Midrash su Genesi 10:8

Another explanation. Why did Scripture concern itself with the genealogy of the chiefs? Did the Holy One, blessed be He, have nothing else to write about other than the chief of Timna, the chief of Lotan, etc.? He did so to teach us that from the very beginning of the creation of the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, concerned himself with the genealogies of the idolatrous nations so that it would not be left to them to describe for mankind their sterility and their degeneracy. How did He do that? When He came to the genealogy of the sons of Ham, He said: The sons of Ham: Cush, and Mizraim … and Cush begot Nimrod (Gen. 10:6–8); thus He indicated that they had become defiant, as it is said: He began to be a mighty one in the earth (ibid., v. 8). Similarly, when He said: And Mizraim begot Ludim … whence went forth (ibid., vv. 13–14), He did not say “he bore him” but he went forth, thereby informing us that he was the product of an incestuous relationship.

And Cush, the son of Ham, the son of Noah, took unto himself a wife at that time in his old ‎age, and he begat a son, and he called his name Nimrod, saying: At that time the sons of man ‎again began to rebel and to trespass against the will of God. And the boy grew up, and his ‎father loved him exceedingly, for he was unto him the son of his old age And Cush gave unto, ‎Nimrod the coats of skin which the Lord had made for Adam and Eve, when they were driven ‎from the garden of Eden. For after the death of Adam and Eve, their garments came into ‎possession of Enoch the son of Jared; And when Enoch, was taken up into heaven he gave ‎them unto Methuselah his son. And when Methuselah died he transmitted the garments unto ‎Noah, and Noah brought them with him into the ark where they remained until Noah left the ‎ark. And after leaving the ark, Ham the son of Noah, stole those garments from Noah, ‎unbeknown to his brothers, and he took them and id them away. And when Ham begat Cush ‎his first born, he gave the garments secretly unto Cush. And they remained with Cush many ‎days, and he kept them hidden from his brothers and sons. But finally when Cush begat ‎Nimrod, whom he loved above his other sons, Cush gave the garments unto Nimrod. And ‎when Nimrod grew up and was twenty-one years of age, he put on those garments. And as ‎soon as Nimrod had those garments upon him he felt himself grow very powerful, and the ‎Lord gave him power and, strength, and he became a mighty hunter in the earth, he was the ‎mighty hunter in the fields. And he hunted the animals, and he built altars and offered up ‎upon them all those animals unto the Lord. And Nimrod was possessed of more strength than ‎all his brothers. And he fought the battles of his brothers with all their enemies around them; ‎and God delivered all the enemies of his brothers into his hands. And the Lord gave him ‎success at all times in his battles, and he became the ruler of the earth, and therefore it was ‎current, when one armed his men in array of battle, that they would say of him: Like Nimrod ‎who was a mighty hunter upon the earth and succeeded in battle against enemies that were ‎too powerful for his brethren, and conquered them all, so may the Lord strengthen and save ‎these men to-day. And at the time when Nimrod was forty years of age, there was a war ‎between his brothers and the sons of Japheth, and his brethren were under the hand of their ‎enemy. And Nimrod strengthened himself at that time, and went forth and assembled all the ‎families of the sons of Cush, about four hundred and sixty men. And he hired also of their ‎friends and acquaintances about eighty men; and he gave them their hire, and went forth with ‎them to give battle. And while on his way Nimrod strengthened the hearts of the people that ‎went forth with him, and he said unto them: Be not afraid and be not alarmed, for all our ‎enemies will surely be given in to our hands, and ye shall do unto them as it seems good in ‎your own eyes. And they went all with great courage, about five hundred and forty men, and ‎they over powered the enemies and vanquished them.‎

(Gen. 42:1, cont.:) THEN JACOB SAID TO HIS CHILDREN: WHY ARE YOU MAKING YOURSELVES CONSPICUOUS? Jacob said to them: Will you please hide yourselves, for there is nothing more harmful than the evil eye?²²Gen. R. 91:2, 6; Tanh., Gen. 10:8. And so you find in the case of the former tables (of the Torah), because they had been given in grandeur (before all eyes), they had been shattered. Thus it is stated (in Exod. 20:15 [18]): NOW ALL THE PEOPLE SAW THE THUNDERINGS. But when the second tables were given, no one saw them but Moses, since it is stated (in Exod. 34:3): BUT LET NO ONE COME UP WITH YOU…. So also Jerusalem would not have been destroyed except for the evil eye. Thus it is stated (in Lam. 2:15-16): IS THIS THE CITY WHICH THEY CALLED A PERFECTION OF BEAUTY, A JOY TO THE WHOLE EARTH? < ALL YOUR ENEMIES JEER OVER YOU; THEY HISS AND GNASH THEIR TEETH; THEY SAY: WE HAVE DESTROYED HER! INDEED, THIS IS THE DAY WE HAD HOPED FOR. WE HAVE FOUND IT; WE HAVE SEEN IT >. It also says (in Lam. 3:51): MY EYE DOES EVIL TO MY SOUL BECAUSE OF ALL THE DAUGHTERS OF MY CITY. Jacob therefore said: Do not look at yourselves. It is so stated (in Gen. 42:1): THEN JACOB SAID TO HIS CHILDREN: WHY ARE YOU MAKING YOURSELVES CONSPICUOUS? Rather walk privately (rt.: TsN'), as stated (in Micah 6:8): HE HAS TOLD YOU, O HUMAN, WHAT IS GOOD…. AND TO WALK HUMBLY (rt.: TsN') WITH YOUR GOD.