Ge. 11: Babel and Shem, Shem and Babel, Abram!!!

So, where in chapter 10, dudes were beginning to move all over the world, chapter 11 starts with some dudes breaking the rule. They stuck to one place: Shinar. All we can really know about Shinar at this point was that it was somewhere in Mesopotamia.

"You know what's a good idea?" One guy said.
"No. What?" Said oblivious other guy.
"Making millions of bricks." One guy replied.
"Uhh..." Said oblivious other guy.
"No, we'll make millions of bricks and then stack 'em all together. We'll make a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens," said One guy.
"Like my Legos?" said third guy.
"Are you still playing with those?" asked One guy, incredulous. "No, this tower and city will stop us from spreading over the face of the earth. We'll get to be together! Forever!"

God is no dummy. He saw what was going on. If the people couldn't understand each other, they couldn't work with each other. Then they'd move away to the ends of the earth. Which makes me wonder: I know God commanded people to spread out over the earth, but why? Would God feel his creation was for naught if it wasn't being enjoyed and experienced by man?

This whole deal with Babel shows me that God will frustrate man when man thinks he can do it on his own.

Shem is revealed to be 100 2 years after the flood. By the timeline in what I have read, with the flood at about 1646, Shem would have been born in 1548...

And these dates are estimates based on the numbers the Bible has given me. They may be useless to you, but its neat for me to see how time passes, and who was still alive when so and so was born.

Noah: 1046 - 1996

Shem: 1548 - 2148

Flood and the shortened lifespan - 1646

Arphaxad: 1648 - 2086

Shelah: 1683 - 2116

Eber: 1713 - 2143

Peleg: 1747 - 1956

Reu: 1777 - 2016

Serug: 1809 - 2039

Nahor: 1839 - 1987

Terah: 1868 - 2073

Abram, Nahor, Haran: 1938 -

So Terah has three boys. Abram, Nahor and Haran. Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans. Abram and Nahor got hitched to Sarai and Milcah respectively. Sarai was barren. Terah had a mind to up and move the family (Abram and Sarai, and Haran, Milcah and their son Lot to Canaan. On the way there, they settled in ... Haran. Maybe they said, "Lets honor the dead one by settling in an area named after him. I wonder why they didn't make it? Guess I have to keep reading.

Terah died there.

Questions for God:
1. Why didn't Terah make it to Canaan? Why did they want to move to Canaan anyway?

Ge. 10: Nimrod!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, basically we catch our breath here with chapter 10. It tells what becomes of Noah's sons, their offspring, and where they live. Well...let's get on with it!

Japheth had these sons:
-Gomer
--Ashkenaz
--Riphath
--Togarmah
-Magog
-Madai
-Javan
--Elishah
--Tarshish
--the Kittim and the Rodanim (apparently sailors with their own language)
-Tubal
-Meshech
-Tiras

Ham (the Cursed):
-Cush
--Seba
--Havilah
--Sabtah
--Raamah
---Sheba
---Dedan
--Sabteca
-Mizraim
--the Ludites
--Anamites
--Lehabites
--Naphtuhites
--Pathrusites
--Casluhites (ancestors of the Philistines)
--Caphtorites
-Put
-Canaan
--Sidon
--the Hittites
--Jebusites
--Amorites
--Girgashites
--Hivites
--Arkites
--Sinites
--Arvadites
--Zemarites
--Hamathites

Cush was also the father of Nimrod, who was described in the word as a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD, which is why people said "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD." Duh!! And apparently in his expansive kingdom, he had centers in Babylon, Erech, Akkad and Calneh which were apparently in Shinar. The names of these towns mean nothing to me at this point. Babylon I've heard of. Nimrod added to his nation-building with Ninevah, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen (also called the great city).

The sons of Canaan scattered from Sidon to Gerar as far as Gaza, and then to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim as far as Lasha.

Again I'm not sure of what these cities are, or where they are, but...the point is that they had expansive kingdoms. Not bad for someone cursed to slavery by their Great-Grandfather Noah.

Shem
-Elam
-Asshur
-Arphaxad
--Shelah
---Eber
----Peleg (Because of a division. I'm guessing that's between Shem, Ham and Japheth, but I could be wrong. Maybe a division between good and evil?)
----Joktan (his descendants lived in the east hill country.)
-----Almodad
-----Sheleph
----- Hazarmaveth
----- Jerah
----- Hadoram
----- Uzal
-----Diklah
-----Obal
-----Abimael
-----Sheba (possibly named after his great-uncle, the son of Raamah?)
-----Ophir
-----Havilah (possibly named after his great-great-great-uncle, the son of Cush?)
-----Jobab
-Lud
-Aram
--Uz
--Hul
--Gether
--Meshech (possibly named after his uncle, the son of Japheth?)

Apparently, Noah's sons took God's commands to heart from chapter nine. They were fruitful and multiplied. This genealogy must be important for some reason. They also spread out into the world and claimed the land.

Questions for God:
1. Nimrod?
2. Were all the continents really crammed together?