Genesis 11:17–26

Here is a genealogy that ends with Abram. The next chapter follows it with the mighty principle of grace — God's call. That is the outward preparation. But Jehovah shines through this dealing and revelation. Here we have the special line. It is no more an "endless genealogy" than that of Adam to Noah in Genesis 5. We may notice ten links in the chain of both chapters.

The root of the word is 'to pass over,' as when one passes over a river, or from one region to another. Abraham was told to leave his country and his relatives and go into the land of Canaan. The word Hebrew is not used until Abraham had left his country and was in the land of Canaan (Genesis 14:13). Once there, he was a 'sojourner' — living in tents in a country not his own (Hebrews 11:9). So the name fitted him. The people of the land could come to Abraham the 'sojourner' and tell him that Lot had been taken prisoner.

Genesis 14:13 seems clearly to link Abram with the crossing of the eastern river, not with his distant ancestor Eber. Outsiders regularly used this name for God's people — not Israel but Hebrews — from the earliest times to later ones.

Compared with his father Noah and those before him, Shem's years show human life shrinking after the flood. Yet he was given to live on, before the end of his six hundred years, into the days not of Abram only but of Isaac. Peleg, fifth in this line, did not reach half of Shem's total. Nahor, the father of Terah, dropped to a hundred and forty-five years. So in God's ordering of things, man was moving fast toward the lifespan that has been normal since the prayer of Moses (Psalm 90).

In Shem God's history begins. He is Jehovah, the God of Shem. We have dates and epochs, for after all God governs, and the world must follow: man belongs to God. Others besides those named here surely had their years cut short; with these names we know when. Then the earth was divided — God, after all, was the one who dealt it out — and men's years lost half of what they had been. The same had already happened at once after the flood.

The sad chime rings all through the earlier list: "and he died." Not once does it sound in the later one, though in fact everyone named in chapter 11 did die. Chapter 5 had one striking exception, Enoch, who "walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." In the second half of chapter 11 we read of the line of blessing. It gives each generation down to Abram, the time when the promise was made, and the years lived — but it never mentions death.

The introduction to this history is the record of Abraham's descent from Shem. It is a record of failure, and the whole story is not told here. We know that his line — the line whose God was Jehovah — were worshipping other gods when the Lord called Abraham from the other side of the Euphrates (Joshua 24:2)... God still numbers the fleeting years of those who have forgotten Him.

Here we are given a genealogy that ends with Abram. The next chapter follows it with the mighty principle of grace — God's call. That prepares the way outwardly. But Jehovah shines through this dealing and revelation. Here we have the special line. It is no more an "endless genealogy" than the line from Adam to Noah in Genesis 5. We can count ten links in the chain in both chapters.

From verse 10 the record traces the line of Shem further than Genesis 10:21-31 does. That passage goes as far as Joktan the son of Peleg and stops with his thirteen sons. The genealogy of Genesis 11 goes on instead with Reu the son of Peleg, and passes over Joktan and his sons. The reason is clear. Reu's line leads to Nahor, Terah and Abram, and God had purposed Abram to be the father of a chosen race whom He would separate from the rest of the nations… God has been careful to trace that line down through the ages. Matthew 1 begins the New Testament by showing that Christ the Messiah of Israel is the official descendant of Abraham… Luke 3:23-38 gives the actual line, traced backward from the virgin Mary through Abraham to Adam.

Eber's second son was named Joktan, which means "small." He stands in contrast to Peleg, whose name, "division," marked an era: the more peaceful dividing of the earth, after God's judgment had forced mankind to scatter… This much is certain — human life then sank by half. You can see it in the recorded years of Peleg (Genesis 11:18-19) and of those who followed him, shrinking by degrees to its ordinary range.

Peleg, the fifth in this series, did not reach half the length of Shem's life; and Nahor, the father of Terah, came down to a hundred and forty-five years. So in God's providential ordering, man was moving by rapid steps toward the ordinary span of years we have had since the prayer of Moses (Psalm 90). Moses himself was an exception, as a few have been even in modern times.

God prolonged man's life at that time, and that took the place of a written word; we see God's wisdom in it. At the flood, life dropped by half; and by half again, when the earth was divided and shared out among the peoples. It would not do, in the way the world is now, for men to live 900 years.

A sad refrain sounds all through the earlier one: "and he died." It never sounds once in the later one, though in fact everyone named in chapter 11 did die… In the second half of chapter 11 we read of the line of blessing. We are told of each succession down to Abram, the time when the promise was made, and the years each one lived; but the record says nothing of death. Anyone may call either of these an accident; the believer can hardly avoid seeing a clear purpose in each.

