Genesis 11:14 — Word Study
WLCוְשֶׁ֥לַח חַ֖י שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֖וֹלֶד אֶת־ עֵֽבֶר׃
BSA◂When ShelahShelach [a descendant of Cainan] waschâyâh■ [thirty] 30shᵉlôwshîym years oldshâneh he became the father ofyâlad▸ [begat, fathered] EberʻÊbêr [a great-grandson of Shem, the father of Peleg]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וְשֶׁ֥לַח | and Shelah | Conjunction, noun proper masculine |
| חַ֖י | he lived | Verb, Qal, perfect third person masculine singular |
| שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים | thirty | Adj |
| שָׁנָ֑ה | year[s] | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
| וַיּ֖וֹלֶד | and he fathered | Verb, Hiphil, sequential imperfect third person masculine singular |
| אֶת־ | the object marker | Particle |
| עֵֽבֶר׃ | Eber | Noun proper masculine |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | When Shelah was 30 years old, he became the father of Eber. |
| KJV | And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: |
| ASV | And Shelah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: |
| YLT | And Salah hath lived thirty years, and begetteth Eber. |
| WEB | Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber. |
| BBE | And Shelah was thirty years old when he became the father of Eber: |
Where they part company is יָלַד — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence has a main clause followed by a subordinate clause detailing the action taken by Shelah.
5 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Ellicott, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
subjectשֶׁלַח
verbחָיָה
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Genesis 11:14
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Genealogy of Shelahgenerated
Genesis 11:14 presents Shelah, a descendant of Cainan, who became the father of Eber at the age of thirty. This verse is part of a larger genealogical narrative that traces the lineage from Noah through Shem, emphasizing the continuity of life and heritage after the flood. The context includes the ages of the patriarchs and their offspring, which is significant for understanding the timeline of biblical history.
Cross References
The Key Word — שֶׁלַח, ve.She.lachgenerated
The name שֶׁ֫לַח (Shelach) refers to a postdiluvian patriarch, specifically the son of Cainan and father of Eber. His name means 'sprout', indicating growth and continuity in the lineage of the Israelites.
The parsing as a noun proper masculine indicates that Shelah is a specific individual in the genealogical record, marking his importance in the lineage leading to later biblical figures.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb of the verse is וַיּ֖וֹלֶד, and he fathered, which governs the sentence. The structure includes a noun phrase for the subject, an adverbial phrase indicating age, and a noun phrase for the object.
The order emphasizes Shelah's action of fathering Eber at a specific age, which is a common pattern in genealogical records, highlighting lineage and time.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates וַיּ֖וֹלֶד as ἐγέννησεν (egennēsen), meaning 'he begot'. This choice aligns with the Hebrew meaning of fathering a child, maintaining the genealogical focus.
The use of ἔζησεν for חַ֖י indicates a direct translation of the concept of living, emphasizing the continuity of life through generations.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Genesis 11:14 tells us that Shelah was thirty years old when he became the father of Eber. This verse is part of a genealogy that traces the descendants of Noah after the flood, showing the lineage leading to significant biblical figures.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Shelah's age of thirty when he became a father is a common age noted in biblical genealogies, indicating a significant milestone in life.
Eber is the son of Shelah and is an important figure in the lineage of the Israelites, often associated with the term 'Hebrew'.
Genealogy is crucial in the Bible as it establishes the lineage of key figures, showing God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promises through generations.
The name Shelah means 'sprout', symbolizing growth and continuation in the biblical narrative.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How does understanding Shelah's lineage help us see the bigger picture of biblical history?
- What can we learn from the ages of the patriarchs in their genealogies?
- In what ways does the concept of lineage apply to our understanding of faith and community today?
- How does the meaning of names like Shelah and Eber reflect God's promises in the Bible?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early commentators reference this genealogy to discuss the significance of lineage and God's promises, as seen in Bede's commentary.
Sale also lived thirty years and begot Heber. The seventy interpreters have it one hundred and thirty.Early Church Fathers on Genesis 11 →
Commentators on this verse — 5 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Genesis 11:14 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber. He had a son born to him five years sooner than his father had; of Eber, [See comments on Genesis 10:25].
