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

3Then they said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and fire them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. 4And they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let’s make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of all the earth.” Now the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the men had built. 6And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they have started to do, and now nothing which they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7Come, let Us go down and there 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

• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• cameיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
• to seeרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• and the towerמִגְדָּלmigdâl migdâlâh · towerH4026
• whichאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
• menאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
• had builtבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129

Cross-references for Genesis 11:5

• Genesis 18:21I will go down now and see whether they have done entirely as the outcry, which has come to Me indicates; and if not, I will know.”
• Exodus 19:11and have them ready for 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’s throne is in heaven; His eyes see, His eyelids test the sons of mankind.
• Psalms 33:13The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of mankind;
• Jeremiah 23:23“Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord, “And not a God far off?
• John 3:13No one has ascended into heaven, except He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.
• Hebrews 4:13And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we must answer.

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