V. 1-12. This is the birth of the children of Noah, Shem, Ham, Japheth; and they begat children after the flood. The children of Japheth are these: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Thubal, Mesech and Thiras. But the children of Gomer are these: Askenas, Riphath and Thogarma. The children of Javan are these: Elisha, Tharsis, Kittim and Dodanim. From these are spread out the islands of the Gentiles in their countries, each according to their language, gender and people. The children of Ham are these: Chus, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. But the children of Chus are these: Seba, Hevila, Sabtha, Raema and Sabtecha. But the children of Raema are these: Sheba and Dedan. And Chus begat Nimrod, who began to be a mighty lord in the earth, and was a mighty hunter before the LORD. Therefore one says: this is a mighty hunter before the Lord, like Nimrod. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Acad and Chalne in the land of Sinear. From that land came Assyria, and built Nineveh, and the streets of that city, and Chalah, and Ressen between Nineveh and Chalah, which is a great city.
(1) Now Moses begins to describe the lineage of the three sons of the patriarch Noah, how all men came from him after the flood on earth; and this is done so that history may remain in order, so that one may know where it came from and where it is going; but mostly so that one may see how God's word remains true at all times. For we have heard how God, through Noah, cursed Canaan, the son of Ham, but blessed Shem and Japheth. This chapter explains this further, and although it is bad and simple, it is still very necessary for those who study the Scriptures. There are many things from the prophets written in it, where these names are written. Therefore we must not cast it to the winds and throw it away.
2 But to grasp a little of it is enough for the laymen, that one takes a little raw knowledge of it, not so sharply marked. Thus
he now begins to write about the youngest son, what kind of people have come from him, and decides that from him are spread out the islands of the Gentiles in their countries 2c. Now if you want to know where they have come, divide the world into midnight, noon and morning.
3. Japhet came in here with his family about midnight. Hispania, France, Welsh and Germany, Poland, Hungary, Moscow and Turkey, with the whole sea and islands, and here are expressed a part of names of the sons of Japhet, which names also the countries have kept, as namely:
4. Gomer, the first son, of which three sons came, Askenas, Riphath and Thogarma. Gomer is interpreted by St. Jerome to be the Galatians. But it does not rhyme well. We think that they are the Riphei, who live in the land and mountains of the Tartars. Madai are the Medes, a great people and country, situated towards the midnight of the Jews. Javan, are actually Jones, that is, the Greeks, of which Eliza, the Aeoles. Tharsis, the Thraces, Moscowiter, and there the Turk seat is, Constantinople. Kittim I consider to be the land of Macedonia, where the great king Alexander ruled [1 Macc. 1, 1.], although they all write that it is Welschland. In short, the Javan is a father of all Greeks, from where their language also came. Askenas is considered to be our, the Germans', father. So now the writing goes in, does not drive the son and his lineage much; but in the prophet Ezekiel [Cap. 38, 2.] Gog and Magog are primarily attracted and driven, so strongly that I would like to draw the Turk to it. [But it is uncertain and not easy to guess.
005 And Ham the other son hath gotten the best of the south country, Syria, Judea, Arabia, Egypt, Lybia, Mauritania, 2c. even unto the end of the world, all that lieth toward the south: and he hath, I say, gone further and ruled than both of them, and hath sat down in the right hand lard pit. We
have come in to the cold, barren lands. In addition it is torn so far in that it reached in Chaldea and Babylonia far against the morning. And many think that because he was a man, skillful and equipped in the world, he invented the letters; item, how to fight and ship. It is true that he was the first from whom the lords of the world came.
Now Moses takes before him his children and his children's children. The first son is called Chus, who is the father of the Moors. Therefore the word Chus is still called a Moor. He was well populated and spread out, fathered five sons, and they settled in the land of Arabia. The land of the Moors is bordered by the Red Sea and Egypt. The kingdom of Arabia is far in the east. There is also said to be a city in the same land, named Saba, after one of the sons of Chu, of whom the Sabaeans are called. After that, the other sons all came there to the border of Moorland, toward the south.
7 But especially the text indicates here how the same first son of Chu also begat Nimrod. This one did not take the land of the Moors, as the others did; and it is said that he was a whoremonger; they commonly turn out that way. In German, Nimrod means a renegade; as when one falls away from his lord, to whom he has sworn and paid homage, and does not keep the oath he has sworn. This Nimrod must bear the name that he is an apostate and a father of all who rule in the world by force.
