Genesis 11

The second part of God’s plan to deal with sinful mankind following the Flood appears in the next section, verses 10–26. This genealogy of Shem leads to Abram⁵⁰ (verse 26), whom God would choose to start a new nation—a nation of people who would have faith in Him and obey His commands. Thus begins the history of the Hebrew (Jewish) people, which eventually would lead to the founding of the nation of Israel. But, as we shall see throughout our study of the Old Testament, even this grand plan did not achieve the result God sought, which was the transformation of the human heart. That result would have to wait until the offspring promised in Genesis 3:15 appeared—the offspring of Abram, Jesus Christ, through whom all the peoples on earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3).

From Shem to Abram (11:10–32)

10–26 The genealogy outlined here is similar to the genealogy of Adam (Genesis 5:3–31). The genealogy is not comprehensive but selective; it includes only the direct ancestors of Abram. The men listed here, though otherwise unknown, are important because their line leads not only to Abram but also to Christ (Luke 3:34–36). Here again, through this simple list of names, we see how God’s ultimate purposes cannot be thwarted by things like confusion of language, scattering of people—or even a flood.

27–32 Abram was born in Ur of the Chaldeans⁵¹ (verse 28). Abram’s father moved from Ur to Haran in present-day Syria, taking with him Abram and his wife Sarai, and also Abram’s nephew Lot (verse 31). Since Lot’s father had died, his uncle Abram seems to have adopted him.

Abram’s wife Sarai was barren (verse 30). This small piece of information is highly significant, because it indicates that the new Hebrew nation God was going to establish through Abram would not come about by purely natural means. God was going to bring into existence a “new humanity,” and to do so He would use super-natural means to bring forth a child from Sarai’s barren body (Genesis 18:10–11; 21:1–2).