Bible Commentaries
Genesis 11

Verses 1-9

The Genealogy of the Sons of Noah - The fourth genealogy in the book of Genesis is entitled “The Genealogy of the Sons of Noah” (Genesis 10:1 to Genesis 11:9), which tells us how the sons of Noah fulfilled the divine commission to be fruitful and multiply. The previous genealogy of Noah tells us that the calling and destiny of Noah was to multiply and to replenish the earth (Genesis 9:1). This genealogy shows the fulfillment of this commission in his sons. This passage of Scripture contains the Table of Nations, which show us that God divided mankind up into seventy nations in order to fulfill this commission. This table lists the genealogies of the sons of Noah, but only one of them would carry the seed of righteousness, which was Shem. All of their genealogies are listed briefly in this table because Noah had favor with God, so that God’s blessings would come upon his children; however, only Shem fulfilled his divine destiny that was a part of God’s eternal plan of redemption in that the seed of righteousness descended from him through Abraham. The other sons of Noah failed to fulfill their destinies, bearing wicked seed that continued the seed of corruption upon the earth. After reading in the Table of Nations concerning the seventy nations that were divided by their families and their tongues (Genesis 10:1-32), we read the story of Babel of how the tongues of man were divided, which caused in the division of the nations (Genesis 11:1-9). The Genealogy of the Sons of Noah closes by saying that God spread the seventy nations upon the earth (Genesis 11:9), which would be to fulfill the divine commission for mankind to be fruitful and multiply.

Outline Here is a proposed outline:

1. The Table of Nations Genesis 10:1-32

2. The Tower of Babel Genesis 11:1-9

The Origin of the Nations Genesis 10:1 to Genesis 11:9 describes the origins of the nations as we know them today. After Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 9:29 takes us through the series of events that shaped characteristics of the heavens and the earth as we know them today, which are listed as “seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22), we are given a passage of Scripture that explains the origin of the seventy nations speaking distinct tongues that make up prophetic history until the new heavens and earth are created in eternity (Genesis 10:1 to Genesis 11:9). This passage will serve as a foundation for the next section in the book of Genesis, which explains the origin of the nation of Israel that God calls out to create a righteous people to repopulate the earth (Genesis 11:10 to Genesis 50:26).

The Importance of Possessing Land - Genesis 10:1 to Genesis 11:9 identifies the names of seventy nations of the earth which were divided at the Tower of Babel. The Scriptures will refer to them from now until the book of Revelation as “the Gentiles” in contrast to the nation of Israel, which has yet to be established from the loins of Abraham whose ancestor is Heber. It is important to note that from God’s perspective the nation of Israel will then take center stage throughout the history of mankind, except for the two thousand period of Church history. This is why Paul was able to identify three distinct people groups that exist on earth from a divine perspective, which is Israel, the Church and the Gentiles (1 Corinthians 10:32).

1 Corinthians 10:32, “Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:”

The Importance of Land Ownership - If we look at the existing boundaries of these 70 nations, we immediately begin to understand their economic importance. Each of these nations departed from the Tower of Babel with an equal opportunity for prosperity. We know that some countries inherited more productive land than others. A country’s wealth is determined by its ability to subdue its land and exploit its resources. A drive into Brownsville, Texas is a clear illustration of this point. Part of this town is in the U.S.A. and part of it is in Mexico. As you pass from Texas through customs and into Mexico, you go from prosperity to poverty. The boundary fence running through this border city determines whether people are wealthy or poor, based upon the divine blessings upon their nation.

The Lord was so accurate regarding the importance of His people owning real estate that He had Joshua divide the Promised Land by lot to the twelve tribes. These tribes divided their lots up by clans, families and individuals. Without land ownership a person would have no hope for prosperity. This is why God gave the tribes certain rules on how to provide for the Levites since they had no land inheritance, but were scattered throughout the other tribes. When a person fell into poverty, he sold his land and served as a slave to others with no hope of obtaining prosperity. So, under the Mosaic Law, land ownership was carefully regulated because it held the keys to one’s potential for prosperity.

I have lived in East Africa for a number of years now. As I observe wise investors in a country where corruption is widespread and inflation is high, it appears that the only sure place for someone to invest their money is in land. Having come from the U.S.A. with a strong economy, I felt that there were many secure investment opportunities; but in developing countries, land becomes the only secure investment. This helps illustrate the importance of these nations having their own secure boundaries, because this was a major factor in determining their future prosperity.

