Gen 11:1

exegeticalGen 11:1–32

New Testament reading of Genesis 11

• SaysThree New Testament passages are treated as exegetical cross-references, each from the BSB: Acts 2:1–11, Luke 3:34–36, and Acts 7:2–4. No Greek form is claimed.
• UncertainActs 2:1–11 is a thematic counterpart to the confusion of language, not a formal citation; Luke 3:36 includes Cainan, who is in the Greek of 11:12–13 and not in the Hebrew; Acts 7:4, that Abram left after his father died, sits in tension with the Masoretic 205 years if Abram is born when Terah is 70 and leaves at 75. No explanation of that last tension is adopted here.

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exegeticalGen 11:1–32

Overview of Genesis 11

• SaysGenesis 11 has 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, the move from Ur of the Chaldeans as far as Haran, and Terah’s death there.
• ImpliesThe scattering of 11:8–9 carries out the blessing to fill the earth (9:1, 19), and 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.
• UncertainHow 11:1–9 sits with the languages of chapter 10, which figures give the chronology of 11:10–26, and how Terah’s 205 years bear on Abram’s departure, remain open; each is set out on its grounds, and none is adopted here.

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exegeticalGen 11:1–32

Relation to the nations list of Genesis 10

• SaysGenesis 10 has already named languages and nations and has closed with their spread after the flood (10:5, 20, 31–32); 11:1 then speaks of one language and a common form of speech.
• Uncertain11:1–9 may stand before the nations’ spread in time, so that the confusion of language explains chapter 10, or it may be a thematic flashback explaining 10:5, 20, 25, and 31–32. How “one language” in 11:1 sits with the languages of chapter 10 depends on which reading is taken. No view is adopted here.

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exegeticalGen 11:1–9

Babel: the city and the tower

• Says11:1–9 moves from one language and a common form of speech to a settlement in Shinar, a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, a self-made name, and a fear of being scattered; the Lord confuses their language, the place is called Babel, and he scatters them over the face of all the earth.
• UncertainThe purpose of the city and tower may be pride in a name, a refusal to fill the earth, a temple-tower, a political center, or a mix; miqqedem may mean “eastward” or “from the east”; no ancient text is adopted as “the” background of the tower, and no view is adopted here.

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historicalGen 11:1–9

Brick, bitumen, and temple-towers: background to Babel

• SaysGen 11:2–4: settled in a plain in Shinar, the people used brick for stone and bitumen for mortar and planned a city and a tower with its top in the heavens.
• UncertainWhether the tower was a Babylonian-type temple-tower, whether “its top in the heavens” is a literal aim or hyperbole, and how later one-language tower stories relate to Gen 11 are open; no ancient text is adopted as the background, no dependence is claimed, and the background does not fix the meaning.

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historicalGen 11:1–9

Babel in early Jewish and Christian reading

• SaysGen 11:4–9: the builders sought a name and to avoid being scattered; the Lord said “let us go down” and confused their language, so the place is called Babel, and he scattered them over all the earth.
• UncertainThe builders’ motive (pride, refusal to fill the earth, a flood refuge, or mixed), whom “let us” addresses (angels, the Trinity, or a plural of deliberation), and how the confusion of language took place are open; no lean is taken, and the early readings do not fix the meaning.

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languageGen 11:1–9

LXX Gen 11:1–9: one speech, the tower and Confusion

• Says11:1 has χεῖλος ἕν for שָׂפָה אֶחָת and φωνὴ μία πᾶσιν for וּדְבָרִים אֲחָדִים; 11:2 has ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν, “from the east,” for מִקֶּדֶם.
• UncertainNo lean is taken on what the Hebrew phrases of 11:1–2 mean.
• Says11:3 has ἄσφαλτος ἦν αὐτοῖς ὁ πηλός for וְהַחֵמָר הָיָה לָהֶם לַחֹמֶר; 11:4 has πρὸ τοῦ διασπαρῆναι for פֶּן־נָפוּץ.
• Says11:6 has γένος ἓν and οὐκ ἐκλείψει ἐξ αὐτῶν πάντα; 11:7 keeps the plural of הָבָה נֵרְדָה וְנָבְלָה in καταβάντες συγχέωμεν.
• UncertainNo lean is taken on whom the plural of 11:7 includes.
• Says11:8 adds καὶ τὸν πύργον; 11:9 names the place Σύγχυσις for בָּבֶל and has Κύριος ὁ θεὸς at the second divine name.

