How many people were alive before the flood? According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle translated by SAFE0 Gaster in 1899, an exact census was taken 640 years after Noah left the ark. The total population descended from Noah's three sons was precisely 714,100 fighting men—not counting women and children.
The text provides a detailed breakdown. The descendants of Japheth—Gomer, Magog, Madai, Yavan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras—produced 142,000 warriors under their prince Pinhas. The largest Japhethite clan was Kittim at 18,300; the smallest was Gomer at 5,800. The descendants of Ham vastly outnumbered them. Under their prince Nimrod, the Hamites numbered 492,000 valiant men. The sons of Canaan alone counted 32,900, while the clan of Sabtecha reached 46,400.
The chronicle traces an intricate genealogy from Noah's sons through to Abraham. Through Shem came Arpakhshad, then Shelah, then Eber, from whom two lines branched: Peleg (in whose days the earth was divided) and Yoktan. From Peleg came Re'u, who prophesied that in four generations a child would arise "whose throne will be established on high"—"a perfect righteous man, the father of a multitude of nations." From Re'u came Serug, then Nahor, then Terah, and finally Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
But the world was already darkening. In those generations, the inhabitants of the land began practicing astrology, divination, and passing their children through fire. Only Serug and his sons refused to walk in those ways. Noah himself witnessed all of this. He lived 350 years after the flood, dying at the age of 950—long enough to see the very corruption he had survived begin again.
XXVII. (1) The sons of Jepheth were Gomer, Magog,
Madai, Yavan, Tubal, Meshekh, and Tiras; and the sons
of Gomar were Ashkenaz, Eiphath, and Togarmah; and
the sons of Yavan, Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Do-
danim. (2) The sons of Gomer were Teled, Lud, Deber,
and Led; the sons of Magog, Qashe, Tipa, Paruta, 'Amiel,
Pinhas, Golaza, and Samanakh; the sons of Dedan, Shalom,
Filog, and Tuflita; the children of Tubal, Fantonya and
Atipa; the children of Tiras, Maakh, Tabel, Bal'anah,
Shampla, Meah, and Elash; the children of Melech,
Aburdad, Horad, and Bosrah. The children of Ashkenaz
were Yekhal, Sardana, and Anakh; the children of Heri,
Esudad, Do'ath, Depaseat, and Hanokh; the children
58 [XXVII. 3
of Togarmah, Abihud, Shafat, and Yaftir; the children of
Elishah, Zaaq, Qenath, and Mastizrida; the children of
Zipthai, Mafshiel, Tina, Avla, and Jinon. The children
of Tisai were, Maqol, Luon, Silagtaba; the children of
Dodanim, Iteb, Beath, and Faneg. And of these the inhabi-
tants of the land of Persia, Media, and those of the isles of
the sea were divided. (3) And Faneg, son of Dodanim,
was the first to ride the ships of the sea. At that time a
third part of the land of Eomidath was flooded. And his
sons subdued Yedid; and the sons of Magog subdued
Degel, and the sons of Madai subdued Bitto; the sons of
Yavan, Seel; the sons of Tubal, Pahath; the sons of
Meshek, Nephti; the sons of Tiras, Pioo; the sons of
Dinim, Gudah. And Eiphath without his sons conquered
Godo; and the sons of Eiphath, Bosrah; and the sons of
Targomah, Phut; the sons of Elishah, Tablo; the sons
of Tarshish, Meriba; and the sons of Kittim...; and the
sons of Dodanim, Qaduba. Then did men begin to till
the ground, and when the land was parched, they cried
to God, and He caused a fructifying rain to descend.
And it came to pass, when the rain descended, the bow
was seen in the clouds. When the inhabitants perceived
the sign of the covenant, they blessed the Lord. (4) The
children of Ham were Cush, Misraim, Put, and Canaan;
and these are the children of Cush, Sheba, Tudan, Vabni (?),
Maipon, Tinos, Siho, Tiluf, Gilug, Lipukh. The children
of Canaan were Sidon, Andaim, Eesin, Simim, Oroin,
Nimigim, Hamatim, Nipim, Tilas, Hag, and Cushim. Cush
begat Nimrod, who was the first giant in pride before God.