We read a statement in Ecclesiastes 5:9 “Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.” This tells us that through the principles of economics, taxes eventually make their way into the hands of the king. From the laborer all of the way up to the king, every person in a society experiences the blessings from the field. Note that everything that you see around you, buildings, cars, furniture, even our physical bodies, comes from the ground. These minerals are the building blocks of materials and even life. So land is important and the boundaries of nations and the ownership and control of real estate plays a leading role in the conflicts and wars that are fought throughout the Scriptures between these seventy nations.

Verses 1-32

Ten Genealogies (Calling) - The Genealogies of Righteous Men and their Divine Callings (To Be Fruitful and Multiply) - The ten genealogies found within the book of Genesis are structured in a way that traces the seed of righteousness from Adam to Noah to Shem to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob and the seventy souls that followed him down into Egypt. The book of Genesis closes with the story of the preservation of these seventy souls, leading us into the book of Exodus where we see the creation of the nation of Israel while in Egyptian bondage, which nation of righteousness God will use to be a witness to all nations on earth in His plan of redemption. Thus, we see how the book of Genesis concludes with the origin of the nation of Israel while its first eleven chapters reveal that the God of Israel is in fact that God of all nations and all creation.

The genealogies of the six righteous men in Genesis (Adam, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) are the emphasis in this first book of the Old Testament, with each of their narrative stories opening with a divine commission from God to these men, and closing with the fulfillment of prophetic words concerning the divine commissions. This structure suggests that the author of the book of Genesis wrote under the office of the prophet in that a prophecy is given and fulfilled within each of the genealogies of these six primary patriarchs. Furthermore, all the books of the Old Testament were written by men of God who moved in the office of the prophet, which includes the book of Genesis. We find a reference to the fulfillment of these divine commissions by the patriarchs in Hebrews 11:1-40. The underlying theme of the Holy Scriptures is God’s plan of redemption for mankind. Thus, the book of Genesis places emphasis upon these men of righteousness because of the role that they play in this divine plan as they fulfilled their divine commissions. This explains why the genealogies of Ishmael (Genesis 25:12-18) and of Esau (Genesis 36:1-43) are relatively brief, because God does not discuss the destinies of these two men in the book of Genesis. These two men were not men of righteousness, for they missed their destinies because of sin. Ishmael persecuted Isaac and Esau sold his birthright. However, it helps us to understand that God has blessed Ishmael and Esau because of Abraham although the seed of the Messiah and our redemption does not pass through their lineage. Prophecies were given to Ishmael and Esau by their fathers, and their genealogies testify to the fulfillment of these prophecies. There were six righteous men did fulfill their destinies in order to preserve a righteous seed so that God could create a righteous nation from the fruit of their loins. Illustration As a young schoolchild learning to read, I would check out biographies of famous men from the library, take them home and read them as a part of class assignments. The lives of these men stirred me up and placed a desire within me to accomplish something great for mankind as did these men. In like manner, the patriarchs of the genealogies in Genesis are designed to stir up our faith in God and encourage us to walk in their footsteps in obedience to God.

The first five genealogies in the book of Genesis bring redemptive history to the place of identifying seventy nations listed in the Table of Nations. The next five genealogies focus upon the origin of the nation of Israel and its patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

There is much more history and events that took place surrounding these individuals emphasized in the book of Genesis, which can be found in other ancient Jewish writings, such as The Book of Jubilees. However, the Holy Scriptures and the book of Genesis focus upon the particular events that shaped God’s plan of redemption through the procreation of men of righteousness. Thus, it was unnecessary to include many of these historical events that were irrelevant to God’s plan of redemption.

In addition, if we see that the ten genealogies contained within the book of Genesis show to us the seed of righteousness that God has preserved in order to fulfill His promise that the “seed of woman” would bruise the serpent’s head in Genesis 3:15, then we must understand that each of these men of righteousness had a particular calling, destiny, and purpose for their lives. We can find within each of these genealogies the destiny of each of these men of God, for each one of them fulfilled their destiny. These individual destinies are mentioned at the beginning of each of their genealogies.

