Genesis 11:1-16

Ge 11:1

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

 

The whole world was speaking one language and even the words they used were of one vocabulary.  At this time there was not even a different dialect among them.  This chapter gives the events which took place causing all the different people groups to settle in various areas we saw in Chapter 10.

 

Ge 11:2

And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.

 

People were beginning to migrate to different sections but here they found a place in the land of Shinar which is in Southern Iraq or what was later to become Babylon.  It was where the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers flowed.  The Sumerian language was the first language of trade and government communication.  Shinar was occupied by the Sumerians about 3000 B.C.

 

Ge 11:3

And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

 

The soil of Babylonia were of the alluvial nature and were well-adapted for the manufacture of bricks.  It was made out of pitch or bitumen, the same material Noah waterproofed the ark with.  The bricks were 12 to 14 inches long and 3 to 4 inches thick.  In some places the bricks were sun dried but here they intended to strengthen the bricks by burning them which would make them waterproof.  The slime for morter was the bitumen which was a combination of asphalt and petroleum tar.

 

Ge 11:4

And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

 

Then with their ability to make bricks hard and waterproof, they devised a plan to build a tower which would reach into the heavens which meant they were going to build a tower  higher than anything that was on the earth at the time.  The ancients here were involved in astrology so that would have been one thing they would have used it for to hopefully go beyond the cover of the clouds.  Another purpose was to make a name for themselves which meant this tower was not for the glory of God nor dedicated to him but for their own pride making a name for themselves.  Today there are many skyscrapers in different cities with the name of the person who owns them.  For example, Trump Tower in New York City which is 67 stories high.  They were trying to make a name for themselves in case they were scattered all over the face of the earth.  They were attempting to build an empire with the tower of Babel as their crowning achievement and the central building in their capital city.

 

Ge 11:5

And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

 

Then the LORD came down which means he was now paying special attention to the city and tower they were building knowing the detrimental effects of sin, the LORD wanted to see this city and tower.  This does not mean the LORD didn’t already know about it but it is to emphasize his focus on it.  This was also a legal precedent that before one passes judgment, then all facts must be in evidence.

 

Ge 11:6

And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

 

The people were now unified in their purpose to build the tower and to aid in its construction, they were all of one language so communication was very easy.  Since God created man with intelligence, they were now devising ways to construct the tower according to their plans.  If this unity had continued unabated, then there is no limit to what they may plan and execute, whether it be good or bad.  The fact that the tower was centrally located and all the people were one, this meant that there was also a great concentration of evil in that city.  The word “imagined” carries with it the meaning of “planning but for an evil purpose.”

 

Ge 11:7

Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

 

The LORD saw that their plans were evil so to prevent them from achieving their nefarious schemes, he decided to confound or confuse their languages.  This was a miraculous act of God and shows that language did not evolve from grunts and groans of cave men.  Even to this day language is still a barrier which can hinder people from working together.  Each family or people group was given a distinct language of their own.  It has been theorized that the seventy names in chapter ten represented the languages the LORD created in this chapter.

 

Ge 11:8

So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

 

God had originally intended for the entire earth to be populated and not just one central point.  Now that the LORD had confounded their languages, he now sent them upon all the face of the earth to begin repopulation and they had abandoned the idea of building a central city and a tower.  Now if one goes back to chapter ten, they will see where the LORD scattered the people to.  Nimrod probably remained with his tribe which was the remnant of his empire.

 

Ge 11:9

Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

 

The name “Babel” means “confusion or mixture.”  The name was given because the LORD confounded all the languages and from that central point he scattered or dispersed all the people to different places on the earth.  By dispersing the people, God had also dispersed the evil which was growing among them.  The scattering of the people diminished the concentration of evil in that city.

 

Ge 11:10

These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:

 

Arphaxad settled north of Nineveh.

 

Ge 11:11

And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

 

Shem lived to be a total of 600 years and begat other sons and daughters.  Remember we are speaking here about the Messianic line and only principal men are mentioned.

 

Ge 11:12

And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah:

 

Salah was the ancestor of Eber who was the ancestor of the Hebrews.

 

Ge 11:13

And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

 

Arphaxad lived a total of 438 years.  We can see how the lifespans of humans are diminishing.

 

Ge 11:14

And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:

 

Salah begat Eber the ancestor of the Hebrews.

 

Ge 11:15

And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

 

Salah lived a total of 433 years and had other sons and daughters.

 

Ge 11:16

And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:

 

Eber begat Peleg and remember the earth was divided in his day in both languages and countries.  And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan. (Genesis 10:25) 

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