Seventy Nations · Part 3

Usually transliterated as Sabteca. The Targum renders it Zingain, possibly the African Zeugis.

The children of Serug, not including Nachor.

Usually transliterated as Seba. Cf. Isaiah 43:3, 45:14, Psalms 72:10. Josephus identifies this with the Sabeans, a people living in southern Arabia. The name may still be preserved in the town of As Sabya. The Targum renders it Sinirai or Sinidai. In the Talmud, this nation is identified with Sakistan or Sagistan (Yoma 10a). Sagistan is a district in Drangonia in the Persian Empire, occupied by Scythians.

The children of Shelach, not including Ever.

The children of Shelach.

Possibly Shalepynoi mentioned by Ptolemy (Geography 6:7, p. 154).

The children of Shem, not including Arpakhshad.

Or Sheba. See Genesis 10:7, 25:3.

(cf. Isaiah 49:12, Radak ad loc.). Josephus states that their identity is unknown. Others, however identify them with the Antusai (Targum Onkelos; Targum Yonathan; Bereshith Rabbah 37). This is most probably associated with the city of Orhosia, a Phoenician seaport, south of the Eleutheros River. Other sources identify the Sinites with the Kafruseans (Targum Yerushalmi).

Sunan Abu-Dawud, Book 40, Number 4579 says

Narrated AbuHurayrah:

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The Jews were split up into seventy-one or seventy-two sects; and the Christians were split up into seventy one or seventy-two sects; and my community will be split up into seventy-three sects.^[1]

Islamic Commentary

Abdullah bin Amarra relates that the Holy Prophet (SA) said ‘Surely things will happen to my people as happened earlier to Israelites, they will resemble each other like one shoe in a pair resembles the other to the extent that if anyone among the Israelites has openly committed adultery to his mother there will be some who will do this in my Ummah as well, verily the Israelites were divided into 72 sects but my people will be divided into 73 sects, all of them will be in the fire except one.' The companions asked. 'Who are they O Messenger of Allah,' Holy Prophet (pbuh) said. `They are those who will be like me and my companions.’^[2]

In this Hadith there are quite a few things to be noted. Firstly, it mentions the resemblance of the Muslim Ummah with the Israelites (i.e. Jews). In another Hadith^[3] this resemblance is mentioned in the words that as among the Jews a prophet was raised in every century, among Muslims a reformer/Mujaddid will be raised and as among the Jews at the end of the chain of prophets a Messiah was raised a Messiah will be raised among the Muslims. Among Jews there were 12 tribes each divided into six sects making a total of 72 sects at the time when the Messiah Jesus (as) was sent to the Israelites. After the appearance of the Messiah among Jewish people the list of sects increased considerably. So while talking about 73 divisions among Muslims and taking into account the resemblance of the Muslim Ummah to the Jewish people mentioned in both of the above traditions, it appears that these two Ahadith relate to the time of the Messiah.

Authenticity of the Hadith

Other than Tirmidhi & Abu Daud, Ibn-e-Maja^[4] gives three independent narration of the same Hadith. Talking about the authenticity of this Hadith, Abu Mansur Abd al-Kahir ibn-Tahir Al-Baghdadi says there are many independent testimonies for the tradition dealing with the division of the community. A number of following companions have handed it down as coming from the Prophet (pbuh): Anas ibn-Malik, Abu-Hurairah, Abu-l-Darda, Jabir, Abu-Sa'id al-Khidri, Ubai ibn-Ka'b, Abd-Allah ibn-Amr ibn-al-'As, abu-Imamah, Wathilah ibn-al-Aska' and others. It is also handed down that the pious Caliphs mentioned that the community would be divided after them, that one sect only would save itself, and the rest of them would be given to error in this world, and to destruction in the next.

Noahide Commentary

This may be a reference to the Seventy Nations.

References

References and notes

1. USC-MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts
2. Tirmidhi - Kitabul Eeman
3. Abu Daud - Vol.2, pg. 241
4. Vol.1, pg.163

In 1 Chronicles 1:7, it is Tarshishah. It was famed for its ships, see 1 Kings 10:22, 22:49, etc. Also see Isaiah 23;10, 66:19, Ezekiel 38:13, Jonah 1:3. Josephus identifies it with Cilicia, whose capital was Tarsus. The identification with Tarsus is also upheld in Talmudic sources (Targum Yonathan; Yerushalmi, Megilla 1:9). Some associate it with Tuscany, Lombardi, Florence and Milan (Abarbanel. Cf. Sefer HaYashar).

A northern country, see Ezekiel 38:2, 27:13. This is usually identified with Bithynia (Targum Yonathan; Targum on 1 Chronicles 1:5; Yerushalmi, Megillah 1:9). The Talmud also refers to it as Beth-unyaki, which is the Talmudic term for Bithynia (Yoma 10a). This is in the area to the east of the Bospherus (Yov'loth 9:11). Josephus, however, says that the Tuvalites were the Ibers. Some say that these were the people of the Iberian Peninsula, and hence they were the original Spaniards. Indeed, one source says that this is why the Spanish refer to themselves as cen-tuvales (gentualla), literally 'people of Tuval' (Abarbanel). However, there was also an Iberian people who lived to the east of the Black Sea.

Literally 'wool people,' possibly because they sold or worked with wool (Bereshith Rabbah 37). Talmudic sources render their area as Chametz, Chomtzia, Chamitai and Chumtzai (Targum Yonathan; Yerushalmi, Megillah 1:9, Bereshith Rabbah 37). This is identified with Emasa (the modern Hums) a city of Syria on the eastern bank of the Orontes River. See note on Genesis 36:36.

This was the ancient Arabic name for San'a, the capital of Yemen (Kesseth HaSofer).

Yawan in ancient Hebrew, denoting Ionia (cf. Josephus. Also see Herodotus 7:94). Other sources state that Yavan is Macedonia (Targum Yonathan; Yoma 10a, see note on Genesis 10:2, 'Madai'). Others translate it as Ovisos (Yerushalmi, Megilla 1:9), denoting Ephisus, an ancient Greek city in Lydia, founded by the Ionians around 1050 b.c.e. An ancient source states that Yavan lived on the islands and the shore of Lydia (Yov'loth 9:10), where indeed the Ionians lived.

To the west of Hadarmaveth, there is a Mount Varach (Kesseth HaSofer).

Yebhusi in Hebrew. Jebus (Yebhus) is identified with Jerusalem; Judges 19:10, 1 Chronicles 11:4; Joshua 15:63, Judges 1:21. The Jebusites therefore lived in the Jerusalem area. Later, however, this area was settled by the Hittites (Pirkey Rabbi Eliezer 36; Rashi on Deuteronomy 12:17).

Josephus states that he and his children lived near the Cophon River in India. In Arabian traditions, he is Kochton, the founder of Yemen (see Kesseth HaSofer, 123a).

This is identified as Yovevitai or Yoveritai mentioned by Ptolemy, along the Salachitis Gulf (Gulf of Oman).