It is important for us to search these passages of Scripture and learn how each of these men fulfilled their destiny in order that we can better understand that God has a destiny and a purpose for each of His children as He continues to work out His divine plan of redemption among the children of men. This means that He has a destiny for you and me. Thus, these stories will show us how other men fulfilled their destinies and help us learn how to fulfill our destiny. The fact that there are ten callings in the book of Genesis, and since the number “10” represents the concept of countless, many, or numerous, we should understand that God calls out men in each subsequent generation until God’s plan of redemption is complete.

We can even examine the meanings of each of their names in order to determine their destiny, which was determined for them from a child. Adam’s name means “ruddy, i.e. a human being” ( Strong), for it was his destiny to begin the human race. Noah’s name means, “rest” ( Strong). His destiny was to build the ark and save a remnant of mankind so that God could restore peace and rest to the fallen human race. God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, meaning, “father of a multitude” ( Strong), because his destiny was to live in the land of Canaan and believe God for a son of promise so that his seed would become fruitful and multiply and take dominion over the earth. Isaac’s name means, “laughter” ( Strong) because he was the child of promise. His destiny was to father two nations, believing that the elder would serve the younger. Isaac overcame the obstacles that hindered the possession of the land, such as barrenness and the threat of his enemies in order to father two nations, Israel and Esau. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, which means “he will rule as God” ( Strong), because of his ability to prevail over his brother Esau and receive his father’s blessings, and because he prevailed over the angel in order to preserve his posterity, which was the procreation of twelve sons who later multiplied into the twelve tribes of Israel. Thus, his ability to prevail against all odds and father twelve righteous seeds earned him his name as one who prevailed with God’s plan of being fruitful and multiplying seeds of righteousness.

In order for God’s plan to be fulfilled in each of the lives of these patriarchs, they were commanded to be fruitful and multiply. It was God’s plan that the fruit of each man was to be a godly seed, a seed of righteousness. It was because of the Fall that unrighteous seed was produced. This ungodly offspring was not then nor is it today God’s plan for mankind.

Outline Here is a proposed outline:

1. The Generation of the Heavens and the Earth Genesis 2:4 to Genesis 4:26

a) The Creation of Man Genesis 2:4-25

b) The Fall Genesis 3:1-24

c) Cain and Abel Genesis 4:1-26

2. The Generation of Adam Genesis 5:1 to Genesis 6:8

3. The Generation of Noah Genesis 6:9 to Genesis 9:29

4. The Generation of the Sons of Noah Genesis 10:1 to Genesis 11:9

5. The Generation of Shem Genesis 11:10-26

6. The Generation of Terah (& Abraham) Genesis 11:27 to Genesis 25:11

7. The Generation Ishmael Genesis 25:12-18

8. The Generation of Isaac Genesis 25:19 to Genesis 35:29

9. The Generation of Esau Genesis 36:1-43

10. The Generation of Jacob Genesis 37:1 to Genesis 50:26

Verses 10-26

The Genealogy of Shem Shem’s Divine Destiny - The fifth genealogy in the book of Genesis is entitled “The Genealogy of Shem” (Genesis 11:10-26), which reveals the role of Shem in producing Abraham has a descendant, through which God would produce a righteous seed. Shem’s destiny was not marked by a personal, divine intervention. He simply was called to be fruitful and multiply a righteous seed. Thus, his genealogy culminates with the birth of the sons of Terah, one of which was Abraham.

Mankind’s Shortened Lifespan - Note how the length of man's life begins to decreases during this time period from the longevity before the Flood to the limit of one hundred twenty years instituted by God in Genesis 6:3. This shortened lifespan was certainly affected as well by the new and more harsh characteristics of the post-flood environment on earth. We all aspire to live as long as our fathers, so men must have despaired of their decreasing life spans reflected in this genealogy.

Genesis 6:3, “And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.”

Genesis 11:10 These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:

Genesis 11:11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:12 And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah:

Genesis 11:13 And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:14 And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:

Genesis 11:15 And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:

Genesis 11:16 Comments - According to Genesis 11:10-16, Peleg was born one hundred and one (101) years after the flood.

Genesis 11:17 And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:

Genesis 11:18 Word Study on “Reu” Strong says the Hebrew name “Reu” “ruw” ( רְעוּ ) (H7466) means, “friend,” and is derived from the primitive root ( רָעָה ) (H7462), which means, “to pasture, tend, graze, feed,” and “to associate with, (Hithpael) to be companions, (Piel) to be a special friend.” PTW says it means, “friendship.”

