Commentaire sur La Genèse 10:18

ואחר נפוצו AND AFTERWARDS WERE SPREAD ABROAD — From these many families were spread abroad (besides those already mentioned. 5:15—18).

ואחר נפוצו, after the languages were confused.

Many families. ואחר נפצו cannot refer to the above-mentioned descendants of Canaan, [saying that they spread across the earth,] for then it should say just ואחר נפצו and omit משפחות הכנעני. For it clearly would refer back to those above. Perforce, it says משפחות הכנעני to tell us that “from these, many other families branched out.” This is similar to Noach’s three sons [from whom many families branched out]. (Re’m)

ואחר נפוצו. Soweit verzweigten sie sich naturgemäß, nachher gingen sie, durch äußere Umstände veranlaßt, weiter auseinander.

משפחות הכנעני, the ones who had been mentioned previously, i.e. the Canaanites, were scattered to a different region, to the land called afterwards ”the land of Canaan.”