in the regions to the west of Egypt. The other characters make the number nine, which seems to imply that Phut had nine sons, who were the founders of as many nations. The Scripture gives no account of his descendants. This name is also written (
Hieroglyphic characters)
that is, פוּטִים, with the Hebrew plural termination. It seems, however, always to denote a country or district, not a people. The inhabitants were included among the ⲛⲁϩⲁⲥⲓ, the general appellation of all the black races.
The countries to the south-east and south of Egypt were designated by the group (Hieroglyphic characters), which contains the elements of the name of כוּשׁ Cush, the second son of Ham (Gen. x. 6,etc.), whose descendants peopled the burning desert of Sinai, and, following the direction of the Red Sea, scattered themselves over the dreary waste which separates it from Egypt, and penetrated the regions to the south of it.[1]
A singular verification of the scripture account of the dispersion of the descendants of Ham arises from these hieroglyphic names. Canaan, the first born, who lost his birthright through his grandfather's curse (Gen.ix. 25, seq.), and is therefore always placed last among his brethren (ch. x. 6, &c.), nevertheless seems to have been allowed the claims of seniority, when the sons of Ham together went forth to the westward from the plains of Shinar (Gen. xi.), and gave his name to the first district at which the emigrants would arrive. The descendants of Cush, the second son, took the next region to the westward, which consisted of the sterile sands of the deserts of Sinai. The fertile valley of the Nile was the happier
- ↑ See Taylor's Cahnet, p. 319.
