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

5Then Adonai came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of man had built. 6Adonai said, “Look, the people are one and all of them have the same language. So this is what they have begun to do. Now, nothing they plan to do will be impossible. Come! Let Us go down and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand each other’s language.” 8So Adonai scattered them from there over the face of the entire land, and they stopped building the city. 9This is why it is named Babel, because Adonai confused the languages of the entire world there, and from there Adonai scattered them over the face of the entire world.

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 11:5Then Adonai came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of man had built.
• Genesis 1:26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness! Let them rule over the fish of the sea, over the flying creatures of the sky, over the livestock, over the whole earth, and over every crawling creature that crawls on the land.”
• Genesis 3:22Then Adonai Elohim said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. So now, in case he stretches out his hand and takes also from the Tree of Life and eats and lives forever,”
• Isaiah 6:8Then I heard the voice of Adonai saying: “Whom should I send, and who will go for Us?” So I said, “Hineni. Send me.”
• Job 5:12Who frustrates the plans of the crafty, so that their hands attain no success.
• Job 12:20He silences the lips of trusted advisors and removes the discernment of elders.
• Psalms 2:4He who sits in heaven laughs! Adonai mocks them.
• Psalms 33:10Adonai foils the purpose of the nations. He thwarts the plans of the peoples.
• Acts 2:4They were all filled with the Ruach ha-Kodesh and began to speak in other tongues as the Ruach enabled them to speak out.
• Genesis 10:5From these the coastlands of the nations spread out in their lands, each one according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.
• Genesis 42:23They did not know that Joseph was listening, since there was an interpreter between them.
• Deuteronomy 28:49“Adonai will raise up a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, just as the eagle swoops down—a nation whose language you will not understand,
• Psalms 55:9I would hurry to my shelter from the rushing wind of the storm.”
• Jeremiah 5:15See, I am bringing a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel.” It is a declaration of Adonai. “It is an enduring nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you neither know nor understand what they say.
• 1 Corinthians 14:2For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to people but to God—for no one understands, but in the Ruach he speaks 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