John Calvin Commentary Genesis 10:11

"Out of that land he went forth into Assyria, and builded Nineveh, and Rehoboth-ir, and Calah," — Genesis 10:11 (ASV)

Out of that land went forth Asshur. It is credible that Asshur was one of the posterity of Shem. And the opinion has been commonly accepted that he is mentioned here because, when he was dwelling in the neighborhood of Nimrod, he was violently expelled from there. In this manner, Moses would mark the barbarous ferocity of Nimrod.

And truly, these are the accustomed fruits of greatness that does not keep within bounds, from which has arisen the old proverb: ‘Great kingdoms are great robberies.’ It is indeed necessary that some should preside over others; but where ambition and the desire of rising higher than is right are rampant, they not only bring with them the greatest and most numerous harms, but also verge closely upon the dissolution of human society.

Yet I rather adopt the opinion of those who say that Asshur is not, in this passage, the name of a man, but of a country that derived its name from him. Thus, the meaning will be that Nimrod, not content with his large and opulent kingdom, gave free rein to his cupidity and pushed the boundaries of his empire even into Assyria, where he also built new cities.

The passage in Isaiah 23:13 alone is opposed to this opinion, where he says, Behold the land of the Chaldeans, the people was not, Asshur founded it when they inhabited the deserts, and he reduced it to ruin. For the prophet seems to say that cities were built by the Assyrians in Chaldea, whereas previously, its inhabitants were wandering and scattered as in a desert.

But it may be that the prophet speaks of other changes in these kingdoms, which occurred later. For, at the time when the Assyrians maintained sovereignty, since they flourished in unbounded wealth, it is credible that Chaldea, which they had subjected to their rule, was so adorned and increased by a long peace that it might seem to have been founded by them. And we know that when the Chaldeans, in their turn, seized the empire, Babylon was exalted on the ruins of Nineveh.