genesis 11 and 12

Read Genesis 11 and 12 at Bible Gateway.

The 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 12:1-9 {p} Abram called, promise of land and descendants given
Gen 12:10-13:18 {p} …

Genesis strong themes:

Gen 9:18-29 {p} Shem and Japheth blessed/ Canaan cursed
Gen 10:1-32 {s+s+p} The seventy descendants of Noah who became the fathers of the nations
Gen 11:1-9 {p} The tower of Babel rebellion against God
Gen 11:10-32 {sx8+p} The seed of Shem
Gen 12:1-9 {p} Abram called, promise of land and descendants given

Gen 11:1-32 {p+sx8+p} chiastic structure:

1a) Gen 11:1-2, Whole earth had one language/ they found a plain in Shinar + dwelt there;

1) Gen 11:1, The whole earth had one language and one speech;
2) Gen 11:2, As they journeyed from the east, they found a plain in the land of 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, “The people are one + one language/ this is their beginning/ all they propose to do they will do;”

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) Gen 11:9-32 {p+sx8+p} YHVH confused the language of the whole earth/ seed of Shem in Terah came to Haran + dwelt there;

1) Gen 11:9 {p} At Babel YHVH confused the language of all the earth;
2) Gen 11:10-32 {sx8+p} Seed of Shem in Terah went out from Ur of the Chaldeans + they came to Haran + dwelt there.

The Tower of Babel rebellion is one of the most pivotal events in all of history, and in all of Scripture. If you read nothing else, at least read why this is so!

For further reading:

Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews, Book I (off site)
Bricks for Stones part 1, part 2, part 3 (off site, highly recommended)
Origin of the Human Races (off site)
The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop (off site. 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.)
Babel / Babylon index of studies