5. =Tubal=, and 6. =Meshech=, are generally a.s.sociated in Scripture.
(Ezek. 27:13; 32:26; 38:2, 3; 39:1.) From their a.s.sociations, they are to be sought near the Caspian and Black Seas, where Herodotus mentions the _Tibareni_ and the _Moschi_.
7. =Tiras= (1. Chron. 1:5) was believed by the Jews to refer to the _Thracians_, southwest of the Black Sea. There is nothing to oppose this view, but no evidence except the similarity of name in its favor.
II. THE HAMITIC RACES.
These are named with greater particularity, because they were those which rose to prominence early in the history, and those with which the Hebrews were brought into closer relations, either as enemies or as friends. Four princ.i.p.al races are given, some of which were greatly subdivided. The homes of these races were in Africa, Eastern Arabia, with a fringe of sea-coast along the eastern Mediterranean, and the great Mesopotamian valley, in which arose the earliest world empires.
They have been sometimes called _Turanians_. It is by no means probable that all these nations should be regarded as the descendants of Ham, the son of Noah. In this list are evidently grouped together some races whose territory was contiguous, but whose physical appearance and language show no relationship.
1. =Cush= is, throughout the Bible, the word translated _Ethiopia_.
Generally this refers to the region south of Egypt, now known as Abyssinia; but in Gen. 2:13, Isa. 11:11, and Ezek. 38:5, the reference must be to an Asiatic Cush, in Mesopotamia. The subdivisions of the Cus.h.i.te tribes in Gen. 10:7-12, show that the earliest great Oriental monarchies were of this race. These subdivisions are as follows:
(1.) _Seba._ These were, probably, the Ethiopians of Meroe, on the Nile, anciently called _Saba_; in Isa. 43:3 and 45:14, connected with the Egyptians.
(2.) _Havilah._ This is supposed to refer to _Arabia_, or at least a part of it.
(3.) _Sabtah._ This may refer to the _Sabbatha_, or _Sabota_, of Pliny and Ptolemy, on the southern sh.o.r.e of Arabia.
(4.) _Raamah_, with whom are a.s.sociated his sons or descendants, _Sheba_ and _Dedan_, occupied the eastern sh.o.r.e of Arabia, near the Persian Gulf.
(5.) _Sabtechah._ This is unknown, but, from the relation of the previous names, may have been in the southeastern portion of Arabia.
(6.) _Nimrod_ is named as a descendant of Cush (perhaps the only name of an individual in the list), and the founder of the early Babylonian empire.
2. =Mizraim= is the name everywhere used for _Egypt_ in the Hebrew. The word is in the dual form, representing the two divisions of the country, and corresponding to the two crowns on all the royal effigies. Several branches of this race are especially mentioned.
(1.) _Ludim._ Not the same with the _Lud_ of verse 22, but from its a.s.sociations plainly in Africa. The location has been given as _Nubia_, but is very doubtful.
(2.) _Anamim._ An unknown people, whose ident.i.ty was early lost in some other race.
(3.) _Lehabim._ These are elsewhere in Scripture called _Lubim_, and were the Libyans, or people of Libya, west of Egypt, on the southern sh.o.r.e of the Mediterranean.
(4.) _Naphtuhim._ Probably the _Na-Ptah_ of the Egyptian monuments, having their home at _Memphis_, south of the Delta.
(5.) _Pathrusim._ Often referred to in the prophets as _Pathros_, or Upper Egypt.
(6.) _Casluhim._ An unknown people, perhaps in the vicinity of _Goshen_.
(7.) _Caphtorim._ Generally supposed to refer to the people on the island of _Crete_. With these, and not with the _Casluhim_, should the _Philistim_ be connected. (See Deut. 2:23, Jer. 47:4, Amos 9:7.)
3. =Phut.= The word is several times translated _Libya_, and, from its a.s.sociation with other tribes, should probably be referred to that section in Northern Africa. (See Jer. 46:9; Ezek. 27:10; 30:5; 38:5; Nah. 3:9.) Some of these pa.s.sages would indicate that there was also an Asiatic branch of this same family.
4. =Canaan.= The ancient inhabitants of Palestine and Lower Syria, from Gaza to Hamath. In their most flourishing period, just before the conquest by Joshua, they embraced six subdivisions or clans. (See map on page 36, and explanations.)
III. THE SEMITIC RACES. (Gen. 10:21-31.)
The descendants of Shem are placed last in the list of the table of nations, not because their founder was the youngest, but because out of their lines one family is chosen as the especial theme of the history, which thus receives a fitting introduction. Shem was the founder of five great races, and of many subordinate tribes.
1. =Elam= everywhere is recognized as the name of a province east of the Tigris and north of the Persian Gulf, called by the Greeks _Elymais_.
The name was often applied, in later times, to the whole of Persia, whose capital stood within its territory.
2. =a.s.shur= is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament. It was located on the Tigris, having Nineveh as its capital, and its people at one time were rulers of all the lands westward to the Mediterranean.