Notice the decreasing years of life. Shem was 600 years old, the grandfather of Abram only 148. The line of Shem was degenerating; some of the names show it. Terah (delay), the father of Abram, was an idolater. The descendants of Shem worshipped idols (Joshua 24:2). When the line of Shem had failed God called Abram.

Peleg's name, "division," marked an era — the more peaceful dividing of the earth, after God's judgment made the scattering of mankind necessary… And how can an event so ordinary match the large words used — "in his days the earth was divided"? … This much is certain: human life then sank by half. You can see it in the recorded years of Peleg (Gen. 11:18-19) and of those who followed, decreasing by stages to its ordinary range.

Compared with his father Noah and those before him, Shem's years mark the growing decrease of human age after the flood. Yet God granted him, before the end of his 600 years, to live into the days not only of Abram but of Isaac. Peleg, the fifth in this series, did not reach half the limit of Shem's term. Nahor, the father of Terah, dwindled to 145 years. So in God's ordering of things, man was coming by quick steps to the lifespan that has been ordinary since the prayer of Moses (Ps. 90).

The earlier list keeps up a sad refrain: "and he died." That note never sounds in the later one, though in fact all the men named in chapter 11 did die… The second half of chapter 11 gives us the line of blessing. It names each succession down to Abram, the point when God gave the promise, and the years each man lived. But it says nothing of death. Anyone may call either of these an accident if he wishes. The believer can scarcely avoid seeing a clear purpose in each.

The genealogy itself may still tell us something. In Peleg we see men taking possession of the earth more than ever. At the same time their hold on it was shortening fast — by half, in this very Peleg's time (Gen. 10:25). Reu lives 239 years; Serug, 230; Nahor, only 148; Terah, again, 205; but Haran dies before his father Terah. God still numbers the fleeting years of those who have forgotten Him.

Here again we find ten names prominent. We have the same number in Genesis 5. Both genealogies, in chapters 5 and 11, end with a man to whom God reveals Himself, and with each a new dispensation begins — Noah and Abram. Notice the decreasing years of life. Shem was 600 years old; the grandfather of Abram only 148. The line of Shem was degenerating; some of the names show it. Terah, the father of Abram, was an idol-worshipper — his name means "delay." Shem's descendants worshipped idols (Joshua 24:2). When the line of Shem had failed, God called Abram.

We move from the world as a whole to the chosen family. God is not interested in giving us the history of nations. He gives us the history of His purposes, worked out through faith. So the story quickly narrows to those descendants of Shem, the son of Noah. They are the forerunners of the line of faith, and Abraham is its great head.

Still, the genealogy itself may tell us something. In Peleg's day men were taking hold of the earth more than ever, while the time they held it was shrinking fast — cut in half in Peleg's own lifetime. Reu lives 239 years. Serug lives 230. Nahor lives only 148. Terah lives 205. But Haran dies before his father Terah. God still numbers the fleeting years of those who have forgotten Him.

We also note that the dates always stay inside the chosen line. God counts the years only for these, and leaves the others unrecorded. The same holds in Matthew 1. In the fourteen generations between David and the captivity, the record leaves out kings who turned away to Baal. God's thoughts and ways in these matters are not what ours would naturally be.

Yet these lists give such exact information about the earliest ages — before the Flood and after it, without a gap — that no family line from that period outside Scripture can compare with them. And they do more than give reliable information about every link in the chain. In each case a special design of God's governs them.

Here again ten names stand out. We find the same number in Genesis 5. Both lists, in chapters 5 and 11, end with a man God reveals Himself to, and with each one a new age begins — Noah and Abram… The line of Shem was degenerating, and some of the names show it. Terah (which means delay), the father of Abram, worshipped idols. The descendants of Shem worshipped idols (Joshua 24:2). When the line of Shem had failed, God called Abram.

Abram's descent from Shem shows him in the line of promise… But the promise itself expressed a grace in God that came before any claim of Abram's own. In the chosen line we have only a thin record of names and lengths of life. Even so, it is plain that there is decay, and that it never stops… elsewhere we read that they fell away from God, which left every hope resting on His sovereign grace. The root of all the blessing that follows is here and only here.

Son of Reu, a son of Peleg. Genesis 11:20-23; 1 Chronicles 1:26. He is called SARUCH, son of Ragau, in Luke 3:35.

From verse 10 the record traces the line of Shem further than Genesis 10:21-31 does. That earlier list goes as far as Joktan the son of Peleg and stops with his thirteen sons. The genealogy of Genesis 11 goes on instead with Reu the son of Peleg, passing over Joktan and his sons. The reason is clear. Reu's line leads on to Nahor, Terah and Abram, and God had purposed that Abram would be the father of a chosen race whom He would separate from the rest of the nations.

