Genesis 11:7

Verse

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

American Standard Version (1901)

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

Come, let us go down and take away the sense of their language, so that they will not be able to make themselves clear to one another.

Douay-Rheims 1899

Come ye, therefore, let us go down, and there confound their tongue, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

Free Bible Version

We need to go down and mix up their language and make it confused so they won't be able to understand what they're saying to one other.”

Geneva Bible 1599

Come on, let vs goe downe, and there confound their language, that euery one perceiue not anothers speache.

King James (Authorized) Version

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

One Unity Resource Bible

Come, let’s go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not sh'ma ·hear understand obey· one another’s speech.”

Plain English Version

Come on, let’s go down to these people, and we will make them talk in different languages. Then they will not understand each other, and they will be all mixed up. They will not work things out with each other, so they will not keep on building this city.”

Translation for Translators

So, okay/now, we will go down there and cause there to be many different languages, so that they will not be able to understand each other.”

Unlocked Literal Bible

Come, let us go down and confuse their language there, so that they may not understand each other.”

Noah Webster Bible

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

World English Bible

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

Young's Literal Translation

Give help, let us go down, and mingle there their pronunciation, so that a man doth not understand the pronunciation of his companion.'

Context

The Tower of Babel

⁶And the LORD said, “If they have begun to do this as one people speaking the same language, then nothing they devise will be beyond them.⁷Come, let Us go down and confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”

Sermons

(Through the Bible) Exodus 1-5

Chuck Smith

1.8K

Summary

In Genesis 11:7, God intervenes at the Tower of Babel to confuse the language of the people, causing them to scatter across the earth. This act demonstrates God's sovereignty and power over humanity, as well as His ability to thwart human pride and rebellion. By dispersing the people and confusing their language, God enforces His will for them to fill the earth and subdue it. The Tower of Babel incident serves as a reminder of the consequences of human arrogance and the importance of aligning with God's purposes.

Commentary

Adam Clarke
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill
Tyndale

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Go 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 δευτε, 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 Gen 1:26, and Gen 18:21.

John Gill Bible Commentary

Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language,.... These words are not spoken to the angels, as the Targum and Aben Ezra; for, as Philo the Jew observes (h), they are said to some as co-workers with God, which angels could not be in this work of confounding the language of men; it being above the power of creatures so to work upon the mind, and on the faculty of speech, as to make such an alteration as was at the confusion of tongues, when men were made to forget their former language, and had another put into their minds, and a faculty of speaking it given; or, however, the first language was so differently inflected and pronounced, that it seemed another, and various; all which could not be done but by him who is almighty, even that Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit, said Gen 11:8 to confound man's language; and the first of these speaks to the other two, with whom he consulted about doing it, and with whom he did it. Not that every man had a new and distinct language given him, for then there could have been no society and converse in the world, but one was given to each family; or rather to as many families as constituted a nation or colony, designed for the same place of habitation; how many there were, cannot be said with any certainty. Euphorus, and many other historians (i), say they were seventy five, according to the number of Jacob's posterity that went down into Egypt; others say seventy two: the Jewish writers generally agree with the Targum of Jonathan in making them seventy, according to the number of the posterity of Noah's sons, recorded in the preceding chapter; but several of them spoke the same language, as Ashur, Arphaxad, and Aram, spoke the Chaldee or Syriac language; the sons of Canaan one and the same language; and the thirteen sons of Joktan the Arabic language; Javari and Elisha the Greek language; so that, as Bochart (k) observes, scarce thirty of the seventy will remain distinct: and it is an observation of Dr. Lightfoot (l) not to be despised, that"the fifteen named in Act 2:5 were enough to confound the work (at Babel), and they may very well be supposed to have been the whole number.''The end to be answered it was: that they may not understand one another's speech; or "hear" (m), that is, so as to understand; the words were so changed, and so differently pronounced from what they had used to hear, that though they heard the sound, they could not tell the meaning of them: hence, as Jarchi observes, when one asked for a brick, another brought him clay or slime, on which he rose up against him, and dashed his brains out. (h) De Confus. Ling. p. 344. (i) Apud Clement. Alexandr. Strom. l. 1. p. 338. (k) Phaleg. l. 1. c. 15. col. 55. (l) See his Works, vol. 1. p. 694. (m) "audiant", Pagninus, Montanus, &c.

Genesis 11:7

The Tower of Babel

Scripture
Sermons
Commentary

Berean Standard Bible

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

American Standard Version (1901)

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

Bible in Basic English

Come, let us go down and take away the sense of their language, so that they will not be able to make themselves clear to one another.

Douay-Rheims 1899

Come ye, therefore, let us go down, and there confound their tongue, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

Free Bible Version

We need to go down and mix up their language and make it confused so they won't be able to understand what they're saying to one other.”

Geneva Bible 1599

Come on, let vs goe downe, and there confound their language, that euery one perceiue not anothers speache.

King James (Authorized) Version

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

One Unity Resource Bible

Come, let’s go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not sh'ma ·hear understand obey· one another’s speech.”

Plain English Version

Translation for Translators

So, okay/now, we will go down there and cause there to be many different languages, so that they will not be able to understand each other.”

Unlocked Literal Bible

Come, let us go down and confuse their language there, so that they may not understand each other.”

Noah Webster Bible

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

World English Bible

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

Young's Literal Translation

Give help, let us go down, and mingle there their pronunciation, so that a man doth not understand the pronunciation of his companion.'

Adam Clarke
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill
Tyndale

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary

Genesis 11:7

Verse

Context

The Tower of Babel

Sermons

Summary

Commentary

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary

Tyndale Open Study Notes

Genesis 11:7

The Tower of Babel

(Through the Bible) Exodus 1-5

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary

Tyndale Open Study Notes