📅 April 27, 2025

📖 DAILY BIBLE READING

✨ Genesis 11 – The Tower of Babel, the Confusion of Languages, and the Genealogy from Shem to Abram

══════════════════════════════════════════════

📜 Bible Text – Genesis 11 (King James Version)

1 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.
3 And they said one to another, “Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar.
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.”
5 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.
7 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 thereof 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.

10 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.
16 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.
17 And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,
18 And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,
19 And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba,
20 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.
21 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.
22 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.
23 And these are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

══════════════════════════════════════════════

📚 Explanation & Context

══════════════════════════════════════════════

🟦 Introduction

Genesis 11 tells how, in pride and self-sufficiency after the Flood, humanity built the Tower of Babel. Instead of obeying God’s command to fill the earth, they clamored to make a name for themselves. God intervened, confusing their language and scattering them, bringing diversity and dispersion. The second half of the chapter traces the line of Shem down to Abram—setting the stage for God’s unfolding plan of salvation.

══════════════════════════════════════════════

🟨 Commentary

🔹 1. Building Babel and the Confusion of Languages (vv. 1–9)

• Humanity unites to build a monument to their own glory.

• God sees the danger of collective pride and confounds their speech.

• The scattering that follows is both judgment and a protective measure against greater evil.

🔹 2. The Genealogy from Shem to Abram (vv. 10–26)

• Each descendant is listed until the line reaches Abram.

• This prepares the reader for God’s special covenant with Abraham and Israel.

🔹 3. Abram’s Origin and Journey (vv. 27–32)

• Abram is introduced as from Ur of the Chaldees.

• Hints of his calling appear: a move toward Canaan under his father Terah’s leadership.

══════════════════════════════════════════════

🟩 Summary

Genesis 11 exposes the pride of humanity seeking autonomy from God. God’s intervention brings both judgment and a new order. The genealogy underscores that despite human rebellion, God’s plan presses on through a faithful line culminating in Abraham.

══════════════════════════════════════════════

🟥 Message for Us Today

👉 What can we learn from Genesis 11?

• Pride leads to dispersion: When we glorify ourselves, we lose our unity and direction.

• God ordains diversity: The variety of languages and cultures stems from God’s sovereign action and is part of His design.

• God’s redemptive plan prevails: Even in human rebellion, God advances His story of salvation.

• Walk by faith: Like Abram, we are called to follow God’s voice, even when the way ahead is unclear.

📖 “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)

🌿 Today, God invites us to glorify His name—not Babylon’s—by living in faith and obedience.

~~~~~ 📚 ~~~~~

0

0