Genesis 11:1-32 King James Version (KJV)

¹ And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

² 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.

³ And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar.

⁴ 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.

⁵ And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

⁶ 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.

⁷ Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

⁸ So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

⁹ 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.

¹⁰ These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:

¹¹ And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

¹² And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah:

¹³ And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

¹⁴ And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:

¹⁵ And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

¹⁶ And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:

¹⁷ And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.

¹⁸ And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:

¹⁹ And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.

²⁰ And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug:

²¹ And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.

²² And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor:

²³ And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

²⁴ And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah:

²⁵ And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.

²⁶ And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

²⁷ Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.

²⁸ And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.

²⁹ And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.

³⁰ But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

³¹ And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.

³² And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

Genesis 11:1-32 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

¹ And the whole earth ^H776 was of one ^H259 language, ^H8193 and of one ^H259 speech. ^H1697

² And it came to pass, as they journeyed ^H5265 from the east, ^H6924 that they found ^H4672 a plain ^H1237 in the land ^H776 of Shinar; ^H8152 and they dwelt ^H3427 there.

³ And they said ^H559 one ^H376 to another, ^H7453 Go to, ^H3051 let us make ^H3835 brick, ^H3843 and burn ^H8313 them throughly. ^H8316 And they had brick ^H3843 for stone, ^H68 and slime ^H2564 had ^H1961 they for morter. ^H2563

⁴ And they said, ^H559 Go to, ^H3051 let us build ^H1129 us a city ^H5892 and a tower, ^H4026 whose top ^H7218 may reach unto heaven; ^H8064 and let us make ^H6213 us a name, ^H8034 lest we be scattered abroad ^H6327 upon the face ^H6440 of the whole earth. ^H776

⁵ And the LORD ^H3068 came down ^H3381 to see ^H7200 the city ^H5892 and the tower, ^H4026 which the children ^H1121 of men ^H120 builded. ^H1129

⁶ And the LORD ^H3068 said, ^H559 Behold, the people ^H5971 is one, ^H259 and they have all one ^H259 language; ^H8193 and this they begin ^H2490 to do: ^H6213 and now nothing ^H3808 ^H3605 will be restrained ^H1219 from them, which they have imagined ^H2161 to do. ^H6213

⁷ Go to, ^H3051 let us go down, ^H3381 and there confound ^H1101 their language, ^H8193 that ^H834 they may not understand ^H8085 one ^H376 another's ^H7453 speech. ^H8193

⁸ So the LORD ^H3068 scattered them abroad ^H6327 from thence ^H8033 upon the face ^H6440 of all the earth: ^H776 and they left off ^H2308 to build ^H1129 the city. ^H5892

⁹ Therefore is the name of it ^H8034 called ^H7121 Babel; ^H894 because the LORD ^H3068 did there confound ^H1101 the language ^H8193 of all the earth: ^H776 and from thence did ^H6327 the LORD ^H3068 scatter them abroad ^H6327 upon the face ^H6440 of all the earth. ^H776

¹⁰ These are the generations ^H8435 of Shem: ^H8035 Shem ^H8035 was an hundred ^H3967 years ^H8141 old, ^H1121 and begat ^H3205 Arphaxad ^H775 two years ^H8141 after ^H310 the flood: ^H3999

¹¹ And Shem ^H8035 lived ^H2421 after ^H310 he begat ^H3205 Arphaxad ^H775 five ^H2568 hundred ^H3967 years, ^H8141 and begat ^H3205 sons ^H1121 and daughters. ^H1323

¹² And Arphaxad ^H775 lived ^H2425 five ^H2568 and thirty ^H7970 years, ^H8141 and begat ^H3205 Salah: ^H7974

¹³ And Arphaxad ^H775 lived ^H2421 after ^H310 he begat ^H3205 Salah ^H7974 four ^H702 hundred ^H3967 ^H8141 and three ^H7969 years, ^H8141 and begat ^H3205 sons ^H1121 and daughters. ^H1323

¹⁴ And Salah ^H7974 lived ^H2425 thirty ^H7970 years, ^H8141 and begat ^H3205 Eber: ^H5677

¹⁵ And Salah ^H7974 lived ^H2421 after ^H310 he begat ^H3205 Eber ^H5677 four ^H702 hundred ^H3967 ^H8141 and three ^H7969 years, ^H8141 and begat ^H3205 sons ^H1121 and daughters. ^H1323

