Verses 1-2 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 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.
In the previous chapter, some verses mention that the different nations settled and had their own tongue or language. Chapter 10 was an overview of the disbursement and settlement of the descendants of Noah which would have taken a lot of time to accomplish. See verses 10-26 below to get an idea of the amount of time that passed. Most likely many of the different nations with their tongues formed after the tower of Babel judgement that will be discussed here. Moses, in this chapter, is giving the reader more information that helps explain the many nations that formed on the Earth after the flood.
While everyone spoke the same language, they settled in the plain of Shinar and set up cities. As discussed in Chapter 10, Shinar was the ancient name for the area that later became Babylon or Chaldea. This area is where Iran and Iraq are today.
Verses 3-4 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. 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.
The Hebrew word translated as “slime” is “chemar”, pronounced khay mawr. It can also mean pitch and asphalt. This is the first account of a major masonry construction project. Remember that the Hebrew people were slaves in the brick making and building business in Egypt centuries later. So why were these descendants of Noah building a city with a tower that would reach into Heaven? They did not want to become victims of another flood. The story of the great flood would have been told to each generation and these people were very aware of what had transpired because of God’s judgement. Instead of following the LORD, they were in rebellion against the LORD. How is that known? Because God’s command was to be fruitful and replenish the Earth and these people wanted to congregate in one place instead of spreading out upon the Earth as commanded. They wanted to have access to the heavens where the LORD is and they wanted to become great and powerful, making a name for themselves. They wanted to be a one-world government and dominate the rest of the Earth. They wanted to be gods.
Application: King Solomon made a statement that there was nothing new under the sun, and he was right. Today there are religious groups who teach that an individual can become a god either here on Earth or in the afterlife on a planet somewhere. The trick is to ascend into godhood through works or the giving of time and treasure and so on. Just like the people that settled in Shinar thousands of years ago, sinful man still wants to usurp God and His commandments.
Verses 5-6 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 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 Hebrew word used here for LORD is “Yahovah”. The Hebrew word used for “came down” is “yarad”, pronounced yaw rad. It means both to come down and to descend. So it seems that the LORD left Heaven and came to Earth to examine the building that the people were doing, and He did not like what He saw. It was His plan for mankind to spread out as they were agriculturally based and therefore should be working and caring for the land. But man’s plan was to congregate in one area and build cities where there would be no distance between individuals and families. Because the people had one language and could therefore communicate well, they were able to form and then to agree on a plan for their future. They were not including the LORD in their plans. The Hebrew word for “imagined” is “zamam” and it implies the idea of to have a thought, devise, plan, consider, or to have a purpose. If the people were not obeying the LORD, they would have nothing restraining them from their works or from their behaviors. The world would fast become as polluted and corrupted as it was before the flood.
Application: Back in the day, approximately 80% of people lived in the country working the land in some fashion. Later, much of the 80% left the country for better paying jobs or careers in the cities, leaving the farmland to be gobbled up by big agriculture corporations. What ultimately occurred as a result of this shift in the population? Higher crime rates, higher divorce rates, higher homelessness rates, higher rates of drug and alcohol consumption, higher rates of pollution, higher numbers of depression and suicide, more regulation and less personal freedom, less nutritious food sources, massive uses of pesticides, and the list can go on. From just observing society today, it seems that people living in rural or country environments are generally healthier, happier and better adjusted than their counterparts living in big cities. Could it be that God’s plan is better than that of man?
Verses 7-9 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 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.
Here is the first account of foreign languages in the history of mankind. It is not known what the original language was that Noah and his descendants spoke. Today, certain Jewish scholars claim that the original language was Hebrew. This writer wonders how they can prove this assumption. It could very well be that the original language was erased by the LORD all together. No one knows for sure. But just because the Old Testament was written mostly in Hebrew hundreds of years after the Babel incident does not provide authenticity to their claim. One only has to travel around any country and see the various differences in dialects within a specific language that exist among the people. English is an example of this as it can be very difficult to understand English as spoken by people in different parts of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales and in different parts of Australia. Yet it is all English. Regardless, by confusing the people’s language, they could no longer conspire together for their various projects and goals, and so they drifted with others that they could understand to different parts of the Earth and established different nations.
Babel means confusion and it was the ancient name of what was to become both a city and the capital of the one-world government of Babylon.
Application: When sharing the Gospel or a testimony with an unbeliever, remember that words can mean different things to different people. To talk about “being born again” is a concept that the converted Christian believer understands, but not necessarily a concept that an unbeliever can understand. The old principle of “keep it simple” applies when witnessing about the LORD to others. Think about it.
Verses 10-26 These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: 11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 12 And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah: 13 And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 14 And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: 15 And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: 17 And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. 18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu: 19 And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters. 20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug: 21 And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. 22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: 23 And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: 25 And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. 26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
The number of years has been highlighted above to show a progression. Not only were men having children at a younger age, but they were not living as long as their ancestors did. Speculation has been that, before the flood, the Earth was covered with a canopy of moisture that acted like a greenhouse and provided a perfect environment for living things on the Earth. Then, after the flood, the water canopy had been destroyed as it became the deluge of rain that helped cover the Earth and destroy all living critters left outside of the ark. Therefore, as time went on, man was exposed to different elements and that this is what caused the life expectancy to decline. You decide.
The verses above show the line of descent from Shem to Abraham, the father of the children of Israel.
Verses 27-28 Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. 28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
The name “Ur” means a flame. It was a city in southern Babylonia belonging to the Chaldeans, and it was thought to be a center of moon worship.
Verses 29-30 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. 30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child.
The names of Abram and Sarai were later changed by God to Abraham and Sarah. Sarai means “princess”. Abram means “exalted father”. Back in Biblical days it was a woman’s shame to be barren or to be without children. Other women in the family or community would often make fun of a barren woman and make her feel that she was valueless.
Application: In today’s world, women are encouraged to have careers and to not have children. Usually a woman who has more that three children is looked down upon much as barren women in olden days were looked down upon. Things have surely changed down through time. So what does God say about having many children? They are a blessing from Him. But more on this later.
Verses 31-32 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. 32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.
So Terah and Abraham came out of what was basically Babylon and moved to the land of Canaan that would eventually be part of the land promised to Abraham and his descendants. This is of importance as eventually, Abraham’s descendants would be returned to Babylon in captivity, having their nation destroyed. Babylon will appear over and over in Scripture. Revelation 17:5 states, “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”