples.”
   3. Togarmah: A son of Gomer who also features in the Ezekiel 38 prophecy. This refers to the former southern republics of the Soviet Union and to Turkey.
2. Some noteworthy notes (Vs. 5)
   1. Japheth’s descendants are particularly said to have inhabited the “isles of the Gentiles”.
   2. Henry Morris writes, “Although some of the identifications are uncertain, they do seem to indicate that the descendants of Japheth spread all over Europe, with one major branch heading eastward into Persia and India. It is especially to the descendants of Japheth that the term “Gentiles” was applied.”
   3. Jonathan Sarfati adds, “The Japhethite nations were the “coastland peoples”, originally around the Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas. From there, they spread in their lands with many different languages and nations. The Japhethites occupied most of Europe, as well as Asia past Persia and India. Thus, they fulfilled Noah’s prophecy of God enlarging Japheth (9:27).”

Ham’s Lineage (Vs. 6-20)

The account now proceeds to the sons of Ham whose descendants are treated in more detail than those of Japheth. Some of the names can be identified as follows:

1. Cush (Vs.6-7) is the same as Ethiopia in the Bible and is usually so translated.
2. Mizraim (Vs.6-7) is the ancestor of the Egyptians and this Hebrew word is translated hundreds of times all through the Old Testament as “Egypt”.
3. Phut (Vs.6-7) is the same as Libya, applied to the region of North Africa west of Egypt. This identification was confirmed by Josephus. The Hebrew word is also translated ‘Libya’ in Ezekiel 38.
4. Canaan (Vs.6-7) was the ancestor of the Canaanites and after whom the land of Canaan was named.
5. Nimrod (Vs. 8-12) was Cush’s most famous son who would go down in Biblical history as the first ruler to attempt a one world government at Babel. He was renown as a hunter and city builder in the ancient world. Babel is his most famous but you will notice there was actually a network of cities in the land of Shinar with Babel functioning as a capital city and religious center. A man names Asshur, inspired by Nimrod’s example, went out of Shinar and built Nineveh, a city that would become the capital of the great Assyrian empire. Nineveh was roughly two hundred miles north of Babylon and was situated on the upper Tigris River.
6. The sons of Mizraim are next listed (Vs. 13-14). Evidently, they were important tribes in or near Egypt at the time of the writing of Genesis. The Philistines, well known in later Biblical history, came out of Casluhim.
7. The eleven sons of Canaan (Vs. 15-18) are listed next.
   1. The first two sons (Vs. 15). Sidon, the eldest was the progenitor of the Phoenicians. Heth was the ancestor of the Hittites. Abraham purchased the cave of Machpelah from “Ephron the Hittite” in Genesis 23:10. The Hittites ruled a great empire centered in Asia Minor for over 800 years, apparently migrating there originally from the home of their brothers in Canaan. Hittites were present in the land of Canaan during the time of Abraham. Interestingly the sceptics used the absence of secular evidence for the Hittites to attack the Bible in the 19th century until their capital city was unearthed in north central Turkey in the late 19th century. The Bible will ALWAYS stand up to the sceptics’ attacks. Illustration: Hammers worn out on a blacksmith’s anvil.
   2. The remaining nine sons of Canaan were “the progenitors of the Canaanite tribes that inhabited the land when the Israelites arrived. The Amorites were one of the most prominent tribes, with their name sometimes used as representative of all the Canaanites (Gen. 15:16).” (Morris)
   3. The conclusion of verse 18 states that “afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.” The Hittites spread to Asia Minor and perhaps the Sinites to China.
8. The borders of the Canaanite lands are mentioned and a summary statement is made to finish off the record of Ham’s sons (Vs. 19- 20).

Shem’s Lineage (Vs. 21-32)

Shem’s is left until last, not because he was the youngest nor the least important but for emphasis since his family was the Seed line through which Messiah would come.

1. Significantly, Shem is identified first as “the father of all the children of Eber” (Vs. 21). The term “Hebrew” is derived from the word “Eber”. The first mention of the word ‘Hebrew’ is in connection with Abraham. “And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.” (Gen. 14:13) The word ‘Hebrew’ is a derivative of the word ‘Eber’ and means “Eberite” or “descendant of Eber”. So, Shem is highlighted as the progenitor of the Hebrew (Jewish) people who would be God’s chosen nation.
2. Five children of Shem are then listed (Vs. 22). Elam was the ancestor off the Elamites who later merged with the Medes to form the Persian Empire. Arphaxad is the most important name in this list as he was in the direct line leading to Abraham.
3. Four sons of Aram are then listed (Vs. 23-24). Little is known of these except that Arphaxad was in the line of the promised seed and that the name ‘Uz’ appears to be the same name associated in Arabia with Job’s homeland.
4. The two sons of Eber are mentioned next (Vs. 25). In particular the verse focuses on the division of the earth during the lifetime of Peleg. Undoubtedly within the context of this section, it is a reference to the division of Babel.
5. Thirteen sons of Joktan, Peleg’s brother are then mentioned (Vs. 26-30). Indications are they mostly settled in Arabia.
6. There is a summary that then concludes this section often referred to as “The Table of the Nations”.
7. Verse 32 states; “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.” This ties in with the statement in Genesis 9:18-19 “And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. These are the three sons of Noah and of them was the whole earth overspread.” We should not therefore be surprised that there are flood legends all around the world. And these are not confined to tribes and peoples living near a body of water (e.g., sea or river). Some examples are as follows:
   1. “The Pawnee tribe in Nebraska as the following tradition: the creator of Ti-ra-wa destroyed the first people, who were giants, by water because of his indignation about their corruption and after that he created a man and a woman like present people, who became the Pawnee’s ancestors.” (Osanai Nozomi cited by Sarfati)
   2. Hawaii has a legend that says “Long after the death of Kuniuhonna, the first man, the world became a wicked, terrible place to live. There was one good man left; his name was Nu-u. He made a great canoe with a house on it and filled it with animals. The waters came up over all the earth and killed all the people. Only Nu-u and his family were saved.” (Duane T. Gish)
   3. “Ancient Chinese writings refer to a violent catastrophe that happened to the Earth. They report that the entire land was flooded. The water went up to the highest mountains and completely covered all the foothills. One ancient Chinese classic called “Hihking” tells the story of Fuhi, whom the Chinese consider to be the father of their civilization. This history records that Fuhi, his wife, three sons, and three daughters escaped a great flood. He and his family were the only people left alive on earth. After the great flood they repopulated the world. An ancient temple in Chine has a wall painting that shows Fuhi’s boat in the raging waters. Dolphins are swimming around the boat and a dove with an olive branch in its beak is flying toward it.” (Duane T. Gish)
   4. “The Miao tribe which resides in southwest China had a tradition which is like the Genesis account even before they met Christian missionaries. According to their tradition, when God destroyed the whole world by the flood because of the wickedness of man, Nuah the righteous man and his wife Matriarch, their three sons, Lo Han, Lo Shen, and Jah-hu survived by building a very broad ship and embarked on it with pairs of animals.” (Osanai Nozomi cited by Sarfati)
   5. The Australian Aborigines also have flood legends.
   6. Why are there such flood stories all over the world? BECAUSE IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED JUST AS THE BIBLE SAID IT DID!

Conclusion

This brings our studies on Noah’s Flood in Genesis to a conclusion. We saw the Pre-flood world, the world under water and then the post flood world and the development of the nations from Noah’s three sons.

The Genesis Flood account is a sobering reminder that God will judge sin. But it is also an encouraging reminder that God also extends mercy and grace to those who will repent. Will you enter the ark of salvation today?