Babel . In Genesis 14:1,9 Shinar is the land ruled by king Amraphel , who reigned in Babylon. "Shinar" is further mentioned in Joshua 7:21; Isaiah 11:11; Daniel 1:2; and Zechariah 5:11, as a general synonym for Babylonia. If Shinar included both Babylon ("Babel") and Erech, then "Shinar" broadly denoted southern