10:22 The sons of Shem were Elam, 6 Asshur, 7 Arphaxad, 8 Lud, 9 and Aram. 10
1 tn The subject of the verb translated “went” is probably still Nimrod. However, it has also been interpreted that “Ashur went,” referring to a derivative power.
2 tn Heb “Asshur.”
3 sn Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city situated on the Tigris River.
4 sn The name Rehoboth-Ir means “and broad streets of a city,” perhaps referring to a suburb of Nineveh.
5 sn Calah (modern Nimrud) was located twenty miles north of Nineveh.
6 sn The Hebrew name Elam (עֵילָם, ’elam) means “highland.” The Elamites were a non-Semitic people who lived east of Babylon.
7 sn Asshur is the name for the Assyrians. Asshur was the region in which Nimrod expanded his power (see v. 11, where the name is also mentioned). When names appear in both sections of a genealogical list, it probably means that there were both Hamites and Shemites living in that region in antiquity, especially if the name is a place name.
8 sn The descendants of Arphaxad may have lived northeast of Nineveh.
9 sn Lud may have been the ancestor of the Ludbu, who lived near the Tigris River.
10 sn Aram became the collective name of the northern tribes living in the steppes of Mesopotamia and speaking Aramaic dialects.