Enumerating the Seventy Nations
A list of the seventy nations.
The haggadic assumption that there are seventy nations and languages in the world is based upon the ethnological table given in Gen. 10-11, where seventy grandsons of Noah are enumerated, each of whom became the ancestor of a nation. The souls that appeared from Noah to Israel became the roots of the seventy nations. They did not appear all at once, rather progressively. Where the verse names a child without further describing his progeny, that child was father of one of the seventy nations. Starting the children of Shem, the verse names "sons and daughters" which also refers to one of the seventy nations. They are numbered from 1 to 70 in order of appearance. Names marked in italics are represented by their children.
Genesis 10
1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noach: Shem, Cham, and Yefeth; and unto them were sons born after the flood. 2 The sons of Yefeth: Gomer, and (1) Magog, and (2) Madai, and Yavan, and (3) Tuval, and (4) Meshekh, and (5) Tiras. 3 And the sons of Gomer: (6) Ashkenaz, and (7) Rifath, and (8) Togarmah. 4 And the sons of Yavan: (9) Elishah, and (10) Tarshish, (11) Kittim, and (12) Dodanim. 5 Of these were the isles of the nations divided in their lands, every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.
6 And the sons of Cham: Khush, and Mitzraim, and (13) Put, and Canaan. 7 And the sons of Khush: (14) Seva, and (15) Chavilah, and (16) Savtah, and Ra'amah, and (17) Savtekha; and the sons of Raamah: (18) Sheva, and (19) Dedan. 8 And Khush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one in the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before HaShem; wherefore it is said: 'Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before HaShem.' 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babylon, and Erekh, and Akkad, and Khalneh, in the land of Shin'ar. 11 Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and Rehovoth Ir, and Khalach, 12 and Resen between Nineveh and Khalach--the same is the great city. 13 And Mitzraim begot (20) Ludim, and (21) 'Anamim, and (22) Lehavim, and (23) Naftuchim, 14 and (24) Pathrusim, and Kasluchim--whence went forth the (25) Philistines--and (26) Kaftorim.
15 And Canaan begot (27) Sidon his firstborn, and (28) Cheth; 16 and the (29) Yevusite, and the (30) Amorite, and the (31) Girgashite; 17 and the (32) Chivite, and the (33) 'Arkite, and the (34) Sinite; 18 and the (35) Arvadite, and the (36) Tzemarite, and the (37) Chamathite; and afterward were the families of the Canaanite spread abroad. 19 And the border of the Canaanite was from Sidon, as thou goest toward Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest toward Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Tzevoim, unto Lasha'. 20 These are the sons of Cham, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, in their nations.
21 And unto Shem, the father of all the children of Ever, the elder brother of Yafeth, to him also were children born. 22 The sons of Shem: (38) 'Elam, and (39) Asshur, and Arpakhshad, and (40) Lud, and Aram. 23 And the sons of Aram: (41) Utz, and (42) Chul, and (43) Gether, and (44) Mash. 24 And Arpakhshad begot Shelach; and Shelach begot Ever. 25 And unto Ever were born two sons; the name of the one was (45) Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Yoqtan. 26 And Yoqtan begot (46) Almodad, and (47) Shelef, and (48) Chatzarmaveth, and (49) Yerach; 27 and (50) Hadoram, and (51) Uzal, and (52) Diqlah; 28 and (53) Oval, and (54) Avimael, and (55) Sheva; 29 and (56) Ofir, and (57) Chavilah, and (58) Yovav; all these were the sons of Yoqtan. 30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest toward Sefar, unto the mountain of the east. 31 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations. 32 These are the families of the sons of Noach, after their generations, in their nations; and of these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.
Genesis 11
10 These are the generations of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old, and begot Arpachshad two years after the flood. 11 And Shem lived after he begot Arpachshad five hundred years, and begot (59) sons and daughters. 12 And Arpachshad lived five and thirty years, and begot Shelah. 13 And Arpachshad lived after he begot Shelah four hundred and three years, and begot (60) sons and daughters. 14 And Shelah lived thirty years, and begot Eber. 15 And Shelah lived after he begot Eber four hundred and three years, and begot (61) sons and daughters. 16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begot Peleg. 17 And Eber lived after he begot Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters (=Joktan). 18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu. 19 And Peleg lived after he begot Reu two hundred and nine years, and begot (62) sons and daughters. 20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begot Serug. 21 And Reu lived after he begot Serug two hundred and seven years, and begot (63) sons and daughters. 22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor. 23 And Serug lived after he begot Nahor two hundred years, and begot (64) sons and daughters. 24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begot Terah. 25 And Nahor lived after he begot Terah a hundred and nineteen years, and begot (65) sons and daughters. 26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, (66) Nahor, and Haran.
27 Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begot (67) Lot. 28 And Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. 29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.
(68) Ishmael
(69) Esav
(70) Jacob (=Israel)