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languageGen 11:1

One language and the same words

• Saysוַיְהִי כָל־הָאָרֶץ שָׂפָה אֶחָת וּדְבָרִים אֲחָדִים reads word for word “and all the earth was one lip and words, ones.” כָל־הָאָרֶץ (khol-ha’arets, “all the earth”) stands for its people; BSB has “the whole world.” שָׂפָה אֶחָת (safah ’ekhat, “one lip”) means one language. וּדְבָרִים אֲחָדִים (udevarim ’akhadim) pairs “words” with the plural of “one”; BSB has “a common form of speech.”
• SaysSafah is the word for language through 11:1–9 (11:6, 7, 9). Chapter 10 used another word, lashon, as in אִישׁ לִלְשֹׁנוֹ (“each by his language,” 10:5).
• UncertainThe pair may mean one language with one vocabulary, the same words and speech, or only a few words; the plural of “one” elsewhere can mean “a few.” The first two read the pair as stressing unity, while “few words” reads a small vocabulary, which the context does not otherwise mark. How 11:1 sits with the “languages” of chapter 10 depends on whether 11:1–9 comes before the spread of the nations in time or explains it as a flashback. No lean is taken here.

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Gen 11:2

languageGen 11:2–4

Bricks, bitumen, a tower and a name

• Saysוַיְהִי בְּנָסְעָם מִקֶּדֶם (vayhi binso‘am miqqedem) is “and it was, as they journeyed miqqedem”: the lexicon lists this use of hayah, “fall out, come to pass, become, be,” with an infinitive. They found בִקְעָה (“a plain”) בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר (“in the land of Shinar”). In 11:3 נִלְבְּנָה לְבֵנִים וְנִשְׂרְפָה לִשְׂרֵפָה is “let us brick bricks and burn them to a burning,” each verb with its own noun (saraf, “burn”). וְהַחֵמָר הָיָה לָהֶם לַחֹמֶר (“and the bitumen was to them for mortar”) plays khemar, “bitumen, asphalt,” against khomer, “cement, mortar, clay.” BSB has “tar instead of mortar.”
• SaysIn 11:4 עִיר וּמִגְדָּל וְרֹאשׁוֹ בַשָּׁמַיִם is “a city and a tower, and its top in the heavens” (BSB “a tower that reaches to the heavens”). וְנַעֲשֶׂה־לָּנוּ שֵׁם (“and let us make for ourselves a name”) is followed by פֶּן־נָפוּץ (pen-nafuts, “lest we be scattered”).
• ImpliesThe scattering they fear is the spread commanded in 9:1 and begun in 9:19, so the plan sets itself against it.
• UncertainMiqqedem may mean “eastward,” as the lexicon takes it with a verb of motion, or “from the east”; the Greek reads “from the east.” The project is read as pride (“a name”), a refusal to fill the earth, a temple-tower, a political union, or a mix; each fits one clause of 11:4. No lean is taken here.

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Gen 11:4

exegeticalGen 11:4

A name, and not to be scattered

• SaysIn 11:4 the builders plan a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, a name for themselves, and a stay against being scattered over the face of all the earth.
• ImpliesThe scattering they fear is the spread blessed in 9:1 and begun in 9:19, so the project resists that spread; God opposes a self-made name and a refusal to be scattered, a contrast pointed to, not treated, at 12:2.
• UncertainThe purpose of the city and tower has also been read as a temple-tower, a rallying-point, a flood refuge, or a mix; each is set out on its grounds, and the only lean taken here is the resistance to 9:1 and the opposition to a self-made name.

