Genesis 11: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Genesis 11 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

Genesis 11 deals primarily with the Tower of Babel, a narrative illustrating humanity's collective pride and God's response to it. The chapter opens with the whole earth sharing one language, which led to a unified effort to build a city and a tower reaching the heavens. This act symbolizes humanity's attempt to achieve divine status and autonomy, defying God's intention for humans to spread across the earth. God observes their actions and sees the potential for greater disobedience due to their unified power. In response, He confuses their language, disrupting their communication and effectively halting their construction project. This results in the scattering of people across the earth, fulfilling His original command to inhabit the earth more broadly.

Key verse

“Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.”
Genesis 11:9 (WEB)

Outline

Genesis 11:1–4 Unity and Ambition of Humanity
Genesis 11:5–7 God's Intervention
Genesis 11:8–9 The Consequence of Confusion
Genesis 11:10–26 Genealogy of Shem
Genesis 11:27–32 Terah's Family and Journey

Discussion questions

In v4, what do the people say they want to make for themselves?
What does Yahweh say in v6 about the people's unity and intentions?
Yahweh's decision to 'confuse their language' (v7): what does this imply about human ambition?
In v9, why is the city named Babel, and what does that signify?
When have you experienced being 'scattered' from a group effort or goal?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Genesis 11: Genesis 10, Genesis 12, Luke 1.

Before next time: read Genesis 12.