Genesis 11

Genesis · Chapter 11

Genesis 11:7

1And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.2And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.3And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.4And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.5And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.6And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.7Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.8So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.9Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.10These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:11And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.12And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah:13And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.14And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:15And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.16And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:17And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.18And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:19And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.20And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug:21And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.22And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor:23And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.24And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah:25And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.26And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.27Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.28And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.29And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.30But Sarai was barren; she had no child.31And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.32And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
7Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.Come, let Us go down and confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
give !הָ֚בָהHA-vahH3051
to give

יָהַב (ya.hav) 1) to give, provide, ascribe, come 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to give 1a2) to set, place 1a3) to provide (with reflexive) 1a4) to ascribe (glory) 1a5) to grant, permit, come now Aramaic equivalent: ye.hav (יְהַב "to give" H3052)

let us go downנֵֽרְדָ֔הne-re-DAHH3381
to go down

יָרַד (ya.rad) 1) to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to go or come down 1a2) to sink 1a3) to be prostrated 1a4) to come down (of revelation) 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to bring down 1b2) to send down 1b3) to take down 1b4) to lay prostrate 1b5) to let down 1c) (Hophal) 1c1) to be brought down 1c2) to be taken down

and let us confuseוְנָבְלָ֥הve-na-ve-LAHH1101A
to mix

בָּלַל (ba.lal) 1) to mix, mingle, confuse, confound 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to mingle, confuse 1a2) to mix 1b) (Hithpoel) to mix oneself (among others) 1c) (Hiphil) to fade away

thereשָׁ֖םshamH8033G
there

שָׁם (sham) 1) there, thither 1a) there 1b) thither (after verbs of motion) 1c) from there, thence 1d) then (as an adverb of time) Aramaic equivalent: tam.mah (תַּמָּה "there" H8536)

language theirשְׂפָתָ֑םse-fa-TAMH8193K
lips

שָׂפָה (sa.phah) : lips/mouth 1) lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding 1a) lip (as body part) 1b) language 1c) edge, shore, bank (of cup, sea, river, etc)

thatאֲשֶׁר֙'a-SHERH0834A
which

אֲשֶׁר (a.sher) A: 1) (relative part.) 1a) which, who 1b) that which 2) (conj) 2a) that (in obj clause) 2b) when 2c) since 2d) as 2e) conditional if B: Beth+ 1) in (that) which 2) (adv) 2a) where 3) (conj) 3a) in that, inasmuch as 3b) on account of C: Mem+ 1) from (or than) that which 2) from (the place) where 3) from (the fact) that, since D: Kaph+ 1) (conj.), according as, as, when 1a) according to that which, according as, as 1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since 1c) with a temporal force: when

notלֹ֣אlo'H3808
not

לֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)

they will hearיִשְׁמְע֔וּyish-me-'UH8085J
to hear: hear

שָׁמַע (sha.ma) : hear v 1) to hear, listen to, obey 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to hear (perceive by ear) 1a2) to hear of or concerning 1a3) to hear (have power to hear) 1a4) to hear with attention or interest, listen to 1a5) to understand (language) 1a6) to hear (of judicial cases) 1a7) to listen, give heed 1a7a) to consent, agree 1a7b) to grant request 1a8) to listen to, yield to 1a9) to obey, be obedient 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be heard (of voice or sound) 1b2) to be heard of 1b3) to be regarded, be obeyed 1c) (Piel) to cause to hear, call to hear, summon 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to hear, tell, proclaim, utter a sound …

eachאִ֖ישׁ'ishH0376I
man

אִישׁ (ish) : man 1) man 1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female) 1b) husband 1c) human being, person (in contrast to God) 1d) servant 1e) mankind 1f) champion 1g) great man 2) whosoever 3) each (adjective)

[the] language ofשְׂפַ֥תse-FATH8193H
lips

שָׂפָה (sa.phah) : lips/mouth 1) lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding 1a) lip (as body part) 1b) language 1c) edge, shore, bank (of cup, sea, river, etc)

neighbor hisרֵעֵֽהוּ׃re-'E-huH7453
neighbor

רֵעַ (re.a) 1) friend, companion, fellow, another person 1a) friend, intimate 1b) fellow, fellow-citizen, another person (weaker sense) 1c) other, another (reciprocal phrase)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.