Comments - Perhaps the name Reu indicates that the children of men were not scattering over the earth to inhabit it; rather, they were gathering together in the land of Shinar in order to be one people, which was against God’s command to inhabit the whole earth.

Genesis 11:19 And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug:

Genesis 11:20 Word Study on “Serug” Gesenius says the Hebrew name “Serug” ( שְׂרוּג ) (H8286) means, “shoot.” Hitchcock says it means, “branch, layer, twining.” PTW says that the name means, “strength, firmness.” Strong says it means, “branch,” and is derived from the primitive root ( שָׂרַג ) (H8276), which means, “to be intertwined.”

Comments - The Book of Jubilees (11.6-7) tells us that Reu changed the name of his son from Seroh to Serug during his day because everyone turned to do all manner of sin and evil.

Genesis 11:21 And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor:

Genesis 11:23 And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah:

Genesis 11:24 Word Study on “Terah” Gesenius says the Hebrew name “Terah” ( תֶּרַח ) (H8646) is from an unused root that means, “to delay.” Strong says the name means, “station.” PTW says that the name means, “turning, duration.”

Comments - The Book of Jubilees tells us that Nahor named his son Terah because reduced them to destitution by eating the seeds that they had planted.

“And she bare him Terah in the seventh year of this week. [1806 A.M.] And the prince Mastema sent ravens and birds to devour the seed which was sown in the land, in order to destroy the land, and rob the children of men of their labours. Before they could plough in the seed, the ravens picked (it) from the surface of the ground. And for this reason he called his name Terah because the ravens and the birds reduced them to destitution and devoured their seed. And the years began to be barren, owing to the birds, and they devoured all the fruit of the trees from the trees: it was only with great effort that they could save a little of all the fruit of the earth in their days.” ( The Book of Jubilees 11.10-14)

Genesis 11:25 And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Genesis 11:26 Word Study on “Abram” Strong says the Hebrew name “Abram” ( אַבְרָם ) (H87) means, “high father.”

Comments - The Book of Jubilees tells us that Abram was named after his grandfather who carried this same name because he died before his daughter has conceived a son.

“And in this thirty-ninth jubilee, in the second week in the first year, [1870 A.M.] Terah took to himself a wife, and her name was 'Edna, the daughter of 'Abram, the daughter of his father's sister. And in the seventh year of this week [1876 A.M.] she bare him a son, and he called his name Abram, by the name of the father of his mother; for he had died before his daughter had conceived a son.” ( The Book of Jubilees 11.14-15)

Genesis 11:26 Comments - Noah was 892 years old when Abraham was born. Noah lived to be 950 years old. Thus, Noah could have easily told Abraham personally about the flood and pre-flood history in those 58 years that overlapped their lives. Noah's son, Shem, was 392 years when Abraham was born. Therefore, Abraham could have learned the stories of the origins of man from Noah himself.

Verses 27-32

The Calling of the Patriarchs of Israel We can find two major divisions within the book of Genesis that reveal God’s foreknowledge in designing a plan of redemption to establish a righteous people upon earth. Paul reveals this four-fold plan in Romans 8:29-30: predestination, calling, justification, and glorification.

Romans 8:29-30, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”

The book of Genesis will reflect the first two phase of redemption, which are predestination and calling. We find in the first division in Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:3 emphasizing predestination. The Creation Story gives us God’s predestined plan for mankind, which is to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth with righteous offspring. The second major division is found in Genesis 2:4 to Genesis 50:25, which gives us ten genealogies, in which God calls men of righteousness to play a role in His divine plan of redemption.

The foundational theme of Genesis 2:4 to Genesis 11:26 is the divine calling for mankind to be fruitful and multiply, which commission was given to Adam prior to the Flood (Genesis 1:28-29), and to Noah after the Flood (Genesis 9:1). The establishment of the seventy nations prepares us for the calling out of Abraham and his sons, which story fills the rest of the book of Genesis. Thus, God’s calling through His divine foreknowledge (Genesis 11:27 to Genesis 50:26) will focus the calling of Abraham and his descendants to establish the nation of Israel. God will call the patriarchs to fulfill the original purpose and intent of creation, which is to multiply into a righteous nation, for which mankind was originally predestined to fulfill.

