Genesis 11:1-9 — AMP

Read Genesis 11:1-9 (Amplified Bible) on maBible, the Bible online. Other reference formats: Genesis 11.1-9, Genesis 11v1-9, Gen. 11:1-9. Now the whole earth spoke one language and used the same words (vocabulary). And as people journeyed eastward, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and they…

2 And as people journeyed eastward, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and they settled there. [Gen 10:10]

3 They said one to another, “Come, let us make bricks and fire them thoroughly [in a kiln, to harden and strengthen them].” So they used brick for stone [as building material], and they used tar (bitumen, asphalt) for mortar.

4 They said, “Come, let us build a city for ourselves, and a tower whose top will reach into the heavens, and let us make a [famous] name for ourselves, so that we will not be scattered [into separate groups] and be dispersed over the surface of the entire earth [as the Lord instructed].” [Gen 9:1]

5 Now the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.

6 And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one [unified] people, and they all have the same language. This is only the beginning of what they will do [in rebellion against Me], and now no evil thing they imagine they can do will be impossible for them.

7 Come, let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) go down and there confuse and mix up their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”

8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the surface of the entire earth; and they stopped building the city.

9 Therefore the name of the city was Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the entire earth; and from that place the Lord scattered and dispersed them over the surface of all the earth.

Passage themes

The migration of men — as they journeyed from the east
The land of Babylon — a plain in the land of Shinar
The drive of human plans — Go to
Urging one another on — let us
The hard work of bricks — make brick, and burn them throughly
The tar that binds — slime had they for morter
The human rallying cry — Go to
The builders' project — let us build us a city and a tower
An excessive height — whose top may reach unto heaven
The quest for fame — let us make us a name
Refusing to be scattered — lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth
God comes himself — And the LORD came down
God's gaze — to see
The builders' pride — the city and the tower
Nations and their languages — which the children of men builded
God observes mankind — Behold
Humanity united — the people is one, and they have all one language
The plans of the heart — which they have imagined to do
God's deliberation — let us go down
God thwarts human plans — confound their language
The language barrier — that they may not understand one another’s speech
God scatters the builders — So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence
Peoples spread everywhere — upon the face of all the earth
The confusion of languages — the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth
The scattering of peoples — did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth

Did you know?

Des milliers d'années en 50 chapitres La Genèse couvre plus de temps que tout le reste de la Bible réuni : de la création du monde jusqu'à l'installation en Égypte. Aucun autre livre biblique ne parcourt autant d'histoire en si peu de pages.

Genesis 11:1-9 — AMP | maBible

Passage themes

Notes and references

Did you know?

About this book

This chapter in other translations