Verses 5-23 are more than a genealogy; they are a list of nations that were known to exist at the time of writing. In these verses the writer presents the sons of Noah in reverse order by comparison with the previous verse, which lists them in the order in which they were most likely born (see Gen 5.32), beginning with Japheth and ending with Shem. Verse 5 names Japheth’s seven sons, and then verses 6 and 7 list descendants of Japheth through two of his sons, Gomer (verse 6) and Javan (verse 7). These descendants are non-Semitic, Indo-European peoples who lived north of Israel in the areas of Greece, Asia Minor, and northern Syria.

The sons of Japheth: The names of Japheth’s sons are also to be identified as ethnic or national groups. Therefore the name of the son applies both to an individual and to the peoples who are descended from him. Good News Translation has made this clear by saying, after the final name of the sons of Japheth, “were the ancestors of the peoples who bear their names.”

The descendants of Gomer probably lived in the steppes of Russia north of the Caucasus Mountains and then were driven south by the Scythians (see verse 6). In Greek writings these people who were the descendants of Gomer were known as “Kimmerioi,” and this is the basis for Moffatt’s (Moffatt) translation “the Cimmerians.”

The exact location of Magog is uncertain, and scholars have made various suggestions based on similar names in other ancient sources. Most likely his descendants lived somewhere north of Israel, possibly in southern Russia or Asia. The descendants of Madai were “the Medes” (so Moffatt, Nouvelle Bible Segond, Bible de Jérusalem, Beaumont). They lived in Persia, or what is today called Iran.

Javan refers to Ionia, a branch of the Greek people. Translations include “Greece” (Nouvelle Bible Segond) and “the Ionians” (Moffatt).

The descendants of Tubal are mentioned six times in the books of Isaiah and Ezekiel. They lived in Asia Minor and were referred to as the Tabal in ancient Assyrian sources.

The descendants of Meshech are mentioned several times in Ezekiel. According to Ezek 27.13, the people of Meshech, along with the people of Javan and Tubal, traded slaves and bronze with the Phoenician capital city of Tyre.

Tiras is mentioned elsewhere in the Bible only in Gen 10.2. The geographical location of his descendants is uncertain, but some scholars think the evidence points to Asia Minor, while others suggest Sicily and Italy.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .