Back to Genesis 11

Genesis 11:1-9

The whole earth was of one language and of one speech. As they traveled from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there. They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.”

Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built. Yahweh said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do. Come, let’s go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.

World English Bible · Public Domain

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Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    The whole earth was of one language and of one speech.

    As they traveled from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there.

    They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar.

    They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.”

    Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built.

    Yahweh said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do.

    Come, let’s go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

    So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city.

    Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.

  • KJV King James Version

    And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

    And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.

    And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

    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.

    And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

    And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

    Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

    So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

    Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

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  • JPS JPS Tanakh (1917)

    And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech.

    And it came to pass, as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.

    And they said one to another: 'Come, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly.' And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar.

    And they said: 'Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, with its top in heaven, and let us make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.'

    And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

    And the LORD said: 'Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is what they begin to do; and now nothing will be withholden from them, which they purpose to do.

    Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.'

    So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth; and they left off to build the city.

    Therefore was the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth; and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

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Cross-references (97)

  • Acts 2:6 (v1) When this sound was heard, the multitude came together and were bewildered, because everyone heard them speaking in his own language.
  • Deuteronomy 1:28 (v4) Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our heart melt, saying, ‘The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and…
  • Zephaniah 3:9 (v1) For then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that they may all call on Yahweh’s name, to serve him shoulder to shoulder.
  • John 5:44 (v4) How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and you don’t seek the glory that comes from the only God?
  • Luke 1:51 (vv4, 6, 8) He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
Show all 85 cross-references
  • Psalms 2:1-4 (v6) Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take counsel together,…
  • Psalms 33:13-14 (v5) Yahweh looks from heaven. He sees all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,
  • Genesis 18:21 (v5) I will go down now, and see whether their deeds are as bad as the reports which have come to me. If not, I will know.”
  • Psalms 33:10 (v7) Yahweh brings the counsel of the nations to nothing. He makes the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect.
  • Genesis 10:5 (vv7, 9) Of these were the islands of the nations divided in their lands, everyone after his language, after their families, in their nations.
  • Genesis 10:10 (vv2, 9) The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
  • John 3:13 (v5) No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.
  • Genesis 10:20 (vv7, 9) These are the sons of Ham, after their families, according to their languages, in their lands and their nations.
  • Acts 17:26 (vv6, 9) He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the…
  • Deuteronomy 9:1 (v4) Hear, Israel! You are to pass over the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourself, cities great and…
  • Daniel 4:30 (v4) The king spoke and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for the royal dwelling place, by the might of my power and for the…
  • Genesis 3:22 (vv6–7) Yahweh God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand, and also take of the…
  • Genesis 1:26 (v7) God said, “Let’s make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky,…
  • Genesis 11:1 (v6) The whole earth was of one language and of one speech.
  • Genesis 14:10 (v3) Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and some fell there. Those who remained fled to…
  • Job 5:12-13 (v7) He frustrates the plans of the crafty, So that their hands can’t perform their enterprise. He takes the wise in their own craftiness; the…
  • Psalms 49:11-13 (v4) Their inward thought is that their houses will endure forever, and their dwelling places to all generations. They name their lands after…
  • Proverbs 10:7 (v4) The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot.
  • 1 Corinthians 14:23 (vv7, 9) If therefore the whole assembly is assembled together and all speak with other languages, and unlearned or unbelieving people come in,…
  • Exodus 1:14 (v3) and they made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in…
  • 2 Samuel 8:13 (v4) David earned a reputation when he returned from striking down eighteen thousand men of the Syrians in the Valley of Salt.
  • Psalms 55:9 (v7) Confuse them, Lord, and confound their language, for I have seen violence and strife in the city.
  • Jeremiah 23:23-24 (v5) “Am I a God at hand,” says Yahweh, “and not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places so that I can’t see him?” says Yahweh.…
  • Daniel 1:2 (v2) The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God; and he carried them into the land of…
  • Hebrews 4:13 (v5) There is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him to whom we must give an…
  • Genesis 10:25 (vv8–9) To Eber were born two sons. The name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided. His brother’s name was Joktan.
