Introduction

Chapter 11 is split into two sections:

1. The first section is about the Tower of Babel and the division of mankind that is rendered as punishment for its construction.
2. The second section is about the descendants of Shem, and leads to the birth of Abraham.

This post is on that second section.

The Descendants of Shem

The second half of Genesis 11 discusses the progeny of Shem. It's one of those so-and-so begat so-and-so who begat so-and-so passages that many of us skip over. I have found in many instances that if you trace people this way it often tells us something about later passages in the Bible and how nations are connected to each other. Another benefit of delving in to these passages is that often the ages of people when they have children and/or die are given. This helps establish timelines. There are two interesting take-a-ways from this particular genaolgy:

First, we learn of Shem's descendent Eber. This may not seem important, however he is likely the namesake of the word Hebrew. A constant confusion I see among believers and non-believers alike is the confusion between Hebrew, Israelite, and Jew (and even Israeli). The term Jew comes from Judah (Judea, Yhudah, etc.) and references those who lived in the Southern Kingdom of Israel known as Judah or Judea—these people were mostly from the Tribe of Judah, a subset of Israel. Israelite, on the otherhand, references anyone descended from Jacob (who was renamed Israel in Genesis ??). This would include all of the tribes of Israel and the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The forefathers of this nation however are not Israelites, but are Hebrews. Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, and Esau would still e considered Hebrew, along with Abrahams other sons (which include Midian, the nation in which Moses journeys when he flees Egypt the first time). If Eber is the namesake for the word Hebrew, then all of his descendants (including Lot, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah) would be considered Hebrew.

Second, due to the long life that Shem lived, he was still alive when Abraham was born.

Abraham

Abram, whose name is later changed to Abraham, is known as the father of many nations. It is through him that one of the most important covenants God bestowed upon man is given. He begins the official patriarchy of the Israelites; it is from his covenant and through his seed that the 12 tribes of Israel are produced. Though he is not perfect and makes many mistakes, God shows both mercy and patience with Abraham in order to bless him with favor.

From Shem to Noah, to Seth, to Adam, we can trace Abraham's lineage all the way back based on the information given to us in Genesis 11. Estimated years of birth for Abraham include 2166 BC,[1] 1996 BC,[2] and 1946 BC.[3] Abraham is the son of Terah—a distant descendant of Shem—and has two brothers (Nahor and Haran). Haran dies, presumably at a young age since he dies before their father. Haran's son Lot (Abraham's nephew) travels with Abraham and comes into play during the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah and the Battle of the Kings. Since Abraham did not have children until late in life, and Haran died early in life, Abraham might have taken on a fatherly role with Lot.

References & Footnotes

1. Holman Bible Publishers. Holman KJV Study Bible. pg 2,37-38,45-46. 2014
2. "Bible Timeline 1996 BC Birth of Abraham". The Amazing Bible Timeline. 2013
3. BibleHistory.com. "The Patriarchs". The Bible Timline. 2013
4. The text says after two years Shem fathered his first son. This would be during the third year after the flood. I did the timeline with year 1 being the start. In oter words, I did not consider a year 0.