Genesis 10:3 kjv

And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.

Genesis 10:3 nkjv

The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.

Genesis 10:3 niv

The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah.

Genesis 10:3 esv

The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.

Genesis 10:3 nlt

The descendants of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.

Genesis 10 verses

Genesis 10 3 Meaning

Genesis 10:3 lists three specific grandsons of Noah through his son Japheth and grandson Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. This verse contributes to the "Table of Nations" by detailing the initial diversification of Gomer's family line, signifying the spread and establishment of distinct peoples in the post-Flood world. These names primarily denote geographical regions and their inhabiting groups, laying the foundational ethnic and national map according to divine orchestration.

Genesis 10 3 Context

This verse is an integral part of Genesis chapter 10, often referred to as the "Table of Nations." Chapter 10 systematically enumerates the seventy families that descended from Noah's three sons—Japheth, Ham, and Shem—after the global flood. Its immediate context is the genealogical record of Japheth's descendants, beginning with his sons in verse 2 and then expanding to their progeny. This particular verse traces the line of Gomer, the first son of Japheth listed.

Historically and culturally, the Table of Nations served multiple purposes for the ancient Israelite audience. It affirmed a common origin for all humanity from a single family after the Flood, establishing unity in creation while explaining the diversity of peoples and languages (prior to Babel in Gen 11). It placed Israel within a universal human family and offered a framework for understanding other nations known to them. It underscored God's sovereign control over the rise and distribution of nations, counteracting contemporary pagan myths of disparate and often chaotic origins for different peoples. It laid the groundwork for God's redemptive plan to encompass all the families of the earth.

Genesis 10 3 Word analysis

• The sons of: Indicates direct descendants, marking the branching out of a family line into new populations. It emphasizes the foundational patriarchal structure by which nations originated and were identified.
• Gomer (גֹּמֶר, Gōmer): Transliterated from the Hebrew, meaning "completion" or "perfection." He is the first-listed son of Japheth (Gen 10:2). Historically and linguistically, Gomer is widely associated with the Cimmerians, an ancient Indo-European people known from Assyrian records (Gimirrai) who migrated from regions north of the Black Sea into Anatolia and beyond during the 8th-7th centuries BCE.
• Ashkenaz (אַשְׁכְּנַז, ’Ashkenaz): Transliterated from the Hebrew. The meaning is debated but possibly linked to "man of the Scythians" or a regional name related to the Askuzai/Scythians. In biblical context, it refers to an ancient people residing near Armenia and northern Mesopotamia, mentioned alongside Ararat and Minni in Jeremiah 51:27 as kingdoms to be summoned against Babylon. This association places them firmly within a geo-political sphere related to the broader Japhethite migrations. While modern Judaism uses "Ashkenazi" to refer to Jewish people of Central and Eastern European descent, this is a much later cultural designation and distinct from the specific ancient people group of Genesis 10.
• Riphath (רִיפַת, Rīfath): Transliterated from the Hebrew. Its meaning is uncertain. This group is less prominently identified in extra-biblical sources compared to Ashkenaz or Togarmah. Traditional scholarship and historical geography often place them in a region of Paphlagonia or other areas of Asia Minor, potentially indicating further sub-divisions or migrations from the Gomeric core. In 1 Chronicles 1:6, the name appears as "Diphath" in some Hebrew manuscripts, indicating possible textual variation.
• Togarmah (תֹּגַרְמָה, Tōgarmāh): Transliterated from the Hebrew. Its meaning is uncertain, but it is strongly linked to Eastern Anatolia, specifically Armenia, which has historically been a significant land bridge and trading route. It is mentioned in Ezekiel as a source of horses and mules trading with Tyre (Ezek 27:14) and later as an ally of Gog from the "north quarters" in an end-times prophecy (Ezek 38:6). This repeated mention solidifies its significance as a distinct, known entity in the ancient Near Eastern world.

Words-group analysis:

• "The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.": This concise declaration is pivotal to understanding the ethnic and geographic spread of the Japhethite lineage. It signifies the primary tribal or national divisions originating from Gomer, contributing to the diversity of nations inhabiting areas to the north and west of the ancient Near East, particularly around Anatolia, the Black Sea, and the Caucasus regions. These groups collectively represent distinct segments of the expanding human population from a common patriarchal ancestor.

Genesis 10 3 Bonus section

The Table of Nations, of which Genesis 10:3 is a part, is unique in ancient literature for its global scope and theological purpose. While other ancient cultures had foundation myths, none presented a systematic, worldwide ethnographic record from a single patriarchal source like Genesis does. This particular verse, along with others in the chapter, highlights the biblically grounded concept that human languages and distinct ethnic groups did not arise spontaneously or independently, but from a deliberate process guided by God, following the catastrophe of the Flood. The mention of specific tribal/national names like Ashkenaz and Togarmah, verifiable (to varying degrees) through archaeological and historical texts (such as Assyrian records), underscores the historicity of the biblical narrative within its ancient Near Eastern context. The fact that many of these nations, specifically Gomer and Togarmah, reappear centuries later in the prophetic literature of Ezekiel gives Genesis 10:3 a profound dimension beyond simple historical record, integrating it into the broader unfolding of God's plan for humanity and nations throughout history and into eschatology.

Genesis 10 3 Commentary

Genesis 10:3, nestled within the comprehensive Table of Nations, provides specific detail on the early post-Flood ethnic diversification through the lineage of Japheth. It lists Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah as the primary branches descended from Gomer. This is not merely a dry list but a divinely inspired ethnographical document asserting the common ancestry of all peoples from Noah's family, while meticulously noting their distinct groupings and geographical dispersion. The names "Gomer," "Ashkenaz," and "Togarmah" specifically align with ancient peoples (Cimmerians, possibly Scythians/Askuzai, and Armenians/Tegaramans) known to have inhabited regions north of Mesopotamia and across Anatolia, highlighting God's providential scattering and settling of the nations after Babel. The inclusion of Togarmah and Gomer in Ezekiel's later prophecies (Ezek 38:6) also demonstrates that these genealogies held not just historical, but also future, prophetic significance in the biblical worldview. This verse illustrates God's design for human diversity within the framework of a unified origin.