Genesis 11:8-18

8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.

9 That is why it was called Babel^[a] —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

From Shem to Abram

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^[b] of Arphaxad.

11 And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah.

13 And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.^[c]

14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.

15 And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg.

17 And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.

18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu.

Read Chapter Compare

Genesis 11:8-18 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 11

This chapter gives an account of the inhabitants of the earth before the confusion of tongues at Babel, of their speech and language, which was one and the same, and of the place where they dwelt, Ge 11:1,2 and of their design to build a city and tower, to make them a name and keep them together, which they put in execution, Ge 11:3,4 of the notice the Lord took of this affair, and of the method he took to put a stop to their designs, by confounding their speech, and dispersing them abroad upon the face of the earth, Ge 11:5-9 then follows a genealogy of Shem's posterity down to Abraham, Ge 11:10-26 and a particular relation is given of Terah, the father of Abraham, and his family, and of his going forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, in order to go into the land of Canaan, and of his death at Haran by the way, Ge 11:27-32.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 11

1. S Genesis 9:19; Deuteronomy 32:8; S Luke 1:51
2. S Genesis 10:10
3. Psalms 55:9
4. Acts 2:5-11
5. Isaiah 2:10,21; Isaiah 13:14; Isaiah 24:1
6. S Genesis 2:4
7. Luke 3:36
8. Luke 3:35
9. Luke 3:35
10. Luke 3:35
11. Luke 3:35

Footnotes 3

[a]. That is, Babylon; "Babel" sounds like the Hebrew for "confused" .
[b]. "Father" may mean "ancestor" ; also in verses 11-25.
[c]. Hebrew; Septuagint (see also Luke 3:35, 36 and note at Gen. 10:24) "35 years, he became the father of Cainan. " 13"And after he became the father of Cainan, Arphaxad lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters, and then he died. When Cainan had lived 130 years, he became the father of Shelah. And after he became the father of Shelah, Cainan lived 330 years and had other sons and daughters"