Genesis 10:1-5 HCSB These are the family records of Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. They also had sons after the deluge. (2) Japheth's sons: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. (3) Gomer's sons: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. (4) And Javan's sons: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. (5) The coastland peoples spread out into their lands. These are Japheth's sons by their clans, in their nations. Each group had its own language.

Genesis 10 describes in detail the division of the descendants of Noah and several times it specifically states that the division is by language. Yet, if you continue to read in Genesis 11, it says that the whole earth had one language (the tower of Babel).

Genesis 10 is not the typical genealogy with the “begats” and so forth. Instead, it is usually referred to as a table of nations, a list that describes the interconnectivity of what would become the major players on the biblical historical scene.

The “Japhethites” (10:2-5) include 14 of Japheth’s descendents. Half of them settled in India and the other half ended up in Europe. They formed what linguists referred to as the Indo-Europeans. They largely became the “nations” the Goyim to whom the apostle Paul would preach.

The “Hamites” (10:6-20) settled in Northwest Africa, the western coast of the Arabian Peninsula and the Fertile Crescent. They have been long historical enemies of the people of Israel, especially “Babel” (v.10), “Mizraim” (v.13) which became Egypt, and “Canaan” (v.15).

The “Shemites” (10:21-32) became the Semitic tribes that would settle in Iraq, Iran and eastern Saudi Arabia. The sons of “Eber” (v.25) became the Hebrews. One of Eber’s sons was “Joktan” (10:26-32) and his other son was “Peleg” (Genesis 11). Peleg’s line led to Abraham.

Briefly, the best way to deal with this passage is to treat it the same way we do Genesis 1 and 2. One chapter is an overview and the other gives specifics. Genesis 10 gives an overview of what would later unfold. Genesis 11 gives the account of the triggering event that would cause the shattering of these people into multiple linguistic groups.