Genesis 11:5

Genesis 11:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
• New International Version (NIV)But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.

Context of Genesis 11:5

3They said to each other, “Come, let’s make oven-fired bricks.” (They used brick for stone and asphalt for mortar.) 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.” Then 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. 7Come, let’s go down there and confuse their language so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”

Genesis 11:5 word by word

וַיֵּ֣רֶד יְהוָ֔ה לִרְאֹ֥ת אֶת־הָעִ֖יר וְאֶת־הַמִּגְדָּ֑ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּנ֖וּ בְּנֵ֥י הָאָדָֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• came downיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
• to seeרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• and the towerמִגְדָּלmigdâl migdâlâh · towerH4026
• which the childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of menאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
• buildedבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129

Cross-references for Genesis 11:5

• Genesis 18:21I will go down to see if what they have done justifies the cry that has come up to me. If not, I will find out.”
• Exodus 19:11and be prepared by the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
• Psalms 11:4The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord—his throne is in heaven. His eyes watch; his gaze examines everyone.
• Psalms 33:13The Lord looks down from heaven; he observes everyone.
• Jeremiah 23:23“Am I a God who is only near” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “and not a God who is far away?
• John 3:13No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven — the Son of Man.
• Hebrews 4:13No creature is hidden from him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.

Commentaries on Genesis 11:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5And the Lord came down - A lesson, says an ancient Jewish commentator, to magistrates to examine every evidence before they decree judgment and execute justice.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
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-9Verses 5-9 Here is an expression after the manner of men; The Lord came down to see the city. God is just and fair in all he does against sin and sinners, and condemns none unheard. Pious Eber is not found among this ungodly crew; for he and his are called the children of God; their souls joined not themselves to the assembly of these children of men. God suffered them to go on some way, that the works of their hands, from which they promised themselves…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5came down: The tower was a human attempt to reach up to God’s realm (God’s dwelling place; see Deuteronomy 26:15; Psalms 2:4; 103:19; 115:16). This effort was foolish. God had to “come down” to see what they were building, which shows how small and weak their work really was.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-321. the whole earth was of one language. The descendants of Noah, united by the strong bond of a common language, had not separated, and notwithstanding the divine command to replenish the earth, were unwilling to separate. The more pious and well-disposed would of course obey the divine will; but a numerous body, seemingly the aggressive horde mentioned (Ge 10:10), determined to please themselves by occupying the fairest region they came to.Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 11:5

• Anthropomorphisms
• Babel
• Babylon
• Confusion
• Dispersion
• Language
• Miracles
• Tongue
• Tower

In the dictionaries

• Babel, tower of
• Begin
• Confound
• Earth
• Mesopotamia
• Noah
• Scatter
• Shinar, The Land of
• Slime
• Tongues, Confusion of

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