Genesis 11

Chapter context

What is happening in Genesis 11?

creationfallcovenantpromise

Genesis 11 belongs to the early movement of the book, especially the section often described as primeval history from creation to Babel. Genesis opens the whole Bible with creation, fall, flood, Babel, and the long patriarchal story that carries the reader from Eden to Egypt. Read this chapter with the wider themes of creation, fall, and covenant in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

¹ And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. ² And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. ³ And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. ⁴ And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. ⁵ And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. ⁶ And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. ⁷ Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. ⁸ So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. ⁹ Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. ¹⁰ These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: ¹¹ And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. ¹² And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah: ¹³ And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. ¹⁴ And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: ¹⁵ And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. ¹⁶ And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: ¹⁷ And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. ¹⁸ And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu: ¹⁹ And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters. ²⁰ And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug: ²¹ And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. ²² And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: ²³ And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. ²⁴ And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: ²⁵ And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. ²⁶ And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. ²⁷ Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. ²⁸ And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. ²⁹ And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. ³⁰ But Sarai was barren; she had no child. ³¹ And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. ³² And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

Study helps

Glossary

Shinar Place v. 2: Biblical region. Modern identification: Babylon.
City People v. 4-5, 8: The earliest mention of city-building is that of Enoch, which was built by Cain ( Gen. 4:17 ). After the confusion of tongues, the descendants of Nimrod founded several cities (10:10-12).
Babel Place v. 9: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Babylon.
Arphaxad Person v. 10-13: Son of Shem, born the year after the Deluge. He died at the age of 438 years ( Gen. 11:10-13 ; 1 Chr. 1:17 , 18; Luke 3:36 ).
Shem Person v. 10-11: A name; renown, the first mentioned of the sons of Noah ( Gen. 5:32 ; 6:10 ). He was probably the eldest of Noah’s sons. The words “brother of Japheth the elder” in Gen.
Serug Person v. 20-23: Branch, the father of Nahor ( Gen. 11:20-23 ); called Saruch in Luke 3:35 .
Chaldea Place v. 28, 31: Biblical region. Modern identification: Tell el Muqayyar.
Ur Place v. 28, 31: Light, or the moon city, a city “of the Chaldees,” the birthplace of Haran. Modern identification: Tell el Muqayyar.
Iscah Person v. 29: Spy, the daughter of Haran and sister of Milcah and Lot ( Gen. 11:29 , 31).
Canaan Place v. 31: Biblical region. Modern identification: Canaan.
Haran Place v. 31-32: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Harran.