Genesis 10:9
Read Genesis 10:9 Using Other Translations
What does Genesis 10:9 mean?
He was a mighty hunter before the Lord
Which might be literally true; for, from the time of the flood to
his days, wild beasts might increase very much, and greatly annoy
men who dwelt very likely for the most part in tents scattered up
and down in divers places: so that he did a good office in
hunting and destroying them. An Arabic writer F15, of
some authority in the eastern parts, says, that by hunting he got
food sufficient for the builders of Babel, while they were
employed therein; and Aben Ezra interprets it in his favour, that
he built altars, and the creatures he took in hunting he offered
them on them a burnt offering to God. But neither of these is
probable; however, it may be observed, that in this way by
hunting he arrived to the power and dominion over men he
afterwards had; for not only he ingratiated himself into their
favour by hunting down and destroying the wild beasts which
molested them, but by these means he might gather together a
large number of young men, strong and robust, to join him in
hunting; whereby they were inured to hardships, and trained up to
military exercises, and were taught the way of destroying men as
well as beasts; and by whose help and assistance he might arrive
to the government he had over men; and hunting, according to
Aristotle F16, is a part of the military art,
which is to be used both on beasts, and on such men who are made
to be ruled, but are not willing; and it appears, from Xenophon
F17, that the kings of Persia were
fitted for war and government by hunting, and which is still
reckoned in many countries a part of royal education. And it may
be remarked, that, as Nimrod and Bacchus are the same, as before
observed, one of the titles of Bacchus is (zagreuv) , "an hunter". Cedrenus F18 says,
that the Assyrians deified Nebrod, or Nimrod, and placed him
among the constellations of heaven, and called him Orion; the
same first discovered the art of hunting, therefore they joined
to Orion the star called the dog star. However, besides his being
in a literal sense an hunter, he was in a figurative sense one, a
tyrannical ruler and governor of men. The Targum of Jonathan is;
``he was a powerful rebel before the Lord;''and that of Jerusalem,
``he was powerful in hunting in sin before the Lord,''and another Jewish writer F19 says, he was called a mighty hunter, because he was all his days taking provinces by force, and spoiling others of their substance; and that he was "before the Lord", truly so, and he seeing and taking notice of it, openly and publicly, and without fear of him, and in a bold and impudent manner, in despite of him, see ( Genesis 6:11 ) ( 13:13 ) . The Septuagint render it, "against the Lord"; he intended, as Jarchi's note is, to provoke him to his face:
wherefore it is said;
in a proverbial way, when any man is grown mighty and powerful,
or is notoriously wicked, or is become a tyrant and an oppressor
of the people, that he is
even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the
Lord.
This was a proverb used in the times of Moses, as it is common
now with us to call a hunter Nimrod.
F15 Abulpharag. Hist. Dynast. p. 18.
F16 Politic. l. 1. c. 8.
F17 Cyropaed. l. 1. c. 5.
F18 Apud Abrami Pharum, l. 5. sect. 6. p. 128.
F19 R. Gedaliah, Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 76. 2.