Read John Gill on Genesis 11 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on Genesis 11 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English ReadersTHE TÔLDÔTH SHEM.(10-26) These are the generations of Shem.—Here also, as in Genesis 5, there is a very considerable divergence between the statements of the Hebrew, the Samaritan, and the Septuagint texts. According to the Hebrew, the total number of years from Shem to the birth of Abram was 390, according to the Samaritan, 1,040, and according to the LXX., 1,270. These larger totals are obtained by adding, as a rule, one hundred years to the age of each patriarch before the birth of his eldest son, and the LXX. also insert Cainan between Arphaxad and Salah. The virtual agreement of two authorities, coming from such different quarters as the Samaritan transcript and the LXX. version is…
Read Charles John Ellicott on Genesis 11 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges14. Eber] See note on Genesis 10:24. Here, as in that passage, the context suggests that a name meaning “the other side” or “across,” is most naturally applicable to a country on the east side of the river Euphrates.
Read Cambridge on Genesis 11 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the BibleThe Generations of Shem, Genesis 11:10-26. The narrative here again doubles back upon itself, returning over a century to take a new departure from the birth of Shem’s eldest son, two years after the flood.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Genesis 11 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
When Shelah was 30 years old, he became the father of Eber.
Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber.
When Shelah was 30 years old, he became the father of Eber.
When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.
Tyndale line
And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:
And Shelah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:
And Shelah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:
And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:
And Shelah liued thirtie yeeres, and begat Eber.
Strictly literal
And Shelah lived thirty years, and begot Eber.
And Salah hath lived thirty years, and begetteth Eber.
And Salah has lived thirty years [[or one hundred and thirty years]], and begets Eber.
And Shelach lived thirty years, and begat Eber.
When Shelah had lived thirty years, he became the father of Eber.
From the Latin
Sale also lived thirty years, and begot Heber.
Simplified
When Shelah was 30, he had Eber.
And Shelah was thirty years old when he became the father of Eber:
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint largely agree in the wording of this verse, with five out of seven words matched. The Samaritan Pentateuch, however, presents three differing words: יחי (be alive), מאית (hundred), and יוליד (bear), indicating a variation in the genealogical account.
וְשֶׁ֥לַח חַ֖י שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֖וֹלֶד אֶת־ עֵֽבֶר׃
5 of the 7 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
ויחי שׁלח שׁלשׁים שׁנה ומאת שׁנה ויוליד את עבר
3 words differ from the Masoretic Text: יחי (be alive), מאת (hundred), יוליד (bear)
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Genesis 11:14
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
שֶׁ֫לַח (Shelach) refers to a postdiluvian patriarch, specifically the son of Arphachshad and father of Eber. The name is associated with the meaning "sprout" and is mentioned in Genesis 10:24. It is also noted that Shelach is equivalent to the name Salah in some translations.
שֶׁ֫לַח n.pr.m. son of Arphachshad
base
H7974 שֶׁ֫לַח son of Arphachshad
7974 Shelach sheh'-lakh
the same as 7973; Shelach, a postdiluvian patriarch:--Salah,
Shelah. Compare 7975.
see HEBREW for 07973
see HEBREW for 07975
שֶׁ֫לַח (she.lach) — Shelah.
A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.10.24;
son of: Cainan (G2536);
father of: Eber (H5677)
Also named: Sala (Σαλά "Shelah" G4527H)
§ Salah or Shelah = "sprout"
son of Arphaxad and father of Eber
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun proper masculineHC/Npm
she'-la (shelah; Sala):
(1) The youngest son of Judah and the daughter of Shua the Canaanite (Ge 38:5,11,14,26; 46:12; Nu 26:20 (16); 1Ch 2:3; 4:21). He gave his name to the family of the Shelanites (Nu 26:20 (16)). Probably "the Shelanite" should be substituted for "the Shilonite" of Ne 11:5; 1Ch 9:5.
(2) (shelach): The son or (Septuagint) grandson of Arpachshad and father of Eber (Ge 10:24; 11:13 (12),14,15; 1Ch 1:18,24;
(a petition). The youngest son of Judah. (Genesis 38:5,11,14,26; 46:10; Numbers 26:20; 1 Chronicles 2:3; 4:21) (B.C. before 1706.) The proper form of the name of Salah. (1 Chronicles 1:18,24)
that breaks; that unties; that undresses
חָיָה (chayah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to live or have life, encompassing both literal and figurative senses. It includes various nuances such as reviving, preserving life, and restoring health. The entries detail its use in different stems, with Qal focusing on living and being quickened, while Piel and Hiphil emphasize giving life and reviving. No specific verse references are provided.