The genealogy itself may still tell us something. In Peleg we see men taking possession of the earth more than ever, while the days they held it were shortening fast — cut by half in Peleg's own time (Genesis 10:25). Reu lives 239 years; Serug, 230; Nahor, only 148; Terah, 205 again; but Haran dies before his father Terah. God still numbers the fleeting years of those who have forgotten Him.

Compared with his father Noah and those before him, Shem's years show how human life kept shrinking after the flood. Yet he was given, before he came near the end of his six hundred years, to live on into the days not only of Abram but of Isaac.

A sad refrain sounds all through the earlier list: "and he died." Not once does it sound in the later one, though in fact everyone named in chapter 11 did die... The second half of chapter 11 gives us the line of blessing. It names each generation down to Abram, the time when God made the promise, and the years each man lived; but it says nothing of death. Let anyone who wishes call either of these an accident. The believer can hardly avoid seeing a clear purpose in each.

Divine purpose is the key... It explains why the general genealogy leaves out every detail outside the direct line of the chosen people — the line, above all, of the Messiah, God's salvation, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of His people Israel. The rest of their children, however many or however great in human eyes, are simply folded into the "sons and daughters" they fathered.

Both genealogies, in chapters 5 and 11, end with a man to whom God reveals Himself, and with each of them a new era in God's dealings begins — Noah and Abram. Notice the decreasing years of life. Shem was 600 years old, the grandfather of Abram only 148. The line of Shem was degenerating, and some of the names show it. Terah (whose name means delay), the father of Abram, was an idolater. The descendants of Shem worshipped idols (Joshua 24:2). When the line of Shem had failed God called Abram.

No doubt the years of man's life were shortening everywhere, but in this line there was at least no exception to the decline. Elsewhere we read that these men turned away from God too, so that every possible hope was left to the sovereign grace of God. The root of all the blessing following is here and only here.

Son of Serug, and grandfather of Abraham. Genesis 11:22-25; 1 Chronicles 1:26. Called NACHOR in Luke 3:34.

We now have a genealogy which ends with Abram. The next chapter follows it with the mighty principle of grace: God's call. That prepares the way outwardly. But Jehovah shines through this dealing and revelation. Here we have the special line. It is no more an "endless genealogy" than that of Adam to Noah in Genesis 5. We may notice ten links in the chain of both chapters.

Abram's descent from Shem shows him in the line of promise. Jehovah revealed Himself to Shem, and that revelation was to be fulfilled above all in the Seed of Abram, whose day Abram's own faith rejoiced to see. But the promise itself expressed a grace in God that came before any claim of Abram's own. In the chosen line itself we have only a thin record of names and lifespans. Even so, the decay is plain, and it never stops. No doubt lifespans were shortening everywhere, but this line was no exception. And elsewhere we read that these men turned away from God, which left every hope resting on His sovereign grace.

The genealogy itself may tell us something. In Peleg's day men were taking more of the earth for themselves than ever, while the days of their hold on it were shortening fast — cut by half in Peleg's own time (Genesis 10:25). Reu lives 239 years. Serug lives 230. Nahor, only 148. Terah, again, 205. But Haran dies before his father Terah. God yet numbers the fleeting years of those who have forgotten Him.

In Shem God's history begins. He is Jehovah, the God of Shem. We have dates and epochs, for after all God governs, and the world must follow: man belongs to God.

Ten generations ran their course from Shem to Abram. In Scripture this number stands for testing, as we have already seen. Ten generations, from Adam to Noah, were enough to prove that "every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Then God cleared the earth by the flood in righteous anger.

The line of Shem was degenerating, and some of the names show it. Terah (delay), the father of Abram, was an idolater. The descendants of Shem worshipped idols (Joshua 24:2). When the line of Shem had failed God called Abram.

Even the line of Shem, the father and kindred of Abraham, were idolaters. Grace gives, not finds, what is good.

Son of Reu, a son of Peleg. Gen. 11:20-23; 1 Chr. 1:26. He is called Saruch, son of Ragau, in Luke 3:35.

This genealogy of Genesis 11 continues with Reu the son of Peleg, passing over Joktan and his sons. The reason is clear. Reu's line leads on to Nahor, Terah and Abram, and God had purposed that Abram would be the father of a chosen race whom He would separate from the rest of the nations… God has been careful to trace that line down through the ages. Matthew 1 begins the New Testament by showing that Christ the Messiah of Israel is the official descendant of Abraham.

