Genesis 10:31
“These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.”
KJV
Read in Genesis 10Meaning
Shem's genealogical section closes by grouping his descendants by families, languages, lands, and nations.
Read carefully
This summary uses the ancient categories of family, language, land, and nation; it should not be forced into modern racial or political classifications.
Reflection
The repeated formula values both shared ancestry and real cultural differentiation without ranking the peoples it names.