חָיָה 283 vb. live
Qal 203
live
be quickened, revive
Pi.
preserve alive, let live
give life
quicken, revive, refresh
Hiph.
preserve alive, let live
quicken, revive
base
H2421 חָיָה live .. live
. be quickened, revive
. . preserve alive, let live
. give life
. quicken, revive, refresh
. . preserve alive, let live
. quicken, revive
2421 chayah khaw-yaw'
a primitive root (compare 2331, 2421); to live, whether
literally or figuratively; causatively, to revive:--keep
(leave, make) alive, X certainly, give (promise) life, (let,
suffer to) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken,
recover, repair, restore (to life), revive, (X God) save
(alive, life, lives), X surely, be whole.
see HEBREW for 02331
see HEBREW for 02421
חָיָה (cha.yah) — to live.
1) to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to live
1a1a) to have life
1a1b) to continue in life, remain alive
1a1c) to sustain life, to live on or upon
1a1d) to live (prosperously)
1a2) to revive, be quickened
1a2a) from sickness
1a2b) from discouragement
1a2c) from faintness
1a2d) from death
1b) (Piel)
1b1) to preserve alive, let live
1b2) to give life
1b3) to quicken, revive, refresh
1b3a) to restore to life
1b3b) to cause to grow
1b3c) to restore
1b3d) to revive
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to preserve alive, let live
1c2) to quicken, revive
1c2a) to restore (to health)
1c2b) to revive
1c2c) to restore to life
V-Qal-Perf-3ms — Verb · Qal · perfect third person masculine singularHVqp3ms
שְׁלֹשִׁים (*shlowshiym*) means 'thirty' and can also refer to 'thirtieth' as an ordinal number. It is an indeclinable noun and is derived from the root word for 'three.' The entries indicate that it is used in various contexts, but there are no significant disagreements among the lexicons.
שְׁלֹשִׁים (very seldom שְׁלוֹשִׁים, שְׁלֹשִׁם) 174 n.indecl. thirty
bef. n. sg.
as ordin.
base
H7970 שְׁלֹשִׁים (very seldom שְׁלוֹשִׁים, שְׁלֹשִׁם) n. indecl. thirty . bef. n. sg.
. as ordin.
7970 shlowshiym shel-o-sheem'
or shloshiym {shel-o-sheem'}; multiple of 7969; thirty; or
(ordinal) thirtieth:--thirty, thirtieth. Compare 7991.
see HEBREW for 07969
see HEBREW for 07991
שְׁלֹשִׁים (she.lo.shim) — thirty.
thirty, thirtieth
Aramaic equivalent: te.la.tin (תְּלָתִין "thirty" H8533)
Adj — AdjHAcmpa
שָׁנָה (shaneh) means 'year' and is derived from the root meaning to change or revolve. It encompasses various aspects of time, including divisions of time, measures of age, and even a lifetime. The Aramaic equivalent is שְׁנָה (she.nah), also meaning 'year'.
שָׁנָה 877 n.f. year (etym. v. √[v.ek.aa])
base
H8141 שָׁנָה year (etym. v. √[8138a])
8141 shaneh shaw-neh'
(in plura or (feminine) shanah {shaw-naw'}; from 8138; a year
(as a revolution of time):--+ whole age, X long, + old,
year(X -ly).
see HEBREW for 08138
שָׁנָה (sha.neh) — year.
1) year
1a) as division of time
1b) as measure of time
1c) as indication of age
1d) a lifetime (of years of life)
Aramaic equivalent: she.nah (שְׁנָה "year" H8140)
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa
The Hebrew word יָלַד (*yalad*) means to bear, bring forth, or beget, and it encompasses various forms of childbirth and lineage declaration. It can refer to both the act of giving birth and the role of a midwife. The entries also note its use in contexts of distress and wicked behavior, as well as in reference to birthdays.
יָלַד 497 vb. bear, bring forth, beget
Qal
bear, bring forth
less often beget
of both parents
Niph. be born
Pi. cause (or help) to bring forth, viz., assist or tend as midwife
Pu. be born
Hiph.
beget (a father a child)
bear
Hoph. day of one's being born = birthday
Hithp. declared their pedigree
base
H3205 יָלַד bear, bring forth, beget .. bear, bring forth
. less often beget
. of both parents
. be born
. cause (or help) to bring forth, viz., assist or tend as midwife
. be born
. . beget (a father a child)
. bear
. day of one's being born = birthday
. declared their pedigree
3205 yalad yaw-lad'
a primitive root; to bear young; causatively, to beget;
medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show
lineage:--bear, beget, birth((-day)), born, (make to) bring
forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be
delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch,
labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be
the son of, (woman in, woman that) travail(-eth, -ing woman).
