Joktan’s sons and the nations separated
Says Joktan’s thirteen sons (10:26–29) end with כָּל־אֵלֶּה בְּנֵי יָקְטָן (“all these were sons of Joktan”). מוֹשָׁבָם מִמֵּשָׁא בֹּאֲכָה סְפָרָה הַר הַקֶּדֶם (“their dwelling, from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east”) is BSB’s “in the eastern hill country.” The lexicon gives har-haqqedem as “mount of the East.” Verse 31 repeats the formula of 10:5 and 20, with לְגוֹיֵהֶם (“by their nations”).
Says Verse 32 sums up the chapter: אֵלֶּה מִשְׁפְּחֹת בְּנֵי־נֹחַ לְתוֹלְדֹתָם בְּגוֹיֵהֶם (“these are the clans of the sons of Noah by their generations, in their nations”). It ends וּמֵאֵלֶּה נִפְרְדוּ הַגּוֹיִם בָּאָרֶץ אַחַר הַמַּבּוּל (“and from these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood”). The verb is the one used in 10:5. BSB has “spread out.” Toledot, from 10:1, returns in לְתוֹלְדֹתָם.
Uncertain Chapter 10 speaks of many languages (10:5, 20, 31), while 11:1 begins with שָׂפָה אֶחָת (“one language”). Chapter 10 may be placed first by theme, with 11:1–9 explaining how the languages arose, or the two may follow in time order, which is harder to fit with 11:1. No lean is taken here.
Claims
- SaysJoktan’s thirteen sons (10:26–29) end with כָּל־אֵלֶּה בְּנֵי יָקְטָן (“all these were sons of Joktan”). מוֹשָׁבָם מִמֵּשָׁא בֹּאֲכָה סְפָרָה הַר הַקֶּדֶם (“their dwelling, from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east”) is BSB’s “in the eastern hill country.” The lexicon gives har-haqqedem as “mount of the East.” Verse 31 repeats the formula of 10:5 and 20, with לְגוֹיֵהֶם (“by their nations”).
- SaysVerse 32 sums up the chapter: אֵלֶּה מִשְׁפְּחֹת בְּנֵי־נֹחַ לְתוֹלְדֹתָם בְּגוֹיֵהֶם (“these are the clans of the sons of Noah by their generations, in their nations”). It ends וּמֵאֵלֶּה נִפְרְדוּ הַגּוֹיִם בָּאָרֶץ אַחַר הַמַּבּוּל (“and from these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood”). The verb is the one used in 10:5. BSB has “spread out.” Toledot, from 10:1, returns in לְתוֹלְדֹתָם.
- UncertainChapter 10 speaks of many languages (10:5, 20, 31), while 11:1 begins with שָׂפָה אֶחָת (“one language”). Chapter 10 may be placed first by theme, with 11:1–9 explaining how the languages arose, or the two may follow in time order, which is harder to fit with 11:1. No lean is taken here.
Citations
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 10:26–32 (WLC/OSHB; morph HNcmsc/Sp3mp HVNp3cp)
- BSB public domain Gen 10:30, 32 (BSB)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 869 (leaf n892, archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft), s.v. H6924 “mount of the East”; checked against the printed page (scan)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 156 (leaf n179, archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft), s.v. H1471 “nation, people”; checked against the printed page (scan)
2026-11-11
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