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We must therefore introduce into this work an explanation of the
generations of the three sons of Noah, in so far as that may
illustrate the progress in time of the two cities. Scripture first
mentions that of the youngest son, who is called Japheth: he had
eight sons, and by two of these sons seven grandchildren, three by one
son, four by the other; in all, fifteen descendants. Ham, Noah's
middle son, had four sons, and by one of them five grandsons, and by
one of these two great-grandsons; in all, eleven. After enumerating
these, Scripture returns to the first of the sons, and says, "Cush
begat Nimrod; he began to be a giant on the earth. He was a giant
hunter against the Lord God: wherefore they say, As Nimrod the
giant hunter against the Lord. And the beginning of his kingdom was
Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. Out
of that land went forth Assur, and built Nineveh, and the city
Rehoboth, and Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah: this
was a great city." Now this Cush, father of the giant Nimrod, is
the first-named among the sons of Ham, to whom five sons and two
grandsons are ascribed. But he either begat this giant after his
grandsons were born, or, which is more credible, Scripture speaks of
him separately on account of his eminence; for mention is also made of
his kingdom, which began with that magnificent city Babylon, and the
other places, whether cities or districts, mentioned along with it.
But what is recorded of the land of Shinar which belonged to
Nimrod's kingdom, to wit, that Assur went forth from it and built
Nineveh and the other cities mentioned with it, happened long after;
but he takes occasion to speak of it here on account of the grandeur of
the Assyrian kingdom, which was wonderfully extended by Ninus son of
Belus, and founder of the great city Nineveh, which was named after
him, Nineveh, from Ninus. But Assur, father of the Assyrian,
was not one of the sons of Ham, Noah's son, but is found among the
sons of Shem, his eldest son. Whence it appears that among Shem's
offspring there arose men who afterwards took possession of that
giant's kingdom, and advancing from it, founded other cities, the
first of which was called Nineveh, from Ninus. From him Scripture
returns to Ham's other son, Mizraim; and his sons are enumerated,
not as seven individuals, but as seven nations. Arid from the sixth,
as if from the sixth son, the race called the Philistines are said to
have sprung; so that there are in all eight. Then it returns again to
Canaan, in whose person Ham was cursed; and his eleven sons are
named. Then the territories they occupied, and some of the cities,
are named. And thus, if we count sons and grandsons, there are
thirty-one of Ham's descendants registered.
It remains to mention the sons of Shem, Noah's eldest son; for to
him this genealogical narrative gradually ascends from the youngest.
But in the commencement of the record of Shem's sons there is an
obscurity which calls for explanation, since it is closely connected
with the object of our investigation. For we read, "Unto Shem
also, the father of all the children of Heber, the brother of
Japheth the elder, were children born." This is the order of the
words: And to Shem was born Heber, even to himself, that is, to
Shem himself was born Heber, and Shem is the father of all his
children. We are intended to understand that Shem is the patriarch of
all his posterity who were to be mentioned, whether sons, grandsons,
great-grand-sons, or descendants at any remove. For Shem did not
beget Heber, who was indeed in the fifth generation from him. For
Shem begat, among other sons, Arphaxad; Arphaxad begat Cainan,
Cainan begat Salah, Salah begat Heber. And it was with good
reason that he was named first among Shem's offspring, taking
precedence even of his sons, though only a grandchild of the fifth
generation; for from him, as tradition says, the Hebrews derived
their name, though the other etymology which derives the name from
Abraham (as if Abrahews) may possibly be correct.
But there can be little doubt that the former is the right etymology,
and that they were called after Heber, Heberews, and then, dropping
a letter, Hebrews; and so was their language called Hebrew, which
was spoken by none but the people of Israel among whom was the city of
God, mysteriously prefigured in all the people, and truly present in
the saints. Six of Shem's sons then are first named, then four
grandsons born to one of these sons; then it mentions another son of
Shem, who begat a grandson; and his son, again, or Shem's
great-grandson, was Heber. And Heber begat two sons, and called
the one Peleg, which means "dividing;" and Scripture subjoins the
reason of this name, saying, "for in his days was the earth
divided." What this means will afterwards appear. Heber's other
son begat twelve sons; consequently all Shem's descendants are
twenty-seven. The total number of the progeny of the three sons of
Noah is seventy-three, fifteen by Japheth, thirty-one by Ham,
twenty-seven by Shem. Then Scripture adds, "These are the sons
of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands,
after their nations." And so of the whole number "These are the
families of the sons of Noah after their generations, in their
nations; and by these were the isles of the nations dispersed through
the earth after the flood." From which we gather that the
seventy-three (or rather, as I shall presently show, seventy-two)
were not individuals, but nations. For in a former passage, when the
sons of Japheth were enumerated, it is said in conclusion, "By
these were the isles of the nations divided in their lauds, every one
after his language, in their tribes, and in their nations."
But nations are expressly mentioned among the sons of Ham, as I
showed above. "Mizraim begat those who are called Ludim; and so
also of the other seven nations. And after 'enumerating all of them,
it concludes, "These are the sons of Ham, in their families,
according to their languages, in their territories, and in their
nations." The reason, then, why the children of several of them are
not mentioned, is that they belonged by birth to other nations, and
did not themselves become nations. Why else is it, that though eight
sons are reckoned to Japheth, the sons of only two of these are
mentioned; and though four are reckoned to Ham, only three are spoken
of as having sons; and though six are reckoned to Shem, the
descendants of only two of these are traced? Did the rest remain
childless? We cannot suppose so; but they did not produce nations so
great as to warrant their being mentioned, but were absorbed in the
nations to which they belonged by birth.
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