Genesis 11:14

Study note

Setting — The text functions as a genealogical entry within the patriarchal chronology, recording Shelah’s age at the birth of his son Eber. It follows the note on Arphaxad in Genesis 11:13 and precedes the record of Shelah’s remaining years in Genesis 11:15.

The words — The Hebrew וַיּוֹלֶד (va/i.Yo.le.d) translates literally as “and he fathered,” operating within a fixed age-and-offspring formula. It is paired with חַי (chai) “he lived” and שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה (she.lo.Shim sha.Nah) “thirty years” to mark a precise chronological interval.

The thread — This structural pattern repeats throughout Genesis 11:10–26 and mirrors the age-and-fathered format of Genesis 5. The identical phrasing anchors Genesis 11:13 and Genesis 11:15, framing the entry within a continuous lineage record.

Why it lands — The verse establishes Eber as a documented link in the ancestral line, preserving the chronological succession without narrative expansion. It requires the reader to track the unbroken descent that precedes the call of Abram.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.