Genesis 10:8-12
New English Translation
8 Cush was the father of[a] Nimrod; he began to be a valiant warrior on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter[b] before the Lord.[c] (That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”) 10 The primary regions[d] of his kingdom were Babel,[e] Erech,[f] Akkad,[g] and Calneh[h] in the land of Shinar.[i] 11 From that land he went[j] to Assyria,[k] where he built Nineveh,[l] Rehoboth Ir,[m] Calah,[n] 12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city Calah.[o]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Genesis 10:8 tn Heb “fathered.” Embedded within Cush’s genealogy is an account of Nimrod, a mighty warrior. There have been many attempts to identify him, but none are convincing.
- Genesis 10:9 tn The Hebrew word for “hunt” is צַיִד (tsayid), which is used on occasion for hunting men (1 Sam 24:12; Jer 16:16; Lam 3:15).
- Genesis 10:9 tn Another option is to take the divine name here, לִפְנֵי יִהוָה (lifne yehvah, “before the Lord [YHWH]”), as a means of expressing the superlative degree. In this case one may translate “Nimrod was the greatest hunter in the world.”
- Genesis 10:10 tn Heb “beginning.” E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 67, suggests “mainstays,” citing Jer 49:35 as another text where the Hebrew noun is so used.
- Genesis 10:10 tn Or “Babylon.”
- Genesis 10:10 sn Erech (ancient Uruk, modern Warka), one of the most ancient civilizations, was located southeast of Babylon.
- Genesis 10:10 sn Akkad, or ancient Agade, was associated with Sargon and located north of Babylon.
- Genesis 10:10 tn No such place is known in Shinar (i.e., Babylonia). Therefore some have translated the Hebrew term כַלְנֵה (khalneh) as “all of them,” referring to the three previous names (cf. NRSV).
- Genesis 10:10 sn Shinar is another name for Babylonia.
- Genesis 10:11 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.
- Genesis 10:11 tn Heb “Asshur.”
- Genesis 10:11 sn Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city situated on the Tigris River.
- Genesis 10:11 sn The name Rehoboth Ir means “and broad streets of a city,” perhaps referring to a suburb of Nineveh.
- Genesis 10:11 sn Calah (modern Nimrud) was located 20 miles north of Nineveh.
- Genesis 10:12 tn Heb “and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; it [i.e., Calah] is the great city.”
Genesis 10:8-12
New International Version
8 Cush was the father[a] of Nimrod,(A) who became a mighty warrior on the earth. 9 He was a mighty(B) hunter(C) before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.” 10 The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon,(D) Uruk,(E) Akkad and Kalneh,(F) in[b] Shinar.[c](G) 11 From that land he went to Assyria,(H) where he built Nineveh,(I) Rehoboth Ir,[d] Calah 12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah—which is the great city.
Footnotes
- Genesis 10:8 Father may mean ancestor or predecessor or founder; also in verses 13, 15, 24 and 26.
- Genesis 10:10 Or Uruk and Akkad—all of them in
- Genesis 10:10 That is, Babylonia
- Genesis 10:11 Or Nineveh with its city squares
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