Genesis 10:8
in Genesis 10Cush was the father of Nimrod, who began to be a mighty one on the earth.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
KJV
And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
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This verse in Genesis 10
Commentary
15 notes on this verseNimrod - Of this person little is known, as he is not mentioned except here and in 1Ch 1:10, which is evidently a copy of the text in Genesis. He is called a mighty hunter before the Lord; and from Gen 10:10, we learn that he founded a kingdom which included the cities Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. Though the words are not definite, it is very likely he was a very bad man.
This site's exposition
who began to be a mighty one on the earth
on Genesis 10:8-9
Nimrod is the one man in this chapter given a story. The son of Cush, he began as a mighty one on the earth, and a saying was made of him, a mighty hunter before the LORD. Matthew Henry takes before the LORD as defiance, a hunter against the LORD, and others hear plain emphasis, the greatest hunter anywhere.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
A commentator
Philo of Alexandria-20–50
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON GENESIS, II · Written before 50.
proposed
(82) Why was Chus the father of Nimrod, who began to be a giant and a hunter before the Lord: on which account they said, "Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord?" (#Ge 10:8). The father in this case, having a nature truly dissolute, …
A Nimrod, who goes round the world, made rough With deep ravines and wooden crags, and strives To waylay some by fraud and secret wiles, To vanquish others by his giant arms And spread his deadly triumphs far and wide.
(Verse 8) And Cush begot Nimrod. He began to be powerful in the land. And after a little while:
Then sacred Scripture goes on from this point to tell of the children born to the sons in these words: "Now, Ham became the father of Cush"; and further, "Now, Cush became the father of Nebrod (Nimrod), who began to be a giant on earth. He was a giant hunter before the Lord." While some people say the phrase "before the Lord" means being in opposition to God, I on the contrary do not think sacred Scripture is implying this. Rather, it implies that [Nimrod] was strong and brave. But the phrase "before the Lord" means created by him, receiving from him God's blessing. Or it may mean that God was on the point of arousing our wonder through him by creating such a remarkable creature and displaying him before us on the earth.
(Verse 8) And Cush begot Nimrod. He began to be powerful in the land... Nimrod, the son of Chus, first seized an unprecedented tyranny among the people.
8 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church1 voice
Moreover, Cush begat Nimrod. He began to be mighty on the earth, and he was a mighty hunter before the Lord. While the progeny of Shem and Japheth remained in the innocence of a simple life, a cursed offspring was born of the lineage of …
The Puritans and the Awakening5 voices
The same spirit that the giants before the flood were acted by, chap. vi, 4, now revived in him; so soon was that tremendous judgment, which the pride and tyranny of those mighty men brought upon the world, forgotten.
Note, Great conquerors are but great hunters. Alexander and Cesar would not make such a figure in scripture-history as they do in common history; the former is represented in prophecy but as a he-goat pushing, Dan. viii. Nimrod was a mighty hunter against the Lord, so the LXX; that is, (1.) He set up idolatry, as Jeroboam did, for the confirming of his usurped dominion.
The same spirit that the giants before the flood were acted by, chap. vi, 4, now revived in him; so soon was that tremendous judgment, which the pride and tyranny of those mighty men brought upon the world, forgotten.
And Cush begat Nimrod,.... Besides the other five sons before mentioned; and probably this was his youngest son, being mentioned last; or however he is reserved to this place, because more was to be spoken of him than of any of the rest.
Note, Great conquerors are but great hunters. Alexander and Cesar would not make such a figure in scripture-history as they do in common history; the former is represented in prophecy but as a he-goat pushing, Dan. viii. Nimrod was a mighty hunter against the Lord, so the LXX; that is, (1.) He set up idolatry, as Jeroboam did, for the confirming of his usurped dominion.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Nimrod--mentioned as eclipsing all his family in renown. He early distinguished himself by his daring and successful prowess in hunting wild beasts. By those useful services he earned a title to public gratitude; and, having established a permanent ascendancy over the people, he founded the first kingdom in the world [Ge 10:10].
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Nimrod--mentioned as eclipsing all his family in renown. He early distinguished himself by his daring and successful prowess in hunting wild beasts. By those useful services he earned a title to public gratitude; and, having established a permanent ascendancy over the people, he founded the first kingdom in the world [Ge 10:10].
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְכ֖וּשׁ | vekhush | and Cush | H3568 → | 29 times |
| יָלַ֣ד | yalad | he fathered | H3205 → | 496 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| נִמְרֹ֑ד | nimrod | Nimrod | H5248 → | |
| ה֣וּא | hu' | he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| הֵחֵ֔ל | hechel | he began | H2490 → | 143 times |
| לִֽהְי֥וֹת | lihyot | to be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| גִּבֹּ֖ר | gibor | a mighty [man] | H1368 → | 158 times |
| בָּאָֽרֶץ׃ | baaretz | on the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
וְכ֖וּשׁand Cush
vekhushH3568 →29 times
יָלַ֣דhe fathered
yaladH3205 →496 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
נִמְרֹ֑דNimrod
nimrodH5248 →
ה֣וּאhe
hu'H1931 →1879 times
הֵחֵ֔לhe began
hechelH2490 →143 times
לִֽהְי֥וֹתto be
lihyotH1961 →3559 times
גִּבֹּ֖רa mighty [man]
giborH1368 →158 times
בָּאָֽרֶץ׃on the earth
baaretzH776 →2504 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Micah 5:6And they will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod with the blade drawn. So He will deliver us when Assyria invades our land and marches into our…
it leads to
- Genesis 10:8–11
Cush was the father of Nimrod, who began to be a mighty one on the earth.
- Luke 1:74
deliverance from hostile hands, that we may serve Him without fear,
- Isaiah 14:25
I will break Assyria in My land; I will trample him on My mountain. His yoke will be taken off My people, and his burden removed from their shoulders.”
- Zephaniah 2:13
And He will stretch out His hand against the north and destroy Assyria; He will make Nineveh a desolation, as dry as a desert.
- 2 Kings 15:29
In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and he took the people…
- Genesis 10:8–11
Where this verse is studied
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About Genesis
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Genesis (Hexaemeron); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Hebrew Questions on Genesis; John Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON GENESIS 29.29; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Philo of Alexandria, QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON GENESIS, II and Prudentius, ORIGIN OF SIN 143-48.