Genesis 10 functions as an intentional pause in the storyline, offering us a wide-angle, panoramic view of the nations of the world. Then, in chapter 11, the camera zooms back in, giving us a closer look at how those nations came to be. With that in mind, our plan today is to briefly look at chapter 10 and highlight some key applications, and then turn our attention to chapter 11 to do the same.
If I were to give you the central theme of these two chapters, it would be this: God is sovereign over the spread of the nations and the division of languages. And as ugly as pride is, no sin can ever thwart God’s good and redemptive plan. God will always accomplish His purpose despite (and even through) human pride and rebellion.
Let’s dive in.
“[1] These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.
[2] The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. [3] The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. [4] The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. [5] From these the coastland peoples spread in their lands, each with his own language, by their clans, in their nations.
[6] The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. [7] The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. [8] Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. [9] He was a mighty hunter before the LORD. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD.” [10] The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. [11] From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and [12] Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. [13] Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, [14] Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorim.
[15] Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, [16] and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, [17] the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, [18] the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the clans of the Canaanites dispersed. [19] And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon in the direction of Gerar as far as Gaza, and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. [20] These are the sons of Ham, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.
[21] To Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, children were born. [22] The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. [23] The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. [24] Arpachshad fathered Shelah; and Shelah fathered Eber. [25] To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan. [26] Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, [27] Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, [28] Obal, Abimael, Sheba, [29] Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. [30] The territory in which they lived extended from Mesha in the direction of Sephar to the hill country of the east. [31] These are the sons of Shem, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.
[32] These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.”
This chapter is what many would call the Table of Nations, which describes how mankind spread across the earth after the flood. In this one chapter, we find 70 nations represented, which symbolizes the whole world. So, from the three descendants of Noah (Shem, Ham, and Japheth), all of the nations are found.
In this chapter, we will be reminded of God’s faithfulness. In Genesis 9:1, God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” Well, in chapter 10, we are beginning to see God’s faithfulness in carrying out this blessing. He is faithful to carry out his promise to fill the earth in Genesis 9:1.
As you read through this chapter, you’re going to see and hear names that you have never heard before. But, you will also see and hear names that you will recognize, names that do ring a bell. These names help add color to the history found throughout the Bible. This chapter introduces us to many names and places that later appear in Scripture. You’ll see names like Babel, and you will think about the story of the Tower of Babel. You’ll see names like Egypt, and you will think about the story of Exodus. You’ll see names like Canaan, and think about the promised land. You’ll see names like Assyria and Philistines, and think about the neighboring countries that oppressed God’s people throughout history. So, I think verse 32 summarizes what’s taking place here: “These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.” This chapter sets the scene for the story that unfolds throughout the rest of the Bible. It introduces us to essential characters who play key roles throughout the history of the world.
I think this chapter also shows us that all people on earth are extended relatives, extended family, distant cousins. We’re all extended relatives, dating back to Noah and ultimately to Adam and Eve. There’s diversity all over this chapter. There are different clans, with different genealogies, in different nations, speaking different languages. But ancestry.com eventually leads us all back to Noah. So, diversity isn’t a problem to be fixed; it’s a beauty to be admired and a gift to be stewarded. The nations matter to God. As we will see next week, God has a good plan of blessing for the nations, a plan of redemption and restoration. Where the Bible begins here with the nations scattering, it will end with the nations gathering. God is creating a united and redeemed people from every tribe, tongue, and nation.
I also want us to notice here that not all influence is good, nor is it godly. Verse 8 introduces us to a man named Nimrod— “Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD. Therefore, it is said, ‘Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD.’ The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Callahan, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.” So, Nimrod was described as a mighty and powerful man, a great hunter, and a builder of cities.
These all seem like good things!
But his legacy led toward Babel. It led to Assyria and Nineveh, two brutal enemies of Israel throughout history. So, practically speaking, not all strength is worth trusting, and not all people of power are worth following. Men like Nimrod teach us that not all influential people are Godly people, and not all power is good.
Let’s now direct our attention to Genesis 11.
“[1] Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. [2] And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. [3] And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. [4] Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” [5] And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. [6] And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. [7] Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” [8] So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. [9] Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth.”
As chapter 11 opens, we notice that what chapter 10 described (the peoples spreading across the lands, each with their own language) has not yet happened. At this point in human history, the whole earth shared “one language and the same words.” As people migrated from the east, they settled in a region called Shinar, a place many scholars identify with what would later be known as Babylon (Dan. 1:2). Together, they said, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. [4] Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” So, they’re taking the resources God has provided in the land and building a city of their own, a place to inhabit with a tall tower.