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Gen 11:5

exegeticalGen 11:5–9

The Lord came down, and Babel

• SaysThe Lord came down to see the city and the tower; he speaks of one people and one language, then says “let Us go down” and confuse their language; he scatters them, and the place is called Babel from balal, “he confused.” The capital “Us” is not in the Hebrew.
• ImpliesThe people sought a name, and the city receives one from what the Lord did there; the scattering carries out 9:1 and 9:19.
• Uncertain“Came down” may be an anthropomorphism or a real descent; the plural of 11:7 may be deliberation or majesty, a heavenly court, or a Trinitarian hint; the confusion of language may be sudden, rapid, or the start of language families over a short time. Each is set out on its grounds, and none is adopted here.

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languageGen 11:5–7

“The Lord came down” and “let us go down”

• Saysוַיֵּרֶד יְהוָה לִרְאֹת (vayyered yhwh lir’ot, “and the Lord came down to see”); the lexicon gives yarad as “come or go down, descend” and cites 11:5 and 11:7. The builders of a top “in the heavens” are בְּנֵי הָאָדָם (“the sons of man”; BSB “the sons of men”).
• SaysIn 11:6 הֵן עַם אֶחָד וְשָׂפָה אַחַת לְכֻלָּם is “behold, one people and one lip for all of them.” לֹא־יִבָּצֵר מֵהֶם כֹּל (“nothing will be withheld from them”) closes the verse; BSB recasts it as “nothing they devise will be beyond them.” In 11:7 הָבָה נֵרְדָה וְנָבְלָה שָׁם שְׂפָתָם (havah nerdah venavlah sham sefatam, “come, let us go down and confuse there their lip”) answers the builders’ הָבָה (“come”) of 11:3–4. The lexicon takes navlah from balal, “mingle, mix, confuse, confound.” BSB’s capital in “let Us go down” is not in the Hebrew.
• UncertainThe plural may be one of deliberation or majesty, God addressing a heavenly court, or a Trinitarian hint. The first two fit Hebrew usage but explain a single speaker differently; the court view must supply hearers the text does not name; the Trinitarian view reads later revelation back. “Came down” may be a picture of God’s attention, or a real descent, as in theophanies. No lean is taken here.

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Gen 11:8

languageGen 11:8–9

Babel and “he confused”

• Saysוַיָּפֶץ יְהוָה אֹתָם מִשָּׁם עַל־פְּנֵי כָל־הָאָרֶץ (“and the Lord scattered them from there over the face of all the earth”) repeats the words the builders feared in 11:4. וַיַּחְדְּלוּ לִבְנֹת הָעִיר (“and they stopped building the city”) names the city only.
• Saysעַל־כֵּן קָרָא שְׁמָהּ בָּבֶל (“therefore its name was called bavel”) is explained by כִּי־שָׁם בָּלַל יְהוָה (“for there the Lord confused,” balal). The name and the verb sound alike; the lexicon cites 11:9 under balal. בָּבֶל is the same word as Babel in 10:10 (בָּבֶל), where BSB has “Babylon.” The verse ends וּמִשָּׁם הֱפִיצָם יְהוָה (“and from there the Lord scattered them”).
• ImpliesThe people sought a name (11:4) and the city receives one, Babel, from what the Lord did there. The scattering carries out 9:1 and 9:19.
• UncertainThe confusion may be a sudden miraculous division of speech, a rapid fracturing, or the start of language families over a short time. The text gives neither the number of languages nor the process. No lean is taken here.

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Gen 11:10

exegeticalGen 11:10–26

The account of Shem, and the ages

• Says11:10–26 is the account of Shem: from Shem to Terah each generation gives the age at the birth of the named son and the years lived afterward; 11:26 names Abram, Nahor, and Haran after Terah’s age of seventy. The printed text follows the Masoretic ages, with medium confidence.
• ImpliesThe list is selective and is arranged to lead to Abram; the persons are real.
• UncertainThe Masoretic, Samaritan, and Greek figures differ, and the Greek adds Kainan, who also stands in Luke 3:36; 11:26 does not by itself fix three sons born when Terah was seventy. No view is adopted as to which list is original, or whether Kainan stood in the first text.

