So precious in the sight of God is "The Seed", He counts the seventy souls that went

down into Egypt who formed the nucleus of the nation of Israel of more importance

than the whole seventy nations that inhabited the rest of the world, and in order to

appreciate this concentration of the Lord's care, we must continue the story of the

generations until we arrive at Abraham, the father of the great nation, whose seed is

promised in Gen. 12: 7.  While both Joktan and Peleg are mentioned in Gen. 10: 25,

Peleg only appears in the genealogy of Gen. 11: 10-26, for the seed only is there in view.

The line is then pursued from Eber through Peleg to Terah, the father of Abraham.

Man's attempt `to make a name', and the consequent scattering (Gen. 11: 1-9) was but

another attempt to frustrate the purpose of God. The word `name' is actually in the

Hebrew `Shem'. "The chapter begins with man's attempt to unify mankind, and ends

with God's new provision to unify all in blessing with Abraham's seed" (The Companion

Bible). When we reach the generations of Terah, we are at the central generation of the

eleven which are found in the book of Genesis. In both the conclusion of Shem's

genealogy (Gen. 11: 26) and the opening of Terah's, Abraham's name stand first,

although as subsequent study will reveal, Abraham' was not the eldest of Terah's sons.

Like Shem, Abram, is put first because he was the chosen channel of the Seed.

For the first time there now appears the statement that any woman was `barren', and

this is said of Sarai, Abram's wife.

"But Sarai was barren; she had no child" (Gen. 11: 30). So into the story of the

coming Seed is now interposed human inability in order that there may be demonstrated

that the true seed is indeed of God. The word translated `barren' aqar signifies a mere

stock or stem without branches, a dry tree. Bateman says of Eccles. 3: 2 where the

A.V. reads `a time to pluck up'; `to lop, as trees, cut them close to the stock or stem'.

This supernatural element is emphasized later in the story of Ishmael and Isaac, and a

definite reference is made to it in Rom. 9: where we read "In Isaac shall thy seed be

called, that is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God:

but the children of the promise are counted for the seed" (Rom. 9: 7, 8).

Immediately following the statement concerning Sarai's barrenness comes the record

of Terah's trek toward Canaan and his tarrying and death at Haran. We learn from

Stephen in Acts 7: 2, that "The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when

he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran". Terah, it would appear, was moved

by the revelation given to his sons, and `took' Abram, Lot and Sarai, but by so doing

contravened the distinct commandment "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy

kindred". Moreover, although `they went forth' from Ur of the Chaldees "to go into the

land of Canaan", they did not accomplish this purpose for we read "they came into

Haran, and dwelt there". This partial obedience to the separating command of God will

be met again. For example in Exod. 8: 25 where Pharaoh substituted for the three

days journey "Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land". "Sacrifice to the Lord your God

in the wilderness: only ye shall not go very far away" (Exod. 8: 28).