Reu lives 239 years; Serug, 230; Nahor, only 148; Terah, again, 205; but Haran dies before his father Terah. God still counts the passing years of those who have forgotten Him.

Compared with his father Noah and those before him, Shem's years mark the shrinking of human life after the flood… Peleg, the fifth in this series, did not reach half the length of Shem's life; and Nahor, the father of Terah, dropped to 145 years. So in God's ordering of things, man was coming by rapid steps to the lifespan that has been normal since the prayer of Moses (Psalm 90).

The sad refrain sounds again and again in the earlier list: "and he died." It is never heard in the later one, even though everyone named in chapter 11 did in fact die… In the second half of chapter 11 we read of the line of blessing. We are told of each generation down to Abram, the time when the promise was given, and the years each man lived; but it says nothing about death.

Here again we find ten names prominent. We have the same number in Genesis 5. Both genealogies, in chapters 5 and 11, end with a man to whom God reveals Himself, and with each of them a new era begins — Noah and Abram.

The line of Shem was degenerating; some of the names show this. Terah (his name means delay), the father of Abram, was an idol worshipper. The descendants of Shem worshipped idols (Joshua 24:2). When the line of Shem had failed, God called Abram.

But the promise itself expressed a grace in God that came before any claim Abram could make. In the chosen line itself we have only a thin record of names and lengths of life. Even so, it is plain that there is decay, and that it never stops… elsewhere we read that they turned away from God, which left all hope resting on the sovereign grace of God. The root of all the blessing that follows is here and only here.

Verse 10 starts the fifth paragraph or division of the book; Genesis 10 began the generations of the sons of Noah. We now come to the generations of Shem, one of the shortest of these divisions. It extends only to the end of verse 26, and gives us names and ages of the patriarchs descended from Shem up to the time of Abraham.

Compared with his father Noah and those before him, Shem's years mark the growing decline in the length of human life after the flood. … So in God's ordering of things man was coming by rapid steps to an ordinary span of years. That span has been the usual one ever since the prayer of Moses (Psalm 90).

Here again we find ten names prominent. The same number we have in Genesis 5. Both family lists, in chapters 5 and 11, end with a man to whom God reveals Himself, and with each one a new era begins — Noah and Abram. Notice the decreasing years of life. Shem was 600 years old, the grandfather of Abram only 148. The line of Shem was going downhill, and some of the names show this. Terah (delay), the father of Abram, was an idolater. The descendants of Shem worshipped idols (Joshua 24:2). When the line of Shem had failed God called Abram.

Abram's descent from Shem shows him in the line of promise. … But the promise itself expressed a grace in God. That grace came before any personal claim whatever on Abram's part. In the chosen line itself we have only a scanty record of names and lengths of life. Even so, it is plain that there is decay, and that the decay is continuous. … Elsewhere we read that they turned away from God, which left all possibility of hope to His sovereign grace. The root of all the blessing that follows is here and only here.

One remarkable fact in Genesis 11:10-26 is the long life of Shem. He outlived many generations of his own descendants. That long life in turn shows God's gracious purpose in giving it. He had seen the flood with his own eyes, and he was an honoured saint of God (Genesis 9:26). He lived to bear witness to many of the things he had seen and heard himself. How Shem's heart must have grieved! Not only the sons of Ham and Japheth, but his own children, sank into gross idolatry (Joshua 24:2). He was living at the time when God called Abram.

Idolatry had spread among the descendants of Shem. It had infected even Terah, if not Abram himself. To preserve a testimony to Himself God called Abram right out of the evil, to become a pilgrim and stranger in the earth. Mankind was already divided into nations under God's government. Now it was to see a division of another kind — the separation of a godly seed from the mass of the ungodly. This was a division produced by divine grace.

From verse 10 the record traces Shem's line further than Genesis 10:21-31 does. That earlier list goes as far as Joktan the son of Peleg, and stops with his thirteen sons. This list in Genesis 11 goes on with Reu the son of Peleg instead, and passes over Joktan and his sons. The reason is clear. Reu's line leads to Nahor, Terah and Abram. God had purposed that Abram would be the father of a chosen race, whom He would separate from the other nations… God has been careful to trace that line down through the ages.

Compared with his father Noah and those before him, Shem's years show human life growing shorter after the flood. Yet before he came near the end of his six hundred years, he lived on into the days not only of Abram but of Isaac… So in God's providential arrangements man was moving by quick steps toward the lifespan that has been normal ever since the prayer of Moses (Psalm 90). Moses himself was an exception, and a few others have been exceptions even in modern times.

