Genesis 11:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: These are the generations of Shem. When Shem was 100 years old, he fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood.

NIV: This is the account of Shem's family line. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad.

NASB: These are the records of the generations of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old when he fathered Arpachshad, two years after the flood;

CSB: These are the family records of Shem. Shem lived 100 years and fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood.

NLT: This is the account of Shem’s family. Two years after the great flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad.

KJV: These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:

NKJV: This is the genealogy of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old, and begot Arphaxad two years after the flood.

This verse begins a genealogy that will directly link Noah's son Shem with Abram, whom God will re-name Abraham (Genesis 17:5). This sets up the origins of the people of Israel. Unlike the broad, nation-spanning genealogies in chapter 10, this passage tracks a straight line from each man to one of his sons to the next in the line. This description begins with Shem. Of the three sons of Noah, Shem is the one who is overtly blessed by God (Genesis 9:26). We are told here that Shem fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood when he was 100 years old.

This is the last mention of the flood in Genesis, marking the beginning of a new era. The birth of Arpachshad so quickly after God's command to multiply and fill the earth shows that Shem was living in obedience.

Genesis 11:10–26 provides a direct genealogy from Noah to Abram, through Noah's blessed-by-God son, Shem. This record shows a direct genetic line from Noah and the flood, through Peleg and the dispersion of humanity at the Tower of Babel, to Terah, Abram's father.

Genesis 11 contains three sections: God confuses and scatters the people of the world to stop the building of Babel and its tower. A genealogy is provided showing the direct links between Noah and Abram. The ''generations'' of Terah are introduced, providing a description of the family out of which God will call Abram to become the father of His chosen people.

Genesis 10 provided a table of the nations, describing the peoples and tribes that descended from Noah's three sons and where they settled. Genesis 11 describes how God scattered the peoples of the world after confusing their languages to stop the building of Babel and its tower. The chapter also provides a direct genealogy from Noah to Abram and then introduces Abram by way of his father Terah. The following chapter will begin the story of Abram and God's chosen people, Israel.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 4/29/2024 12:42:27 PM