Genesis 11 – The Tower of Babel & The Scattering of Nations

Genesis 11:1-4 – The Tower of Babel & Human Pride

📖 “And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.” (Genesis 11:1)

🔎 This was a unique moment in history—humanity was fully united, speaking one language, working together. However, instead of using this unity to worship God, they sought to glorify themselves.

1️⃣ The Meaning Behind the Tower

📖 Genesis 11:3-4 – “And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly… And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven.”
🔎 This was not just a building—it was an act of defiance against God. The phrase “whose top may reach unto heaven” does not mean a literal attempt to reach God’s throne, but rather a symbolic challenge to His authority.

📖 Isaiah 14:13-14 – “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.”
🔎 The pride of Babel mirrors Satan’s rebellion, where creation seeks to elevate itself above the Creator.

📖 Deuteronomy 9:1 – “A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak!”
🔎 Height in Scripture often symbolizes pride and false security. The Tower of Babel represented mankind’s desire to build an empire apart from God.

2️⃣ The Motivation – “Let Us Make a Name for Ourselves”

📖 Genesis 11:4 – “Let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”
🔎 They wanted to build a name for themselves rather than glorify God. This directly contrasts with how God later tells Abraham:

📖 Genesis 12:2 – “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great.”
🔎 Human pride seeks self-exaltation, but God alone raises up those who are faithful.

3️⃣ The Tower as a Religious & Political Power Center

📖 Genesis 12:2 – “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great.”
🔎 Human pride seeks self-exaltation, but God alone raises up those who are faithful.

📖 Revelation 17:5 – “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth.”
🔎 Babylon (which originated in Babel) becomes a symbol of false religion, corrupt world power, and rebellion against God.

📖 Jeremiah 51:53 – “Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the Lord.”
🔎 Babylon’s later destruction follows the same pattern of divine judgment seen at Babel.

4️⃣ A Warning About Human Pride & Unity Without God

📖 Proverbs 16:18 – “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”
🔎 The people of Babel sought unity, but without God, unity leads to destruction. This pattern repeats throughout history:

• Egypt sought to build a powerful empire but was judged (Exodus 14:28).

• Rome sought to rule the world but fell into corruption and decline.

• Modern globalism mirrors the Babel system—uniting humanity apart from God’s will.

📖 1 Corinthians 3:11 – “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
🔎 Any kingdom, government, or system built without God as the foundation will ultimately fall.

🔥 Genesis 11:1-4 is more than ancient history—it is a warning against human pride, self-exaltation, and rebellion against God’s authority. The spirit of Babel continues today in systems that seek to unite humanity apart from God’s rule.
📖 “Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven.”
🔎 This was not just architecture—it was rebellion, as men sought to reach heaven by their own strength.

Genesis 11:5-9 – The Confusion of Languages

📖 “And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.” (Genesis 11:5)
🔎 God’s intervention at Babel marks a turning point in human history. Instead of allowing humanity to unite in rebellion, He confused their language, scattering them across the earth. This event not only explains the origin of diverse languages but also serves as a prophetic shadow of future divine judgments and restorations.

1️⃣ Why Did God Confuse Their Language?

📖 Genesis 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 issue was not just unity, but unity in defiance of God. This was a direct challenge to God’s command to “fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1). Instead of spreading, they gathered to build a human-centered kingdom.

📖 Psalm 2:1-3 – “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed.”
🔎 Babel represents humanity’s attempt to rule independently from God, much like how nations later rebel against Christ’s reign.

2️⃣ The Phrase “Let Us Go Down” – A Theophany?

📖 Genesis 11:7 – “Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”
🔎 The phrase “Let Us Go Down” is similar to Genesis 1:26 (“Let us make man in our image”), further revealing the Father and Son working together. 

📖 Isaiah 6:8 – “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”
🔎 This echoes the same plural discussion, supporting the view that God’s triune nature is implied in these key moments of judgment and intervention.

3️⃣ The Consequence – Scattering the Nations

📖 Genesis 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.”
🔎 Instead of being destroyed, they were dispersed. This was both a judgment and a mercy, forcing them to fulfill God’s command to spread across the earth.

📖 Acts 17:26 – “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.”
🔎 God is the one who sets national boundaries and determines their history. Babel was the first recorded instance of His divine division of nations.

📖 Deuteronomy 32:8 – “When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.”
🔎 This reveals that Babel was part of God’s sovereign plan, ensuring that nations would remain distinct until the ultimate gathering of His people in Christ.

4️⃣ The Prophetic Reversal – Undoing Babel at Pentecost

📖 Acts 2:4-11 – “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance… And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?”
🔎 Babel divided mankind through language confusion; Pentecost temporarily reversed this, bringing unity through the Spirit of God.

📖 Zephaniah 3:9 – “For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.”
🔎 This hints at a future restoration, where language is no longer a barrier, and all nations unite under God’s rule.

5️⃣ The Spirit of Babel Continues in the End Times

📖 Revelation 18:2 – “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils.”
🔎 Babel (Babylon) is not just a historical city—it becomes a symbol of human defiance against God throughout time.

📖 Daniel 2:43 – “And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another.”
🔎 Future world empires will try to unite again, but God’s ultimate kingdom will stand forever (Daniel 2:44).

