Genesis 11:9

Genesis 11:9 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Therefore 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.
• New International Version (NIV)That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

Context of Genesis 11:9

7Now we must go down to them. We must make their language become confused. Then they will not be able to understand each other.’ 8So the Lord separated the people from one another. They went to live in different lands all over the earth. They stopped building the city for themselves. That is why people called the city Babel. It was because the Lord confused all the people of the world and he gave them different languages to speak. From that time, the Lord separated the people from each other so that they lived in different places all over the earth. 10This is the report about Shem and his family. Two years after the deep water went away from the earth, Shem was 100 years old. He became the father of Arphaxad. 11After Arphaxad was born, Shem lived for 500 years. He had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:9 word by word

עַל־כֵּ֞ן קָרָ֤א שְׁמָהּ֙ בָּבֶ֔ל כִּי־שָׁ֛ם בָּלַ֥ל יְהוָ֖ה שְׂפַ֣ת כָּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וּמִשָּׁם֙ הֱפִיצָ֣ם יְהוָ֔ה עַל־פְּנֵ֖י כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Therefore is the name of itשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
• calledקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call byH7121
• Babelבָּבֶ֫ל, בָּבֶלbâbel · BabylonH894
• because the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• did there confoundבָּלַלbâlal · to mixH1101
• the languageשָׂפָהώâphâh ώepheth · lip: languageH8193
• of all the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• and from thence didפּוּץpûts · to scatterH6327
• scatter them abroadפּוּץpûts · to scatterH6327
• upon the faceפָּנֶהpânîym · face: surfaceH6440

Cross-references for Genesis 11:9

• Genesis 10:5These people lived by the sea. They lived in groups. Each group went to live in a different place. Each group spoke its own language.
• Isaiah 13:1This is God's message about Babylon that he showed to Isaiah, the son of Amoz:
• Jeremiah 50:1The Lord gave this message to the prophet Jeremiah about Babylon city and the people of Babylonia:
• 1 Corinthians 14:23Think about what happens when the whole church meets together. Perhaps some people come in who do not believe in God. Or perhaps they have not learned much about God. If all of you are speaking in strange languages, those visitors would not understand. They would say that you are all crazy!
• Genesis 10:25Eber had two sons. The name of one son was Peleg. When he was alive, people began to live in different places on the earth. That is why his name was Peleg. Peleg's brother's name was Joktan.
• Acts 17:26God first made one man. From that one man he made all the different groups of people. He caused them to live in different places all over the world. He decided where each group of people should live. He also decided how long they should live in each place.

Commentaries on Genesis 11:9

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9Therefore is the name of it called Babel - בבל babel, from בל bal, to mingle, confound, destroy; hence Babel, from the mingling together and confounding of the projects and language of these descendants of Noah; and this confounding did not so much imply the producing new languages, as giving them a different method of pronouncing the same words, and leading them to affix different ideas to them. Besides Mr. Hutchinson's opinion, (see on Genesis 11:4…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. 9Babel: The Babylonians saw their city as the home or gateway of the gods. The double meaning at the end of this story shows Babylon's spiritual confusion. Babylon became important under Nimrod (10:10) and later in biblical history (see 2 Kings 25:1–30). Its role as a center of pride and idol worship makes it a symbol for the forces opposed to God in the end times (for example, Revelation 14:8; 16:19; 18:2). The tower builders gathered together in one…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 11:9

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

In the dictionaries

• Babel
• Babel, tower of
• Begin
• Building
• Confound
• Dispersion
• Earth
• Mesopotamia
• Noah
• Scatter

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