After the Flood, exploration of the land must have been priority. Within two or three generations, Nimrod’s rebellion exhibited continental awareness, “Come, let us build a city … lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Gen 11:4. Cf. Gen 9:1 for God’s command).

When peoples began fighting over the land, it appears portions of the earth were allotted to each: “In [Peleg’s] days was the earth divided” (Gen 10:25). This occurred at least 110 years after the Flood.

• JAPETH’S DESCENDANTS: The north country. Nomadic peoples for many centuries. The great seas of the north could figure prominently.

Gomer: The north side of the Black Sea (Euxine Sea);modern Ukraine. The Kimmerians apparently leave their name in the Crimea. (Herodotus calls the Kerch Straits the “Kimmerian Bosporus.”)

Ashkenaz: Almost certainly the Germanic (Gothic) tribes in the North German Plain and west Baltic Sea. The name may well be preserved in “Scanza” (modern Scandinavia); Hebrews as early as ca. AD1100 identify it with Germany, while since the early 14th century Rhineland Jews (and their descendants -the majority of world jewry now) have been known as Ashkenazim [Encyclopedia Judaica 3, 719 “Ashkenaz” (1971)]. There is a possible association with Gomer (Kimmer) via the Cimbri from Jutland (in Denmark), who fought the Romans farther south in BC113-101; some think “Gomerians” is the root of “Germans.” Their migratory and warlike nature is seen in the Ostrogothic conquest of the Ukraine AD200-375; the 5th century conquest of the entire West Roman Empire by ten Gothic tribes; and likely the Jeremiah 51:27 prophecy of Ashkenaz with the Medes and Urartu (Ararat) in the destruction of Babylon. [Gutium-Caucasian hordes (Goyim in Gen 14:1)-led the forces at the peaceful surrender of Babylon. (Nabunaid Chronicle, James B. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, 2nd Edn.; Princeton Univ. Press, 1955, p306)] The contrary view of Gesenius, “The modern Jews understand it to be Germany … which is only to be attributed to their wonderful ignorance of geography,” simply ignores migrations.

Riphath: Most likely the Slavs, originating in the Carpathian Mountains and northward into Poland. The name may be preserved in “Carpathia;’ as suggested by Smith’s Bible Dictionary.

Togarmah: Originally in eastern Europe, the Tochari moved to the east side of the Caspian Sea. The Tochari language is part of the Centum group in western Europe, rather than of the Satem group of eastern Indo-European languages. Raising and trading horses (cf. Ezek. 27:14), the Turks (Thorgama in Septuagint) expanded eastward through Sinkiang and by the 5th Century BC constituted the Silk Route from China (Kaifeng, along the Hwang Ho and Wei rivers to Lanchow, via Ansi and the southern desert to Khotan and Kashgar, likely through Sary Tash and the Kyzyl and Vakhsh river valleys to Balkh [10 miles WNW of Mazari-Sharif], skirting south of the Kara- Kum desert through Ashkhabad and Krasnovodsk/Ufra, via the Caspian Sea to Astrakhan). Jews in the oriental Diaspora were found along this route. Worldwide cool spells during the 14th, 9th to 7th, 5th and 4th centuries BC may have encouraged settlement of the Tocharistan/Turkestan.¹

deserts.’ Turks (Seliuks) moved westward in the 7th to 13th centuries AD to rule modern Turkey, while other Turks (Finns) in the 9th century moved into Finland. Turkestan, far to the north and east of Israel, or Finland, at the northernmost extremity, could easily be described as “the uttermost parts of the north” in Ezek. 38:6; the former has been by far the more warlike.

Magog: The north side of the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea, including the great Volga River valley, encompassing Moscow and most of European Russia. The Saka (Gog) people were nomadic cattle breeders with a sharp. social and wealth stratification. The Sakas include also the Scythians and Massagetae mentioned in Herodotus and other ancient sources. They would be the majority of the ancient Goiim of Ge 14:1, 9 (Gutium archaeology, nations A.V.). Lamsa says Mongolia, which could be included. on Gog.]

Madai: The south side of the Caspian Sea. The Medes expanded into the Hamadan (Ecbatana) plateau in the 9th century BC. They were the dominant tribe of the MedoPersian kingdom until perhaps the death of Astyages (father-in-law of Cyrus the Persian), quite possibly in BC538 (though Cyrus afterwards boasts to the contrary).

Javan: The coastlands of the Aegean Sea and westward. The name, Iovan in Septuagint, survives in the Ionian Sea. The capitol was at Athens. The Ionians colonized the north Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts extensively.

Elishah: Perhaps southern Italy, with the derivation InterElishah (the Way of Elishah) =Italy. Apparently also the original colonizers of Carthage, or NE Tunisia. Part of Iovan in Gen. 10:2 Septuagint. Josephus says they are the Aeolians, which need not be inconsistent with the identification here.

