Christian Standard Bible
Genesis 11:4
4And they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Let’s make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered throughout the earth.”
Genesis 11:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And 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.
- New International Version (NIV)Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth."
- New King James Version (NKJV)And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
Context of Genesis 11:4
2As people migrated from the east, they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3They said to each other, “Come, let’s make oven-fired bricks.” (They used brick for stone and asphalt for mortar.) And they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Let’s make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered throughout the earth.” 5Then the Lord came down to look over the city and the tower that the humans were building. 6The Lord said, “If they have begun to do this as one people all having the same language, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
Read all of Genesis 11Genesis 11:4 word by word
וַיֹּאמְר֞וּ הָ֣בָה׀ נִבְנֶה־לָּ֣נוּ עִ֗יר וּמִגְדָּל֙ וְרֹאשׁ֣וֹ בַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְנַֽעֲשֶׂה־לָּ֖נוּ שֵׁ֑ם פֶּן־נָפ֖וּץ עַל־פְּנֵ֥י כָל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And they saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Go toיָהַבyâhab · to giveH3051
- let us buildבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129
- us a cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- and a towerמִגְדָּלmigdâl migdâlâh · towerH4026
- whose topרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: topH7218
- unto heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
- and let us makeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- us a nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
- lest we be scattered abroadפּוּץpûts · to scatterH6327
- upon the faceפָּנֶהpânîym · face: surfaceH6440
- of the whole earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
Cross-references for Genesis 11:4
- Deuteronomy 1:28Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart, saying: The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, fortified to the heavens. We also saw the descendants of the Anakim there.’
- Deuteronomy 9:1“Listen, Israel: Today you are about to cross the Jordan to enter and drive out nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities fortified to the heavens.
- Daniel 4:11The tree grew large and strong; its top reached to the sky, and it was visible to the ends of the earth.
- 2 Samuel 8:13David made a reputation for himself when he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites in Salt Valley.
- Psalms 49:11Their graves are their permanent homes, their dwellings from generation to generation, though they have named estates after themselves.
- Proverbs 10:7The remembrance of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.
- Daniel 4:30the king exclaimed, “Is this not Babylon the Great that I have built to be a royal residence by my vast power and for my majestic glory?”
- John 5:44How can you believe, since you accept glory from one another but don’t seek the glory that comes from the only God?
- Genesis 11:8So from there the Lord scattered them throughout the earth, and they stopped building the city.
- Psalms 92:9For indeed, Lord, your enemies — indeed, your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.
- Luke 1:51He has done a mighty deed with his arm; he has scattered the proud because of the thoughts of their hearts;
Commentaries on Genesis 11:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Let us build us a city and a tower - On this subject there have been various conjectures. Mr. Hutchinson supposed that the design of the builders was to erect a temple to the host of heaven - the sun, moon, planets, etc.; and, to support this interpretation, he says בשמים וראשו verosho bashshamayim should be translated, not, whose top may reach unto heaven, for there is nothing for may reach in the Hebrew, but its head or summit to the heavens, i.e. to…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-9Verses 1-9 - The Confusion of Tongues 1. נסע nāsa‛ “pluck out, break up, journey.” מקדם mı̂qedem “eastward, or on the east side” as in Genesis 2:14; Genesis 13:11; Isaiah 9:11 (12). 6. החלם hachı̂lām “their beginning”, for החלם hăchı̂lām the regular form of this infinitive with a suffix. יזמוּ yāzmû as if from יזם yāzam = זמם zāmam נבלה nābelâh usually said to be for נבלה nābolâh from בלל bālal but evidently designed by the punctuator to be…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4Far from the original garden (2:15), the first cities of Genesis represent arrogance (4:17), tyranny (10:8–12), and evil (18:20–21). The city on the Babylonian plain attracted human pride and idol worship. a tower that reaches to the heavens: This was probably a temple-tower (a ziggurat). In ancient Babylonian cities, people considered ziggurats to be sacred mountains where gods came down to earth. Jacob’s dream in 28:12 might indicate this idea. that we…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. a tower whose top may reach unto heaven--a common figurative expression for great height (De 1:28; 9:1-6). lest we be scattered--To build a city and a town was no crime; but to do this to defeat the counsels of heaven by attempting to prevent emigration was foolish, wicked, and justly offensive to God.Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 11:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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