Here again ten names stand out. Genesis 5 has the same number. Both lists, in chapters 5 and 11, end with a man to whom God reveals Himself, and with each of them a new era begins — Noah and Abram. Notice the falling years of life. Shem was 600 years old, the grandfather of Abram only 148. The line of Shem was declining, and some of the names show it. Terah (delay), the father of Abram, was an idolater. The descendants of Shem worshipped idols (Joshua 24:2). When the line of Shem had failed, God called Abram.

The family record itself may tell us something. In Peleg's day men were taking possession of the earth more than ever. At the same time their hold on it was growing shorter — cut in half in this very Peleg's time (Gen. 10:25). Reu lives 239 years; Serug, 230; Nahor, only 148; Terah, again, 205; but Haran dies before his father Terah.

The sad chime sounds all through the earlier list: "and he died." It never sounds once in the later one, though in fact everyone named in chapter 11 did die… The second half of chapter 11 gives us the line of blessing. It names each generation down to Abram, the time when the promise came, and the years that they lived. But it says nothing about death. Anyone may call either of these an accident if they wish. The believer can hardly avoid seeing a clear purpose in each, and that purpose may well stir serious but happy thoughts.

The Spirit of God, however, in the sovereignty of grace, visits a son of Terah, who stood eight generations away from Shem. The call of the God of glory came to Abram. It separated him from those corruptions, and from his country, his relatives and his father's house, to shape him into a new piece of workmanship for the Lord. (Acts 7:2)

In Genesis 10 we have "the generations of the sons of Noah," but there side by side rather than in succession... The moral cause is explained in Genesis 11:1-9; after which we find "the generations of Shem" in verses 10-26, and those "of Terah" to complete the picture, and make way for Abram, the man of God's choice, call, and promise. Here we have, unlike any before, at least two genealogies side by side: the nations separate from one another, and the man separated to God with blessing and promise in him, and his seed natural or spiritual.

Here again we find ten names prominent. The same number we have in Genesis 5. Both genealogies in chapters 5 and 11 end with a man to whom God reveals Himself, and with each a new era begins — Noah and Abram. Notice the decreasing years of life. Shem was 600 years old, the grandfather of Abram only 148. The line of Shem was in decline; some of the names show this.

Verse 26 might lead us to assume that Abram was Terah's eldest son, born when his father was 70 years old. But the chapter states plainly that Terah died in Haran aged 205 years. Verse 4 of the next chapter is just as plain: Terah was dead (see Acts 7:4) when Abram left Haran, and Abram was 75, not 135 as we should have expected. So the conclusion appears to be this. Terah's family started when he was 70, and Abram was not born till he was 130. He is mentioned first in verse 26 because Terah's other children were of small importance compared with him. These things should teach us that God cares about moral and spiritual matters rather than chronological ones.

Haran was really the eldest; Nahor, the second son of Terah, married Haran's daughter Milcah, his own niece; and Abram was the youngest of the three. Lot was Haran's son, as Sarai (or Iscah) was his daughter... The eldest and the youngest sons of Terah were sixty years apart, and they had different mothers, as Abram shows. That difference made this possible and explains the matter.

This verse is a striking example of the way Scripture writes, which men are apt to mistake. It says Terah lived seventy years and had Abram, Nahor, and Haran. It said the same of Noah: he was five hundred years old, and Noah had Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Scripture gave the father's age before naming any of the sons. In neither case did the elder son come first; he came last. Other Scriptures prove this beyond just doubt. In both cases the first place marks the special and spiritual honour God put on each.

Abram then, though the youngest son, took precedence in God's mind and word because of the grace God showed him. "The last was made first" — a principle Scripture applies often... In him God began a new headship. Fallen Adam was head of all mankind as they are; Abram is head of the faithful. Scripture says of him: "he believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness."

This is the first notice the Bible gives of idolatry. It comes not when idolatry began, but when it had corrupted the immediate ancestor of Abraham. Before the flood the world was full of open evil, but we never hear of people serving other gods. And after the flood we find no hint of it, until Scripture speaks this way of the fathers in Terah's day.

It was in sovereign grace that God thus appeared. Even the line of Shem, the father and kindred of Abraham, were idolaters. Grace gives, not finds, what is good. And the God of glory did more than appear. He appeared to Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia — at the farthest point of his distance from "the land," and among idolaters.

To preserve a testimony to Himself, God called Abram right out of the evil, to become a pilgrim and a stranger in the earth. Under God's government mankind was already divided into nations. Now it would see a division of another kind: a godly seed separated from the mass of the ungodly. This was a division produced by divine grace.