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Genesis 11

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Part of The Nations and Babel📖 Genesis introduction

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1The whole earth was of one language and of one speech. ✦ 2As they traveled east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there. ✦ 3They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. ✦ 4They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.” ✦ 5Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built. ✦ 6Yahweh said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do. ✦ 7Come, let’s go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” ✦ 8So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city. ✦ 9Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth. ✦ 10This is the history of the generations of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old when he became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood. ✦ 11Shem lived five hundred years after he became the father of Arpachshad, and became the father of more sons and daughters. ✦ 12Arpachshad lived thirty-five years and became the father of Shelah. ✦ 13Arpachshad lived four hundred three years after he became the father of Shelah, and became the father of more sons and daughters. 14Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber. 15Shelah lived four hundred three years after he became the father of Eber, and became the father of more sons and daughters. 16Eber lived thirty-four years, and became the father of Peleg. ✦ 17Eber lived four hundred thirty years after he became the father of Peleg, and became the father of more sons and daughters. 18Peleg lived thirty years, and became the father of Reu. ✦ 19Peleg lived two hundred nine years after he became the father of Reu, and became the father of more sons and daughters. 20Reu lived thirty-two years, and became the father of Serug. ✦ 21Reu lived two hundred seven years after he became the father of Serug, and became the father of more sons and daughters. 22Serug lived thirty years, and became the father of Nahor. ✦ 23Serug lived two hundred years after he became the father of Nahor, and became the father of more sons and daughters. 24Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah. ✦ 25Nahor lived one hundred nineteen years after he became the father of Terah, and became the father of more sons and daughters. 26Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. ✦ 27Now this is the history of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot. ✦ 28Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees. ✦ 29Abram and Nahor married wives. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran who was also the father of Iscah. ✦ 30Sarai was barren. She had no child. ✦ 31Terah took Abram his son, Lot the son of Haran, his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife. They went from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. They came to Haran and lived there. ✦ 32The days of Terah were two hundred five years. Terah died in Haran.

Tap any verse for its study page. Underlined terms mark a concept, person, or place; ✦ marks verses with cross-references.

Where this chapter connects

Gen 10 ·15Gen 11 ·13Luke 3 ·6Luke 1 ·5Josh 24 ·4Dan 4 ·3Gen 24 ·31 Chr 1 ·3

Christ at the center

From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.

How Genesis 11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Resources, by level

Lay

  • ★ Start hereDocumentaryExpedition BibleJoel Kramer · Free · evangelical

    On-location biblical archaeology from a credentialed archaeologist (M.A., excavated in Israel) — the best free place to start on "did it really happen?"

  • ★ Start hereAudioThrough the WordThrough the Word · ~10 min/chapter · Free · evangelical

    A clear ~10-minute audio teaching for every one of the Bible's 1,189 chapters — the most systematic free way to study chapter by chapter.

  • ★ Start hereVideoOverview: Genesis 1–11BibleProject · 9 min · Free

    The single best free starting point for Genesis 1–11 — clear, visual, and faithful to the literary design.

  • VideoSpoken GospelSpoken Gospel · Free · evangelical

    Short, gospel-centered videos and spoken-word poems showing how each passage points to Jesus — especially strong on the Old Testament.

  • ReferenceBook of Genesis — Visual GuideBibleProject · Free

    A free structured guide to the whole book — outline, themes, and links to each video.

  • DocumentaryIs Genesis History?Del Tackett · Free · evangelical

    A young-earth-creationist case for a literal Genesis, free on YouTube. (YEC is one view held by faithful Christians; others read Genesis differently — see the genre guide on how to read it.)

Pastoral

  • SermonChuck Smith — C2000 SeriesChuck Smith · Free · evangelical

    Free verse-by-verse audio through the entire Bible from the founder of Calvary Chapel.

Seminary

  • ★ Start hereCommentaryGenesis (Word Biblical Commentary)Gordon J. Wenham · Paid · evangelical

    For decades the gold-standard commentary on Genesis — technical but rich. (See the ranked list for alternatives like Hamilton, NICOT.)

  • BookThe Pentateuch as NarrativeJohn H. Sailhamer · ~560 pp · Library · evangelical

    A literary-theological reading that makes Genesis's design visible.

Commentaries & study tools

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