Genesis 10:16 kjv

And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,

Genesis 10:16 nkjv

the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite;

Genesis 10:16 niv

Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites,

Genesis 10:16 esv

and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,

Genesis 10:16 nlt

Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites,

Genesis 10 verses

Genesis 10 16 Meaning

Genesis 10:16 continues the list of the descendants of Canaan, a son of Ham, providing a detailed genealogical account of nations. Specifically, this verse names the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite, indicating that these people groups originated from Canaan and established distinct communities in the ancient world, particularly in the coastal and northern Levant. This enumeration is part of the "Table of Nations," which comprehensively outlines the post-Flood dispersion of humanity, illustrating how different peoples arose from Noah's family, thus laying the historical-theological groundwork for God's interactions with various nations, especially in relation to the promised land.

Genesis 10 16 Context

Genesis 10 is famously known as the "Table of Nations," detailing the dispersion of human families and their formation into various linguistic and geographic groups following the global Flood. This chapter begins by affirming the single origin of humanity from Noah's three sons—Japheth, Ham, and Shem—and then lists their descendants. Verse 16 falls within the lineage of Ham, specifically through his son Canaan, who is presented as the progenitor of various peoples who settled in the land that would later be called Canaan. This section (verses 15-19) introduces the diverse inhabitants of this land, laying the narrative foundation for the later history of Israel's entry into the Promised Land. The enumeration of these specific groups in Genesis 10 serves to define the territorial and ethnic landscape upon which God's covenant with Abraham and his descendants would unfold, highlighting that these were real, distinct nations established by divine order and identified by their geographic and ethnic markers.

Genesis 10 16 Word analysis

• and (וְ, və-)

  • This is the Hebrew vav conjunctive, simply functioning as "and," linking these names to the previous list of Canaan's sons, such as the Sidonian and the Hittite. Its repetition emphasizes the continued enumeration of distinct groups arising from Canaan.
  • Significance: Maintains the flow of the genealogy, showing each group as a separate, but related, entity stemming from the same lineage.

• the Arvadite (הָאַרְוָדִ֣י, haʾArvāḏî)

  • הָ (ha-) is the definite article "the."
  • אַרְוָדִ֣י (ʾArvāḏî) is the gentilic form derived from the place name ʾArvād (Arvad). The suffix "-ite" (from the Hebrew yod) denotes "a person from Arvad" or "an inhabitant of Arvad."
  • Arvad: An ancient Phoenician city-state, known in other ancient Near Eastern texts (like Egyptian and Assyrian records) as a prominent island city on the northern Levantine coast, significant for its maritime trade and naval power. Its inclusion demonstrates the wide extent of peoples descended from Canaan, encompassing northern coastal regions that extended Phoenician influence.
  • Significance: Locates a specific, powerful coastal city within the "Canaanite" ethnographic sphere. It highlights the diversity within the Canaanite peoples mentioned.

• and the Zemarite (וְהַצְּמָרִ֔י, vəhaṣṣəmarî)

  • וְ (və-) is "and."
  • הַצְּמָרִ֔י (haṣṣəmarî) is the gentilic form from Ṣemār (Zemar), another prominent city on the coast, south of Arvad (modern Sumra). Like Arvad, Zemar was an important trading city.
  • Significance: Further expands the geographical scope of Canaan's descendants to include another key Phoenician city on the central Syrian coast, reaffirming the vastness of this ancestral group.

• and the Hamathite (וְהַחֲמָתִֽי, vəhaḥamāṯî)

  • וְ (və-) is "and."
  • הַחֲמָתִֽי (haḥamāṯî) is the gentilic form from Ḥamāṯ (Hamath). Hamath was a major city-state located further inland, on the Orontes River in central Syria. Unlike the previous two, it was an inland kingdom, though often culturally connected.
  • Significance: Hamath is strategically important as it consistently serves as the northern boundary marker of the ideal or promised land for Israel throughout biblical tradition (e.g., Numbers, Joshua, 1 & 2 Kings, Ezekiel). Its inclusion here, as a descendant of Canaan, establishes this critical geographical and ethno-political marker from the outset, connecting the Genesis narrative directly to future biblical descriptions of territory.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "and the Arvadite, and the Zemarite": This grouping connects two historically significant Phoenician coastal city-states, both influential in maritime trade. Their inclusion highlights the comprehensive nature of the "Table of Nations" in identifying distinct, notable populations within the wider Canaanite family, especially those inhabiting the northern coasts. This shows the geographic spread of Canaan's lineage into areas known for their sophisticated maritime culture.
• "and the Hamathite": Separately considered from the previous two coastal entities, the Hamathite represents a significant inland group whose city, Hamath, often defined the utmost northern reach of the idealized boundaries of the Promised Land for Israel. Its consistent role as a geographic marker in later biblical books roots this border-defining importance firmly in the ancient, divinely ordered dispersal of peoples, emphasizing the precision of the genealogical record and its foreknowledge of future divine land allotments.

Genesis 10 16 Bonus section

• The meticulous detailing of seemingly minor ethnic groups within Genesis 10, including those in verse 16, serves to demonstrate the Bible's historical precision and its commitment to presenting a holistic, globally-minded understanding of human origins, contrary to isolated tribal myths common in the ancient world.
• The inclusion of Arvadite, Zemarite, and especially Hamathite within Canaan's progeny underscores the fact that "Canaanite" was a broader ethno-geographical term encompassing more than just the inhabitants of central Canaan (Israel's direct enemies in conquest). It covered a vast swath of the Levant, illustrating the comprehensive nature of the promised land's initial occupants.
• The prophetic dimension of this verse, particularly with the Hamathite, reveals a foretelling of geopolitical importance. The "entrance of Hamath" consistently delineates the northern border of the ideal territory promised to Abraham's descendants (e.g., Num 34:8; Ezek 47:16). Thus, even in these early genealogical lists, there's a latent foreshadowing of God's redemptive historical plan.
• The presence of these historically verifiable entities in Genesis provides evidence for the biblical account's grounding in actual ancient Near Eastern geography and ethnography, indicating its claim to real history.

Genesis 10 16 Commentary

Genesis 10:16 continues the enumeration of "Canaanites," revealing God's hand in ordering humanity's dispersion and establishing the boundaries and identities of early nations. The mention of the Arvadite, Zemarite, and Hamathite is not merely a list but a divine historical framework. These groups, largely inhabiting the Phoenician coast and inland Syria, signify the northern extension of the Canaanite family. The Hamathite, in particular, carries deep significance as Hamath would later become a perennial biblical boundary for Israel's territory. This detailed genealogy establishes the historical reality of these nations, highlighting their distinctness yet common origin, and prophetically sets the stage for God's redemptive plan involving Israel and the land promised to Abraham, which these peoples occupied. It underscores God's sovereignty over the nations, even those destined to be displaced due to their impending wickedness or to serve His larger purposes.