Attributed commentary excerpt
Barnes' Notes on Genesis 10:21
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Notes on the Whole Bible
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · 19th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
- XXXIII. Shem 21. אבר 'eber, “‘Eber, yonder side; verb: pass, cross.” 22. עילם 'eylām, “‘Elam.” עוּל ‛ûl, “suckle.” עלם ‛ālam, “hide; be mature.” ארפכשׁד 'arpakshad, “Arpakshad.” כשׂד ארף 'arp keśed, “boundary of Kesed, or (von-Bohlen) Arjapakshata, beside Aria.” ארם 'ǎrām, “Aram, high; verb: be high.” 23. עוּץ ‛ûts, “‘Uts; verb: counsel; be firm, solid.” חוּל chûl, “Chul; verb: rub, twist, writhe, be strong, await.” גתר geter, “Gether, bridge?” משׁ meshek, “Mash; related: feel, touch.” 24. שׁלח shelach, “Shelach, missile, shoot.” 25. פלג peleg, “Peleg; noun: brook, canal; verb: divide.” יקטן yāqṭān, “Joctan, small.” 26. אלמודד 'almôdād, “Almodad.” למד lāmad, “learn.” מדד mādad, “measure.” שׁלף shelep, “Sheleph; verb: draw out or off.” חערמות chatsarmāvet, “Chatsarmaveth, court of death.” ירח yerach, “Jerach, moon, month.” 27. הדורם hadôrām, Hadoram, “majesty, beauty;” verb: “swell, honor.” אוּזל 'ûzāl, Uzal; verb: “go out or away.” דקלה dı̂qlâh Diclah, “palm.” 28. עובל ‛ôbāl, ‘Obal, “bare, bald.” אבימאל 'ǎbı̂ymā'ēl, Abimael, “father of Mael” (circumcision). 29. אופיר 'ôpı̂r, Ophir; verb: “break, veil.” יובב yôbāb, Jobab; verb: “cry, call.” 30. משׁא mēshā', Mesha, שׁאה shā'âh = שׁוא shô', “roar, crash.” ספר sepār Sephar, “counting. writing.” From Japheth, who penetrated into the remotest regions, the writer proceeds to Ham, who came into close contact with Shem. From Ham, he passes to Shem, in whom the line of history is to be continued. Genesis 10:21 Shem is here distinguished by two characteristics - the former referring to a subsequent, the latter to an antecedent event. He is “the father of all the sons of Heber.” It is evident from this that the sons of Heber cast luster on the family of Shem, and therefore on the whole human race. It is unnecessary to anticipate the narrative, except so far as to note that the sons of Heber include most of the Arabians, a portion of those who mingled with the race and inhabited the land of Aram, and, most probably, the original element of the population in the land of Kenaan. This characteristic of Shem shows that the table in which it is found was composed after the Hebrews had become conspicuous among the descendants of Shem. Shem is next distinguished as the “older brother of Japheth”; that is, older than Ham. This interpretation of the words is most agreeable to the Hebrew idiom, and is the only one which affords an important sense. That Shem was the second son appears from the facts that Ham was the youngest Genesis 9:24, that Shem was born in the five hundred and third year of Noah Genesis 11:10, and, therefore, Japheth must have been the one born when Noah was in his five hundredth year Genesis 5:32. The reason for inserting this statement is to prevent the order in which the brothers are introduced in the pedigree from being taken as that of their age, instead of that of the historical relationship subsisting among the nations descended from them. Genesis 10:22 Twenty-six of the primitive nations are descended from Shem, of which five are immediate. (45) Elam was settled in a part of the modern Persia, to which he gave name. This name seems to be preserved in Elymais, a province of that country bordering on the Dijlah, and now included in Khusistan. It was early governed by its own kings Genesis 14:1, and continued to occupy a distinct place among the nations in the time of the later prophets Isaiah 22:6; Jeremiah 49:34; Ezekiel 32:24. Its capital was…
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