## Sforno on Genesis Chapter 10

###### Sforno on Genesis 10:6:1
[Sforno on Genesis 10:6:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Genesis/r/10:6:1)

**וּפוּט וּכְנָעַן.** לֹא הִזְכִּיר בְּנֵי פוּט כִּי הָיוּ כָּל בָּנָיו לְגוֹי אֶחָד נִקְרָא עַל שְׁמוֹ, כְּאָמְרוֹ (יחזקאל לח:ה) "פָּרַס כּוּשׁ וּפוּט אִתָּם":

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
ופוט וכנען, the sons of Put are not mentioned separately, as they all formed a single nation retaining the name of their founding father. Proof of this is found in Ezekiel 38,5 פרס, כוש, ופוט אתם, i.e. even in the days of the pre-messianic wars of Gog and Magog, Put will still have its original name.


###### Sforno on Genesis 10:7:1
[Sforno on Genesis 10:7:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Genesis/r/10:7:1)

**וּבְנֵי כוּשׁ סְבָא וַחֲוִילָה.** שֶׁהָיָה כָּל אֶחָד מֵהֶם לְגוֹי, מִלְּבַד הַבָּנִים שֶׁנִּקְרְאוּ עַל שְׁמוֹ, כְּאָמְרוֹ "כּוּשׁ וּסְבָא תַּחְתֶּיךָ" (ישעיהו מג:ג).

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
ובני כוש סבא וחוילה, each one of these sons became a nation in its own right. This was in addition to those of his sons who continued to bear their founding father’s name. (compare Isaiah 43,3)


###### Sforno on Genesis 10:8:1
[Sforno on Genesis 10:8:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Genesis/r/10:8:1)

**וְכוּשׁ יָלַד אֶת נִמְרוֹד.** בְּתוֹךְ אוֹתָם שֶׁנִּקְרְאוּ עַל שְׁמוֹ, יָלַד אִישׁ פְּרָטִי מְפֻרְסָם לְגִבּוֹר.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
וכוש ילד את נמרד, among all the others who were called by their father’s name “Kushites,” there was one special individual who rose to become a world renowned hero, warrior, king.


###### Sforno on Genesis 10:9:1
[Sforno on Genesis 10:9:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Genesis/r/10:9:1)

**לִפְנֵי ה'.** גִּבּוֹר מְאֹד כְּעִנְיַן "עִיר גְּדוֹלָה לֵאלֹהִים" (יונה ג:ג).

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
לפני ה, this does not mean that he was on the same wavelength as G’d; on the contrary, such expressions are used when someone equates himself and his illusion of power with that of G’d. Compare Jonah 3,3 עיר גדולה לאלוהים, “a great city, G’d-like.” [they were G’d-like in their arrogance. Ed.]


###### Sforno on Genesis 10:9:2
[Sforno on Genesis 10:9:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Genesis/r/10:9:2)

**עַל כֵּן יֵאָמַר כְּנִמְרֹד גִּבּוֹר צַיִד.** וּלְשֵׁמַע גְּבוּרָתוֹ מָלַךְ בַּגּוֹיִם כְּאָמְרוֹ:


###### Sforno on Genesis 10:10:1
[Sforno on Genesis 10:10:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Genesis/r/10:10:1)

**וַתְּהִי רֵאשִׁית מַמְלַכְתּוֹ בָּבֶל.** וְזֶה לְהוֹדִיעַ שֶׁבִּימֵי מַלְכוּתוֹ קָרָה, כְּשֶׁבָּאוּ הָאֻמּוֹת בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר שֶׁנֶּעֶשְׂתָה הַמְצָאַת הָעִיר וְהַמִּגְדָּל, כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּתְפַּשֵּׁט מַלְכוּתוֹ עַל כָּל הַמִּין הָאֱנוֹשִׁי בְּאֶמְצָעוּת אֵל נֵכָר כְּלָלִי לְכָל הַמִּין, אֵלָיו גּוֹיִם יִדְרֹשׁוּ, כְּעִנְיַן עֲצַת יָרָבְעָם כַּאֲשֶׁר יָרֵא דְּרִישַׁת הַמִּקְדָּשׁ (מלכים א יב:כו).

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
ותהי ראשית ממלכתו בבל, the Torah mentions this to explain that because of Nimrod’s powerful and relatively civilised kingdom all the people moved to the valley of Shinor to be within the orbit of his power and influence. The illusion of great power, augmented by unity of purpose, led to their insurrection against G’d, and to their downfall. Central symbols always exercised a gravitational pull on people’s minds, as we see even among the Jewish people in the efforts by Jerobam to counteract the centrality of the Temple in Jerusalem. (Kings I 12,26)


###### Sforno on Genesis 10:11:1
[Sforno on Genesis 10:11:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Genesis/r/10:11:1)

**מִן הָאָרֶץ הַהִיא יָצָא אַשּׁוּר.** בִּלְתִּי מַסְכִּים לְמַלְכוּת נִמְרוֹד אוֹ לַעֲצָתוֹ הַנִּבְעָרָה כְּדִבְרֵי רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
מן הארץ ההיא יצא אשור, he emigrated from there because he disagreed with Nimrod politically, i.e. he opposed the building of the Tower (fearing that G’d would punish the people including his children who were associating themselves with rebellious project)


###### Sforno on Genesis 10:11:2
[Sforno on Genesis 10:11:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Genesis/r/10:11:2)

**וַיִּבֶן אֶת נִינְוֵה.** וְלָכֵן זָכָה לִבְנוֹת אֶת כָּל אֵלֶּה, כְּאָמְרוֹ "אֶל פָּנָיו יְשַׁלֶּם לוֹ" (דברים ז:י).

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
ויבן את נינוה, because he had distanced himself from the plans undertaken by the four countries under the rule of Nimrod in the land of Shinor, G’d rewarded him to let him build the four cities mentioned here. This is an instance of אל פניו ישלם לו, of G’d recompensing someone for a good deed “to his face,” i.e. so that he can realise that this is what G’d has done for him. (Deuteronomy 7,10)


###### Sforno on Genesis 10:21:1
[Sforno on Genesis 10:21:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Genesis/r/10:21:1)

**וּלְשֵׁם יוּלַּד.** נוֹלַד אָדָם דּוֹמֶה לוֹ בְּמַעֲלָה וְהוּא עֵבֶר.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
ולשם יולד, the formulation suggests that the son born to Shem resembled his father in his good qualities, the son in question being עבר.


###### Sforno on Genesis 10:21:2
[Sforno on Genesis 10:21:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Genesis/r/10:21:2)

**גַּם הוּא אֲבִי כׇּל בְּנֵי עֵבֶר.** אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהַמַּחֲזִיקִים בְּדֵעוֹת מְצִיאוּת הָאֵל וִיכָלְתּוֹ וְהַשְׁגָּחָתוֹ נִקְרְאוּ עִבְרִים עַל שֵׁם עֵבֶר שֶׁהִשְׁתַּדֵּל לְהָבִין וּלְהוֹרוֹת זֶה, כְּאָמְרוֹ "וַיֻּגַּד לְאַבְרָם הָעִבְרִי" (בראשית יד:יג), מִכָּל מָקוֹם גַּם הוּא **שֵׁם** גַּם כֵּן הָיָה אֲבִי וּמְלַמֵּד כָּל בְּנֵי עֵבֶר, כִּי אָמְנָם הַמְּלַמֵּד וּמוֹרֶה יִקָּרֵא אָב, כְּמוֹ "אֲבִי כָּל תֹּפֵשׂ כִּנּוֹר וְעוּגָב" (בראשית ד:כא) "וּמִי אֲבִיהֶם", וְהַתַּלְמִידִים נִקְרְאוּ בָּנִים, כְּאָמְרוֹ "בְּנֵי הַנְּבִיאִים" (שמואל א י:יב).

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
גם הוא אבי כל בני עבר, although, as we know from the description of Avraham as an עברי, a Hebrew, (a descendant of Ever) i.e. as someone believing in G’d the Creator being the sole G’d, and it might appear that Ever initiated this adherence to monotheism in his time, Shem, the father too, was a founder of preaching monotheism in his time. Anyone teaching and instructing others, especially in a way of life and philosophy, is called אבי, “father of.” We have come across this term as possessing such meaning already in Genesis 4,21 when Yuval was introduced as the inventor and teacher of how to play musical instruments featuring strings. Just as the teachers, mentors are called “fathers,” so the disciples are called “sons,” בנים, as in Samuel I 10,12 בני הנביאים, “the disciples of the prophets.”


###### Sforno on Genesis 10:25:1
[Sforno on Genesis 10:25:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Genesis/r/10:25:1)

**פֶּלֶג כִּי בְיָמָיו נִפְלְגָה הָאָרֶץ.** הוֹדִיעַ מַעֲלַת **עֵבֶר** שֶׁכִּוֵּן בְּרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ מַה שֶׁהָיָה עָתִיד אָז לִהְיוֹת בִּימֵי בְּנוֹ, וְקָרָא שֵׁם בְּנוֹ פֶּלֶג לְהוֹדִיעַ סִבַּת קִצּוּר שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי הָאָדָם מִפֶּלֶג וָהָלְאָה, כִּי אָמְנָם סִבַּת זֶה הָיָה חֵטְא בְּנֵי הַפְּלַגָּה וְעָנְשָׁם שֶׁקִּלְקֵל מִזְגָּם מֵהַשְׁתַּנּוּת הַפִּתְאוֹמִי מֵאֲוִיר לַאֲוִיר:

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
**For in his days the earth was dispersed.** Eiver named his son in anticipation of the dispersion (*palaga*) so that later generations would realize why their life expectancy was drastically reduced from Peleg’s time onward. It was in fact a consequence of the dispersion, since rapid changes of climate have a deleterious affect on human health.