With Babel behind it, the narrative shifts to the genealogy of Shem — the covenant line that will lead to Abraham. The toledot structure appears again: these are the generations of Shem. Shem was 100 years old when he fathered Arphaxad, two years after the flood. This genealogy parallels Genesis 5 in structure but reflects shorter lifespans — the post-flood world is already showing the trajectory of decreasing longevity. Shem himself will outlive Abraham. Luke 3:35–36 traces Jesus' genealogy through this line. The transition from Babel to Shem's genealogy is the narrative movement from the broad human story to the narrowing covenant line — out of all the nations scattered at Babel, God will call one man from one family in one city to begin the work of blessing all nations. Romans 9:6–8 reflects on this narrowing: not all descended from Israel are Israel; the promise runs through the children of the promise.

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