Genesis 10:10 - Exposition

And the beginning of his kingdom . Either his first kingdom, as contrasted with his second (Knobel), or the commencement of his sovereignty (Keil, Kalisch), or the principal city of his empire (Rosenmüller); or all three may be legitimately embraced in the term reshith, only it does not necessarily imply that Nimrod built any of the cities mentioned. Was Babel . Babylon, "the land of Nimrod" ( Micah 5:6 ), the origin of which is described in Genesis 11:1 , grew to be a great city covering an area of 225 square reties, reached its highest glory under Nebuchadnezzar ( Daniel 4:30 ), and succumbed to the Medo-Persian power under Belshazzar ( Daniel 5:31 ). The remains of this great city have been discovered on the east bank of the Euphrates near Hillah, where there is a square mound called "Babil" by the Arabs (Rawlinson's 'Ancient Monarchies,' vol. 1. Genesis 1:1-31 ). And Erech . The Orchoe of Ptolemy, identified by Rawlinson as Wurka, about eighty miles south of Babylon. And Accad . α ̓ ρχα ì δ ( LXX .); the city Sittace on the river Argade (Bochart); Sakada, a town planted by Ptolemy below Ninus (Clericus); Accete, north of Babylon (Knobel, Lange); identified with the ruins of Niffer, to the south of Hillah (Keil); with those of Akkerkoof, north of Hillah (Kalisch). Rawlinson does not identify the site; George Smith regards it as "the capital of Sargon, the great city Agadi, near the city of Sippara on the Euphrates, and north of Babylon ('Assyrian Discoveries,' Genesis 12:1-20 .). And Calneh . Calno ( Isaiah 10:9 ); Canneh ( Ezekiel 27:23 ); Ctesiphon, east of the Tigris, north-east of Babylon (Jerome, Eusebius, Bochart, Michaelis, Kalisch); identified with the ruins of Niffer on the east of the Euphrates (Rawlinson). In the land of Shinar . Babylonia, as distinguished from Assyria ( Isaiah 11:11 ), the lower part of Mesopotamia, or Chaldaea.