Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Genesis 10:15 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 15. 15And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Canaan's branch begins with Sidon and Heth, shifting from a single ancestor name to peoples and cities that will matter throughout the later biblical story.
Read It With
- Genesis 10:1–32
Read verses 15–20 and remember Genesis 9:25–27. Canaan's descendants and territory are named in detail, but the chapter never extends Noah's curse to all of Ham's line or turns Canaan into a modern race.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Canaan's first descendants begin the most geographically detailed people list in Ham's branch after Noah's curse made Canaan narratively prominent.
Read Genesis 10:13–20 together
Why these verses belong together: Mizraim's peoples, the Philistine notice, Canaan's peoples and border, and Ham's summary complete the central branch.
Verse 13. 13 And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,
Verse 14. 14 And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.
Verse 15. 15 And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,
Verse 16. 16 And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,
Verse 17. 17 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,
Verse 18. 18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.
Verse 19. 19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.
Verse 20. 20 These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.
What Remains True
Naming a people in a conflicted biblical history does not erase individual dignity or authorize prejudice against later populations.
How It Can Shape Life
- Discuss ancient Canaanite identity and later conflict without converting the genealogy into hatred, collective guilt, or modern land violence.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 10:1–32 — The Families of the Nations Spread Across the EarthSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, genealogy, embedded notices, repeated summaries, and transition to Babel.
Exact location: Genesis 10:1–32 in the pinned standardized 1769 KJV corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Generations, families, tongues, lands, nations, Nimrod clauses, Asshur syntax, elder wording, and Peleg's division.
Exact location: Genesis 10:1–32 forms, lemmas, syntax, names, and verse structure in Gen.xml
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Difficult names, coastlands, Nimrod grammar, city clauses, Philistine parenthesis, birth-order syntax, and Peleg wording.
Exact location: Genesis 10:1–32 translator and study notes
Open NET Genesis 10 ↗