Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Genesis 11:20 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 20. 20And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug:
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Reu fathers Serug at age thirty-two, continuing the selected line from Peleg toward Nahor and Terah.
From scattered peoples to one family line
This verse is one part of that explanation in Genesis 11:10–26. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Genesis 11:10–26
Read verses 20–21 together. Verse 20 provides the fathering age and named son; verse 21 supplies later years and other children.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Reu fathers Serug, continuing the list's rapid movement toward Terah.
Read Genesis 11:20–21 together
Why these verses belong together: Reu's fathering of Serug, later years, and other children form one entry.
Verse 20. 20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug:
Verse 21. 21 And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.
What Remains True
Much of faithful continuity is carried through ordinary generations whose lives receive little narrative detail.
How It Can Shape Life
- Value quiet, ordinary faithfulness instead of assuming only dramatic or famous lives participate in meaningful history.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Genesis 11:10–26 — Shem's Line Reaches Terah and His SonsSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
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 ↗