New English Translation
Genesis 11:4
4Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise we will be scattered across the face of the entire 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
2When the people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. 3Then they said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” (They had brick instead of stone and tar instead of mortar.) Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise we will be scattered across the face of the entire earth.” 5But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people had started building. 6And the Lord said, “If as one people all sharing a common language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be beyond them.
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
Words taken from the KJV.
- And they saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Go toיָהַבyâhab · to giveH3051
- let us buildבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129
- us a cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- and a towerמִגְדָּלmigdâl migdâlâh · towerH4026
- whose topרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: topH7218
- unto heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
- and let us makeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- us a nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
- lest we be scattered abroadפּוּץpûts · to scatterH6327
- upon the faceפָּנֶהpânîym · face: surfaceH6440
- of the whole earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
Cross-references for Genesis 11:4
- Deuteronomy 1:28What is going to happen to us? Our brothers have drained away our courage by describing people who are more numerous and taller than we are, and great cities whose defenses appear to be as high as heaven itself! Moreover, they said they saw Anakites there.”
- Deuteronomy 9:1Listen, Israel: Today you are about to cross the Jordan so you can dispossess the nations there, people greater and stronger than you who live in large cities with extremely high fortifications.
- Daniel 4:11The tree grew large and strong. Its top reached far into the sky; it could be seen from the borders of all the land.
- 2 Samuel 8:13David became famous when he returned from defeating the Arameans in the Valley of Salt, he defeated 18,000 in all.
- Psalms 49:11Their grave becomes their permanent residence, their eternal dwelling place. They name their lands after themselves,
- Proverbs 10:7The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the reputation of the wicked will rot.
- Daniel 4:30The king uttered these words: “Is this not the great Babylon that I have built for a royal residence by my own mighty strength and for my majestic honor?”
- John 5:44How can you believe, if you accept praise from one another and don’t seek the praise that comes from the only God?
- Genesis 11:8So the Lord scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and they stopped building the city.
- Psalms 92:9Indeed, look at your enemies, O Lord! Indeed, look at how your enemies perish! All the evildoers are scattered!
- Luke 1:51He has demonstrated power with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride wells up from the sheer arrogance of their hearts.
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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries