Overview of Genesis 11

Genesis 11 falls into three sections: 11:1–9, the city and tower at Babel; 11:10–26, the account of Shem from Shem to Terah; and 11:27–32, the account of Terah, Haran’s death in Ur of the Chaldeans, the household’s move as far as Haran, and Terah’s death there. 10:32 and 12:1 are read only as context. The nations list of chapter 10 is pointed to and is not treated again here; see The nations separated, and Babel and Peleg, and the earth divided. After one language and a common form of speech (11:1), the people settle in Shinar, plan a city, a tower, and a name, and fear being scattered. The Lord comes down, confuses their language, and scatters them over the face of all the earth. The Shem list then runs to Abram, and Terah’s household leaves Ur for Canaan but settles in Haran. The scattering carries out the blessing to fill the earth (9:1, 19); the project of 11:4 resists that spread. The Shem and Terah lists are selective and are arranged to lead to Abram. The persons are real; see the persons-and-history notes at Genesis 5 and Genesis 7. How 11:1–9 sits with the languages already named in chapter 10, which figures give the chronology of 11:10–26, and how Terah’s 205 years bear on Abram’s departure, remain open and are taken up in the notes that follow.