  • Genesis 10:32 (vv7–8) These are the families of the sons of Noah, by their generations, according to their nations. The nations divided from these in the earth…
  • Genesis 6:4 (v4) The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when God’s sons came in to men’s daughters and had children with them.…
  • Exodus 2:3 (v3) When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket for him, and coated it with tar and with pitch. She put the child in it, and…
  • Exodus 19:11 (v5) and be ready for the third day; for on the third day Yahweh will come down in the sight of all the people on Mount Sinai.
  • Ecclesiastes 11:9 (v6) Rejoice, young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart, and in the…
  • Daniel 4:11 (v4) The tree grew, and was strong, and its height reached to the sky, and its sight to the end of all the earth.
  • Genesis 6:5 (v6) Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was continually…
  • Genesis 9:19 (v6) These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.
  • Genesis 11:8-9 (v4) So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called…
  • Genesis 14:1 (v2) In the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar; Arioch, king of Ellasar; Chedorlaomer, king of Elam; and Tidal, king of Goiim,
  • Exodus 19:20 (v5) Yahweh came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. Yahweh called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
  • Deuteronomy 32:8 (v8) When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the children of men, he set the bounds of the peoples according…
  • Psalms 11:4 (v5) Yahweh is in his holy temple. Yahweh is on his throne in heaven. His eyes observe. His eyes examine the children of men.
  • Psalms 92:9 (v4) For, behold, your enemies, Yahweh, for, behold, your enemies shall perish. All the evildoers will be scattered.
  • Daniel 4:22 (v4) it is you, O king, that have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown, and reaches to the sky, and your dominion to the end of…
  • 1 Corinthians 14:2-11 (v7) For he who speaks in another language speaks not to men, but to God; for no one understands; but in the Spirit he speaks mysteries. But he…
  • Hebrews 10:24 (v3) Let’s consider how to provoke one another to love and good works,
  • James 5:1 (v3) Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming on you.
  • Genesis 8:21 (v6) Yahweh smelled the pleasant aroma. Yahweh said in his heart, “I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake because the…
  • Genesis 42:23 (v7) They didn’t know that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them.
  • Deuteronomy 4:27 (v4) Yahweh will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where Yahweh will lead you away.
  • 2 Samuel 12:31 (v3) He brought out the people who were in it, and put them under saws, under iron picks, under axes of iron, and made them pass through the…
  • Isaiah 9:10 (v3) “The bricks have fallen, but we will build with cut stone. The sycamore fig trees have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their…
  • Isaiah 11:11 (v2) It will happen in that day that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people from…
  • Isaiah 41:6-7 (v3) Everyone helps his neighbor. They say to their brothers, “Be strong!” So the carpenter encourages the goldsmith. He who smoothes with the…
  • Jeremiah 50:1-46 (v9) The word that Yahweh spoke concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, by Jeremiah the prophet. “Declare among the nations…
  • Zechariah 5:11 (v2) He said to me, “To build her a house in the land of Shinar. When it is prepared, she will be set there in her own place.”
  • Acts 2:4-11 (v7) They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak. Now there…
  • Hebrews 3:13 (v3) but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called “today”, lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
  • Genesis 11:4 (vv3, 8) They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves, lest we be…
  • Genesis 10:31-32 (v9) These are the sons of Shem, by their families, according to their languages, lands, and nations. These are the families of the sons of…
  • Genesis 11:7 (v3) Come, let’s go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”
  • Exodus 3:8 (v5) I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and large land, to a…
  • Exodus 5:7-18 (v3) “You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick, as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. You shall require from…
  • Exodus 19:18 (v5) All of Mount Sinai smoked, because Yahweh descended on it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole…
  • Deuteronomy 28:49 (v7) Yahweh will bring a nation against you from far, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flies: a nation whose language you will not…
  • Job 12:20 (v7) He removes the speech of those who are trusted, and takes away the understanding of the elders.
  • Psalms 2:4 (v7) He who sits in the heavens will laugh. The Lord will have them in derision.
  • Psalms 64:5 (v3) They encourage themselves in evil plans. They talk about laying snares secretly. They say, “Who will see them?”
  • Proverbs 1:11 (v3) If they say, “Come with us. Let’s lay in wait for blood. Let’s lurk secretly for the innocent without cause.
  • Ecclesiastes 2:1 (v3) I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth: therefore enjoy pleasure;” and behold, this also was vanity.
  • Isaiah 5:5 (v3) Now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will take away its hedge, and it will be eaten up. I will break down its wall, and it…
  • Isaiah 13:1-14 (v9) The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. Set up a banner on the bare mountain! Lift up your voice to them! Wave your hand,…
  • Isaiah 19:18 (v1) In that day, there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan, and swear to Yahweh of Armies. One will be…
  • Isaiah 65:3 (v3) a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens, and burning incense on bricks;
  • Jeremiah 5:15 (v7) Behold, I will bring a nation on you from far away, house of Israel,” says Yahweh. “It is a mighty nation. It is an ancient nation, a…
  • Nahum 3:14 (v3) Draw water for the siege. Strengthen your fortresses. Go into the clay, and tread the mortar. Make the brick kiln strong.
  • James 4:13 (v3) Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow let’s go into this city, and spend a year there, trade, and make a profit.”
  • Genesis 11:9 (vv2, 8) Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad…
  • Genesis 11:5 (v7) Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built.
  • Genesis 13:11 (v2) So Lot chose the Plain of the Jordan for himself. Lot traveled east, and they separated themselves from one other.
  • Isaiah 6:8 (v7) I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am. Send me!”
  • Genesis 49:7 (v8) Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
  • Judges 10:14 (v6) Go and cry to the gods which you have chosen. Let them save you in the time of your distress!”

85 distinct cross-references across this passage (97 total citations).

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

Explain this passage (27 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv1–9 1. And the whole earth was of one language.…

1. And the whole earth was of one language. Whereas mention had before been made of Babylon in a single word, Moses now more largely explains whence it derived its name. For this is a truly memorable history, in which we may perceive the greatness of men’s obstinacy against God, and the little profit they receive from his judgments. And although at first sight the atrocity of the evil does not appear; yet the punishment which follows it, testifies how highly God was displeased with that which these men attempted. They who conjecture that the tower was built with the intent that is should prove a refuge and protections if, at any time, God should determine to overwhelm the earth with a deluge, have no other guide, that I can see, but the dream of their own brain. For the words of Moses signify no such thing: nothing, indeed, is here noticed, except their mad ambitions and proud contempt of God. ‘Let us build a tower (they say) whose top may reach to heaven, and let us get ourselves a name.’ We see the design and the aim of the undertaking. For whatsoever might happen, they wish to have an immortal name on earth; and thus they build, as if in opposition to the will of God. And doubtless ambition not only does injury to men, but exalts itself even against God. To erect a citadel was not in itself so great a crime; but to raise an eternal monument to themselves, which might endure throughout all ages, was a proof of headstrong pride, joined with contempt of God. And hence originated the fable of the giants who, as the poets have feigned, heaped mountains upon mountains, in order to drag down Jove from his celestial throne. This allegory is not very remote from the impious counsel to which Moses alludes; for as soon as mortals, forgetful of themselves; are inflated above measure, it is certain that like the giants, they wage war with God. This they do not openly profess, yet it cannot be otherwise than that every one who transgresses his prescribed bounds, makes a direct attack upon God.

