How does Genesis 10:20 connect to the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19? Setting the Stage • Genesis 10 catalogs humanity’s spread after the Flood, while Matthew 28 ends the Gospel story with Jesus’ marching orders. • Both passages hinge on the same Hebrew/Greek idea of “nations” (Heb. goyim / Gk. ethnē). Genesis 10:20 – Nations Born “ These are the sons of Ham, according to their clans, languages, lands, and nations.” • Four markers—clans, languages, lands, nations—show God intentionally organized humanity into distinct groups. • The verse summarizes a chapter that details seventy nations (v. 32), forming a comprehensive table of the post-Flood world. • The arrangement is historical, geographic, and linguistic—real people in real places, not myth or allegory. Matthew 28:19 – Nations Reached “ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” • Jesus deliberately echoes Genesis language: the Gospel is to permeate every “ethnē,” mirroring the list established in Genesis 10. • The command assumes the legitimacy of the nations’ boundaries while calling believers to cross them with the message of salvation. Threads that Tie the Two Texts Together Purpose • Genesis 10: nations exist by God’s design. • Matthew 28: those same nations are the target of redemption. Scope • Genesis: seventy nations represent the whole earth (cf. Deuteronomy 32:8). • Matthew: “all nations” removes any limitation—every group named or unnamed. God’s Sovereignty • Acts 17:26-27 affirms that God “determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands, so that they would seek Him.” • Revelation 7:9 pictures the fulfillment: “a great multitude… from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue” worshiping the Lamb. Continuity • The Table of Nations sets the stage for Babel (Genesis 11) and Pentecost (Acts 2). Languages divided, the Spirit later unites by translating the Gospel into every tongue. • The Great Commission reverses the centrifugal push of Genesis 11 by sending disciples centripetally back to the nations. Implications for Our Lives Today • Nations matter: cultural distinctions are ordained, not accidental. • The Gospel is universal: every clan, language, land, and nation listed in Genesis 10—and every one formed since—must hear. • Mission is rooted in history: the same God who scattered peoples now gathers them through Christ. • Confidence in evangelism: the Creator who cataloged the nations guarantees ultimate success (Matthew 24:14). |
    |