8 See now how the text sets the words. "He began to be a mighty lord in the earth, and was a mighty hunter"; yes, "in the sight of the Lord," and a saying came forth from him, not among the heathen, but among the faithful (for Shem's family was pious, therefore they departed from this Nimrod), that they say of a tyrant: Behold, here we have a Nimrod, or a mighty hunter. Therefore it is called 1) "hunter", who oppresses and forces the people; thus, that Nimrod became a lord by force, and brought people under himself by force, as still happens in all principalities. For it is
1) Jenaer: the.
No prince who is satisfied with his own 2). Thus, from the very beginning, this prince has always been a man of his own and has brought a great regiment under him. Without a doubt, he was an excellent man before the world, who brought and kept the worldly regiment in a delicious pregnancy; otherwise, the Scriptures would not have so diligently drawn to him and said that he was a strong hunter before the Lord. If we now see such princes ruling in the world, we should think that we have a golden year.
9th For, as he says afterwards, he raised up a great and excellent capital, which was called Babylonia; which he divided into four parts, as they were called Tetrapoles in the days of old, when Hebron and Rome were also. They were arranged in such a way that the first part were patricii, rulers and mightiest; the other equites, the travelers or the nobility, who had to be ready for war; then plebs, the common man; to the fourth rus, that is, the farmers and builders. Therefore, it must have been a fine, honorable and brave regiment that the people had the desire and love for it, otherwise he could not have built such cities and brought so many people to himself. They were not fools at that time, they did not have many books, but nevertheless they established and kept a fine regiment, which everyone had to praise.
(10) Why then does the Scripture call him a strong hunter? Because, even though he led a delicious regiment before the world, none has ever been so delicious; it has avarice and ambition in it, always wanting to eat away at itself. So he had all his thoughts and desires that he would become a great, powerful lord, that he would have much land and people to rule and reign over. Therefore he is an example of all world princes.
(11) Why, then, has God so confirmed the regime that it has nevertheless arisen and been preserved? God has never said to anyone, "Take the land or the kingdom," except to the Jews. But He has established the authority of the parents, which is the greatest and best over the children and the servants, which is commanded to our first father Adam with expressed words. After that he did it again through Moses.
2) In the old editions: at his.
[Ex. 20:12] commanded: You shall honor your father and mother. Therefore this power is greater than the power of all kings or emperors, even the closest to God. Therefore one reads in the Old Testament [2 Mos. 21, 7.]) that a father had power to sell his child.
(12) This authority is given and established for the purpose of raising children and teaching them the Word of God, to know, fear and believe in God, so that a father should actually be a bishop and pastor of his household. For he is entitled to the same office over his children and his household that a bishop is entitled to over his people. In addition, God gave the fathers [Deut. 21, 18-21], over the most noble office, also the power of the temporal sword, that he might, as said, sell his child, yes, even kill it, if he did not want to obey rightly 2) that both, spiritual and corporal power, is given to him.
013 What then is it that God hath ordained and commanded the temporal sword and power to be subject unto it? This is it: When the children did not want to be obedient to their parents, as it still happens that a father has an unruly child whom he cannot control, becomes too wilful and runs away from the parents; item, that one's parents have now died, who wants to live freely and nefariously according to his will and obey no one, God nevertheless did not want the world to remain so disorderly, without compulsion and supremacy; therefore he has ordered the sword to come up, so that the boys are strangled; otherwise one would not be allowed to be anywhere. Where that power can neither create nor prevent anything, God has ordered and confirmed this power and is pleased with it. If that power remained in force, one would not be allowed to have it; but because it is too weak, one must have it, so that the executioner may force those who will not let themselves be pulled by their parents. So it is a necessary thing on earth. Now these are the hunters who have such power; but those who use it evil in every way are the successors of Nimrod. The violence of it is delicious in itself, but not the robbery by which it is abused.
(14) Then Moses said, "The an-
1) Wittenberg and Erlangen: the.
2) "obey," which is missing in the editions, we have inserted with Walch after Deut. 21, 18.
fang of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Acad and Chalne in the land of Sinear." These are four names, and are all one city. But the main name is Babel, which is highly famous in the Scriptures, has long had the empire in the land of Sinear, that is, Chaldea. Item: "From it came Assyria", that is the other kingdom, which is called the Assyrian, coming from the Babylonian. As it always happens, God overthrows and overthrows one, and sets up another. By the same kingdom the Jewish people and kingdom were captured, of which the prophets say many things. This Assyrian also built the great city of Nineveh and the streets of the city, the marketplace and the main square. Read about it in the prophet Ezekiel and others.
