Genesis 11:7

Genesis 11:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.
• New International Version (NIV)Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

Context of Genesis 11:7

5The Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the descendants of Adam were building. 6The Lord said, “They are one people with one language. This is only the beginning of what they will do! Now nothing they plan to do will be too difficult for them. Let us go down there and mix up their language so that they won’t understand each other.” 8So the Lord scattered them all over the face of the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9This is why it was named Babel, because there the Lord turned the language of the whole earth into babble. From that place the Lord scattered them all over the face of the earth.

Genesis 11:7 word by word

הָ֚בָה נֵֽרְדָ֔ה וְנָבְלָ֥ה שָׁ֖ם שְׂפָתָ֑ם אֲשֶׁר֙ לֹ֣א יִשְׁמְע֔וּ אִ֖ישׁ שְׂפַ֥ת רֵעֵֽהוּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Go toיָהַבyâhab · to giveH3051
• let us go downיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
• and there confoundבָּלַלbâlal · to mixH1101
• their languageשָׂפָהώâphâh ώepheth · lip: languageH8193
• thatאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
• they may not understandשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: understandH8085
• oneאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
• another’sרֵעַrêa‛ rêya‛ · neighborH7453
• speechשָׂפָהώâphâh ώepheth · lip: wordsH8193

Cross-references for Genesis 11:7

• Genesis 11:5The Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the descendants of Adam were building.
• Genesis 1:26Then God said, “Let us make humans in our image, in our likeness. Let them rule the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the domestic animals all over the earth, and all the animals that crawl on the earth.”
• Genesis 3:22Then the Lord God said, “The man has become like one of us, since he knows good and evil. He must not reach out and take the fruit from the tree of life and eat. Then he would live forever.”
• Isaiah 6:8Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom will I send? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me!”
• Job 5:12He keeps shrewd people from carrying out their plans so that they cannot do anything successfully.
• Job 12:20He makes trusted advisers unable to speak and takes away the good judgment of respected leaders.
• Psalms 2:4The one enthroned in heaven laughs. The Lord makes fun of them.
• Psalms 33:10The Lord blocks the plans of the nations. He frustrates the schemes of the people of the world.
• Acts 2:4All the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.
• Genesis 10:5From these descendants the people of the coastlands spread into their own countries. Each nation had its own language and families.
• Genesis 42:23They didn’t know that Joseph could understand them, because he was speaking through an interpreter.
• Deuteronomy 28:49The Lord will bring against you a nation from far away, from the ends of the earth. The nation will swoop down on you like an eagle. It will be a nation whose language you won’t understand.
• Psalms 55:9Completely confuse their language, O Lord, because I see violence and conflict in the city.
• Jeremiah 5:15Nation of Israel, I’m going to bring a nation from far away to attack you, declares the Lord. It is a nation that has lasted a long time. It is an ancient nation. You don’t know the language of this nation. You can’t understand what its people say.
• 1 Corinthians 14:2When a person speaks in another language, he doesn’t speak to people but to God. No one understands him. His spirit is speaking mysteries.

Commentaries on Genesis 11:7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Go to - A form of speech which, whatever it might have signified formerly, now means nothing. The Hebrew העה habah signifies come, make preparation, as it were for a journey, the execution of a purpose, etc. Almost all the versions understand the word in this way; the Septuagint have , the Vulgate venite, both signifying come, or come ye. This makes a very good sense, Come, let its go down, etc. For the meaning of these latter words see Genesis 1:26, and…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. 7Come, let Us go down: God speaks to his angelic court (see 1:26; 3:22; and study notes). will not understand one another’s speech: When people could no longer understand one another, their shared plan to do wrong would stop. Later, at Pentecost, God allowed people to understand many languages. This showed a partial reversal (undoing) of what happened at Babe (Acts 2:5–13; see Zephaniah 3:9).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. confound their language--literally, "their lip"; it was a failure in utterance, occasioning a difference in dialect which was intelligible only to those of the same tribe. Thus easily by God their purpose was defeated, and they were compelled to the dispersion they had combined to prevent. It is only from the Scriptures we learn the true origin of the different nations and languages of the world. By one miracle of tongues men were dispersed and…Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 11:7

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

In the dictionaries

• Babel, tower of
• Begin
• Confound
• Earth
• Mesopotamia
• Noah
• Scatter
• Slime
• Tongues, Confusion of
• Abraham

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