¹⁶ And Eber ^H5677 lived ^H2421 four ^H702 and thirty ^H7970 years, ^H8141 and begat ^H3205 Peleg: ^H6389

¹⁷ And Eber ^H5677 lived ^H2421 after ^H310 he begat ^H3205 Peleg ^H6389 four ^H702 hundred ^H3967 ^H8141 and thirty ^H7970 years, ^H8141 and begat ^H3205 sons ^H1121 and daughters. ^H1323

¹⁸ And Peleg ^H6389 lived ^H2421 thirty ^H7970 years, ^H8141 and begat ^H3205 Reu: ^H7466

¹⁹ And Peleg ^H6389 lived ^H2421 after ^H310 he begat ^H3205 Reu ^H7466 two hundred ^H3967 ^H8141 and nine ^H8672 years, ^H8141 and begat ^H3205 sons ^H1121 and daughters. ^H1323

²⁰ And Reu ^H7466 lived ^H2421 two ^H8147 and thirty ^H7970 years, ^H8141 and begat ^H3205 Serug: ^H8286

²¹ And Reu ^H7466 lived ^H2421 after ^H310 he begat ^H3205 Serug ^H8286 two hundred ^H3967 ^H8141 and seven ^H7651 years, ^H8141 and begat ^H3205 sons ^H1121 and daughters. ^H1323

²² And Serug ^H8286 lived ^H2421 thirty ^H7970 years, ^H8141 and begat ^H3205 Nahor: ^H5152

²³ And Serug ^H8286 lived ^H2421 after ^H310 he begat ^H3205 Nahor ^H5152 two hundred ^H3967 years, ^H8141 and begat ^H3205 sons ^H1121 and daughters. ^H1323

²⁴ And Nahor ^H5152 lived ^H2421 nine ^H8672 and twenty ^H6242 years, ^H8141 and begat ^H3205 Terah: ^H8646

²⁵ And Nahor ^H5152 lived ^H2421 after ^H310 he begat ^H3205 Terah ^H8646 an hundred ^H3967 ^H8141 and nineteen ^H6240 ^H8672 years, ^H8141 and begat ^H3205 sons ^H1121 and daughters. ^H1323

²⁶ And Terah ^H8646 lived ^H2421 seventy ^H7657 years, ^H8141 and begat ^H3205 Abram, ^H87 Nahor, ^H5152 and Haran. ^H2039

²⁷ Now these are the generations ^H8435 of Terah: ^H8646 Terah ^H8646 begat ^H3205 Abram, ^H87 Nahor, ^H5152 and Haran; ^H2039 and Haran ^H2039 begat ^H3205 Lot. ^H3876

²⁸ And Haran ^H2039 died ^H4191 before ^H6440 his father ^H1 Terah ^H8646 in the land ^H776 of his nativity, ^H4138 in Ur ^H218 of the Chaldees. ^H3778

²⁹ And Abram ^H87 and Nahor ^H5152 took ^H3947 them wives: ^H802 the name ^H8034 of Abram's ^H87 wife ^H802 was Sarai; ^H8297 and the name ^H8034 of Nahor's ^H5152 wife, ^H802 Milcah, ^H4435 the daughter ^H1323 of Haran, ^H2039 the father ^H1 of Milcah, ^H4435 and the father ^H1 of Iscah. ^H3252

³⁰ But Sarai ^H8297 was barren; ^H6135 she had no child. ^H2056

³¹ And Terah ^H8646 took ^H3947 Abram ^H87 his son, ^H1121 and Lot ^H3876 the son ^H1121 of Haran ^H2039 his son's ^H1121 son, ^H1121 and Sarai ^H8297 his daughter in law, ^H3618 his son ^H1121 Abram's ^H87 wife; ^H802 and they went forth ^H3318 with them from Ur ^H218 of the Chaldees, ^H3778 to go ^H3212 into the land ^H776 of Canaan; ^H3667 and they came ^H935 unto Haran, ^H2771 and dwelt ^H3427 there.

³² And the days ^H3117 of Terah ^H8646 were two hundred ^H3967 ^H8141 and five ^H2568 years: ^H8141 and Terah ^H8646 died ^H4191 in Haran. ^H2771

Genesis 11:1-32 American Standard (ASV)

¹ And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech.

² And it came to pass, as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.

³ 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.

⁴ And they said, Come, 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.

⁵ And Jehovah came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

⁶ And Jehovah 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.

⁷ Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

⁸ So Jehovah scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off building the city.

⁹ Therefore was the name of it called Babel; because Jehovah did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did Jehovah scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

¹⁰ These are the generations of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old, and begat Arpachshad two years after the flood.

¹¹ and Shem lived after he begat Arpachshad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

¹² And Arpachshad lived five and thirty years, and begat Shelah.

¹³ and Arpachshad lived after he begat Shelah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

¹⁴ And Shelah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:

¹⁵ and Shelah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

¹⁶ And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:

¹⁷ and Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.

¹⁸ And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:

¹⁹ and Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.

²⁰ And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug:

²¹ and Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.

²² And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor:

²³ and Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

²⁴ And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah:

²⁵ and Nahor lived after he begat Terah a hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.

²⁶ And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

²⁷ Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran begat Lot.

²⁸ And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.

²⁹ And Abram and Nahor took them wives: The name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.

³⁰ And Sarai was barren; She had no child.

³¹ And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.

³² And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

Genesis 11:1-32 Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

¹ And the whole earth is of one pronunciation, and of the same words,

² and it cometh to pass, in their journeying from the east, that they find a valley in the land of Shinar, and dwell there;

³ and they say each one to his neighbour, `Give help, let us make bricks, and burn `them' thoroughly:' and the brick is to them for stone, and the bitumen hath been to them for mortar.

⁴ And they say, `Give help, let us build for ourselves a city and tower, and its head in the heavens, and make for ourselves a name, lest we be scattered over the face of all the earth.'

⁵ And Jehovah cometh down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men have builded;

⁶ and Jehovah saith, `Lo, the people `is' one, and one pronunciation `is' to them all, and this it hath dreamed of doing; and now, nothing is restrained from them of that which they have purposed to do.

⁷ Give help, let us go down, and mingle there their pronunciation, so that a man doth not understand the pronunciation of his companion.'

⁸ And Jehovah doth scatter them from thence over the face of all the earth, and they cease to build the city;

⁹ therefore hath `one' called its name Babel, for there hath Jehovah mingled the pronunciation of all the earth, and from thence hath Jehovah scattered them over the face of all the earth.

¹⁰ These `are' births of Shem: Shem `is' a son of an hundred years, and begetteth Arphaxad two years after the deluge.

¹¹ And Shem liveth after his begetting Arphaxad five hundred years, and begetteth sons and daughters.

¹² And Arphaxad hath lived five and thirty years, and begetteth Salah.

¹³ And Arphaxad liveth after his begetting Salah four hundred and three years, and begetteth sons and daughters.

¹⁴ And Salah hath lived thirty years, and begetteth Eber.

¹⁵ And Salah liveth after his begetting Eber four hundred and three years, and begetteth sons and daughters.

¹⁶ And Eber liveth four and thirty years, and begetteth Peleg.

¹⁷ And Eber liveth after his begetting Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begetteth sons and daughters.

¹⁸ And Peleg liveth thirty years, and begetteth Reu.

¹⁹ And Peleg liveth after his begetting Reu two hundred and nine years, and begetteth sons and daughters.

²⁰ And Reu liveth two and thirty years, and begetteth Serug.

²¹ And Reu liveth after his begetting Serug two hundred and seven years, and begetteth sons and daughters.

²² And Serug liveth thirty years, and begetteth Nahor.

²³ And Serug liveth after his begetting Nahor two hundred years, and begetteth sons and daughters.

²⁴ And Nahor liveth nine and twenty years, and begetteth Terah.

²⁵ And Nahor liveth after his begetting Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begetteth sons and daughters.

²⁶ And Terah liveth seventy years, and begetteth Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

²⁷ And these `are' births of Terah: Terah hath begotten Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran hath begotten Lot;

²⁸ and Haran dieth in the presence of Terah his father, in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees.

²⁹ And Abram and Nahor take to themselves wives; the name of Abram's wife `is' Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife `is' Milcah, daughter of Haran, father of Milcah, and father of Iscah.

³⁰ And Sarai is barren -- she hath no child.

³¹ And Terah taketh Abram his son, and Lot, son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, wife of Abram his son, and they go out with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go towards the land of Canaan; and they come unto Charan, and dwell there.

³² And the days of Terah are two hundred and five years, and Terah dieth in Charan.

Genesis 11:1-32 Darby English Bible (DARBY)

¹ And the whole earth had one language, and the same words.

² And it came to pass as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and dwelt there.

³ And they said one to another, Come on, let us make bricks, and burn [them] thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar.

⁴ And they said, Come on, let us build ourselves a city and a tower, the top of which [may reach] to the heavens; and let us make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered over the face of the whole earth.

⁵ And Jehovah came down to see the city and the tower which the children of men built.

⁶ And Jehovah said, Behold, the people is one, and have all one language; and this have they begun to do. And now will they be hindered in nothing that they meditate doing.

⁷ Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

⁸ And Jehovah scattered them thence over the face of the whole earth. And they left off building the city.

⁹ Therefore was its name called Babel; because Jehovah there confounded the language of the whole earth. And Jehovah scattered them thence over the face of the whole earth.

¹⁰ These are the generations of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old, and begot Arphaxad two years after the flood.

¹¹ And Shem lived after he had begotten Arphaxad five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.

¹² And Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Shelah.

¹³ And Arphaxad lived after he had begotten Shelah four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.

¹⁴ And Shelah lived thirty years, and begot Eber.

¹⁵ And Shelah lived after he had begotten Eber four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.

¹⁶ And Eber lived thirty-four years, and begot Peleg.

¹⁷ And Eber lived after he had begotten Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters.

¹⁸ And Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu.

¹⁹ And Peleg lived after he had begotten Reu two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters.

²⁰ And Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Serug.

²¹ And Reu lived after he had begotten Serug two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters.

²² And Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor.

²³ And Serug lived after he had begotten Nahor two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.

²⁴ And Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Terah.

²⁵ And Nahor lived after he had begotten Terah a hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters.

²⁶ And Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

²⁷ And these are the generations of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begot Lot.

²⁸ And Haran died before the face of his father Terah in the land of his nativity at Ur of the Chaldeans.

²⁹ And Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, a daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah.

³⁰ And Sarai was barren: she had no child.

³¹ And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth together out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to go into the land of Canaan, and came as far as Haran, and dwelt there.

³² And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran.

Genesis 11:1-32 World English Bible (WEB)

¹ The whole earth was of one language and of one speech.

² It happened, as they traveled east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they lived there.

³ They said one to another, "Come, let's make brick, and burn them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar.

⁴ They said, "Come, let's build us a city, and a tower, whose top reaches to the sky, and let's make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth."

⁵ Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built.

⁶ Yahweh said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do.

⁷ Come, let's go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."

⁸ So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city.

⁹ Therefore the name of it was called Babel, because Yahweh confused the language of all the earth, there. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.

¹⁰ This is the history of the generations of Shem. Shem was one hundred years old, and became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood.

¹¹ Shem lived after he became the father of Arpachshad five hundred years, and became the father of sons and daughters.

¹² Arpachshad lived thirty-five years, and became the father of Shelah.

¹³ Arpachshad lived after he became the father of Shelah four hundred three years, and became the father of sons and daughters.

¹⁴ Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber:

¹⁵ and Shelah lived after he became the father of Eber four hundred three years, and became the father of sons and daughters.

¹⁶ Eber lived thirty-four years, and became the father of Peleg.

¹⁷ Eber lived after he became the father of Peleg four hundred thirty years, and became the father of sons and daughters.

¹⁸ Peleg lived thirty years, and became the father of Reu.

¹⁹ Peleg lived after he became the father of Reu two hundred nine years, and became the father of sons and daughters.

²⁰ Reu lived thirty-two years, and became the father of Serug.

²¹ Reu lived after he became the father of Serug two hundred seven years, and became the father of sons and daughters.

²² Serug lived thirty years, and became the father of Nahor.

²³ Serug lived after he became the father of Nahor two hundred years, and became the father of sons and daughters.

²⁴ Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah.

²⁵ Nahor lived after he became the father of Terah one hundred nineteen years, and became the father of sons and daughters.

²⁶ Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

²⁷ Now this is the history of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot.

²⁸ Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees.

²⁹ Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran who was also the father of Iscah.

³⁰ Sarai was barren. She had no child.

³¹ Terah took Abram his son, Lot the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife. They went forth from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. They came to Haran, and lived there.

³² The days of Terah were two hundred five years. Terah died in Haran.

