And Cush begot Nimrod he began to be mighty on the earth.
Genesis 10 lists the families of Noah's sons, then stops at one man. Nimrod is the first man the Bible calls mighty after the flood, and this verse raises the question of where that greatness came from.
One writer sets Nimrod beside earlier men whose greatness came to them as a gift. The writers quote an older translation, which reads "began to be a mighty one in the earth":
There is nothing mythical in the little that Scripture says. Nimrod "began to be a mighty one in the earth." It had not been so with Abel or Seth, with Enoch or Noah. What they enjoyed was God's gift. They looked for Him who is coming. Nimrod sought great things for himself, like Cain. Cain was the first builder of a city in the earliest days; Nimrod was the first after the flood, and on a large and repeated scale. Present power was his aim; and God allowed it apparent success.
The next verse calls him a mighty hunter, and commentators differ on what that means. One takes it literally, as real skill with animals:
We are further told that "he was a mighty hunter before the LORD." There seems no good reason to doubt that this is meant literally. It made a great impression on his contemporaries, so that his skill as a hunter became proverbial. "Therefore it is said, 'Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD.'" Clearly it gave him trained skill and strength. In time that skill passed into another field of far deeper interest and seriousness.
Another writer finds more in the word, and a clue in his name:
There is more implied in this than merely his being a literal hunter of animals. His name means "we will rebel," not only "I will rebel." He was a leader in hunting the souls of men, to make them rebels.
The phrase does not mean God approved. A reference work explains how he gained his power:
He was "mighty upon the earth," and "a mighty hunter," using force and craft to bring man as well as beasts under his sway. The words "before the Lord" probably mean imperial energy and authority seized in independence of Jehovah. Nimrod and his descendants founded both Babylon and Nineveh.
One writer sets Nimrod against the shepherds among God's people:
He was under the curse, but that meant nothing to him. He did not fear Jehovah at all, and he was willing and able to show he was strong before Him. There is a clear difference between the hunter and people of God like David and Amos, who were shepherds caring for the sheep. The hunter tries to kill the animals he is hunting. This remains Nimrod's character down the ages.
That character shaped the first kingdom. Until Nimrod, fathers led their families:
Nimrod was the first to set aside the rule of the fathers over their families. That order had held until then, and it continued elsewhere for ages afterward. His ambition could not stop at hunting animals, and it led him from wild beasts to mankind. "And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel."
Babylon begins here, and the Bible follows that name to its end:
Here, then, we have the character of the founder of Babylon. Babylon's character all through the book of God matches its founder remarkably. It always appears as a mighty influence in the earth, acting in direct opposition to everything that owes its origin to heaven. Only when this Babylon has been completely abolished does the cry go up among the hosts above: "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns." Then all Babylon's mighty hunting will be over for ever, whether its hunting of wild beasts, to subdue them, or its hunting of souls, to destroy them.
Another writer contrasts Nimrod's fame with the greatness of the man God called:
The aim of the builders of Babel was to make themselves a name. To some extent they succeeded, for Nimrod "began to be a mighty one in the earth." The call of God carried Abraham into a path far removed from the power and fame of these famous men. … How great is the honour that God Himself should speak of him as "Abraham, my friend." Here is true greatness, greatness that lasts, while Nimrod's tower and city are only a heap of shapeless ruins on the plains of Mesopotamia and his rebel name is almost forgotten.
- Self-made. Nimrod's greatness was not God's gift. He sought great things for himself, and God allowed it apparent success.
- Rebel. His name carries the sense of rebellion. Some read his hunting as literal skill; others as the hunting of souls to make them rebels.
- Before the LORD. The phrase points to power grabbed and used in independence of God, not power blessed by Him.
- Hunter, not shepherd. He set aside the rule of fathers and moved from beasts to men — the opposite of David and Amos, who kept sheep.
- Babel and after. His kingdom began at Babel, and its war against heaven runs through the whole Bible until the Almighty reigns. Nimrod's name is nearly forgotten; Abraham, whom God calls "my friend," has greatness that lasts.
He was a mighty hunter before Jehovah; therefore it is said, As Nimrod, the mighty hunter before Jehovah!
Genesis 10 lists names and nations, but the list stops for one man: Nimrod, a grandson of Cush, marked out by what he did rather than by whom he fathered. His title, the proverb built on it, and the words "before the LORD" all raise one question — what kind of power rose first on earth after the flood?
One writer sets Nimrod against the men named earlier in Genesis. They received what they had. He went after it himself.
But there is nothing mythical in the little that Scripture says. Nimrod "began to be a mighty one in the earth." It had not been so with Abel or Seth, with Enoch or Noah. What they enjoyed was God's gift. They looked for Him who is coming. Nimrod sought great things for himself, like Cain, who built the first city in the earliest days. Nimrod was the first to do so after the flood, and on a large and repeated scale. Present power was his aim; and God allowed it apparent success.
Commentators differ on how literally to take the hunting. Some say real skill with real game lies behind the proverb, and that he later used it elsewhere.
There seems no good reason to doubt that this is meant literally. It made a great impression on the people of his day, so that his skill as a hunter became proverbial. The hunting gave him trained skill and strength, which he later carried into a field of far deeper interest and seriousness.
Others read the word as pointing past animals from the start, and find the clue in his name.
There is more implied in this than merely his being a literal hunter of animals. His name means "we will rebel," not only "I will rebel." He was a leader in hunting the souls of men, to make them rebels. The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, where man was exalted in defiance of God.
The phrase places this man's success right in God's presence. One reference work reads it as authority he seized rather than received.
He was "mighty upon the earth," and "a mighty hunter," using force and craft to bring men as well as beasts under his control. The words "before the LORD" probably signify imperial energy and usurped authority, independent of Jehovah.
Another writer reads the same words as open defiance of God.
"Before the LORD he hunted." In defiance of God he sought conquest and power. He added house to house and field to field, wanting to be lord alone… He had no heart for any portion God could give him. He set out to provide for himself and to make his own fortune, so that his dignity and honour came from himself. And such a man is the man of the world to this day.
Nimrod's trade puts him on the opposite side from the men God chose.
There is a clear difference between the hunter and people of God like David and Amos, who were shepherds and took care of the sheep. The hunter tries to kill the animals he is hunting. This remains Nimrod's character down the ages.
The same contrast shows in the king God later gave Israel.
How different was Jehovah's way later! Israel wanted a king like the nations, and chose one who served himself… Then God took His servant David from the pasture, from following the sheep, and made him prince over His people, Israel, to feed them.
One writer traces the line from this first self-exalted man to the rulers who came after.
The first self-exalted man after the flood was Nimrod. Beginning as a hunter of wild beasts, he developed into a tyrant over men. And so the centuries have rolled on in their monotonous course. Nimrods have never been lacking.
- Began — Nimrod's greatness started with himself. Abel, Seth, Enoch and Noah enjoyed what God gave them. He sought great things for himself, and God allowed it apparent success.
- Hunted — commentators differ. Some see real hunting skill that later turned on men. Others see a hunt for human souls from the start. Both end with force and craft used on people.
- Before the LORD — the phrase points to authority he seized, held apart from God and even against Him. He wanted no portion God could give.
- Ruled — the hunter kills what he pursues; the shepherd feeds it. God passed over the Nimrod pattern and took David from the pasture to shepherd Israel.
- Repeats — his kingdom began at Babel, and the type never died out. The man who makes his own fortune and his own honour is still with us.