Bible Location
Meaning: watch of him that sleeps · 8 cross references · Modern-day map available
Shinar is the ancient Mesopotamian plain associated with Babel, Babylon, and the early world of cities in Genesis. It is important because it appears in the story of the tower of Babel and later remains a name for the Babylonian region in prophetic and historical texts. First appears in Gen 10:10.1
Place meaning
watch of him that sleeps
Coordinates
32.54, 44.42
First appears
Gen 10:10
AI summary: Shinar is one of the Bible's earliest great regional names. It is the setting of Babel and the tower, making it part of the Bible's account of human pride, city-building, and dispersal in the primeval world. Later references tie it more explicitly to the Babylonian plain, linking early Genesis memory with later imperial history. The cross references present Shinar as a Mesopotamian region of origins, rebellion, and later imperial association.1
Place meaning
watch of him that sleeps
Latitude
32.54
Longitude
44.42
Bible references
8
LXX. and Vulgate “Senaar;” in the inscriptions, “Shumir;” probably identical with Babylonia or Southern Mesopotamia, extending almost to the Persian Gulf. Here the tower of Babel was built (Gen. 11:1-6), and the city of Babylon. The name occurs later in Jewish history (Isa. 11:11; Zech. 5:11). Shinar was apparently first peopled by Turanian tribes, who tilled the land and made bricks and built cities. Then tribes of Semites invaded the land and settled in it, and became its rulers. This was followed in course of time by an Elamite invasion; from which the land was finally delivered by Khammurabi, the son of Amarpel (“Amraphel, king of Shinar,” Gen. 14:1), who became the founder of the new empire of Chaldea. (See AMRAPHEL.) 3
Source note: this 1893 dictionary language reflects its period and may be culturally insensitive or outdated. It is presented as historical source material, not as ai-BIBLE’s language, interpretation, or endorsement.
| Book | Cross-References |
|---|---|
| Gen | |
| Josh | |
| Isa | |
| Dan | |
| Zech |
Figure1: A table of cross references between the selected passage and other passages (Data from Robert Rouse, “Theographic Bible Information,” Theographic-Bible-Metadata, 2020, https://github.com/robertrouse/theographic-bible-metadata.)
AI-assisted summary prepared for ai-BIBLE and stored as page content, based on dictionary material, place metadata, and linked Bible cross references.
Alistair de Blacquiere-Clarkson, “ai-BIBLE Bible Names JSON Factsheet Aggregating Material from Smith’s Bible Dictionary & Hitcocks’s New and Complete Analysis of the Bible.” ai-BIBLE electronic edition, version 1.0.
M.G.Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, ai-BIBLE electronic edition, version 1.0.
Robert Rouse, “Theographic Bible Information,” Theographic-Bible-Metadata, 2020, https://github.com/robertrouse/theographic-bible-metadata.