יָלַד (ya.lad) — to beget.
1) to bear, bringforth, beget, gender, travail
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to bear, bring forth
1a1a) of child birth
1a1b) of distress (simile)
1a1c) of wicked (behaviour)
1a2) to beget
1b) (Niphal) to be born
1c) (Piel)
1c1) to cause or help to bring forth
1c2) to assist or tend as a midwife
1c3) midwife (participle)
1d) (Pual) to be born
1e) (Hiphil)
1e1) to beget (a child)
1e2) to bear (fig. -of wicked bringing forth iniquity)
1f) (Hophal) day of birth, birthday (infinitive)
1g) (Hithpael) to declare one's birth (pedigree)
Conj | V-Hiphil-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Hiphil · sequential imperfect third person masculine singularHc/Vhw3ms
אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).
אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
base
H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
853 'eth ayth
apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of
entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more
definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or
namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).
see HEBREW for 0226
אֵת (et) — [Obj.].
sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative
Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)
HTo — ParticleHTo
The Hebrew word עֵ֫בֶר (*Eber*) refers to a name associated with several individuals in the Old Testament, including a patriarch, a Gadite chief, and various Benjamites. It is derived from a root meaning 'the region beyond.' Notably, Eber is the son of Shelah and the father of Peleg and Joktan, appearing in genealogies and historical contexts.
עֵ֫בֶר n.pr.m. Eber (perh. eponym of Hebrews)
‘son’ of Shelaḥ, and ‘grandson’ of Arpachshad
a Gadite chief
Benjamite names
a priest
base
H5677 עֵ֫בֶר Eber (perh. eponym of Hebrews) . ‘son’ of Shelaḥ, and ‘grandson’ of Arpachshad
. a Gadite chief
. Benjamite names
. a priest
5677 `Eber ay'-ber
the same as 5676; Eber, the name of two patriarchs and four
Israelites:--Eber, Heber.
see HEBREW for 05676
עֵ֫בֶר (e.ver) — Eber.
A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.10.21;
son of: Shelah (H7974);
father of: Peleg (H6389) and Joktan (H3355)
Also named: Eber (Ἐβέρ "Eber" G1443)
§ Eber or Heber = "the region beyond"
1) son of Salah, great grandson of Shem, father of Peleg and Joktan
2) a Gadite chief
3) a Benjamite, son of Elpaal and descendant of Sharahaim
4) a Benjamite, son of Shashak
5) a priest in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua
עֵ֫בֶר (e.ver) — Eber.
A man of the tribe of Gad living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 1Ch.5.13;
son of: Abihail (H0032I);
brother of: Michael (H4317H), Meshullam (H4918I), Sheba (H7652), Jorai (H3140), Jacan (H3275) and Zia (H2127)
§ Eber or Heber = "the region beyond"
1) son of Salah, great grandson of Shem, father of Peleg and Joktan
2) a Gadite chief
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
e'-ber (`ebher; Eber, in Gen; Obed, in Ch):
(1) Occurs in the genealogies (Ge 10:21,25; 11:14 ff) as the great-grandson of Shem and father of Peleg and Joktan. The word means "the other side," "across," and the form "Hebrew," which is derived from it, is intended to denote the people or tribe who came "from the other, side of the river" (i.e. the Euphrates), from Haran (Ge 11:31), whence Abraham and his dependents migrated to Canaan.
Eber
Beyond. (1.). The third post-duluvian patriach after Shem (Gen. 10:24; 11:14). He is regarded as the founder of the Hebrew race (10:21; Num. 24:24). In Luke 3:35 he is called Heber.
(2.) One of the seven heads of the families of the Gadites (1 Chr. 5:13).
(3.) The oldest of the three sons of Elpaal the Benjamite (8:12).
(4.) One of the heads of the familes of Benjamites in Jerusalem (22).
(5.) The head of the priestly family of Amok in the time of Zerubbabel (Neh. 12:20).
(the region beyond). Son of Salah, and great-grandson of Shem. (Genesis 10:24; 1 Chronicles 1:19) (B.C. 2277-1813.) [For confusion between Eber and Heber see HEBER] Son of Elpaal and descendant of Sharahaim of the tribe of Benjamin. (1 Chronicles 8:12) (B.C. 1400). A priest in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua. (Nehemiah 12:20) (B.C. 445.)
See HEBER.