11 And Shem H8035 lived H2421 after H310 he begat H3205 Arphaxad H775 five H2568 hundred H3967 years, H8141 and begat H3205 sons H1121 and daughters. H1323
And God H430 blessed H1288 them, and God H430 said H559 unto them, Be fruitful, H6509 and multiply, H7235 and replenish H4390 the earth, H776 and subdue it: H3533 and have dominion H7287 over the fish H1710 of the sea, H3220 and over the fowl H5775 of the air, H8064 and over every living thing H2416 that moveth H7430 upon the earth. H776
And the days H3117 of Adam H121 after H310 he had begotten H3205 Seth H8352 were eight H8083 hundred H3967 years: H8141 and he begat H3205 sons H1121 and daughters: H1323 And all the days H3117 that Adam H121 lived H2425 were nine H8672 hundred H3967 H8141 and thirty H7970 years: H8141 and he died. H4191 And Seth H8352 lived H2421 an hundred H3967 H8141 and five H2568 years, H8141 and begat H3205 Enos: H583 And Seth H8352 lived H2421 after H310 he begat H3205 Enos H583 eight H8083 hundred H3967 H8141 and seven H7651 years, H8141 and begat H3205 sons H1121 and daughters: H1323 And all the days H3117 of Seth H8352 were nine H8672 hundred H3967 H8141 and twelve H6240 H8147 years: H8141 and he died. H4191 And Enos H583 lived H2421 ninety H8673 years, H8141 and begat H3205 Cainan: H7018 And Enos H583 lived H2421 after H310 he begat H3205 Cainan H7018 eight H8083 hundred H3967 H8141 and fifteen H6240 H2568 years, H8141 and begat H3205 sons H1121 and daughters: H1323 And all the days H3117 of Enos H583 were nine H8672 hundred H3967 H8141 and five H2568 years: H8141 and he died. H4191 And Cainan H7018 lived H2421 seventy H7657 years, H8141 and begat H3205 Mahalaleel: H4111 And Cainan H7018 lived H2421 after H310 he begat H3205 Mahalaleel H4111 eight H8083 hundred H3967 H8141 and forty H705 years, H8141 and begat H3205 sons H1121 and daughters: H1323 And all the days H3117 of Cainan H7018 were nine H8672 hundred H3967 H8141 and ten H6235 years: H8141 and he died. H4191 And Mahalaleel H4111 lived H2421 sixty H8346 H8141 and five H2568 years, H8141 and begat H3205 Jared: H3382 And Mahalaleel H4111 lived H2421 after H310 he begat H3205 Jared H3382 eight H8083 hundred H3967 H8141 and thirty H7970 years, H8141 and begat H3205 sons H1121 and daughters: H1323 And all the days H3117 of Mahalaleel H4111 were eight H8083 hundred H3967 H8141 ninety H8673 and five H2568 years: H8141 and he died. H4191 And Jared H3382 lived H2421 an hundred H3967 sixty H8346 H8141 and two H8147 years, H8141 and he begat H3205 Enoch: H2585 And Jared H3382 lived H2421 after H310 he begat H3205 Enoch H2585 eight H8083 hundred H3967 years, H8141 and begat H3205 sons H1121 and daughters: H1323 And all the days H3117 of Jared H3382 were nine H8672 hundred H3967 H8141 sixty H8346 and two H8147 years: H8141 and he died. H4191 And Enoch H2585 lived H2421 sixty H8346 and five H2568 years, H8141 and begat H3205 Methuselah: H4968 And Enoch H2585 walked H1980 with H854 God H430 after H310 he begat H3205 H853 Methuselah H4968 three H7969 hundred H3967 years, H8141 and begat H3205 sons H1121 and daughters: H1323 And all the days H3117 of Enoch H2585 were three H7969 hundred H3967 H8141 sixty H8346 and five H2568 years: H8141 And Enoch H2585 walked H1980 with God: H430 and he was not; for God H430 took H3947 him. And Methuselah H4968 lived H2421 an hundred H3967 H8141 eighty H8084 and seven H7651 years, H8141 and begat H3205 Lamech: H3929 And Methuselah H4968 lived H2421 after H310 he begat H3205 Lamech H3929 seven H7651 hundred H3967 H8141 eighty H8084 and two H8147 years, H8141 and begat H3205 sons H1121 and daughters: H1323 And all the days H3117 of Methuselah H4968 were nine H8672 hundred H3967 H8141 sixty H8346 and nine H8672 years: H8141 and he died. H4191 And Lamech H3929 lived H2421 an hundred H3967 H8141 eighty H8084 and two H8147 years, H8141 and begat H3205 a son: H1121 And he called H7121 his name H8034 Noah, H5146 saying, H559 This same shall comfort H5162 us concerning our work H4639 and toil H6093 of our hands, H3027 because H4480 of the ground H127 which the LORD H3068 hath cursed. H779 And Lamech H3929 lived H2421 after H310 he begat H3205 Noah H5146 five H2568 hundred H3967 H8141 ninety H8673 and five H2568 years, H8141 and begat H3205 sons H1121 and daughters: H1323 And all the days H3117 of Lamech H3929 were seven H7651 hundred H3967 H8141 seventy H7657 and seven H7651 years: H8141 and he died. H4191 And Noah H5146 was five H2568 hundred H3967 years H8141 old: H1121 and Noah H5146 begat H3205 Shem, H8035 Ham, H2526 and Japheth. H3315
Lo, children H1121 are an heritage H5159 of the LORD: H3068 and the fruit H6529 of the womb H990 is his reward. H7939 As arrows H2671 are in the hand H3027 of a mighty man; H1368 so are children H1121 of the youth. H5271
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Genesis 11
Commentary on Genesis 11 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 11
Ge 11:1-32. Confusion of Tongues.
1. the whole earth was of one language. The descendants of Noah, united by the strong bond of a common language, had not separated, and notwithstanding the divine command to replenish the earth, were unwilling to separate. The more pious and well-disposed would of course obey the divine will; but a numerous body, seemingly the aggressive horde mentioned (Ge 10:10), determined to please themselves by occupying the fairest region they came to.
2. land of Shinar—The fertile valley watered by the Euphrates and Tigris was chosen as the center of their union and the seat of their power.
3. brick—There being no stone in that quarter, brick is, and was, the only material used for building, as appears in the mass of ruins which at the Birs Nimroud may have been the very town formed by those ancient rebels. Some of these are sun-dried—others burnt in the kiln and of different colors.
slime—bitumen, a mineral pitch, which, when hardened, forms a strong cement, commonly used in Assyria to this day, and forming the mortar found on the burnt brick remains of antiquity.
4. a tower whose top may reach unto heaven—a common figurative expression for great height (De 1:28; 9:1-6).
lest we be scattered—To build a city and a town was no crime; but to do this to defeat the counsels of heaven by attempting to prevent emigration was foolish, wicked, and justly offensive to God.
6. and now nothing will be restrained from them—an apparent admission that the design was practicable, and would have been executed but for the divine interposition.
7. confound their language—literally, "their lip"; it was a failure in utterance, occasioning a difference in dialect which was intelligible only to those of the same tribe. Thus easily by God their purpose was defeated, and they were compelled to the dispersion they had combined to prevent. It is only from the Scriptures we learn the true origin of the different nations and languages of the world. By one miracle of tongues men were dispersed and gradually fell from true religion. By another, national barriers were broken down—that all men might be brought back to the family of God.
28. Ur—now Orfa; that is, "light," or "fire." Its name probably derived from its being devoted to the rites of fire-worship. Terah and his family were equally infected with that idolatry as the rest of the inhabitants (Jos 24:15).
31. Sarai his daughter-in-law—the same as Iscah [Ge 11:29], granddaughter of Terah, probably by a second wife, and by early usages considered marriageable to her uncle, Abraham.
they came unto Haran—two days' journey south-southeast from Ur, on the direct road to the ford of the Euphrates at Rakka, the nearest and most convenient route to Palestine.