3. =Arphaxad=, or _Arpachshad_ (as in the margin of Gen. 11:10), has been supposed to be the ancestor of the Chaldeans, whose home was at the head of the Persian Gulf. The patriarch Abraham belonged to his race, and was born in "Ur of the Chaldees." Another of Arphaxad"s descendants was _Joktan_, from whom arose thirteen tribes, named after _Almodad_, _Sheleph_, _Hazarmaveth_, _Jerah_, _Hadoram_, _Uzal_, _Diklah_, _Obal_, _Abimael_, _Sheba_ (the most important of all in after history, absorbing most of the rest), _Ophir_, _Havilah_, and _Jobab_. All these occupied the southeastern and southern sections of the great Arabian peninsula. The fact that some of these names have already been mentioned in the Hamite genealogies may indicate that the two races became mingled.
4. =Lud.= This is believed by most scholars to refer to the _Lydians_, who dwelt on the southwestern border of Asia Minor, and under their king, Croesus, became a powerful nation. Their history was short, as their empire was conquered by Cyrus the Great.
5. =Aram.= This is the word uniformly rendered _Syria_ throughout the Bible. The Arameans, or Syrians, occupied the region between Canaan and Phoenicia, on the east, the Euphrates on the north, and the great desert on the west and south. Four branches of this race formed separate tribes. _Uz_, the race of the ancient Job, was settled in the middle of North Arabia, near Nejd. _Hul_ and _Gether_ are supposed (but with slight evidences) to have occupied the country near Lake Merom, where the _Geshurites_ were afterward found. _Mash_, or, as called in 1 Chron.
1:17, _Meshech_, may have merged with the Meshech of the j.a.phetic line.
[Ill.u.s.tration: OUTLINE MAP FOR REVIEW.]
OUTLINE FOR TEACHING.
1. The princ.i.p.al authorities for the map on page 24, and its explanations, are: "Ethnic Affinities," by Canon George Rawlinson; E. H.
Browne, in "The Speaker"s Commentary"; J. G. Murphy"s "Notes on Genesis"; Dillmann, "Commentary on Genesis"; and "The Races of the Old Testament," by A. H. Sayce. To these the student is referred for more thorough discussion of the subject.
2. In teaching, draw on the blackboard a sketch map (no matter how roughly) of the outlines of the coast, as given above, and then write on each place the name of the people occupying it. Take, first, the great divisions of Noah"s family; then, the subdivisions; then, the minor tribes. Review the locations as each family is finished. Write on the board only the first syllable of each name, as an aid to memory, as _Ar_ for _Arphaxad_, _Cu_ for _Cush_, etc. If the names of each of the three great races are written in chalk of a different color, it will make the distinctions more readily understood.
3. If practicable, by means of a duplicating process, print a sufficient number of copies of the sketch map to supply the cla.s.s or audience, and let each person, with pencil, place on the map the names of the tribes as they are located. This will greatly add to the interest of the lesson.
[Transcriber"s Note: This family tree was originally one tree. It was separated into families to accommodate size issues.]
REVIEW CHART--THE TABLE OF NATIONS.
NOAH +---------------------+----------------------+ j.a.pHETH HAM SHEM (_Aryan Race_) (_Turanian Race_) (_Semitic Race_)
j.a.pHETH (_Aryan Race_) +---------+---------+------------+--------+-------+-------+Gomer Magog Madai Javan Tubal Meshech Tiras (_Celts_)(_Scythians_)(_Medes_) (_Greeks_) (_Thracians_)Ashkenaz (_Nysia and Phrygia_) Elishah (_aeolians_) Riphath (_Riphaean Mts?_) Tarshish (_Tartessus_) Togarmah (_Armenia_) Kittim (_Cyprus_) Dodanim (_Trojans_)
HAM (_Turanian Race_) +-------------+------+--------+Cush Mizraim Phut Canaan (_Ethiopia_) (_Egypt_)(_Libya_)(_Palestine_)Seba Ludim (_Meroe_) (_Nubia?_) Havilah Anamim (_Arabia_) Sabtah Lehabim (_Sabbatha?_) (_Libya_) Raamah Naphtuhim (_Per. Gulf_) (_Na-petu_) Sabtechah Pathrusim (_Pathros_) NIMROD Casluhim-Philistim (_Philistia_) Caphtorim (_Crete_)
SHEM (_Semitic Race_) +--------------+-------------+------------+-----------+Elam a.s.shur Arphaxad Lud Aram (_Elamites_) (_a.s.syrians_) (_Chaldeans_) (_Lydians_) (_Syrians_)Salah UzHulGetherMash Eber +---+---+Peleg Joktan(_Arabia_)
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE JEWS" WAILING PLACE, AT JERUSALEM.]
[Ill.u.s.tration: PHYSICAL MAP OF PALESTINE.]
PHYSICAL PALESTINE.