Genesis 10:18

Summary

This verse concludes a list of peoples descended from Canaan, naming the Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites, then states that after these lineages the Canaanite clans dispersed. It functions as the closing note to the genealogical catalogue of Canaan's descendants in Genesis 10.

Key words

• 'Arvadi ("Arvadite[s]", H0721) — gentilic noun, masculine singular, marked with the direct object marker 'et (H0853), indicating it is one of the peoples "produced" or "listed" by the preceding verb (from v.15-17 context) rather than the subject of this clause.
• Tzemari ("Zemarite[s]", H6786) — same gentilic pattern, definite with ha- (H9009), object-marked, continuing the enumeration.
• Chamati ("Hamathite[s]", H2577) — final item in the three-part list, same grammatical treatment (definite gentilic, object-marked).
• nafotzu ("they were scattered", H6327A) — niphal perfect, third person plural. The niphal stem conveys a passive or reflexive sense: the clans did not scatter themselves through a stated agent but "were scattered" or "scattered themselves," and the perfect aspect marks this as a completed action.
• mishpechot ("clans of", H4940) — feminine plural construct noun, grammatically bound to ha-kena'ani ("the Canaanite", H3669A) that follows, forming the phrase "clans of the Canaanite" as the subject of the scattering.

What the text says

The verse opens with three coordinated noun phrases—'Arvadi, Tzemari, and Chamati—each introduced by the conjunction ve- ("and", H9002) and marked with the direct object marker 'et (H0853). This object marking signals that these three gentilic terms are grammatically dependent on a verb located earlier in the passage (outside this verse), continuing a list of Canaan's descendants rather than beginning a new independent clause.

The second half of the verse shifts grammatical structure entirely. 'Achar ("after", H0310A) introduces a temporal clause, followed by the niphal perfect verb nafotzu ("they were scattered", H6327A). In Biblical Hebrew, verb-subject order is common, so the verb precedes its subject mishpechot ha-kena'ani ("clans of the Canaanite"). The niphal stem here does not specify who or what caused the scattering — it presents the clans as undergoing dispersal, whether through their own action or an unstated external cause. The construct chain mishpechot ha-kena'ani treats "Canaanite" as a genitive-like modifier of "clans," so the phrase denotes the sub-groupings within the broader Canaanite population, distinguishing this general reference from the specific named peoples (Arvadite, Zemarite, Hamathite) listed just before.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders ha-Tzemari (H6786, "Zemarite") as Σαμαραῖον ("Samaraios"), a different consonantal rendering than the Hebrew Tzemari. The Vulgate follows this same tradition with "Samaræum" rather than a transliteration closer to "Zemarite." Both the LXX (Ἀράδιον) and Vulgate ("Aradium") render 'Arvadi (H0721) without the medial "v" sound present in the Hebrew transliteration, reflecting a slightly different consonantal treatment of the same name.