V. 13. 14. Mizraim begat Ludim, Anamim, Leabim, Naphthuhim, Pathrusim, and Casluhim. From there came the Philistim and Caphthorim.
015 This is the other son of Ham; he hath six sons at first, and after him two more. By this the Egyptian country has the name, that it is called everywhere Mizraim, and has had very much people. This is a sign that he took the land of Africam, a large part of the world. This is the other people. Now comes the right line, where the power lies, from the third son.
V. 15-19: And Canaan begat Zidon his first son, and Heth, Jebusi, Emori, Girgosi, Hivi, Arki, Sini, Arvadi, Zemari, and Hamathi. Therefore the families of the Cananites were spread out, and their borders were from Zidon, through Gerar, to Gasa, until one comes to Sodoma, Gomorrah, Adama, Zeboim, and to Lasa.
016 These are eleven sons, which had the promised land, but were afterward driven out by the Jews, and smitten. Therefore he says, "Therefore the families of the Canaanites are spread out," as if to say, "These are all the people we are smitten with.
V. 20. These are the children of Ham, in their families, languages, countries and people.
Thus we have two great parts of the world, towards midnight and towards noon. The
But the third son came far behind, toward the morning; there we know little of. [It has often troubled me where the people have come and stayed; I also wonder if most of the apostles have come there. We have had one apostle of the Gentiles, on Japheth's side, namely Paulum; no one else has come here. What Peter did I do not know, but methinks that the prophecy of Noah of Japheth was fulfilled by none but Paul. For he brought this, that we have known the God Shem. Of him we have certain writing that he came in here; of the others we know nothing; [but] it is to be thought that they came into Shem's land from behind. For Shem is highly endowed, and became a mighty nation, as we know nothing of; for that we know, the race is scarcely half.
18 These occupy the largest space in the world. Whether they are Christians is unknown to me. But I freely believe that there are also Christians among them, because I had the Scripture, which blesses the Sem, and promises him the seed; and Christ is a Lord over the whole world. Therefore he will have just as well Christians among them, as with us, and perhaps better. This is how he tells the story of Shem's lineage.
But Shem, the brother of Japheth "the greatest," also begat children, who is a father to all the children of Eber. And these are his children: Elam, Asshur, Arphachad, Lud and Aram. But the children of Aram are these: Uz, Hul, Gether and Mas. And Arphachad begat Salah, and Salah begat Eber. Eber begat two sons, one of whom was named Peleg, because in his time the world was divided; the other was named Jaketan. And Jaketan begat Almodad, Saleph, Hazarmaveth, Jarah, Hadoram, Usal, Dikela, Obal, Abimael, Seba, Ophir, Hevila and Jobab. These are all the children of Jaketan, and their dwelling was from Mesa until one comes to Sephara, to the mountain toward the east. These are the children of Shem, in their generations.
languages, countries and people. Now these are the descendants 1) of the children of Noah in their families and people, from whom the people of the earth spread out after the flood.
019 This patriarch Shem lived a long time, about five hundred years [Gen. 11:11], that he lived and saw the patriarch Jacob. [There are also many who think that he is Melchizedek, which follows [Gen. 14:18], but I do not believe it. Summa Summarum: the scripture says here that he is a father of all the children of Eber, whom he calls here especially, because the story happened among them, which is written in the following chapter; there the languages were divided, but the right Hebrew remained with those who kept to it. That is why he is called Father of the Children of Eber.
(20) Of his sons, one is called Elam, of whom [the] Elamites are called, which are the Persians. The other is called Asshur, which is the Assyrians. After them Aram, of which they make Syriam, but it is not yet certain. The others we do not know.
021 From Arphachad came Eber, who had two sons, saith Moses, and called one Peleg, that is, Certification. For when Eber saw that they that built the tower of Babylon were deceived in the language, and at that time had the son, he gave him the name in remembrance thereof.
(22) This is how the children of Shem are described. But there is no government nor worldly power; they still have the father Shem, whom they let rule them. The others set up worldly rule, so that they force other people under them and rule far away.
(23) Now in this chapter it is described where the wager came from after the flood. But with Shem the Scripture has little to do, likewise also with Japheth; but with Ham, and what came from him, it has the most to do. Because almost all histories deal with it, as we will hear.
1) Wittenberger: Gender.