Genesis 10 is the Table of Nations—a genealogy listing Noah's descendants and where they settled. In the Hebrew Bible, it reads like a census. The Targum Jonathan turns it into a political map of the ancient world, complete with geography lessons, moral judgments, and one origin story for the first tyrant in history.
The Targum's most dramatic addition is its treatment of Nimrod. The Hebrew says Nimrod "began to be a mighty one on the earth" and was "a mighty hunter before the Lord" (Genesis 10:8-9). The Targum rewrites this completely: Nimrod "began to be mighty in sin, and to rebel before the Lord in the earth." He was not a hunter of animals. He was "a mighty rebel before the Lord," and the Targum adds a superlative the Hebrew never contains: "from the day that the world was created there hath not been as Nimrod." The translators turned a brief genealogical note into the origin of human tyranny.
Then Nimrod moves to Assyria, and the Targum explains why. The Hebrew simply says "from that land he went to Ashur" (Genesis 10:11). The Targum says Nimrod left Babel "because he would not be in the counsel of a divided generation." This is a direct reference to the Tower of Babel story in Genesis 11—the translators are threading narrative connections across chapters. Nimrod refused to participate in the division of languages, so he struck out on his own and built Nineveh.
The geography throughout is extraordinary. The sons of Japheth are mapped to real provinces the translators knew: Afriki, Germania, Medi, Makadonia, Iatinia, Asia, and Tharki. Gomer's son Ashkenaz would eventually lend his name to all of European Jewry. The sons of Joktan get biographical details—Elmodad "measured the earth with lines," and Shaleph "led forth the waters of rivers." These are not in the Hebrew at all. The translators invented occupations for obscure genealogical names, turning a list into a story.
Shem receives the Targum's highest praise. The Hebrew calls him the ancestor of the Hebrews. The Targum calls him "great in the fear of the Lord"—a title that elevates him above his brothers and marks his line as the spiritual center of the post-Flood world. Every addition the Targum makes to this genealogy serves one purpose: mapping the moral geography of humanity onto the physical geography the translators could see from their windows.
These are the generations of the sons of Noach, and (of the) sons (who) were born to them after the deluge.
The sons of Japheth, Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Thubal, and Meshek, and Thiras. And the names of their provinces, Afriki, and Germania, and Medi, and Makadonia, and Iatinia, and Asia, and Tharki.
And the sons of Gomer, Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarma.
And the sons of Javan, Elisha, Alas, and Tarsas, Akazia, and Dordonia.
From these were distributed the tribes of the islands of the Gentiles, every one according to his language, to his kindred in their nations.
And the sons of Cham, Kush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Kenaan. And the name of their provinces, Arabia, and Mizraim, and Alichrok, and Kenaan.
And the sons of Kush, Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raama, and Sabteka, and the name of their provinces, Sinirai, and Hindiki, and Semadi, and Lubai, and Zingai. And the sons of Mauritinos, Zmargad and Mezag.
And Kush begat Nimrod: he began to be mighty in sin, and to rebel before the Lord in the earth.
He was a mighty rebel before the Lord; therefore it is said, From the day that the world was created there hath not been as Nimrod, mighty in hunting, and a rebel before the Lord.
And the beginning of his kingdom was Bavel the Great, and Hadas, and Netsibin, and Ketispon, in the land of Pontos.
From that land went forth Nimrod, and reigned in Athur, because he would not be in the counsel of a divided generation. And he left those four cities; and the Lord thereupon gave him a place; and he builded four other cities, Nineveh and Pelatiath, Kartha and Parioth.
And Talesar, which was builded between Nineveh and Hadiath; that is a great city.
And Mizraim begat the Nivatee, and the Mariotee, and the Livakee, and the Pantascinee,
and the Pathrosim, and the Nasiotaee, and the Pantapolotee, from whom went forth the Philistaee and the Kaphodikaee.
And Kenaan begat Zidon his firstborn, and Heth,
and the Jebusaee, and the Emoraee, and the Gergeshaee,
and the Hivaee, and the Irkaee, and the Antosaee,
and the Lutasaee, and the Chomtsaee, and the Antekoee; and after then the seed of the Kenaanaee were scattered.
And the limit of the Kenaanaee was from Kothanis, going up to Gerar, unto Azah, unto Sedom and Amorah, Admah and Zeboim, unto Kaldahi.
These are the sons of Cham, according to the seed of their genealogies, after their languages, in the dwelling of their lands, in the kindred of their people.
And to Shem also was born a son. He is the father of all the sons of the Hebrews, the brother of Japheth, great in the fear of the Lord.
The sons of Shem: Elim, and Athur, and Arphakshad, and Lud, and Aram.
Arphakshad begat Shelach, and Shelach begat Eber.
And to Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, because in his days the earth was divided; and the name of the other Joktan.
And Joktan begat Elmodad, who measured (or lined) the earth with lines; and Shaleph, who led forth the waters of rivers, and Chatsarmaveth, and Jarach, and
Harodam, and Uzal, and Dikla,
and Oval, and Avimael, and Sheba,
and Ophir, and Havila, and Jobab. All these are the sons of Joktan.
And the house of their dwelling was from Mesha, by which thou goest up to Sepharvae, a mountain of the east.
These are the sons of Shem, according to their houses, in the dwelling of their lands, according to the kindred of their people.
These are the houses of the sons of Noah, according to their houses in their peoples, and from them are the peoples distinguished in the earth after the deluge.