Misraim begat Ludim, 'Anamim, Lehabim, Naftuhim,
Pathrosim, Kasluhim, and Kaftorim. These began to
build the following cities: Sidon and its villages, Eison,
Kiuza, Mazager, Ashqalon, Debir, Qamo, Tilon, Lakhish,
Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Seboim. (5) The children
of Shem were Elam, Ashur, Arpakhshad, Lud, and Aran.
The sons of Ashur were Gezron, Ishai; and Arpakhshad
begat Shelah, and Shelah begat 'Eber. Two sons were
born to Eber: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his
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days the earth was divided, and the name of his brother,
Yoqtan, who begat Ahiiodad, Shalaphtra, Muzam, Eiadura,
'Uzim, Diqalbel, Mimoel, Shabethfin, Havilah, Yobab. And
the children of Peleg were Eeu, Eifud, Shafra, Aqolon,
Zakar, Zifd, Gebi, Shuri, Shzeiir, Palabus, Eafa, Paltia,
Shafdifal, Shayish, Hartman, EKfaz. These are the
children of Peleg, and these are their names. They took
to them wives of the daughters of Yoqtan, by whom were
born sons and daughters, so that the whole earth was filled
with them. (6) And Ee'u took to him Malkah, the daughter
of Euth, to wife, and begat Serug. When the days of her
pregnancy were drawing to an end, Ee u said, ' From this
one will issue a child, in the fourth generation, whose
throne will be established on high; he will be called a
perfect righteous man, the father of a multitude of nations.
His testimonies will not be forsaken, and his seed shall fill
the world.' And Ee'u begat after Serug seven sons, Abiel,
Obed, Shalma, Dedazal, Qlniza, 'Akur, Nefesh, and five
daughters, Qadima, Derifa, Sheifa, Firita, and Tehilah.
(7) After Nahor, Serug begat four sons, Sillah, Diga, Soba,
and Pora, and three daughters, Gizla, Hogiah, and Shelifa.
And after Terah, Nahor begat six sons, viz., Eekab, Deriab,
Berikhab, Shibalshaf, Nidab, and Qemuel, and eight (?)
daughters, Yiskah, Tipa, Berona, Qanita. He took to wife
Amtalai, the daughter of Karnabo. (8) And Terah Hved
seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and
Haran begat Lot. (9) Then the inhabitants of the land
began to prognosticate by the planets and to become
astrologers and to practise divination. They also passed
their sons and daughters through fire, but Serug and his
sons did not walk in their ways.
XXVni. (1) These are the generations of Noah in their
lands, according to their families, and according to their
tongues. After the flood they were spread over the earth
according to their nations. The children of Ham then
went and appointed Nimrod to be a prince and a chief
over them; while the children of Japheth appointed
Pinhas to be a prince and a chief over them. And the
60 [XXVIII, 2
children of Ham appointed for themselves Yoqtan as their
prince and chief. (2) These three chiefs came and took
comisel together to assemble all their people while Noah
their father was yet alive. And all the people accordingly
drew near to them, and were as one body, and peace
reigned in the land. (3) It came to pass, 640 years after
Noah went out of the ark, that each chief numbered his
people. Pinhas numbered the children of Japheth and the
children of Gomar, and the total number of those which
Pinhas numbered was 5,800; that of the children of Magog
under him, 6,200; that of Madai under him, 5,700; that
of the children of Tubal, 9,400; and the children of
Meshech, 7,200; the children of Kiphath numbered 11,500;
those of Togarmah, 14,400; those of Elishah, 14,900; of
Tarshish, 12,100; of Kittim, 18,300; of Dodanim, 17,700.
The number of the children of Japheth, the men of w^ar
and the armour-bearers, as Pinhas their prince had
numbered them was 142,000, besides women and children.
(4) Nimrod the chief numbered the children of Ham under
his sway, and found them to be 12,600; the children of
Misraim under him were, 24,900; the children of Phut,
27,700; of Canaan, 32,900; of Sheba, 4,300 (?); of Havilah,
24,300; of Sabta, 25,300; of Ea amah, 30,600; of Sabtecha,
46,400. And the number of the children of Ham, according
to the numbering of Nimrod the prince, was 492,000
valiant men who went out to w^ar, besides the women and
children.^ (5) And the number of the children of Noah
was 714,100. All these were numbered during the lifetime
of Noah, and Noah lived after the flood 350 years. And all
the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died.
