Genesis Chapter 11
"Noah to Abraham"
Context:
Genealogy of Noah and his descendants, ending with Abraham
Chief People:
- God
- Noah to Abraham
Choice Verses:
GENESIS 11:1
Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.
- The descendants of Noah's three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, remained together for a while, then migrated away from the region around Ararat, where the ark settled. It makes sense, given this context, that humanity continued to have one language.
GENESIS 11:2
As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
- The location of Shinar is evident from its description as encompassing both Babel (Babylon) in northern Babylonia, and Erech (Uruk) in southern Babylonia.
GENESIS 11:3
They said to each other, 'Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
- This detailed Knowledge of Mesopotamian construction techniques is further evidence of the origins of this period described. .This is interesting to know that these ancient people used bricks, while most others of the time often used stone for building.
GENESIS 11:4
Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.
- This verse talks of a great city this group wants to build but it appears the main purpose is to make a name for themselves, which on its face may show their motive is more about glorifying themselves than God. This also contradicts God’s command to fill the Earth, as it suggests the people should gather in one city rather than populating the earth. We are not completely clear as to the purpose of this tower as it does not say specifically the tower was for God. They did not, apparently, acknowledge God in any way or seek His help. I interpreted this as they believed that self-glorification and self-reliance would achieve their greatest goals, as this verse speaks to people, not God. When people strive to become famous, fame can become a false God. We see this today with many famous people. They think their fame makes them better than others, and by glorifying themselves God becomes a second thought, if even that.
GENESIS 11:5
But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.
- This reminds me of a parent checking on a child after hearing a big noise from the child's room. I sense some sarcasm as God would not need to come down to see the city and people. There is some irony here too; they built a tower to reach the heavens, but it was still far enough away that God had to come down to see it.The language is meant to emphasize what a silly idea it was that people could build a tower that would reach to the heavens.
GENESIS 11:6:
The LORD said, 'If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
- God is pointing to the fact that the people are trying to accomplish something impossible, they are attempting to be Gods themselves again perhaps. This also touches on the “one world power” ideology, and again, not of God’s approval. Such an idea is dangerous as concentrated power in the hands of a few inevitably leads to corruption; this sound familiar? One world power at its face sounds like a great idea, but such centralized power does not bring diversity, and different ideas, it creates compliant obedient servants. When we simply look at our Federal Government today, they increasingly want more power. This is not what our founders intended, they said the powers belong to the States (10th Amendment)
GENESIS 11:7
Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.
- This in our history is the when, and the why, we have so many different Languages, so that we wouldn’t all be united under one ruling power. I don't believe God is not attempting to stifle mankind's potential to accomplish "anything" good, but He is very concerned about their potential to accomplish "anything" evil. This tower had to be an incredible accomplishment in its time, but its motives seem to be more man centered than God centered. Interestingly, the word babel has become an external symbol for confusion. The word in English for speaking incoherently is “babel”. Later, this city would be known as Babylon.
GENESIS 11:8
So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
- I have to wonder if God viewed cities as more of a hindrance to man than something of great influence and advantage. He doesn't say he scattered them to build other cities, he scattered them and they stopped building the city! Many cities today produce many good people, and some rural areas produce some evil people, but a city can have the tendency to breed more evil; just look at our big cities today.
GENESIS 11:9
That is why it was called Babel --because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
- The earliest known mention of Babylon as a small town appears on a clay tablet from the reign of Shar-Kali-Sharri (2217–2193 BC) of the Akkadian Empire. The site of the ancient city lies just south of present-day Baghdad, Iraq. It has been estimated that Babylon was the largest city in the world c. 1770 BC – 1670 BC, and again 612 BC - 320 BC. Babylon was the capital city of the ancient Babylonian Empire. One day, though, God will create a new kingdom with a single language and culture once again. (Zephaniah 3:9–11) describes that moment, and the Holy Spirit's act of uniting the languages at Pentecost may hint at it as well (Acts 2:6–11).
GENESIS 11:10
This is the account of Shem's family line. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad.
- This sets up the origins of the people of Israel. This verse is also the last mention of the flood in Genesis, marking the beginning of a new era. The birth of Arpachshad so quickly after God's command to multiply and fill the earth shows that Shem was living in obedience.
GENESIS 11:11
And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.
- Interestingly, this genealogy does not focus on phrases such as "and then he died," as did the genealogy of chapter 5.
GENESIS 11:12
When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah.
- To date in scripture, this is the earliest age a father has a son. This is a drastic reduction in the age of having children when compared to the pre-flood era. Whether as a result of the world being damaged by the flood (Genesis 7:22–24), or by God's direct intervention (Genesis 6:3), humanity's lifespans will taper off very quickly in the generations following Noah.
GENESIS 11:13
And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
- As with other verses, this statement supports a rapid decline in human lifespans after the flood. While ancient figures such as Noah lived nearly a thousand years.
GENESIS 11:14
When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.
