textual · Gen 10:1–32 · ✓ Approved

Minor variants in Genesis 10

Says In 10:4 the Hebrew has וְדֹדָנִים (vedodanim, “and Dodanim”). The Samaritan text reads “Rodanim,” with resh, and the Greek has Ῥόδιοι (“Rhodians”). The two letters look alike in Hebrew script. BSB’s “Rodanites” follows that reading, as in 1 Chronicles 1:7. The Samaritan text also spells Elishah without its final letter.

Says In 10:19 the Samaritan text gives a different border: from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates, and to the last sea.

Says The Greek adds Elisa among Japheth’s sons (10:2) and lacks Obal (10:28). It reads “islands of the nations” in 10:5 and 10:32 and calls Nimrod γίγας (“giant”). It gives ἐναντίον Κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ (“before the Lord God”) for the first “before the Lord” in 10:9 and puts Naphtuhim second in 10:13. In 10:25 it reads Φάλεκ with διεμερίσθη (“was divided”), without the Hebrew sound-play.

Says Editorial decision: print the MT (confidence high).

Says Minor variants in Swete’s notes, in plain words: one manuscript drops “God” in 10:9; one gives a different order in 10:13; one spells Lasha as “Lasa” in 10:19; and the Alexandrian manuscript reads “Seth” for Shem in 10:31.

Claims

SaysIn 10:4 the Hebrew has וְדֹדָנִים (vedodanim, “and Dodanim”). The Samaritan text reads “Rodanim,” with resh, and the Greek has Ῥόδιοι (“Rhodians”). The two letters look alike in Hebrew script. BSB’s “Rodanites” follows that reading, as in 1 Chronicles 1:7. The Samaritan text also spells Elishah without its final letter.
SaysIn 10:19 the Samaritan text gives a different border: from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates, and to the last sea.
SaysThe Greek adds Elisa among Japheth’s sons (10:2) and lacks Obal (10:28). It reads “islands of the nations” in 10:5 and 10:32 and calls Nimrod γίγας (“giant”). It gives ἐναντίον Κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ (“before the Lord God”) for the first “before the Lord” in 10:9 and puts Naphtuhim second in 10:13. In 10:25 it reads Φάλεκ with διεμερίσθη (“was divided”), without the Hebrew sound-play.
SaysEditorial decision: print the MT (confidence high).
SaysMinor variants in Swete’s notes, in plain words: one manuscript drops “God” in 10:9; one gives a different order in 10:13; one spells Lasha as “Lasa” in 10:19; and the Alexandrian manuscript reads “Seth” for Shem in 10:31.

Citations

OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 10:4, 19 (WLC/OSHB; morph HC/Np)
von Gall, Sam. Pent. public domain Gen 10:4, main text; Samaritan text, von Gall p. 15 (leaf n546, archive.org vonGall_SamaritanPentateuch), checked against the printed page (scan)
von Gall, Sam. Pent. public domain Gen 10:19, main text; Samaritan text, von Gall p. 16 (leaf n545, archive.org vonGall_SamaritanPentateuch), checked against the printed page (scan)
LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 Gen 10:2–31, text and apparatus. LXX: Swete, vol. 1 (1901), p. 15 (leaf n46), p. 16 (leaf n47), p. 17 (leaf n48). Checked against the printed page (scan).
BSB public domain Gen 10:4 (BSB)

Sources OSHB CC BY 4.0 von Gall, Sam. Pent. public domain LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 BSB public domain

Quotations from LXX (Swete) are used under CC BY-SA 4.0 · Credits

2026-11-11

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