Genesis 11:10-26

 |  March 21, 2018

Gen. 11:10-26

  1. Locate the passage

This section is marked by the beginning of a new toledoth through the lineage of Shem.  The passage shows the lineage of Abraham through the line of Shem.

  1. Genre

The passage is narrative.  It is an extended genealogy list.  There is no conversation recorded in this periscope.

  1. Determine the structure of the passage

11:10-26 – The importance of a good family line

  1. Exegete the passage

The passage is parallel with the Genealogy list in Genesis 5 in that 10 generations are listed culminating in the Patriarch under consideration in the text (In Genesis 5, Noah is the 10th generation; in Genesis 11, Abraham is the 10th generation).

The passage continues the toledoth structure of the book and demonstrates the reliability of the text and the significance of Abraham’s link to Noah through Shem.

The difference between this genealogy of Shem and that of 10:22-31 is that the first list focuses on Eber’s line through Joktan, while the latter list focuses on Eber’s line through Peleg.

The name, “Eber” is likely of Akkadian roots and means, “to cross over.”  However, the description in Gen. 10:21 seems to connect Eber to the Hebrews.  The two share the same root.[1]Richard S. Hess, “Eber (Person),” ed. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 260. Thus, the significance of the line of Abraham through Eber notes the heritage of the Hebrew people through the line of Shem.

This brief toledoth ends with anticipation of the next …

  1. Let the structure of the text drive the sermon

The passage demonstrates:

References[+]

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