101 Myths of the Bible: how ancient scribes - Conscious Evolution TV

yth #45:
The sons of Noah formed the nations of the world.
The Myth: These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in
their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.
(Gen. 10:32)
The Reality: The list of nations attributed to Noah’s family is a late addition to
Genesis, reflecting political relationships in the early first millennium B.C.
Genesis 10 lists the three branches of Noah’s genealogical tree, one for each of his
three sons. The Bible implies that each of the children mentioned corresponds to
some geographical entity. These lists usually are referred to as the “Table of Nations”
or“Family of Nations.”
Several of the names on the list correspond to known territories or peoples but the
vast majority of names cannot be linked easily to other specific entities. Most of these
unrecognizable place-names are usually classified as belonging to tribes of Arabia.
This presents the somewhat puzzling situation of having a biblical Table of Nations
overloaded with obscure Arabian tribes having virtually no impact on biblical history.
In broad terms, the three branches represent three main geographical areas. Ham
and his family correspond to Africa and Canaan; Shem and his family correspond to
the Near East; Japheth and his family correspond loosely to the island nations in the
Mediterranean and parts of Europe.
One difficulty with accepting Noah’s genealogy as a Table of Nations is the presence
of duplicate names in the list. Havilah, for example, appears as a son of Cush (i.e.,
Ethiopia) in the Ham branch and as a son of Joktan in the Shem branch, locating the
territory simultaneously in both Africa and Asia.
In the same vein, Sheba appears as both a grandson of Cush and as a son of Joktan.
Cush also has a brother named Seba. Seba is philologically identical to Sheba.
Another form of duplication occurs with the names of Lud, a son of Shem, and
Ludim, a grandson of Ham. In Hebrew, the im ending signifies a plural form. When
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