How does Genesis 10:26 contribute to understanding the Table of Nations' genealogy? Scripture text “Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, and Jerah.” (Genesis 10:26) Line of descent from Noah to Joktan • Noah → Shem (Genesis 10:21) → Arphaxad (10:22) → Shelah (10:24) → Eber (10:24) → Joktan (10:25) → Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah (10:26, first four in a list that continues through v. 29) What Genesis 10:26 adds to the Table of Nations • Expands the Shemite branch beyond the eventual Messianic line through Peleg, showing God’s broader dealings with all descendants of Shem. • Introduces the first half of Joktan’s thirteen sons, underscoring rapid population growth and dispersion after the Flood. • Demonstrates the literal familial structure of nations: each name represents both a son and the clan, territory, and language that flowed from him (cf. Deuteronomy 32:8; Acts 17:26). • Balances the genealogy: Japheth has fourteen grandsons listed, Ham thirty, and Shem twenty-six; verse 26 keeps the record symmetrical and complete. • Sets up a contrast with Peleg—“for in his days the earth was divided” (10:25)—hinting that Joktan’s branch migrated before or during Babel’s scattering (Genesis 11:1–9). Geographical markers identified by Joktan’s sons • Almodad — place-name roots in south-west Arabia; linked to “Al-Mahd” or “Al-Maddad.” • Sheleph — likely associated with ancient Sulaf in Yemen. • Hazarmaveth — rendered “Hadhramaut,” the modern Yemeni province still bearing the same consonants. • Jerah — Arabic “Jabal al-Jarah” (“Moon Mountain”) in the same region. • Collectively, Joktan’s sons settle “from Mesha toward Sephar, the eastern hill country” (Genesis 10:30), mapping a continuous Semitic presence along the Arabian Peninsula. Links to other passages • 1 Chronicles 1:20–23 repeats Genesis 10:26–29, showing Israel kept careful, unaltered records. • Luke 3:35–36 traces Messiah through Peleg—not Joktan—underscoring that Genesis 10:26 is historical, not mythological, and that Scripture distinguishes covenant line from collateral lines without minimizing either. • Isaiah 60:6; Psalm 72:10–11 foresee Arabian peoples bringing gifts to the Lord—descendants of Joktan fulfilling prophetic worship. Faith lessons from the genealogy • God preserves a detailed record of every family, proving He “is not unjust so as to forget” any person or nation (Hebrews 6:10). • The diversity of Joktan’s sons displays God’s design for cultural variety within one human family. • The unbroken chain from Noah to post-Babel tribes affirms the reliability of Genesis history and the trustworthiness of all Scripture. Summary thoughts Genesis 10:26 functions as a pivotal hinge in the Table of Nations: it fleshes out the Shemite branch beyond the messianic line, anchors Semitic tribes in identifiable Arabian locales, and demonstrates the orderly, literal unfolding of humanity from Noah’s sons. Through four names, the verse confirms God’s meticulous sovereignty over the rise of every people group. |
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