🔥 Genesis 11:5-9 is not just about ancient history—it reveals God’s control over nations, His judgment on pride, and His plan to one day bring all tongues and tribes together under Christ.
📖 “Let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”
🔎 God’s judgment was immediate, enforcing the limits of human ambition and pride.

Genesis 11:10-26 – The Genealogy of Shem

📖 “These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood.” (Genesis 11:10)

🔎 The genealogy of Shem is not just a record of names—it is a bridge from Noah to Abraham, showing the continuity of God’s covenant plan. This lineage becomes the foundation for the Hebrew people, the Abrahamic covenant, and ultimately, the arrival of the Messiah.

1️⃣ The Purpose of Shem’s Genealogy

📖 Genesis 9:26 – “Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.”
🔎 Shem’s lineage carries the spiritual blessing that Noah pronounced after the flood. This blessing points forward to the covenant with Abraham and Israel.

📖 Luke 3:36 – “Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe.”
🔎 The New Testament confirms that Jesus Christ is a descendant of Shem, fulfilling the promise that salvation would come through his lineage.

2️⃣ The Names & Their Significance

📖 Genesis 11:10-26 – “And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah. And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber.”
🔎 Each name carries historical and prophetic weight:

• Arphaxad – Ancestor of the Chaldeans, linking to Babylon.

• Salah – His name means “to send forth,” hinting at the spread of Shem’s lineage.

• Eber – The root of “Hebrew,” signifying a distinction from other nations.

• Peleg – “For in his days was the earth divided”—likely referring to the Babel event (Genesis 10:25).

📖 Psalm 105:6 – “O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.”
🔎 This genealogy leads directly to Abraham, fulfilling God’s plan to establish a chosen people.

3️⃣ The Shortening of Lifespans – A Post-Flood Pattern

📖 Genesis 11:11-25 – “And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years… And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah.”
🔎 A noticeable decline in human lifespans occurs after the flood:

• Shem lived 600 years.

• Arphaxad lived 438 years.

• Peleg lived 239 years.

• Nahor lived 148 years.

📖 Psalm 90:10 – “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years.”
🔎 This trend aligns with God’s plan to limit human longevity after the flood, possibly to reduce the accumulation of wickedness.

4️⃣ The Covenant Line Leading to Abraham

📖 Genesis 11:26 – “And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.”
🔎 The genealogy concludes with Terah, the father of Abraham.

📖 Genesis 12:1-3 – “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country… and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.”
🔎 This genealogy prepares for the Abrahamic covenant, where God chooses a people for Himself.

📖 Galatians 3:16 – “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made… and to thy seed, which is Christ.”
🔎 The fulfillment of Shem’s genealogy is ultimately found in Jesus, the promised Messiah.

🔥 Genesis 11:10-26 is more than a list of names—it is a prophetic timeline leading from Noah to Abraham, culminating in the redemptive work of Christ.
📖 “These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood.”
🔎 This genealogy ensures the preservation of God’s covenant plan.

Genesis 11:27-32 – The Introduction of Terah & Abram

📖 “Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.” (Genesis 11:27)
🔎 This passage introduces Terah’s family, setting the stage for the calling of Abram (later Abraham), through whom God will establish His covenant people.

1️⃣ The Significance of Terah & His Family

📖 Joshua 24:2 – “And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.”
🔎 Terah was an idolater, likely involved in the worship of the moon god Sin, common in Ur of the Chaldees. This emphasizes that God did not choose Abram because of his righteousness but by divine grace.

📖 Nehemiah 9:7 – “Thou art the Lord the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham.”
🔎 God’s call to Abram is a turning point in history, shifting focus from nations to one man through whom salvation would come.

2️⃣ The Death of Haran & The Role of Lot

📖 Genesis 11:28 – “And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.”
🔎 Haran’s early death left Lot, his son, under the care of Abram, leading to future conflicts in Genesis (Genesis 13:7-11).

📖 Genesis 19:29 – “And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow.”
🔎 Lot’s later association with Sodom foreshadows the contrast between the faithful (Abram) and those drawn into worldly corruption (Lot’s descendants, the Moabites and Ammonites).

3️⃣ The Journey to Canaan – A Delayed Obedience?

📖 Genesis 11:31 – “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.”
🔎 God had called Abram to Canaan, but the family settled in Haran instead. This suggests:
1️⃣ Terah may have influenced Abram’s delayed obedience.
2️⃣ God’s call to Abram was an individual one, not for his father.

📖 Acts 7:2-4 – “The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran.”
🔎 Stephen’s sermon confirms that Abram received God’s call while still in Ur, yet remained in Haran until Terah died.

4️⃣ The Death of Terah & Abram’s Full Obedience

📖 Genesis 11:32 – “And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.”
🔎 Terah’s death marks a turning point—Abram now fully obeys God’s call to leave his land and kindred.

📖 Hebrews 11:8 – “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.”
🔎 Abram’s faith is highlighted as an example for all believers—trusting in God’s promise even when the destination is unknown.

🔥 Genesis 11:27-32 is the transition from Babel’s scattered nations to God’s chosen servant, Abraham. This moment shifts biblical history from judgment to redemption, setting the stage for the covenant that will ultimately lead to Christ.
📖 “And Terah took Abram his son… to go into the land of Canaan.”
🔎 God’s plan now shifts from nations to a chosen man, leading to Abraham’s calling.