1 This is the account of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who also had sons after the flood.
2 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
3 The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
4 And the sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites.
5 From these, the maritime peoples separated into their territories, according to their languages, by clans within their nations.
Note · Genèse 10.1–5
Une parenté qui n’abolit pas les différences
Les descendants de Japhet sont présentés avec leurs terres et leurs langues. La diversité n’est donc pas décrite ici comme une négation de toute parenté. Cette vision prépare une lecture de l’histoire des peuples qui évite aussi bien l’uniformité forcée que l’idée d’humanités séparées.
6 The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
7 The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. And the sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.
8 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who began to be a mighty one on the earth.
9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; so it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD.”
10 His kingdom began in Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
11 From that land he went forth into Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah,
12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city of Calah.
13 Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, the Anamites, the Lehabites, the Naphtuhites,
14 the Pathrusites, the Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came), and the Caphtorites.
15 And Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites,
16 the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,
17 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites,
18 the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Later the Canaanite clans were scattered,
19 and the borders of Canaan extended from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
20 These are the sons of Ham according to their clans, languages, lands, and nations.
Note · Genèse 10.6–20
Des noms, des villes et des pouvoirs
Les descendants de Cham comprennent des peuples et des centres de pouvoir qui compteront dans la suite biblique. La mention de Nimrod reste concise. Elle ne permet pas de bâtir une histoire complète de ses motivations ni d’attribuer à chaque peuple nommé une valeur morale héritée une fois pour toutes.
21 And sons were also born to Shem, the older brother of Japheth; Shem was the forefather of all the sons of Eber.
22 The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
23 The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.
24 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah was the father of Eber.
25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his days the earth was divided, and his brother was named Joktan.
26 And Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,
27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,
28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba,
29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.
30 Their territory extended from Mesha to Sephar, in the eastern hill country.
31 These are the sons of Shem, according to their clans, languages, lands, and nations.
Note · Genèse 10.21–31
Une lignée particulière dans l’ensemble des nations
La descendance de Sem prépare le chemin qui mènera à Abraham, mais elle est d’abord décrite dans le même ensemble que les autres. Le récit ne dit pas que seuls ses membres seraient créés à l’image de Dieu. La particularité d’une histoire ne supprime pas l’humanité commune.
32 All these are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their generations and nations. From these the nations of the earth spread out after the flood.
Note · Genèse 10.32
Lire les généalogies avec le récit de Babel
Le chapitre présente les peuples déjà répartis selon leurs groupes ; le chapitre suivant racontera une dispersion. Cet agencement montre que l’ordre de présentation ne doit pas être mécaniquement assimilé à une suite chronologique continue. Les deux passages apportent des perspectives complémentaires sur la diversité humaine.
