Genesis 11 Commentary

At this time there was only one language used worldwide. A group of people settled in the plain of Shinar where they learned to make bricks and use mortar to build.

The people wanted to build a city and a tower in order to make a name for themselves. They did not want to be scattered over the whole earth, as God had commanded.

God came down to see the work of these people. He saw their unity and decided to confuse their language and to scatter them over the earth. The name of the city was now called Babel.

The lineage of Shem is presented, including Arpachshad, Shelah, and Eber.

The genealogy covering the ten generations from Shem to Abraham continues with Peleg, Reu, and Serug.

The lineage tracing from Shem to Abram draws to a close with Abram and his two brothers.

These verses tell the story of Abram’s father Terah and the family leaving Ur for Canaan only to go as far as Haran where Terah dies.