Darby Bible
Genesis 11:4
4And they said, Come on, let us build ourselves a city and a tower, the top of which [may reach] to the heavens; and let us make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered over the face of the whole 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
2And it came to pass as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and dwelt there. 3And they said one to another, Come on, let us make bricks, and burn [them] thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, Come on, let us build ourselves a city and a tower, the top of which [may reach] to the heavens; and let us make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered over the face of the whole earth. 5And Jehovah came down to see the city and the tower which the children of men built. 6And Jehovah said, Behold, the people is one, and have all one language; and this have they begun to do. And now will they be hindered in nothing that they meditate doing.
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
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- buildבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129
- cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- towerמִגְדָּלmigdâl migdâlâh · towerH4026
- topרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: topH7218
- heavensשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
- makeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
- lestפֶּן־pên · lestH6435
- scatteredפּוּץpûts · to scatterH6327
- faceפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
Cross-references for Genesis 11:4
- Deuteronomy 1:28Whither shall we go up? Our brethren have made our hearts melt, saying, [They are] a people greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.
- Deuteronomy 9:1Hear, Israel! Thou art to pass over the Jordan this day, to enter in to possess nations greater and mightier than thou, cities great and walled up to heaven,
- Daniel 4:11The tree grew, and was strong, and its height reached unto the heavens, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth.
- 2 Samuel 8:13And David made him a name when he returned, after he had smitten the Syrians in the valley of salt, eighteen thousand [men].
- Psalms 49:11Their inward thought is, that their houses are for ever, their dwelling-places from generation to generation: they call the lands after their own names.
- Proverbs 10:7The memory of the righteous [man] shall be blessed; but the name of the wicked shall rot.
- Daniel 4:30the king spoke and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?
- John 5:44How can ye believe, who receive glory one of another, and seek not the glory which [comes] from God alone?
- Genesis 11:8And Jehovah scattered them thence over the face of the whole earth. And they left off building the city.
- Psalms 92:9For lo, thine enemies, O Jehovah, for lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
- Luke 1:51He has wrought strength with his arm; he has scattered haughty [ones] in the thought of their heart.
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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