"The first generations after the Flood lived to be very old, with some men outliving their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. This set them apart. The 16 grandsons of Noah were the heads of their family clans, which became large populations in their respective areas. Several things happened:
Genesis 11:6,7
- People in various areas called themselves by the name of the man who was their common ancestor.
- They called their land, and often their major city and major river, by his name.
- Sometimes the various nations fell off into ancestor worship. When this happened, it was natural for them to name their god after the man who was ancestor of all of them, or to claim their long-living ancestor as their god." CMI
Genesis 11:6,7