Genesis 11:1-32 Bible in Basic English (BBE)

¹ And all the earth had one language and one tongue.

² And it came about that in their wandering from the east, they came to a stretch of flat country in the land of Shinar, and there they made their living-place.

³ And they said one to another, Come, let us make bricks, burning them well. And they had bricks for stone, putting them together with sticky earth.

⁴ And they said, Come, let us make a town, and a tower whose top will go up as high as heaven; and let us make a great name for ourselves, so that we may not be wanderers over the face of the earth.

⁵ And the Lord came down to see the town and the tower which the children of men were building.

⁶ And the Lord said, See, they are all one people and have all one language; and this is only the start of what they may do: and now it will not be possible to keep them from any purpose of theirs.

⁷ 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.

⁸ So the Lord God sent them away into every part of the earth: and they gave up building their town.

⁹ So it was named Babel, because there the Lord took away the sense of all languages and from there the Lord sent them away over all the face of the earth.

¹⁰ These are the generations of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old when he became the father of Arpachshad, two years after the great flow of waters;

¹¹ And after the birth of Arpachshad, Shem went on living for five hundred years, and had sons and daughters:

¹² And Arpachshad was thirty-five years old when he became the father of Shelah:

¹³ And after the birth of Shelah, Arpachshad went on living for four hundred and three years, and had sons and daughters:

¹⁴ And Shelah was thirty years old when he became the father of Eber:

¹⁵ And after the birth of Eber, Shelah went on living for four hundred and three years, and had sons and daughters:

¹⁶ And Eber was thirty-four years old when he became the father of Peleg:

¹⁷ And after the birth of Peleg, Eber went on living for four hundred and thirty years, and had sons and daughters:

¹⁸ And Peleg was thirty years old when he became the father of Reu:

¹⁹ And after the birth of Reu, Peleg went on living for two hundred and nine years, and had sons and daughters:

²⁰ And Reu was thirty-two years old when he became the father of Serug:

²¹ And after the birth of Serug, Reu went on living for two hundred and seven years, and had sons and daughters:

²² And Serug was thirty years old when he became the father of Nahor:

²³ And after the birth of Nahor, Serug went on living for two hundred years, and had sons and daughters:

²⁴ And Nahor was twenty-nine years old when he became the father of Terah:

²⁵ And after the birth of Terah, Nahor went on living for a hundred and nineteen years, and had sons and daughters:

²⁶ And Terah was seventy years old when he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

²⁷ These are the generations of Terah: Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot.

²⁸ And death came to Haran when he was with his father Terah in the land of his birth, Ur of the Chaldees.

²⁹ And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah.

³⁰ And Sarai had no child.

³¹ And Terah took Abram, his son, and Lot, the son of Haran, and Sarai, his daughter-in-law, the wife of his son Abram and they went out from Ur of the Chaldees, to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran, and were there for some time.

³² And all the years of Terah's life were two hundred and five: and Terah came to his end in Haran.

Commentary on Genesis 11 Matthew Henry Commentary

John Gill Keil & Delitzsch Robert Jamieson: Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Chapter 11

The old distinction between the sons of God and the sons of men (professors and profane) survived the flood, and now appeared again, when men began to multiply: according to this distinction we have, in this chapter,

I. The dispersion of the sons of men at Babel (v. 1-9), where we have,
- 1. Their presumptuous provoking design, which was to build a city and a tower (v. 1-4).
- 2. The righteous judgment of God upon them in disappointing their design, by confounding their language, and so scattering them (v. 5-9).
II. The pedigree of the sons of God down to Abraham (v. 10-26), with a general account of his family, and removal out of his native country (v. 27, etc.).

Gen 11:1-4

The close of the foregoing chapter tells us that by the sons of Noah, or among the sons of Noah, the nations were divided in the earth after the flood, that is, were distinguished into several tribes or colonies; and, the places having grown too strait for them, it was either appointed by Noah, or agreed upon among his sons, which way each several tribe or colony should steer its course, beginning with the countries that were next them, and designing to proceed further and further, and to remove to a greater distance from each other, as the increase of their several companies should require. Thus was the matter well settled, one hundred years after the flood, about the time of Peleg's birth; but the sons of men, it should seem, were loth to disperse into distant places; they thought the more the merrier and the safer, and therefore they contrived to keep together, and were slack to go to possess the land which the Lord God of their fathers had given them (Jos. 18:3), thinking themselves wiser than either God or Noah. Now here we have,

