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Israelites, the names of the posterity of Shem, Ham, and Japheth,
recorded in the 10th chapter of Genesis, amount exactly to seventy.
"These," says the historian, "are the families of the sons of Noah,
_after their generations, in their nations; and by these were the
nations divided_ in the earth after the flood." [43:4] Every one who
looks into the narrative will perceive that the sacred writer does not
propose to furnish a complete catalogue of the descendants of Noah, for
he passes over in entire silence the posterity of the greater number of
the patriarch's grandchildren; he apparently intends to name only those
who were _the founders of nations_; and thus it happens that whilst, in
a variety of instances, he does not trace the line of succession, he
takes care, in others, to mention the father and many of his sons.
[44:1] The Jewish notion current in the time of our Lord as to the
existence of seventy heathen nations, seems, therefore, to have rested
on a sound historical basis, inasmuch as, according to the Mosaic
statement, there were, beside Peleg, precisely seventy individuals by
whom "the nations were divided in the earth after the flood." We may
thus infer that our Lord meant to convey a great moral lesson by the
appointment alike of the Twelve and of the Seventy. In the ordination of
the Twelve He evinced His regard for all the tribes of Israel; in the
ordination of the Seventy He intimated that His Gospel was designed for
all the nations of the earth. When the Twelve were about to enter on
their first mission He required them to go only to the Jews, but He sent
forth the Seventy "two and two before His face _into every city and
place whither He himself would come_." [45:1] Towards the commencement
of His public career, He had induced many of the Samaritans to believe
on Him, [45:2] whilst at a subsequent period His ministry had been
blessed to Gentiles in the coasts of Tyre and Sidon; [45:3] and there is
no evidence that in the missionary journey which He contemplated when He
appointed the Seventy as His pioneers, He intended to confine His
labours to His kinsmen of the seed of Abraham. It is highly probable
that the Seventy were actually sent forth _from Samaria_, [45:4] and the
instructions given them apparently suggest that, in the circuit now
assigned to them, they were to visit certain districts lying north of
Galilee of the Gentiles. [45:5] The personal ministry of our Lord had
respect primarily and