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The Table of Nations

Pastors, scholars and teachers often refer to something called the Table of Nations and then act as though we can understand where nations are today as a result. It is really a list and not a table. It fails to identify where the most of the nations were and who they are today. Nimrod was mentioned with some points of reference to ancient countries in the land that is Iraq today. Casluhim became the Philistines. The borders of the Canaanites are given but the breakout of the land among the eleven sons is not defined. Joktan had thirteen sons which was "from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east." Beyond that nothing is known from this passage. I have heard attempts to use this to help understand the nations listed in Ezekiel 38 but it does not contribute to learning. From there writers then employ unreliable scholars such as Josephus. A real table allows the user to lookup a value and then find out other information from it. For example, a trigonometric table will let you look up angles and find the sines, cosines and tangents for that angle. Genesis 11 does not aid in determining what countries are involved in prophecies such as Isaiah 18 and Ezekiel 38. The Table of Nations does not list current major and minor nations neither does it list immediate derivatives. What about Persia, Assyria, Syria, Medes and Elam?

"The Table"

Verse	Name	Country Name and Boundary Information from Genesis 11
1	Noah
1	Japheth
2	Gomer
3	Ashkenaz
3	Riphath
3	Togarmah
2	Magog
2	Madai
2	Javan
4	Elishah
4	Tarshish
4	Kittim
4	Dodanim
2	Tubal
2	Meshech
2	Tiras
1	Ham
6	Cush
7	Seba
7	Havilah
7	Sabtah
7	Raamah
7	Sheba
7	Dedan
7	Sabtecha
8	Nimrod	Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.
6	Mizraim
13	Ludim
13	Anamim
13	Lehabim
13	Naphtuhim
14	Pathrusim
14	Casluhim	Philistia [the land of the Philistines]
14	Caphtorim
6	Phut
6	Canaan	...and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad. And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.
15	Sidon
15	Heth
16	Jebusite
16	Amorite
16	Girgasite
17	Hivite
17	Arkite
17	Sinite
18	Arvadite
18	Zemarite
18	Hamathite
1	Shem
22	Elam
22	Asshur
22	Arphaxad
24	Salah
24	Eber
25	Peleg	in his days was the earth divided
25	Joktan
26	Almodad	v30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
26	Sheleph	v30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
26	Hazarmaveth	v30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
26	Jerah	v30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
27	Hadoram	v30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
27	Uzal	v30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
27	Diklah	v30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
28	Obal	v30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
28	Abimael	v30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
28	Sheba	v30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
29	Ophir	v30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
29	Havilah	v30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
29	Jobab	v30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
22	Lud
22	Aram
23	Uz
23	Hul
23	Gether
23	Mash