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Discover the Arts! Each day a different image from the Literary, Performing, or Visual Arts representing a portion of Scripture
plus an explanation with links and a discussion forum

2013 October 22



Image 1: The Tower of Babel (1594)
Lucas van Valkenborch (c. 1535 - 1597)
Flemish Renaissance Style
Musee du Louvre, Paris, France
Image Credit: Web Gallery of Art

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Image 2: Abraham's Journey from Ur to Canaan (1850)
Jozsef Molnar (1821-1899)
Biedermeier Style (transitional between Neoclassical and Romantic Movements)
Hungarian National Gallery, Buda Castle, Budapest, Hungary
Image Credit: Web Gallery of Art


     Explanation: Genesis 11 describes the scattering of the descendants of Noah and his sons and the emergence of Abraham from among them. At a time when the earth was of one language they built a city called Babel with a tall tower for the purpose of unity; but the LORD divided their language into several languages and scattered them to restrain the imaginations of their heart (1-9). Verse 10 introduces the 6th of the sections of Genesis: "The Generations of Shem" who begot Arphaxad (10-11). The account then traces Shem's descendants from Arphaxad to Salah (12-13), to Eber (14-15), to Peleg (16-17), to Reu (18-19), to Serug (20-21), to Nahor (22-23), to Terah (24-25), to Abram, Nahor, and Haran (26). Verse 27 introduces part 7 of Genesis, the "Generations of Terah," an extensive section which ends at Genesis 25:11 and includes accounts of Terah, Abraham, Lot, Ishmael, and Isaac and incidents related to them, all centering around Abraham (27-30). Terah took Abraham and the other members of his family from Ur of the Chaldees to Haran in the land of Canaan, later called Israel (31-32).


Genesis 11

     1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
     10 These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: 11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
     12 And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah: 13 And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
     14 And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: 15 And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
     16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: 17 And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.
     18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu: 19 And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.
     20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug: 21 And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.
     22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: 23 And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
     24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: 25 And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.
     26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
     27 Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. 28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. 29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. 30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child.
     31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. 32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.




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