Genesis 11:4

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

2As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there. 3They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.” 5But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. 6“Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!

Genesis 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 1:28Where can we go? Our brothers have demoralized us with their report. They tell us, “The people of the land are taller and more powerful than we are, and their towns are large, with walls rising high into the sky! We even saw giants there—the descendants of Anak!”’
• Deuteronomy 9:1“Listen, O Israel! Today you are about to cross the Jordan River to take over the land belonging to nations much greater and more powerful than you. They live in cities with walls that reach to the sky!
• Daniel 4:11The tree grew very tall and strong, reaching high into the heavens for all the world to see.
• 2 Samuel 8:13So David became even more famous when he returned from destroying 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
• Psalms 49:11The grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever. They may name their estates after themselves,
• Proverbs 10:7We have happy memories of the godly, but the name of a wicked person rots away.
• Daniel 4:30As he looked out across the city, he said, ‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.’
• John 5:44No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God.
• Genesis 11:8In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city.
• Psalms 92:9Your enemies, Lord, will surely perish; all evildoers will be scattered.
• Luke 1:51His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.

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

• Ambition
• Babel
• Babylon
• Confidence
• Confusion
• Dispersion
• False Confidence
• Language
• Miracles
• Presumption
• Tongue
• Tower

In the dictionaries

• Scattered Abroad
• Babel, tower of
• Begin
• Confound
• Earth
• Mesopotamia
• Noah
• Scatter
• Shinar, The Land of
• Slime

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