Arvadites are mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament in Ezek 27.8, 11. The city is known from the Amarna letters and other ancient texts as an important maritime city north of Arqa. It is known today as Ruad.

Zemarites are the people of a city located south of Arvad. It is mentioned often in the Amarna letters, but only here in the Old Testament.

Hamathites are the people of the city of Hamath mentioned numerous times in the Old Testament; for example, Num 13.21; Josh 13.5; Judges 3.3. It is the only inland city in the Phoenician group. Today it is known as Hama, which is located between Damascus and Aleppo, Syria.

Afterward the families of the Canaanites spread abroad: this statement is to be linked with what follows. Afterward is to be taken as relative to the event of Canaan becoming the father of those named in verses 15 to 18a. Good News Translation does not use a time expression such as “afterward,” “later,” or “subsequently” but says “The different tribes of the Canaanites spread out, until….” Others retain the sense of a later event by saying “later on,” “after that.” Families translates the same term used in verse 5, often rendered “clan,” “tribe,” or “peoples.” Families of the Canaanites are the descendants of Canaan in verse 15, who have increased in number to become families, clans, peoples, nations.

Spread abroad translates the same verb used in 9.19, “was peopled.” It refers to the natural increase of population through reproduction and migration or, as Good News Translation says, “spread out.” New International Version has “scattered,” and Bible en français courant “dispersed.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .