Genesis 11:1-9 — FBV

Read Genesis 11:1-9 (Free Bible Version) on maBible, the Bible online. Other reference formats: Genesis 11.1-9, Genesis 11v1-9, Gen. 11:1-9. At that time the whole world spoke just one language and used words with the same meaning. As they moved east they discovered a plain in the land of Shinar so…

1 At that time the whole world spoke just one language and used words with the same meaning.

2 As they moved east they discovered a plain in the land of Shinar so they settled there.

3 They said to one another, “Come on, let's make some bricks and bake them with fire.” (They used brick instead of stone, and tar instead of cement).

4 Then they said, “Now let's build a city for ourselves with a tower whose top reaches the heavens. That way we'll gain a great reputation and we won't end up being scattered all over the world.”

5 But the Lord came down to take a look at the city and the tower that the people were building.

6 The Lord said, “Look! These people are united and they all speak one language. If this is what they can do now when they're just getting started, nothing will be impossible for them when they all put their minds to it!

7 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.”

8 The Lord sent them away from there and scattered them all over the world, and they gave up building the city.

9 That's why it was called Babel, because the Lord made the language of the world confused.

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 — FBV | maBible

Passage themes

Notes and references

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