Read Genesis 11 at Bible Gateway.
Hebrew paragraph divisions
Gen 11:1-9 {p} The tower of Babel rebellion against God
Gen 11:10-11 {s} Shem the father of Arphaxad
Gen 11:12-13 {s} Arphaxad the father of Shelah
Gen 11:14-15 {s} Shelah the father of Eber
Gen 11:16-17 {s} Eber the father of Peleg
Gen 11:18-19 {s} Peleg the father of Reu
Gen 11:20-21 {s} Reu the father of Serug
Gen 11:22-23 {s} Serug the father of Nahor
Gen 11:24-25 {s} Nahor the father of Terah
Gen 11:26-32 {p} Terah the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran
Gen 11:1-32 chiastic structure
1a.1) Gen 11:1, The whole earth had one language and one speech;
1a.2) Gen 11:2, As they journeyed from the east, they found a plain in Shinar, and dwelt there;
1b) Gen 11:3-4a, They began building a city + tower;
1c) Gen 11:4b, Lest they be scattered abroad over the face of all the earth;
1d) Gen 11:5, YHVH came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built;
central axis) Gen 11:6, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them;”
2d) Gen 11:7, “Come, let Us go down + confuse their language/ that they may not understand one another;”
2c) Gen 11:8a, YHVH scattered them abroad from there over the face of the earth;
2b) Gen 11:8b, They ceased building the city;
2a.1) Gen 11:9 {p} At Babel YHVH confused the language of all the earth;
2a.2) Gen 11:10-32 {sx8+p} Seed of Shem in Terah journeyed from Ur of the Chaldeans + they came to Haran + dwelt there.
For further study on site
tower of babel rebellion, a pivotal event in human history
the babylon connection to babel
babel/ babylon index of studies (historical, theological significance)
gen 11 and the power of unity
finding messiah in gen 11
Genesis index of studies
For further study off site
Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews, Book I
Bricks for Stones part 1, part 2, part 3 (Brad Scott, highly recommended)
Origin of the Human Races (Answers in Genesis)
The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop (While there are some inaccuracies in Hislop’s conclusions drawn at the end, the front section contains an enormous amount of accurate and independently verified information on Babylonian paganism, originally established by Nimrod, much of which has been retained in our culture even down to the present.)
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