The Table of Nations
Each son of Noah moves to a land of their own. The families becomes tribes, the tribes become nations and this continues on till this day. If this is to be taken factually and it’s possible, (scientists who study DNA have discovered that it goes back to one male and one woman) then we are reading about our very own heritage, the people who needed to be, so that we could be here walking and talking on this earth now.
Studies show that if a woman has only sons her Mitochondrial or Y chromosome DNA would disappear.
We don’t have many women taking prominence in scripture their names are not spoken of so often at this point in the Pentateuch. However it becomes the Jewish custom that lineage comes through the Maternal line. If the Mother is Jewish then the child is Jewish. If the Father is not Jewish, the child has to make the decision to join his fathers people.
Some other aspects of Judaism are Patrilineal. Like the priesthood. But the entry line into Judaism has always been through the mother.
In Biblical Israel every citizen was “Landed” If you were a descendant of one of the 12 tribes, you owned a plot of land. If you sold it it came back to you or your inheritors, on the Jubilee year. (every 50 years). The inheritance of land was through the Paternal line. Tribal affiliation was through the Father.
There are two distinctions in Jewishness.
One is between a Jew and his relationship with the land, this is possible to be sold but will always come back to him or his children. But for that time it is sold. This is passed on, via the Father, it is Patrilineal.
The second is the relationship with the Torah. This can not be sold and although a Jew can abandon the Torah the Torah never abandons him. This is the essence of who you are, so therefore can never really be abandoned.
This part of scripture is concerning the Patriarchal lineage as it is regarding the land predominantly. The Torah, as the Law, has yet to arrive in the story.
If we see a basic truth in this, that we did all orginate from one family then it seems even more tragic that the disharmony that runs through scripture happens at all, and even more importantly how the God of their forefather Noah slides into obscurity for so many of them that leave the homeland. God has a long term plan for this though, The Old Testament follows just one line of descendants closely, Shems family line eventually brings us Jesus, the one who calls everyone back into the family. From here on in Jesus is to be found whispered in each story….seek Him out, He’s waiting.
Download fully guided Genesis 10 here
Download self guided Genesis 10 here
Download a Character study of Nimrod here