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historicalGen 11:10–26

The ages from Shem to Abram in early reading

• SaysGen 11:10–26: the account of Shem gives, for each link from Shem to Terah, the age at the birth of the named son and the years lived afterward; Shem fathered Arphaxad two years after the flood, and Terah at 70 fathered Abram, Nahor and Haran.
• UncertainWhich set of figures (Hebrew, Greek or Samaritan) is original, whether Kainan belongs in the line, and whether the list is complete or selective in its links are open; no figure is stated as the chronology, and the early readings do not fix the meaning.

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languageGen 11:10–11

Shem’s line and the age formula

• Saysאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת שֵׁם (’elleh toledot shem) is BSB’s “This is the account of Shem.” שֵׁם בֶּן־מְאַת שָׁנָה is “Shem was a son of a hundred years,” the Hebrew way of giving age. וַיּוֹלֶד אֶת־אַרְפַּכְשָׁד (vayyoled, “and he fathered”) is BSB’s “he became the father of”; Gen 10 used a simpler form of the same verb. The Hebrew ends with שְׁנָתַיִם אַחַר הַמַּבּוּל (“two years after the flood”), and BSB moves the phrase forward. The lexicon gives mabbul as “flood in time of Noah” and cites 11:10.
• SaysIn 11:11 וַיְחִי־שֵׁם אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ אֶת־אַרְפַּכְשָׁד (“and Shem lived after he fathered Arpachshad”) gives the years that remain and closes וַיּוֹלֶד בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת (“and he fathered sons and daughters”). Unlike Gen 5, there is no total and no “and he died.”
• ImpliesTen names run from Shem to Abram, as ten run from Adam to Noah in Gen 5. The repeated shape suggests a selective list arranged to lead to Abram.
• UncertainNoah was 500 when his sons were born (5:32) and 600 at the flood (7:6), so Shem at 100 two years after the flood needs explaining: round numbers, an order of birth that is not Shem first, or a count from a different point. No lean is taken here.

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languageGen 11:10–26

LXX Gen 11:10–26: Shem’s line, the ages and Kainan

• Says11:10 has αὗται αἱ γενέσεις Σήμ and δευτέρου ἔτους for שְׁנָתַיִם.
• SaysSwete adds Kainan, with 130 and 330 years, inside 11:12–13, spelled Καινάν; the Bodleian Genesis’s first hand lacks his clauses.
• SaysSix begetting ages are a hundred above the MT and Nachor’s fifty; Shem’s and Thara’s match; four remaining-year figures differ.
• SaysEach remaining-years clause ends καὶ ἀπέθανεν, which the MT lacks.
• UncertainNo lean is taken on which list gives the chronology or whether Kainan stood in the original text.

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VariantGen 11:10–26

The ages in 11:10–26 and Kainan

• SaysAges at fatherhood, Hebrew / Samaritan / Greek: Shem 100/100/100; Arpachshad 35/135/135; Shelah 30/130/130; Eber 34/134/134; Peleg 30/130/130; Reu 32/132/132; Serug 30/130/130; Nahor 29/79/79; Terah 70/70/70. The years after fatherhood also differ: for Arpachshad 403/303/430, Shelah 403/303/330, Eber 430/270/370, Peleg 209/109/209, Reu 207/107/207, Serug 200/100/200, Nahor 119/69/129.
• SaysThe Greek adds a generation: Arphaxad ἐγέννησεν τὸν Καινάν (“fathered Kainan”), and 11:13 adds Καὶ ἔζησεν Καινὰν ἑκατὸν τριάκοντα ἔτη, καὶ ἐγέννησεν τὸν Σάλα (“and Kainan lived a hundred and thirty years and fathered Sala”). The Samaritan text, like וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁד חַי חָמֵשׁ וּשְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד אֶת־שָׁלַח, has no Kainan. The Greek and the Samaritan add “and he died” after each person, and the Samaritan also gives totals.
• SaysSwete’s notes: in the Bodleian manuscript Kainan’s clauses were first left out and a corrector added them in the margin; there a corrector also added the hundred to Arphaxad’s age.
• UncertainThe Hebrew may keep the original short figures, the Greek may have lengthened them, or the Greek and Samaritan may reflect older figures. Luke 3:36 has “the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad” (BSB), which some take as evidence for Kainan and others as Luke following the Greek. No lean is taken here.
• SaysEditorial decision: print the MT (confidence medium).