Tarshish: Westernmost Europe – the Celtic tribes (Celtiberians, Gauls, Belgii, Britons, Welsh, Manx, Irish, Scots, etc.). The Gauls expanded through central Europe to account for Galicia in Poland, Galatia in the Turkish peninsula, and Tarsus in south-central Turkey (ancient Cilicia). Silver, iron, and lead were mined in Spain, while tin was mined few places other than Cornwall in England (cf. Ezek. 27:12). Originally at odds with Rome, they became its allies during the Gothic invasions. Ships of Tarshish are ocean-going vessels.

Kittim: Probably Cyprus. It is not likely to be China, as Lamsa usually gives it from Aramaic; that the Russian word Kitai is used for China is not considered significant here. The name is apparently preserved in Cape Kiti at the SW end of Larnaca Bay, and perhaps in the nearby town of Citium (Larnaca) = Kitiai6n (Nu 24:24 Sept.) = Kittim if lovan. Possibly Macedonia = the region of Kittim. Ships of Kittim are Mediterranean-class vessels.

 

1. For climatological history see Scientific American 236, 5, p. 80-92 (May 1977).

Dodanim: The southern coastlands around the Aegean Sea. Also, Rodanim (lchr 1:7), Rodioi in the Septuagint, or Doranim (Lamsa, from Aramaic). The association seems likely with the Dorians (who had come from Illyria, in modern Yugoslavia and their capitol at Sparta. The name is perhaps preserved in the island of Rodhos (Rhodes).

Tubal: The west side of the Caspian, especially the Kura River valley on the south side of the Caucasus mountains. Tbilisi, with warm sulfur springs -the Georgian word “tbili” means warm – was already settled in the third millennium BC.

Meshech: The southeastern side of the Black Sea. The name may be preserved in Mt. Mescit, north of Erzurum, Turkey. The Meskhi (Moschi in Greek) tribe inhabited this region between ancient Iberia, Colchis, and Armenia. Josephus says the name was also preserved in the Roman city Mazaca Caesarea, the modern Kayseri just south of the Halys River in Turkey. They are a likely source for the copper of Ezek. 27:13. Meshech was usually allied with Tubal.

Tiras: The west side of the Black Sea, but mostly south of the Danube. The name is preserved as Thrace. Tiras colonized Tyre, much of North Africa and probably Etruscan territory (= Iter- Tiras?).

• HAM’S DESCENDANTS: The south country. Possibly includes Hamazi, east of Lake Urmia, in the days of Ebla.

Cush: The south coastal lands, as far east as India. Cush and his descendants were black. The name is found in Kish, the self-exalted city of ancient Sumer (Shinar), and in subsequent colonized lands: Ethiopia (Hebrew Cush, Egyptian Keesh), coastal Sinai settled by the Midianites (Nu 12:1 compared with Ex 2:15-21), and the Hindu Kush mountains in NW India. The black Dravidian people were later driven to the Tamil state in SE India. The Cushites were the first imperialists in history, beginning with Nimrod who forced Asshur out of his land. – Gen. 10:8-10

Mizraim: The south side of the Mediterranean Sea, especially the Nile River. Mizraim literally means “the two Egypts,” the Delta and the valley upstream nearly to the First Cataract, or waterfall. Upper Egypt alone was called Pathros. Colonization proceeded upstream, westward along the coast, eastward to Philistia, and probably to some of the islands.

Phut, or Put: Somewhere in Africa beyond Egypt. Josephus’ identification of the River Phut in Mauritania tentatively favors modern Morocco (Berbers) [see Gesenius]. Evidently skilled in defensive warfare (Jer. 46:9).

Canaan: The east side of the Mediterranean Sea, perhaps excepting the NE comer beyond Sidon. But Hamath, Syria, is apparently included. Sovereignty was delimited by the curse of Gen. 9:24- 27.

• SHEM’S DESCENDANTS: The central country, usually between about 30^o and 40^o North; possibly intended to be a buffer between the other two.

Elam: The north side of the Persian Gulf and east of the Iraqi swamp, with its capitol at Susa, 20 miles SW of modern Dezful. This easternmost of Semitic tribes likely expanded further east prior to the coming of the Aryan tribes – Medes, Persians, and others – and may have settled parts of the Orient.

Asshur: The middle Tigris region in northern Iraq. Assyria, with its capitol at Ninevah, at modern Mosul, or Al Mawsil.

Arpachshad: The upper Euphrates region. Likely surrounded by Lud, Aram, Asshur, and Meshech. Josephus says Chaldea, on the south of Sumer. Also, most of the tropical Arabian peninsula (joktan); in Ge 10:26 Hazarmaveth = Hadhramaut on the central south coast. Canaan was displaced by descendants of Terah.

Lud: The Anatolian Plateau in central Turkey. The ancient kingdom of Lydia.

Aram: The highland plains of Syria, including the uppermiddle Euphrates. Its early capitol was Ebla. Josephus says Uz founded Damascus and Trachonitis, or southern Syria; Hul founded Armenia[?]; and Gether founded the Bactrians, northern Afghanistan.

• James Parkinson (To be continued)

 

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