EOB: Official Site of the Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible (Old and New Testament)

Genesis 11:2

EOB (Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible):

People moved from the east and discovered a flat area in the land of Shinar. They decided to live there.

EOB Footnote:

The MT reads “from the east” (miqqedem), while the LXX reads “from the east” (apo anatolon). Both convey the same directional meaning, though some scholars suggest the Hebrew could alternatively mean “in the east” or “eastward,” creating minor ambiguity about the direction of travel. The phrase “as they journeyed” in the LXX (en to kinosai autous) corresponds to the MT’s similar construction. No significant textual variants exist between the major LXX witnesses for this verse. No DSS manuscript witness exists for Genesis 11:2.

Other Translations:

KJV (King James Version):

And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.

WEB (World English Bible):

As they traveled east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there.

Benton LXX (Vaticanus):

And it came to pass as they moved from the east, they found a plain in the land of Senaar, and they dwelt there.

Douai-Rheims (Vulgate):

And when they removed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Sennaar, and dwelt in it.

Apostoliki Diakonia (LXX):

As they migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.

YLT (Young Literal Translation )(MT):

And it comes to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they find a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwell there.

BBE (Bible in Basic English):

As they went east, they came to a plain in the land of Shinar, and there they made their living-place.

EOB COMMENTARY:

EOB Commentary:

Commentary on Genesis 11:2

The Eastward Journey and Its Spiritual Significance

The movement “from the east” (or as some translations render it, “eastward”) carries profound typological weight in the Orthodox reading of Scripture. This geographical notation echoes the earlier expulsion from Eden, where Adam and Eve were driven out and cherubim were placed “at the east of the garden” (Genesis 3:24). The descendants of Noah, rather than seeking return to God, journey further into spiritual exile, moving toward the plain of Shinar—the land that would become Babylon, perpetual symbol of human pride and confusion.

Saint John Chrysostom observes that this settling in Shinar represents humanity’s choice of earthly comfort over divine calling. The fertile plain offered material abundance, yet this very prosperity became the occasion for the tower’s construction. Chrysostom notes how frequently in Scripture material blessing, when divorced from gratitude toward God, becomes the seedbed of pride.

Typological Connections to Christ and the Church

The plain of Shinar stands in deliberate contrast to the mountains of divine revelation—Sinai, Zion, Tabor, and Golgotha. While the builders of Babel sought flatland where they might construct their own ascent to heaven, God consistently reveals Himself on mountains, descending to meet humanity. Christ’s Transfiguration on Mount Tabor represents the true union of heaven and earth that Babel’s builders sought through their own efforts.

The Orthodox Paschal and Pentecost liturgies draw upon this passage implicitly. At Pentecost, the Church celebrates the reversal of Babel’s confusion. Where humanity scattered through the multiplication of tongues, the Holy Spirit gathers all nations through the gift of understanding. The Kontakion of Pentecost proclaims that when the Most High descended and confused tongues, He divided the nations, but when He distributed the tongues of fire, He called all to unity.

Liturgical and Spiritual Reflection

The phrase “they found a plain and dwelt there” suggests spiritual complacency—the preference for ease over the ascetical struggle. Orthodox spiritual tradition consistently warns against such settling. The fathers speak of the Christian life as a pilgrimage, an exodus from the Egypt of sin toward the promised inheritance. To “dwell” prematurely, to cease the journey toward theosis, is to risk building monuments to human achievement rather than temples to divine glory.

This verse thus serves as a sobering reminder: the path away from God often appears as progress, as civilization, as settling into comfort. Yet true human flourishing comes only through continued movement toward the Creator, ascending not towers of pride but the ladder of divine ascent revealed in Christ and His Church.

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