Genesis 11:8-18

8 And the Lord scattered them thence over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city and the tower.

9 On this account its name was called Confusion, because there the Lord confounded the languages of all the earth, and thence the Lord scattered them upon the face of all the earth.

10 And these the generations of Sem: and Sem was a hundred years old when he begot Arphaxad, the second year after the flood.

11 And Sem lived, after he had begotten Arphaxad, five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters, and died.

12 And Arphaxad lived a hundred and thirty-five years, and begot Cainan.

13 And Arphaxad lived after he had begotten Cainan, four hundred years, and begot sons and daughters, and died. And Cainan lived a hundred and thirty years and begot Sala; and Canaan lived after he had begotten Sala, three hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters, and died.

14 And Sala lived an hundred and thirty years, and begot Heber.

15 And Sala lived after he had begotten Heber, three hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters, and died.

16 And Heber lived an hundred and thirty-four years, and begot Phaleg.

17 And Heber lived after he had begotten Phaleg two hundred and seventy years, and begot sons and daughters, and died.

18 And Phaleg lived and hundred and thirty years, and begot Ragau.

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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Alex 430 years.
• [b]. Alex 370 years.