and Dedan. And 10Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. And 11Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, and 12Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whence came [1]the Philistines), and
It was a flourishing and wealthy state, at one period (c. 700 B.C.) the centre of power and civilisation in S. Arabia. Dedan was probably a merchant tribe, specially associated with Sheba (cp. Ezek. xxxviii. 13).
10—16 (= Gen. x. 8—18b). Appendix. Other Descendants
of Ham.
10. And Cush begat Nimrod] From the parallel passages in Gen. (x. 10, 11) it is apparent that Nimrod is the name of an individual, the traditional founder of the Babylonian-Assyrian Empire. As Cush is here called the father of Nimrod and in ver. 8 is the son of Ham, Hebrew tradition would appear to have regarded Hamites as the founders of the Babylonian power. Possibly the Redactor of Genesis who combined these verses which belong to the tradition of J with vv. 5—9 which are from "P" may have thought so. But in the independent "J" narrative it is very probable that Cush, father of Nimrod, represents the third or Kassite dynasty (Κοσσαῖοι) which held sway in Babylon from about 1750—1200 B.C. Even so, the identification of Nimrod himself remains a puzzle, and it is not yet possible to say whether he is a legendary or an historical character, or partly both.
began to be a mighty one in the earth] i.e. was the first grand monarch (for the idiom, cp. Gen. ix. 20). In Gen. x. 9, he is further and quaintly described as "a mighty hunter before the Lord."
11. Ludim] reckoned in Jer. xlvi. 9 and Ezek. xxx. 5 (R.V. "Lud") among the auxiliary troops of Egypt (Mizraim). Probably not the Lydians of Asia Minor are meant, but a people of N. Africa not yet known. Both this word and Lehabim may be variants for the Libyans, tribes W. of Cyrene (cp. 2 Chr. xii. 3, xvi. 8). See also ver. 17, note on Lud. Of the Anamim, Naphtuhim, nothing is certainly known.
12. Pathrusim] the inhabitants of Pathros (Is. xi. 11), i.e. Upper Egypt.
Casluhim] not identified.
from whence came the Philistines] Elsewhere (Jer. xlvii. 4; Amos ix. 7; cp. Deut. ii. 23) the Philistines are said to have come from Caphtor. It is natural therefore to think that an accidental transposition has taken place, and that this clause, whence . . . Philistines, originally followed Caphtorim. Note, however, that the same order is found in Gen. x. 14.
Caphtorim] i.e. the inhabitants of Caphtor, which has usually been taken to mean the island of Crete, but is also plausibly identified with "Keftiu," the S.W. coastlands of Asia Minor. Cp. Macalister, The Philistines, pp. 4 ff.
- ↑ Heb. Pelishtim.
