Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
Genesis
Book: Genesis
Chapter: 11
Overview:
One language in the world, The
Building of
Babel.
(1-4) The
confusion of
Tongues, The builders of
Babel dispersed.
(5-9) The
descendants of
Shem.
(10-26) Terah,
Father of
Abram, grandfather
of
Lot, they remove to
Haran.
(27-32)
1-4 How soon men forget the most tremendous judgments, and go
back to their former crimes! Though the desolations of the
Deluge were before their eyes, though they sprang from the stock
of righteous
Noah, yet even during his
Life-time, wickedness
increases exceedingly. Nothing but the sanctifying
Grace of the
Holy
Spirit can remove the sinful lusts of the human will, and
the depravity of the human
Heart.
God's purpose was, that
mankind should form many nations, and people all lands. In
contempt of the Divine will, and against the counsel of
Noah,
the bulk of mankind united to build a
City and a tower to
prevent their separating.
Idolatry was begun, and
Babel became
one of its chief seats. They made one another more daring and
resolute. Let us learn to provoke one another to
Love and to
good
Works, as sinners stir up and encourage one another to
wicked
Works.
5-9 Here is an expression after the manner of men; The
Lord
came down to see the
City.
God is just and fair in all he does
against
Sin and sinners, and condemns none unheard. Pious
Eber
is not found among this ungodly crew; for he and his are called
the children of
God; their souls joined not themselves to the
assembly of these children of men.
God suffered them to go
On
some way, that the
Works of their hands, from which they
promised themselves lasting honour, might turn to their lasting
reproach.
God has
Wise and holy ends, in allowing the enemies of
his
Glory to carry
On their wicked projects a great way, and to
prosper long. Observe the
Wisdom and
Mercy of
God, in the
methods taken for defeating this undertaking. And the
Mercy of
God in not making the penalty equal to the
Offence; for he deals
not with us according to our sins. The
Wisdom of
God, in fixing
upon a sure way to stop these proceedings. If they could not
understand one another, they could not help one another; this
would take them off from their
Building.
God has various means,
and effectual ones, to baffle and defeat the projects of proud
men that set themselves against him, and particularly he divides
them among themselves. Notwithstanding their union and obstinacy
God was above them; for who ever hardened his
Heart against him,
and prospered? Their language was confounded. We all suffer
By
it to this
Day: in all the pains and trouble used to learn the
languages we have occasion for, we suffer for the rebellion of
our ancestors at
Babel. Nay, and those unhappy disputes, which
are strifes of words, and arise from misunderstanding one
another's words, for aught we know, are owing to this confusion
of
Tongues. They left off to build the
City. The confusion of
their
Tongues not only unfitted them for helping one another,
but they saw the
Hand of the
Lord gone out against them. It is
Wisdom to leave off that which we see
God fights against.
God is
able to blast and bring to nought all the devices and designs of
Babel-builders: there is
No Wisdom nor counsel against the
Lord.
The builders departed according to their families, and the
tongue they spake, to the countries and places allotted to them.
The children of men never did, nor ever will, come all together
again, till the great
Day, when the
Son of Man shall sit upon
the
Throne of his
Glory, and all nations shall be gathered
before him.
10-26 Here is a genealogy, or list of names, ending in
Abram,
the friend of
God, and thus leading towards
Christ, the promised
Seed, who was the son of
Abram. Nothing is left upon record but
their names and ages; the
Holy Ghost seeming to hasten through
them to the history of
Abram. How little do we know of those
that are gone before us in this world, even of those that lived
in the same places where we live, as we likewise know little of
those who now live in distant places! We have enough to do to
mind our own work. When the
Earth began to be peopled, men's
lives began to shorten; this was the
Wise disposal of
Providence.
27-32 Here begins the story of
Abram, whose name is famous in
both Testaments. Even the children of
Eber had become
worshippers of false gods. Those who are through
Grace, heirs of
the land of promise, ought to remember what was the land of
their
Birth; what was their corrupt and sinful state
By nature.
Abram's brethren were,
Nahor, out of whose family both
Isaac and
Jacob had their wives; and
Haran, the
Father of
Lot, who died
before his
Father. Children cannot be sure that they shall
outlive their parents.
Haran died in
Ur, before the happy
removal of the family out of that idolatrous country. It
concerns us to hasten out of our natural state, lest
Death
surprise us in it. We here read of
Abram's departure out of
Ur
of the
Chaldees, with his
Father Terah, his nephew
Lot, and the
Rest of his family, in obedience to the
Call of
God. This
Chapter leaves them about mid-way between
Ur and
Canaan, where
they dwelt till
Terah's
Death. Many reach to
Charran, and yet
fall short of
Canaan; they are not far from the
Kingdom of God,
and yet never come thither.