- Shelah now fathers a son 5 years sooner than his father.
GENESIS 11:15
And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
- The trend continues of stating he “lived’, not "And he died”. He also lived roughly half as long as Noah.
GENESIS 11:16
When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg.
- Peleg's name apparently comes from a word that means "to divide." (Genesis 10:25) tells us that in Peleg's time the earth was divided, likely referring to the dispersion of the peoples that happened after God confused the languages in Babel (Genesis 11:1–9).
GENESIS 11:17
And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
- Within a few more generations, man's days are cut down again by half.
GENESIS 11:18
When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu.
- The name Reu appears only here in the Old Testament, though it may be a variation on other names.
GENESIS 11:19
And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
- Peleg only lives 239 years, over 700 years less than Noah.
GENESIS 11:20
When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug.
- The name Serug may be associated with a place called Sarugi about 20 miles from Haran, where Abram's family will eventually settle.
GENESIS 11:21
And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
- As with his father Peleg, Reu also lives just 239 years
GENESIS 11:22
When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor.
GENESIS 11:23
And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
GENESIS 11:24
When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah.
- 29 years old is now the youngest age recorded so far. Abram's (Abraham) father is Terah.
GENESIS 11:25
And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
- Life span drops again here, Nahor lives 148 years, the shortest lifespan yet recorded following the flood.
GENESIS 11:26
After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.
- The line from Noah to Abraham (Abram) is now complete. Oddly, Terah is 70 when he fathers Abram, which breaks a trend of previous generations. Abram's name apparently means something like "exalted father." This is a major moment in the genealogy of mankind. Abram will later be renamed Abraham. Abraham's relationship to God will be the cornerstone of three major modern world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Abraham will be called by God (Genesis 12:1), and given special blessings (Genesis 12:2–3). His grandson, Jacob, will be renamed Israel, fathering the nation God will designate as His chosen people.
GENESIS 11:27
This is the account of Terah's family line. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.
- The previous section contained a direct genealogy from Noah's son Shem to Abram. Terah fathered three sons in Abram, Nahor and Haran. Haran fathered Lot, Abram's nephew, a man who will play a large role in Abram's story. Lot will also play a central role in one of the Old Testament's most dramatic incidents of divine judgment: the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18—19).
GENESIS 11:28
While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.
- Haran, one of the three sons of Terah, died long before Terah did. At the time he died, the family home was in a region known as Ur of the Chaldeans, possibly in modern day southern Iraq.
GENESIS 11:29
Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah.
- This is the first time scripture says “married”, perhaps because Sarai, Abram’s wife, will become such an important figure in the Bible. Sarai would later be renamed Sarah. Several complicated family relationships are described in this verse. Sarai was Abram's half-sister, the daughter of his father Terah, but not from the same mother. Abram's brother, Haran, had died leaving behind two children: Milcah and Iscah. Abram's other brother Nahor married Haran's daughter Milcah.
GENESIS 11:30
Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.
- Sarai, childless and not able to conceive, will be pivotal in future verses.
GENESIS 11:31
Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.
- Ur of the Chaldeans, is the birthplace of the Israelite and Ishmaelite patriarch Abraham. In 1862, Henry Rawlinson identified Ur Kaśdim with Tell el-Muqayyar, near Nasiriyah in southern Iraq.
GENESIS 11:32
Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.
- The chapter ends by telling us that Terah lived to be 205 years old before dying in Haran. Although shorter in comparison than previous patriarchs, Terah would have lived long enough to be alive for nearly all the major events of Abraham's life, including the eventual birth of Terah's grandson, Isaac.
Crucial Words
- Ishmaelite: Ishmaelites were the descendants of Ishmael, the son of Abram by his wife’s handmaiden, Hagar. According to the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible, Ishmael had one daughter and twelve sons, the "twelve princes" mentioned in (Genesis 17:20). In Islamic tradition, this gave rise to the "Twelve Tribes of Ishmael", Arab tribes from which the early Muslims were descended.
Cross Reference
- (Zephaniah 3:9) “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder.”
- (Acts 2:6–9) “6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?”
- (Genesis 10:25) “One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.”
- (Genesis 17:20) “And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.”
Questions:
- Genesis 11:3 Who was “They”?
- Genesis 11:4 Was the tower built to reach the Heavens, or some other reason; perhaps to protect them from a future flood, or an attempt to build a monument to their greatness?
- Genesis 11:5 Did God actually come down?
- Genesis 11:6 Why did God say “nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them?”
- Genesis 11:7 When God says “Come, let us”, is the “us” Himself. the Trinity, or perhaps Angels?
- Genesis 11:31 Why had they planned to settle in Canaan only to never make it, and settle in Haran?
- Genesis 11:31 Ishmael, the son of Abram is the Father of Islam. God blessed him with 12 sons that would become the "Twelve Tribes of Ishmael". Why did God apparently allow 2 similar, but separate Ideologies?