Genesis 11

Genesis 11 consists of two main sections:

1. The Tower of Babel (verses 1-9)

   • At this time, all people on earth spoke the same language.
   • People settled in the plain of Shinar (Babylonia).
   • They decided to build a city with a tower reaching to the heavens to make a name for themselves and avoid being scattered.
   • God came down to see the city and tower.
   • God was concerned about what humans might achieve if they remained united with one language.
   • God confused their language so they couldn't understand each other.
   • This caused people to scatter across the earth.
   • The city was called Babel because God confused (Hebrew: balal) the language of the world there.

2. The Genealogy of Shem to Abram (verses 10-32)

   • Records the descendants of Shem (one of Noah's sons)
   • Traces the lineage from Shem to Terah, the father of Abram (later renamed Abraham)
   • Shows the gradual decrease in human lifespan after the flood
   • Ends with Terah taking his family, including Abram, from Ur of the Chaldees toward Canaan
   • They settled in Haran, where Terah died

This chapter bridges the historical record from the post-flood world to the beginning of the patriarchal stories with Abraham, setting the stage for God's covenant with Abraham in the following chapters.