What does Genesis 11:11 mean?
The previous verse began this genealogy linking Shem to Abraham and the Israelites. Shem fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood when Shem was 100 years old. This verse now establishes the pattern for the rest of the genealogy, revealing how long Shem lived after the birth of the next in the line.Putting the two ages together, Shem lived to be 600 years old, allowing him many years to have other sons and daughters as humanity set about refilling the earth with people. Verse 10 was the last mention of the flood found in Genesis, setting this passage up as a milestone. In the same vein, this genealogy does not focus on phrases such as "and then he died," as did the genealogy of chapter 5.