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.
• 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.”
• New Living Translation (NLT)Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.”

Context of Genesis 11:7

5But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” 8So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9That 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.

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 11:5But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.
• Genesis 1:26Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
• Genesis 3:22And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”
• Isaiah 6:8Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
• Job 5:12He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success.
• Job 12:20He silences the lips of trusted advisers and takes away the discernment of elders.
• Psalms 2:4The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.
• Psalms 33:10The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
• Acts 2:4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
• Genesis 10:5(From these the maritime peoples spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with its own language.)
• Genesis 42:23They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter.
• Deuteronomy 28:49The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand,
• Psalms 55:9Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words, for I see violence and strife in the city.
• Jeremiah 5:15People of Israel,” declares the Lord, “I am bringing a distant nation against you— an ancient and enduring nation, a people whose language you do not know, whose speech you do not understand.
• 1 Corinthians 14:2For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit.

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