8The sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. And the sons of 9Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raama, and Sabteca. And the sons of Raamah; Sheba,
celebrated even in the days of Homer. On the spelling Dodanim (R.V. marg.; Gen. x. 4), cp. the note on Diphath above. The Heb. letters r (ר) and d (ד) are easily confused.
8, 9 (= Gen. x. 6, 7). The Sons of Ham.
8. The sons of Ham] The southern peoples are next enumerated.
Cush] The Heb. name here transliterated Cush is several times translated "Ethiopia" (e.g. 2 Kin. xix. 9; Is. xviii. 1) no doubt rightly. On the inscriptions of Asshur-bani-pal frequent mention is made of Ku-su (Ku-u-su) "Ethiopia" in connection with Mu-ṣur "Egypt." The Cushites were not Negroes but a brown race like the modern Nubians (Soudanese). The "sons of Cush," however, seem to be tribes located mostly on the Arabian side of the Red Sea, ver. 9 below.
Mizraim] is without doubt Egypt. In form the word may be dual, and it is generally said to mean the two Egypts, Upper and Lower.
Put] This people is mentioned among the helpers of Egypt in Jer., in Ezek. (twice), and in Nahum. In Ezek. xxvii. 10 it appears among the auxiliary troops of Tyre. Put used therefore to be identified with the Libyans of the N. coast of Africa, but more probably it denotes the Punt of the Egyptian monuments, i.e. the African coast of the Red Sea.
Canaan] the eponym of the pre-Israelitish population of Palestine west of Jordan. Actual racial affinities are here disregarded or unperceived, for the Canaanites (except the Philistines and Phoenicians on the strip of coastland) were Semites and spoke a language closely resembling Hebrew. That they are here reckoned as Hamites and made a "brother" of Egypt is due perhaps in part to the frequent dominations of Palestine by Egypt, but more probably to the political and religious antagonism between Israel and the Canaanites, which suggested that they ought to be most closely associated with Egypt, Israel's traditional oppressor. Note that in Gen. ix. 25—27 (where hostile feeling against Canaan is prominent) "Canaan" is not said to be the son of Ham, but takes Ham's place as a son of Noah (Ryle, Genesis, p. 127).
9. the sons of Cush] According to some authorities Seba and Havilah were tribes or districts on the African coast of the Red Sea, whilst Sabta and Raama and Sabteca were in Arabia. It is somewhat more probable that all (except Seba) were located on the Arabian side of the Red Sea.
Seba] In Is. xliii. 3 and xlv. 14 Seba (the Sabeans) is mentioned along with Egypt and Cush, and in Ps. lxxii. 10 along with Sheba. Probably a district on the African side of the Red Sea is meant.
Sheba, and Dedan] Also in ver. 32, where see note. Sheba is frequently mentioned in the O.T. (e.g. Jer. vi. 20; 1 Kin. x. 1 ff. = 2 Chr. ix. 1 ff.; Is. lx. 6) as a distant land, rich in gold, frankincense, and precious stones.