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Gen 11:12

languageGen 11:12–26

The repeated formula and its numbers

• SaysEach generation has two clauses. The first is וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁד חַי חָמֵשׁ וּשְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד אֶת־שָׁלַח (“and Arpachshad lived thirty-five years and fathered Shelah”). The second is וַיְחִי אַרְפַּכְשַׁד אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ אֶת־שֶׁלַח (“and Arpachshad lived after he fathered Shelah”), then the years and וַיּוֹלֶד בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת. 11:12 and 11:14 use khay, “lived”; from 11:16 the form is וַיְחִי.
• SaysNumbers put the units first: חָמֵשׁ וּשְׁלֹשִׁים (“five and thirty”; the lexicon gives sheloshim as “thirty” and notes that units precede it in 11:12). Hundreds come last, as in שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת (“three years and four hundred,” 11:13; ’arba‘, “four”). 11:24 has תֵּשַׁע וְעֶשְׂרִים (“nine and twenty”; ‘esrim, “twenty”).
• Says11:26 lists three sons after one age: וַיּוֹלֶד אֶת־אַבְרָם אֶת־נָחוֹר וְאֶת־הָרָן (“and he fathered Abram, Nahor and Haran”). Nahor repeats the name of Terah’s father (11:24).
• UncertainWhether 11:26 means all three were born when Terah was 70, or names Abram first for his place in the story, the verse does not say. No lean is taken here.

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Gen 11:26

VariantGen 11:26–32

Terah’s 205 years and 145

• SaysThe Hebrew gives Terah חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וּמָאתַיִם שָׁנָה (“five years and two hundred years,” 205). The Samaritan text reads ויהיו ימי תרח חמש שנים וארבעים ומאת שנה וימת תרח בחרן (“and the days of Terah were five years and forty and a hundred years, and Terah died in Haran,” 145). The Greek agrees with the Hebrew, διακόσια πέντε ἔτη, and adds “in Haran” to the first clause.
• SaysThe figures meet 11:26: Terah was 70 at the birth of his sons, and 12:4 has Abram leave Haran at 75. Acts 7:4 says “After his father died, God brought him out of that place” (BSB).
• UncertainWith 205 and Abram born when Terah was 70, Terah would still have lived about sixty years after Abram left. The Samaritan 145 makes Terah die in the year Abram leaves, which fits Acts 7:4 but may be a later harmonizing. Or 11:26 names Abram first without making him the firstborn, so Abram was born later and the Hebrew figure stands; the objection is that 11:26 gives no other age. No lean is taken here.
• SaysEditorial decision: print the MT (confidence medium).

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Gen 11:27

exegeticalGen 11:27–32

Terah, and the move from Ur

• SaysThe account of Terah records Haran’s death in Ur of the Chaldeans during Terah’s lifetime, the marriages of Abram and Nahor, Sarai’s barrenness, the household’s setting out from Ur for Canaan, the halt at Haran, and Terah’s death there at 205 years. The printed text follows the Masoretic 205 years, with medium confidence.
• UncertainWho “they” and “them” are in 11:31 is open; Ur has been placed in the south or at a northern site, and “Chaldeans” may be contemporary or a later label; Iscah may be Sarai or another daughter of Haran; if Abram is born when Terah is 70 and leaves at 75, the 205 years would leave Terah still alive, while the Samaritan 145 years would synchronize the figures, and 11:26 may name Abram first without making him the firstborn. None of these explanations is adopted here.

