“Genesis 11:10-32”

Friday, November 15, 2019

“These are the records of the generations of Shem. Shem was one hundred years old, and became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood; and Shem lived five hundred years after he became the father of Arpachshad, and he had other sons and daughters. Arpachshad lived thirty-five years, and became the father of Shelah; and Arpachshad lived four hundred and three years after he became the father of Shelah, and he had other sons and daughters. Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber; and Shelah lived four hundred and three years after he became the father of Eber, and he had other sons and daughters. Eber lived thirty-four years, and became the father of Peleg; and Eber lived four hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Peleg, and he had other sons and daughters. Peleg lived thirty years, and became the father of Reu; and Peleg lived two hundred and nine years after he became the father of Reu, and he had other sons and daughters. Reu lived thirty-two years, and became the father of Serug; and Reu lived two hundred and seven years after he became the father of Serug, and he had other sons and daughters. Serug lived thirty years, and became the father of Nahor; and Serug lived two hundred years after he became the father of Nahor, and he had other sons and daughters. Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah; and Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years after he became the father of Terah, and he had other sons and daughters. Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran became the father of Lot. Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. Sarai was barren; she had no child. Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there. The days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran.”

---End of Scripture verses---

“In the foregoing episode the human race again became estranged from God. In the Table of Nations the genealogy of Shem received special attention, an intimation of future developments. These two elements now come together. The focus of the biblical narration decisively narrows to concentrate upon one particular line of descent within the family tree of Shem. This line issues in Abraham, who is the tenth generation from Shem, just as Noah was the tenth generation from Adam. From the scriptural point of view, the birth of Abraham constitutes a turning point in human history.” (Nahum Sarna)

This is the fourth of ten “Toledots” or “Towledahs” (Generations) recorded in Genesis. Verses 11-16 repeat, in a condensed fashion, the five generations that extend from Shem to Peleg recorded earlier in Genesis 10:21-25. The lineage of Shem that ultimately produced Abraham is narrowed from the previous genealogy to only include Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, and Peleg (when “the earth was divided” – Genesis 10:25). Luke’s genealogy of Jesus places Cainan between Arpachshad and Shelah (Luke 3:36). There is a considerable difference between the average years that people lived before the flood recorded in Genesis chapter five, and those of people listed in chapter 11 after the flood, with even a greater reduction in lifespan from the time of Peleg and afterward. The age at which people begin having children becomes much younger as well.

Verses 19-25 – “Peleg…became the father of Reu.” Reu’s name means “friend of God” or “friendship”. “Reu…became the father of Serug.” “Serugi” is the sight of the modern village called Suruc in far northern Haran according to Nahum Sarna. “Serug…became the father of Nahor.” Nahor was Abraham’s (Abram’s) grandfather, and it was also the name of one of his brothers (verse 26). “Nahor…became the father of Terah.” “The name may well be connected with yareah, ‘moon.’ Several members of Terah’s family, as well as some of the sites connected with him, bear names that are associated with moon worship. Joshua 24:2 explicitly designates Terah as having ben an idolater.” (Nahum Sarna)

“Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.” (verse 26). “Terah begets posterity at an age at least twice that of his forebears in the line of Shem. This fact insinuates into the text the motif of prolonged childlessness, a condition that is to be characteristic of his descendants, the patriarchs of Israel.” (Nahum Sarna) We see this dynamic stressed in verse 30 about Abram’s wife: “Sarai was barren; she had no child.” The name “Abram” likely means “exalted father” or “the father is exalted.” This entire genealogy is included in the Sacred Text to introduce Abram (changed to Abraham in Genesis 17:5) and the story of the exceptional life of “the father of the faithful” (Romans 4:11).

“Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran became the father of Lot.” (verse 27). This is the fifth “toledot” or “generations” and magnifies this critically important family in the annals of inspired history. James Burton Coffman says this verse “provides the additional information that Terah had two other sons besides Abraham, i.e., Nahor (named after his uncle) and Haran, the father of Lot. This was probably given to explain the association of Lot with Abraham in subsequent chapters of Genesis. He apparently became, in fact, a kind of adopted son of Abraham, following the death of Haran in Ur of the Chaldees.”

James Burton Coffman comments further on Genesis 11:28-29: This “relates the marriages of Nahor who married the daughter of Haran, and that of Abraham who married Sarah (Sarai), the daughter of Terah (evidently by a second marriage), making her thus his sister, or half-sister. This explains other subsequent events mentioned in Genesis.”

“Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there.” (verse 31) “What happened? Why did they not go where they started to go? We have no way of knowing. Some think that Terah, unwilling to leave the pagan culture of Ur completely out of his life, diverted the journey to Haran, where the culture of Ur was likewise entrenched. In any case, Abram was unable to leave Haran until Terah died. The call of God to Abram next to be related in Gen. 12, carried the specific that Abram should ‘leave his father's house, and his kindred’; and this seems to confirm the view that Terah had been the big hindrance at first. ‘Even, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor ... they served other gods’ (Joshua 24:2)… Unger gives the following on the cultural and religious makeup of Ur and Haran: ‘When Abraham migrated from Ur, the city was idolatrous, given over to the worship of the moon deity Nannar and his consort Nin-Gal; a sacred area and a ziggurat were devoted to this idolatry ... Nannar was also worshipped at Haran to which Terah migrated.” (James Burton Coffman)

Please read Genesis 12:1-3 for tomorrow.

Have a blessed day!

- Louie Taylor

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