I. The advantages which befriended their design of keeping together,
- 1. They were all of one language, v. 1. If there were any different languages before the flood, yet Noah's only, which it is likely was the same with Adam's, was preserved through the flood, and continued after it. Now, while they all understood one another, they would be the more likely to love one another, and the more capable of helping one another, and the less inclinable to separate one from another.
- 2. They found a very convenient commodious place to settle in (v. 2), a plain in the land of Shinar, a spacious plain, able to contain them all, and a fruitful plain, able, according as their present numbers were, to support them all, though perhaps they had not considered what room there would be for them when their numbers should be increased. Note, Inviting accommodations, for the present, often prove too strong temptations to the neglect of both duty and interest, as it respects futurity.
II. The method they took to bind themselves to one another, and to settle together in one body. Instead of coveting to enlarge their borders by a peaceful departure under the divine protection, they contrived to fortify them, and, as those that were resolved to wage war with Heaven, they put themselves into a posture of defence. Their unanimous resolution is, Let us build ourselves a city and a tower. It is observable that the first builders of cities, both in the old world (ch. 4:17), and in the new world here, were not men of the best character and reputation: tents served God's subjects to dwell in; cities were first built by those that were rebels against him and revolters from him. Observe here,
- 1. How they excited and encouraged one another to set about this work. They said, Go to, let us make brick (v. 3), and again, (v. 4), Go to, let us build ourselves a city; by mutual excitements they made one another more daring and resolute. Note, Great things may be brought to pass when the undertakers are numerous and unanimous, and stir up one another. Let us learn to provoke one another to love and to good works, as sinners stir up and encourage one another to wicked works. See Ps. 122:1; Isa. 2:3, 5; Jer. 50:5.
- 2. What materials they used in their building. The country, being plain, yielded neither stone nor mortar, yet this did not discourage them from their undertaking, but they made brick to serve instead of stone, and slime or pitch instead of mortar. See here,
  - (1.) What shift those will make that are resolute in their purposes: were we but zealously affected in a good thing, we should not stop our work so often as we do, under pretence that we want conveniences for carrying it on.
  - (2.) What a difference there is between men's building and God's; when men build their Babel, brick and slime are their best materials; but, when God builds his Jerusalem, he lays even the foundations of it with sapphires, and all its borders with pleasant stones, Isa. 54:11, 12; Rev. 21:19.
- 3. For what ends they built. Some think they intended hereby to secure themselves against the waters of another flood. God had told them indeed that he would not again drown the world; but they would trust to a tower of their own making, rather than to a promise of God's making or an ark of his appointing. If, however, they had had this in their eye, they would have chosen to build their tower upon a mountain rather than upon a plain, but three things, it seems, they aimed at in building this tower:-
  - (1.) It seems designed for an affront to God himself; for they would build a tower whose top might reach to heaven, which bespeaks a defiance of God, or at least a rivalship with him. They would be like the Most High, or would come as near him as they could, not in holiness but in height. They forgot their place, and, scorning to creep on the earth, resolved to climb to heaven, not by the door or ladder, but some other way.
  - (2.) They hoped hereby to make themselves a name; they would do something to be talked of now, and to give posterity to know that there had been such men as they in the world. Rather than die and leave no memorandum behind them, they would leave this monument of their pride, and ambition, and folly. Note,
    - [1.] Affectation of honour and a name among men commonly inspires with a strange ardour for great and difficult undertakings, and often betrays to that which is evil and offensive to God.
    - [2.] It is just with God to bury those names in the dust which are raised by sin. These Babel-builders put themselves to a great deal of foolish expense to make themselves a name; but they could not gain even this point, for we do not find in any history the name of so much as one of these Babel-builders. Philo Judaeus says, They engraved every one his name upon a brick, in perpetuam rei memoriam-as a perpetual memorial; yet neither did this serve their purpose.
  - (3.) They did it to prevent their dispersion: Lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth. "It was done' (says Josephus) "in disobedience to that command (ch. 9:1), Replenish the earth.' God orders them to disperse. "No,' say they, "we will not, we will live and die together.' In order hereunto, they engage themselves and one another in this vast undertaking. That they might unite in one glorious empire, they resolve to build this city and tower, to be the metropolis of their kingdom and the centre of their unity. It is probable that the band of ambitious Nimrod was in all this. He could not content himself with the command of a particular colony, but aimed at universal monarchy, in order to which, under pretence of uniting for their common safety, he contrives to keep them in one body, that, having them all under his eye, he might not fail to have them under his power. See the daring presumption of these sinners. Here is,
    - [1.] A bold opposition to God: "You shall be scattered,' says God. "But we will not,' say they. Woe unto him that thus strives with his maker.
    - [2.] A bold competition with God. It is God's prerogative to be universal monarch, Lord of all, and King of kings; the man that aims at it offers to step into the throne of God, who will not give his glory to another.