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historicalGen 11:27–32

Ur, Haran, and Terah’s household in early reading

• SaysGen 11:28–32: Haran died before his father Terah in his native land, Ur of the Chaldeans; Haran was the father of Milcah and Iscah; Terah took Abram, Lot and Sarai and set out from Ur for Canaan, settled in Haran, and died there at 205.
• UncertainWhere Ur lay, who Iscah was, and how Terah’s 205 years fit Abram’s departure at 75 (Gen 12:4) and Acts 7:4 are open; no lean is taken, and the early readings do not fix the meaning.

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languageGen 11:27–30

Terah’s line, Haran’s death and Sarai

• Saysוְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת תֶּרַח (BSB “This is the account of Terah”) opens a new heading. וְהָרָן הוֹלִיד אֶת־לוֹט (“and Haran fathered Lot”). In 11:28 וַיָּמָת הָרָן עַל־פְּנֵי תֶּרַח אָבִיו is “and Haran died before the face of Terah his father”; BSB has “During his father Terah’s lifetime.” The lexicon gives mut as “die” and cites 11:28. He died בְּאֶרֶץ מוֹלַדְתּוֹ (“in the land of his kindred”; BSB “his native land”), the noun that returns in 12:1 (וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ).
• SaysIn 11:29 Abram and Nahor take wives: שֵׁם אֵשֶׁת־אַבְרָם שָׂרָי (“the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai”) and Milcah, בַּת־הָרָן (“daughter of Haran”), so Nahor marries his brother’s daughter. 11:30 says it twice: וַתְּהִי שָׂרַי עֲקָרָה (“and Sarai was barren”) and אֵין לָהּ וָלָד (“she had no child”).
• UncertainIscah (11:29) has been taken as Sarai under another name, an early Jewish reading that would explain why Sarai’s parentage is not given here; the objection is that 20:12 makes Sarai a daughter of Terah. Others take Iscah as another daughter of Haran. No lean is taken here.

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languageGen 11:27–32

LXX Gen 11:27–32: Terah, the land of the Chaldeans and Haran

• Says11:27 opens Αὗται δὲ αἱ γενέσεις Θάρα; the Bodleian Genesis lacks its first half.
• Says11:28 and 11:31 have τῇ χώρᾳ τῶν Χαλδαίων, with no “Ur,” for בְּאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים and מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים.
• UncertainNo lean is taken on why the Greek has no “Ur” or on where Ur was.
• SaysSwete distinguishes Ἁρράν from Χαρράν; 11:30 has στεῖρα καὶ οὐκ ἐτεκνοποίει.
• Says11:31 has singular ἐξήγαγεν αὐτοὺς for וַיֵּצְאוּ אִתָּם, and no name in γυναῖκα τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ.
• Says11:32 gives Thara 205 years, as the MT.
• UncertainNo lean is taken on who went out with whom at 11:31.

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Gen 11:31

languageGen 11:31–32

Ur of the Chaldeans, Haran and Terah’s death

• Saysוַיִּקַּח תֶּרַח אֶת־אַבְרָם בְּנוֹ (“and Terah took Abram his son”) makes Terah the subject. Then וַיֵּצְאוּ אִתָּם מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים (vayyetse’u ’ittam me’ur kasdim, “and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans”); BSB has “they set out.” לָלֶכֶת אַרְצָה כְּנַעַן (“to go to the land of Canaan”) gives the goal, but וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד־חָרָן וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם (“and they came as far as Haran and settled there”) ends with the words of 11:2, וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם. The place חָרָן (with khet) is spelled differently from the man הָרָן (with he).
• Saysוַיִּהְיוּ יְמֵי־תֶרַח חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וּמָאתַיִם שָׁנָה (“and the days of Terah were five years and two hundred years”) is BSB’s “Terah lived 205 years.” וַיָּמָת תֶּרַח בְּחָרָן (“and Terah died in Haran”).
• UncertainWho “they” are and who “them” are is open, since Terah alone is the subject of “took”; the Greek has a singular, “he led them out.” Ur is placed in the south of Mesopotamia or at a northern site (Urfa and others), and “Chaldeans” may be the name of Terah’s time or a later label. No lean is taken here.

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