At a surface level, this doesn’t seem to be a big deal. Mankind is being fruitful, which is good. They’re working hard, which is good. They’re working together, which is good. They’re growing, which is good. But, judging by the LORD’s response, this isn’t a good thing. And when you dig into the language used here, you begin to see that this is ultimately a plan centered around selfishness and pride. And it’s a plan that stands in stark contrast to what God commanded them to do back in chapter 9.
In chapter 9, God gave them the command to be “fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” But, instead of filling the earth (outward), they were building a city upward. They weren’t building a tower because a tower was necessary, nor were they building a tower to make God’s name great. They were working together to build a tower for their own gain and their own safety— “Let us build ourselves a city and a tower… Let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”
Here we see that they valued control, security, and recognition over anything else. Instead of trusting, worshipping, and obeying God, they trusted, worshiped, and obeyed themselves. The problem in Genesis 11 wasn’t that they were building a city. The issue wasn’t brick-and-mortar. The problem stemmed from pride and control. The problem was found in their creating a life centered on self rather than submission to God. They used God’s good gifts to build their own glory instead of obeying God’s good command. Instead of obeying God’s command to fill the earth, they used the resources God gave them to serve themselves rather than God. They were fighting against God’s commands and resisting God’s blessing. What might have looked like obedience on the surface was actually rebellion in the heart.
So, when you survey your own lives, do you find a tendency to do the same? Do you ever find God’s commands to be scary? Do you ever find yourself fearing what might happen if you obey God? Do you ever find yourself concerned with making your name great instead of God’s name? Do you ever find yourself leveraging God-given resources in your life to benefit yourself alone, satisfying your own appetite and your own cravings?
May we always be a people committed to obedience, no matter what that might mean for us.
Friends, listen. Pride is wanting to do things your way instead of God’s way; it’s you living for your glory over God’s glory. The Bible tells us that pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall (Prov 16:18). And that’s exactly what happens here. The pride that built this city and its tower collapsed under God’s judgment.
Look at what the LORD does: “[5] And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. [6] And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. [7] Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” [8] So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. [9] Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth.”
So, God sees and recognizes the pride present in people's lives. And that’s a truth about God that’s always important for us to remember. You may be able to fake it and convince others of something that isn’t true. But you cannot fool God. You may succeed in deceiving others, but God cannot be deceived. He sees all things and knows all things, and He recognizes the pride hidden within our hearts. He lays bare the pride that resides in the human heart. He deals justly (and I think you could argue graciously) with the pride at hand. He doesn’t destroy them like he did in the time of Noah. But he also doesn’t allow them to continue walking in pride. He intervenes and disrupts their prideful, self-centered work. He sees where a life centered around pride will lead, and he doesn’t allow it to continue.
In verse 9, the name Babylon (babel) sounds like the word for confusion (balal). So, he confuses the land by mixing their languages, leading them to put down their tools and be dispersed across the land (which carried out his command to be fruitful and multiply).
Now, Philip Bethancourt compares Genesis 11 with Acts 2, and I found it to be beautiful! Here in Genesis 11, God confronted their pride, causing confusion and scattering. And in Acts 2, we see the reversal of this. In Acts 2, we see the birth of the church. The Holy Spirit fell on Jesus’ disciples while they were gathered together. And full of the Holy Spirit, they began to speak in other languages, which enabled people from many nations to hear God’s mighty works in their own native tongues and to believe in Jesus. Where the Bible begins here with the nations scattering, it’s ending with the nations gathering to worship Jesus. Where human pride led to scattered judgment, Christ’s humility ushered in true unity where he is the head and we are the body. Bethancourt says, “Unlike the Babylonians who amassed bricks to build a tower of pride, God is gathering and assembling living stones as he builds his humble church.”
In Christ, God is creating a united and redeemed people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. We aren’t united by language, geography, or power. We are united and joined together by faith. Jesus is “our peace,” and he has “broken down the dividing wall of hostility.” In Babel, we see man trying to climb to God, but in Christ, we see God come down to us. In Genesis 10–11, we see humanity scattered by pride and divided by judgment. But in Jesus, we see God gathering the nations through his humility, obedience, and exaltation.