What is the meaning of Genesis 11:11? And after he had become the father of Arphaxad – Scripture places Shem’s son Arphaxad front and center because through Arphaxad comes the line that will lead to Abram and, ultimately, to Christ (Genesis 10:22; Luke 3:36). – The phrase “after he had become the father” signals a clear historical marker: two years after the flood (Genesis 11:10), when the new world was still being repopulated. – God’s faithfulness to His promise that Noah’s family would repopulate the earth (Genesis 9:1) is already evident. Shem lived 500 years – The age is literal, just as the 600 total years of Shem’s life are literal (100 + 500), paralleling the longevity described earlier for pre-Flood patriarchs (Genesis 5:5–31). – These extended lifespans provided a living bridge between generations, allowing firsthand knowledge of God’s works to be passed far down the line (cf. Noah living 350 years after the flood, Genesis 9:28). – Even with the gradual decline in ages leading to Psalm 90:10’s seventy-to-eighty-year norm, God’s sovereignty over human days remains unchanged. And had other sons and daughters – This brief clause echoes the pattern set in Genesis 5: “and he had other sons and daughters,” underscoring the fruitfulness command of Genesis 1:28 and 9:1. – Though unnamed, these children filled the earth and spread the knowledge of God; every nation ultimately traces its ancestry to one of Noah’s sons (Genesis 10:32). – The wording reminds us that while Scripture spotlights the messianic line, God values every person, not only the prominent ones (Acts 17:26). summary Genesis 11:11 assures us that God faithfully preserved the righteous line through Shem, granted extraordinary years for truth to be handed down, and continued to multiply humanity after the flood. Every phrase testifies to His sovereign control over history and His relentless commitment to bring salvation through the family line He chose. |
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