With respect to the time in which this event happened, a fragment of Berosus is extant, (if, indeed, Berosus is to be accounted the author of such trifles,) where, among other things, a hundred and thirty years are reckoned from the deluge to the time when they began to build the tower. This opinion, though deficient in competent authority, has been preferred, by some, to that which commonly obtained among the Jews, and which places about three hundred and forty years between the deluge and the building of the tower. Nor is there anything more plausible in what others relate; namely, that these builders undertook the work, because men were even then dispersed far and wide, and many colonies were already formed; whence they apprehended that as their offspring was daily increasing, they must, in a short time, migrate to a still greater distance. But to this argument we may oppose the fact, that the peculiar blessing of God was to be traced in this multiplication of mankind. Moreover, Moses seems to set aside all controversy. For after he has mentioned Arphaxad as the third of the sons of Shem, he then names Peleg, his great-grandson, in whose days the languages were divided. But from a computation of the years which he sets down, it plainly appears that one century only intervened. It is, however, to be noted, that the languages are not said to have been divided immediately after the birth of Peleg, and that no definite time was ever specified. It must, indeed, have added greatly to the weight of Noah’s sufferings, when he heard of this wicked counsel, which had been taken by his posterity. And it is not to be doubted that he was wounded with the deepest grief, when he beheld them, with devoted minds, rushing to their own destruction. But the Lord thus exercised the holy man, even in extreme old age, to teach us not to be discouraged by a continual succession of conflicts. If any one should prefer the opinion commonly received among the Jews; the division of the earth must be referred to the first transmigrations, when men began to be distributed in various regions: but what has been already recorded in the preceding chapter, respecting the monarchy of Nimrod, is repugnant to this interpretation. Still a middle opinion may be entertained; namely, that the confusion of tongues may perhaps have happened in the extreme old age of Peleg. Now he lived nearly two hundred and forty years; nor will it be absurd to suppose that the empire founded by Nimrod endured two or three centuries. I certainly, — as in a doubtful case, — freely admit that a longer space of time might intervene between the deluge and the design of building the tower. Moreover, when Moses says, ‘the earth was of one lip,’ he commends the peculiar kindness of God, in having willed that the sacred bond of society among men far separated from each other should be retained, by their possessing a common language among themselves. And truly the diversity of tongues is to be regarded as a prodigy. For since language is the impress of the mind, how does it come to pass, that men, who are partakers of the same reason, and who are born for social life, do not communicate with each other in the same language? This defect, therefore, seeing that it is repugnant to nature, Moses declares to be adventitious; and pronounces the division of tongues to be a punishment, divinely inflicted upon men, because they impiously conspired against God. Community of language ought to have promoted among them consent in religion; but this multitude of whom Moses speaks, after they had alienated themselves from the pure worship of God, and the sacred assembly of the faithful, coalesce to excite war against God. Therefore by the just vengeance of God their tongues were divided.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 In the year one hundred and thirty after the…
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv1–9 Gen 11:1 And the whole earth was of one…
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv1–8 Earth is oft put for its inhabitants, as Gen…
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On vv1, 5 The close of the foregoing chapter tells us that…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv1–9 And the whole earth was of one language, and…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 The distinction between the sons of God and the…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 All the inhabitants of the earth, speaking one language
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv1, 3, 5 Gen 11:1-2. The whole earth was of one language…
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On v1 - The Confusion of Tongues
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9 Speech. Probably Hebrew; in which language we have the…
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures 1864 · Public Domain On v1 The Tower of Babel, the Confusion of Languages, and…
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 4, 6, 7 land of Shinar--The fertile valley watered by the Euphrates…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv1–9 THE CONFUSION OF TONGUES, Gen_11:1-9.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv1–9 1. the whole earth] i.e. the inhabitants of the…
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9 (1) The whole earth.—That is, all mankind. After giving…
C. H. Mackintosh 1880 · Public Domain On v1 Genesis 11
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv1–9 And the whole earth. Ie. the entire population of…
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv1, 4, 5, 9 Of one language
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v1 The whole earth.] The then known world with all…
The Sermon Bible 1900 · Public Domain On v1 The New Testament is always converting into blessings the…
J. R. Dummelow 1909 · Public Domain On v1 The Tower of Babel. The Descendants of Shem to…
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On vv1, 9 one language
Arno C. Gaebelein 1922 · Public Domain On v1 CHAPTER 11:1-9 The Tower of Babel and the Scattering…
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On vv1, 5 The building of the Tower
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1, 3, 5, 8 This word shows that the writer is beginning a…
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1–9 11:1-9 The story of the unfinished tower carries forward…
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