The generations of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob take up a large portion of the book of Genesis. These genealogies have a common structure in that they all begin with God revealing Himself to a patriarch and giving him a divine commission, and they close with God fulfilling His promise to each of them because of their faith in His promise. God promised Abraham a son through Sarah his wife that would multiply into a nation, and Abraham demonstrated his faith in this promise on Mount Moriah. God promised Isaac two sons, with the younger receiving the first-born blessing, and this was fulfilled when Jacob deceived his father and received the blessing above his brother Esau. Jacob’s son Joseph received two dreams of ruling over his brothers, and Jacob testified to his faith in this promise by following Joseph into the land of Egypt. Thus, these three genealogies emphasize God’s call and commission to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their response of faith in seeing God fulfill His word to each of them.

1. The Generations of Terah (& Abraham) Genesis 11:27 to Genesis 25:11

2. The Generations Ishmael Genesis 25:12-18

3. The Generations of Isaac Genesis 25:19 to Genesis 35:29

4. The Generations of Esau Genesis 36:1-43

5. The Generations of Jacob Genesis 37:1 to Genesis 50:26

The Origin of the Nation of Israel After Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 9:29 takes us through the origin of the heavens and the earth as we know them today, and Genesis 10:1 to Genesis 11:26 explains the origin of the seventy nations (Genesis 10:1 to Genesis 11:26), we see that the rest of the book of Genesis focuses upon the origin of the nation of Israel (Genesis 11:27 to Genesis 50:26). Thus, each of these major divisions serves as a foundation upon which the next division is built.

Paul the apostle reveals the four phases of God the Father’s plan of redemption for mankind through His divine foreknowledge of all things in Romans 8:29-30, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” Predestination - Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 11:26 emphasizes the theme of God the Father’s predestined purpose of the earth, which was to serve mankind, and of mankind, which was to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth with righteousness. Calling - Genesis 11:27 to Genesis 50:26 will place emphasis upon the second phase of God’s plan of redemption for mankind, which is His divine calling to fulfill His purpose of multiplying and filling the earth with righteousness. (The additional two phases of Justification and Glorification will unfold within the rest of the books of the Pentateuch.) This second section of Genesis can be divided into five genealogies. The three genealogies of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob begin with a divine calling to a patriarch. The two shorter genealogies of Ishmael and Esau are given simply because they inherit a measure of divine blessings as descendants of Abraham, but they will not play a central role in God’s redemptive plan for mankind. God will implement phase two of His divine plan of redemption by calling one man named Abraham to depart unto the Promised Land (Genesis 12:1-3), and this calling was fulfilled by the patriarch. Isaac’s calling can also be found at the beginning of his genealogy, where God commands him to dwell in the Promised Land (Genesis 26:1-6), and this calling was fulfilled by the patriarch Isaac. Jacob’s calling was fulfilled as he bore twelve sons and took them into Egypt where they multiplied into a nation. The opening passage of Jacob’s genealogy reveals that his destiny would be fulfilled through the dream of his son Joseph (Genesis 37:1-11), which took place in the land of Egypt. Perhaps Jacob did not receive such a clear calling as Abraham and Isaac because his early life was one of deceit, rather than of righteousness obedience to God; so the Lord had to reveal His plan for Jacob through his righteous son Joseph. In a similar way, God spoke to righteous kings of Israel, and was silent to those who did not serve Him. Thus, the three patriarchs of Israel received a divine calling, which they fulfilled in order for the nation of Israel to become established in the land of Egypt. Perhaps the reason the Lord sent the Jacob and the seventy souls into Egypt to multiply rather than leaving them in the Promised Land is that the Israelites would have intermarried the cultic nations around them and failed to produce a nation of righteousness. God’s ways are always perfect.

1. The Generations of Terah (& Abraham) Genesis 11:27 to Genesis 25:11

2. The Generations Ishmael Genesis 25:12-18

3. The Generations of Isaac Genesis 25:19 to Genesis 35:29

4. The Generations of Esau Genesis 36:1-43

5. The Generations of Jacob Genesis 37:1 to Genesis 50:26

Divine Miracles It is important to note that up until now the Scriptures record no miracles in the lives of men. Thus, we will observe that divine miracles begin with Abraham and the children of Israel. Testimonies reveal today that the Jews are still recipients of God’s miracles as He divinely intervenes in this nation to fulfill His purpose and plan for His people. Yes, God is working miracles through His New Testament Church, but miracles had their beginning with the nation of Israel.