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Genesis 11:10–26, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Genesis 11:10–26
Shem's Line Reaches Terah and His Sons
From scattered peoples to one family line
After Babel, Genesis narrows through an ordered genealogy from Shem to Terah and his sons. Other children are named as existing and then left unnamed. The list is selective, not a census of worth.
The line ends by introducing the household that will carry Abram. Chronologies in the Masoretic Text, Septuagint, and Samaritan Pentateuch differ. The genealogy does not date creation with certainty or rank peoples after Babel.
How this should shape us
Honor ordinary generations without confusing being named with being more human. When ancient witnesses differ, say so rather than inventing a confident date.
Teach it back
Explain why Genesis 11:10–26 appears between Babel and Terah's family story. Describe the repeated genealogical pattern, the movement toward Abram, one thing the list does not say about human worth or birth order, and one textual or chronological uncertainty.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Which ancient post-flood chronology is earliest?
Best judgment: The Masoretic chronology is the correct displayed base for this KJV study, but it must not be described as the uncontested ancient form. Multiple chronological editions are explicit evidence; their precise historical sequence is probable rather than certain.
How certain? strongHow should readers understand the additional Cainan?
Best judgment: The textual difference is certain; its origin is not. STUDstudy displays the pinned KJV wording, names the Greek and Luke evidence, and refuses to invent a confident reconstruction.
How certain? strongWas Abram born when Terah was seventy?
Best judgment: Verse 26 establishes Terah's age when the fathering period begins and names all three sons, but it does not settle Abram's exact birth order or say the sons were triplets. Abram's first position is most securely explained by narrative prominence.
How certain? strongResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Displayed wording, verse sequence, ages, family notices, and unit boundary.
Genesis 11:10–26 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source
Supports: Toledot heading, fathering formula, ages, later-years clauses, sons-and-daughters notices, and grouped sons in verse 26.
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 11:10–26
Supports: Translation comparison, genealogy form, chronological questions, and verse 26 son-order caution.
NET Bible, Genesis 11:10–26 and notes
Supports: Final-form narrowing toward Abram and the universal blessing horizon.
Genesis commentary, Genesis 11:10–12:3 transition
Supports: Book placement, literary function, and composition questions.
Genesis introduction, genealogies and transition from primeval to ancestral narratives
Supports: Genesis 5 and 11 toledot form, ancient chronological editions, literary development, and the post-flood chronology.
The Formation of Genesis 1–11, chapter 4, pp. 83–114; official chapter abstract and contents
Supports: Genealogical selection, named and unnamed children, literary form, and ancient textual age differences.
Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 131.2 (2019), pp. 177–193
Supports: Distinct Masoretic, Samaritan, and Greek chronological editions and reconstructed scribal revision.
Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel 1.4 (2012), pp. 448–464; official abstract
Supports: Genesis genealogy genres, history, tradition, theology, succession, fertility, and selection.
The Biblical Annals 1.1 (2011/online 2015), pp. 5–38; official abstract and article record
Supports: Shem's linear genealogy as a forward-looking transition to Terah and Abram within Genesis's toledot structure.
Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 56.2 (2013), pp. 219–247, especially pp. 236–244
Supports: Cainan in Greek Genesis, Luke, Jubilees, and other witnesses; absence from MT and SP; variant chrono-genealogical systems.
Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha 18.3 (2009), pp. 207–232, especially abstract and notes 1–2
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, verse sequence, ages, family notices, and unit boundary.
Exact location: Genesis 11:10–26 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Toledot heading, fathering formula, ages, later-years clauses, sons-and-daughters notices, and grouped sons in verse 26.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 11:10–26
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Translation comparison, genealogy form, chronological questions, and verse 26 son-order caution.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 11:10–26 and notes
Open NET Genesis 11 ↗modern open whole book commentary
Genesis
T. Desmond Alexander
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023
Supports: Final-form narrowing toward Abram and the universal blessing horizon.
Exact location: Genesis commentary, Genesis 11:10–12:3 transition
Open source ↗modern critical open study guide
The Book of Genesis — Introduction Study Guide
Joel S. Baden and Yale Bible Study
Yale Divinity School, 2021 course; page inspected 2026
Supports: Book placement, literary function, and composition questions.
Exact location: Genesis introduction, genealogies and transition from primeval to ancestral narratives
Open source ↗modern scholarly compositional textual and comparative chapter
The Book of the Toledot (Descendants) of Adam (Genesis 5; 11:10–26 and Related Texts)
David M. Carr
Oxford University Press, The Formation of Genesis 1–11: Biblical and Other Precursors, 2020
Supports: Genesis 5 and 11 toledot form, ancient chronological editions, literary development, and the post-flood chronology.
Exact location: The Formation of Genesis 1–11, chapter 4, pp. 83–114; official chapter abstract and contents
Open source ↗peer reviewed open literary compositional and reception study
Intratextual Exegesis in the Primeval History – the Literary Function of the Genealogies in View of the Formation of Gen 1–11
Michaela Bauks
Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 131.2, 2019
Supports: Genealogical selection, named and unnamed children, literary form, and ancient textual age differences.
Exact location: Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 131.2 (2019), pp. 177–193
Open source ↗peer reviewed modern textual chronology study
A Hasmonean Edition of MT Genesis?: The Implications of the Editions of the Chronology in Genesis 5
Ronald Hendel
Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel 1.4, 2012
Supports: Distinct Masoretic, Samaritan, and Greek chronological editions and reconstructed scribal revision.
Exact location: Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel 1.4 (2012), pp. 448–464; official abstract
Open source ↗peer reviewed open genealogy and theology study
Genealogies of the Book of Genesis: Between History, Tradition, and Theology
Dariusz Dziadosz
The Biblical Annals 1.1, 2011; official record published online 2015
Supports: Genesis genealogy genres, history, tradition, theology, succession, fertility, and selection.
Exact location: The Biblical Annals 1.1 (2011/online 2015), pp. 5–38; official abstract and article record
Open source ↗peer reviewed literary and theological structure study
The Blessing-Commission, the Promised Offspring, and the Toledot Structure of Genesis
Jason S. DeRouchie
Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 56.2, 2013
Supports: Shem's linear genealogy as a forward-looking transition to Terah and Abram within Genesis's toledot structure.
Exact location: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 56.2 (2013), pp. 219–247, especially pp. 236–244
Open source ↗peer reviewed textual and chronogenealogical study
The Curse of Cainan (Jub. 8.1–5): Genealogies in Genesis 5 and Genesis 11 and a Mathematical Pattern
Helen R. Jacobus
Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha 18.3, 2009
Supports: Cainan in Greek Genesis, Luke, Jubilees, and other witnesses; absence from MT and SP; variant chrono-genealogical systems.
Exact location: Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha 18.3 (2009), pp. 207–232, especially abstract and notes 1–2
Open source ↗