Shinar
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(an ancient word of unknown meaning) (Gen. 10:10; 11:2; Isa. 11:11; Zech. 5:11)—a region of Babylonia whose precise boundaries were unknown to the source. Noah’s early descendants settled on its plain, built Babel and its tower, and there experienced the confusion of languages and dispersion of peoples (Gen. 11:1–9). Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh all lay in Shinar (Gen. 10:10). Daniel likewise says that Nebuchadnezzar carried Judean captives and Temple vessels into the land of Shinar. The region was therefore commonly identified with Babylonia or southern Mesopotamia; the source connects its name with Sumer in cuneiform inscriptions.