### [[Gen 11#1]] > Now the whole world had **one language** and a common form of speech. The genealogies in the previous chapter just mentioned the multiplicity of languages in each family group. See [[Gen 10#5|Gen 10.5]], [[Gen 10#20|20]], and [[Gen 10#31|31-32]]. >5 From these, the maritime peoples **separated** into their territories, according to their **languages**, by clans within their nations. >20 These are the sons of Ham according to their clans, **languages**, lands, and nations. >31 These are the sons of Shem, according to their clans, **languages**, lands, and nations. >32 All these are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their generations and nations. From these were **separated** the nations of the earth after the flood. Genesis 11.1 starts with "Now..." because it is a chronological backtrack that provides background information. The same literary device is used in [[Gen 01#2|Gen 1.2]] to back into the description of the state of things before they were ordered into creation. The Genesis 10 verses that mention multiple languages also mention peoples and nations separated. Genesis 11 tells the story foreshadowed. Worded less idiomatically, "Now the whole world had **one lip** and unified words." The people are single-minded. ### [[Gen 11#2]] > And as people journeyed eastward, they found a plain **in the land of Shinar** and **settled** there. Remember [[Gen 10#8|Gen 10.8-12]]? >Cush was the father of **Nimrod**, who began to be a mighty one on the earth. >He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; so it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD.” >His kingdom began in **Babylon**, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, **in the land of Shinar**. >From that land he went forth into Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, >and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city of Calah. Nimrod ("We Will Rebel"), who was known for his killing skills, began his kingdom **in the land of Shinar**. He also built other cities known for their oppression. This clues us into the way that Babel was unified - by violent control. ### [[Gen 11#3|Gen 11.3-5]] > And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” So they used brick instead of stone, and tar instead of mortar. > “Come,” they said, “let us build for ourselves a city with **a tower whose head is in the heavens**, that we may **make a name for ourselves** and **not be scattered** over the face of all the earth.” > Then **the LORD came down to see** the city and **the tower** that the sons of men were building. The people intend to **make a name** (become famously known) and to **not be scattered** (recall the command by Yahweh to spread out in [[Gen 09#7]]). They use their technology of bricks and tar to build the highest tower they can. But it is still not high enough for Yahweh to **see** without **coming down**. This story exemplifies the idea of exalting (lifting high) a name. They are exalting their own name rather than calling on the name of Yahweh to be a strong tower for them (see [[Pro 18#10]]). From [Bible Project Class on The Founding of Babylon](https://bibleproject.com/classroom/noah-to-abraham/sessions/27): >_Bab-il_ is an Akkadian word meaning “gate of the gods.” It is the door between heavens and earth. >The tower of Babel is mapped to the Etemenanki Ziggurat, described in the Enuma Elish. >The tower in Babylon represents a political, religious ideology that declares that this empire is the meeting place of Heaven and Earth. ### [[Gen 11#26|Gen 11.26-32]] > When Terah was 70 years old, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran ==(הָרָ֑ן)==. > This is the account of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. > During his father Terah’s lifetime, Haran died in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans. > And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. Abram’s wife was named Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran. > But Sarai was barren; she had no children. > And Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai the wife of Abram, and they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan. But when they arrived in Haran ==(חָרָ֖ן)==, they settled there. > Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran. Note that the name Haran ==(הָרָ֑ן)== and the place Haran ==(חָרָ֖ן)== are spelled and pronounced differently in the Hebrew. The first (rightmost) Hebrew letters are different. The vowel shapes (marked beneath the letters) are also different. This family tree is more like a thorn bush. I will attempt to untangle with descriptions. Terah had 3 sons: Abram, Nahor, and Haran. No mention of their mother(s). They could be half-brothers. Haran died in Ur leaving his descendants without a house unless they were taken in: - Lot (son - who could have inherited from his father), - Milcah (daughter), - Regarding Iscah, see [[Changes to BSB Text#Gen 11 29|this note]]. Nahor married Milcah. So, Nahor married his niece (if Nahor and Haran had different mothers, his half-niece). Abram married a barren woman named Sarai. We will later learn that Abram and Sarai share a father or grandfather, but different mother or grandmother ([[Gen 20#12]]). I made a [[Terah & Family.canvas|canvas diagram]] that also exists as an [[Terah & Family.png|image]].