The Sons of Japheth
A Devotional Series from Genesis
Online Bible Audio/Readings Links (ESV)
7/21 Reading Portions: Judges 4; Acts 8; Jeremiah 17; Mark 3
Genesis 10:1-5
These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood. The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. From these the coastland peoples spread in their lands, each with his own language, by their clans, in their nations.
NATIONS
These five verses present another obvious proof of Moses’ authorship, written after the fact. The fifth verse speaks of these different people groups, descendants of Japheth, as speaking their own languages, according to their clans, and living in their own nations. The disbursal of people obviously came after the infamous Tower of Babel incident, when God confounded the people’s language due to their abominable self-exaltation (Gen 11:1-9).
Japheth was the oldest of Noah’s sons, as considered in our devotional thought for Genesis 6:10 (click here to read that devotional).
Note that in the genealogy of Japheth’s seven sons, that only the sons of Gomer and the sons of Javan were mentioned (Gen 10:3, 4). This is probably because the nations were known by these names mentioned during the days of Moses, as well as later, during the days of Judah and Israel’s kingdom and captivities. Gomer and the House of Togarmah are mentioned later (Ezek 38:6). Magog, Meshech, and Tubal are also mentioned later (Ezek 38:2-3).
These verses, and the ones following, remind us that not only do these nations come from the sons of the singular source, Noah; but it also reminds us that not a single one of these peoples, not a single nation and language have escaped the watchful eye of our God. There is no country, no nation, nor a clan of people to which sinners can run to in order to hide from God. There is no country, no nation, and no clan of people with the remotest language that our Savior cannot reach into for the salvation of a soul. Hallelujah! What a Savior!