Gen 11:5-9

We have here the quashing of the project of the Babel-builders, and the turning of the counsel of those froward men headlong, that God's counsel might stand in spite of them. Here is,

I. The cognizance God took of the design that was on foot: The Lord came down to see the city, v. 5. It is an expression after the manner of men; he knew it as clearly and fully as men know that which they come to the place to view. Observe,
- 1. Before he gave judgment upon their cause, he enquired into it; for God is incontestably just and fair in all his proceedings against sin and sinners, and condemns none unheard.
- 2. It is spoken of an act of condescension in God to take notice even of this building, which the undertakers were so proud of; for he humbles himself to behold the transactions, even the most considerable ones, of this lower world, Ps. 113:6.
- 3. It is said to be the tower which the children of men built, which intimates,
  - (1.) Their weakness and frailty as men. It was a very foolish thing for the children of men, worms of the earth, to defy Heaven, and to provoke the Lord to jealousy. Are they stronger than he?
  - (2.) Their sinfulness and obnoxiousness. They were the sons of Adam, so it is in the Hebrew; nay, of that Adam, that sinful disobedient Adam, whose children are by nature children of disobedience, children that are corrupters.
  - (3.) Their distinction from the children of God, the professors of religion, from whom these daring builders had separated themselves, and built this tower to support and perpetuate the separation. Pious Eber is not found among this ungodly crew; for he and his are called the children of God, and therefore their souls come not into the secret, nor unite themselves to the assembly, of these children of men.
II. The counsels and resolves of the Eternal God concerning this matter; he did not come down merely as a spectator, but as a judge, as a prince, to look upon these proud men, and abase them, Job 40:11-14. Observe,
- 1. He suffered them to proceed a good way in their enterprise before he put a stop to it, that they might have space to repent, and, if they had so much consideration left, might be ashamed of it and weary of it themselves; and if not that their disappointment might be the more shameful, and every one that passed by might laugh at them, saying, These men began to build, and were not able to finish, that so the works of their hands, from which they promised themselves immortal honour, might turn to their perpetual reproach. Note, God has wise and holy ends in permitting the enemies of his glory to carry on their impious projects a great way, and to prosper long in their enterprises.
- 2. When they had, with much care and toil, made some considerable progress in their building, then God determined to break their measures and disperse them. Observe,
  - (1.) The righteousness of God, which appears in the considerations upon which he proceeded in this resolution, v. 6. Two things he considered:-
    - [1.] Their oneness, as a reason why they must be scattered: "Behold, the people are one, and they have all one language. If they continue one, much of the earth will be left uninhabited; the power of their prince will soon be exorbitant; wickedness and profaneness will be insufferably rampant, for they will strengthen one another's hands in it; and, which is worst of all, there will be an overbalance to the church, and these children of men, if thus incorporated, will swallow up the little remnant of God's children.' Therefore it is decreed that they must not be one. Note, Unity is a policy but it is not the infallible mark of a true church; yet, while the builders of Babel, though of different families, dispositions, and interests, were thus unanimous in opposing God, what a pity is it, and what a shame, that the builders of Sion, though united in one common head and Spirit, should be divided, as they are, in serving God! But marvel not at the matter. Christ came not to send peace.
    - [2.] Their obstinacy: Now nothing will be restrained from them; and this is a reason why they must be crossed and thwarted in their design. God had tried, by his commands and admonitions, to bring them off from this project, but in vain; therefore he must take another course with them. See here,
      - First, The sinfulness of sin, and the wilfulness of sinners; ever since Adam would not be restrained from the forbidden tree, his unsanctified seed have been impatient of restraint and ready to rebel against it.
      - Secondly, See the necessity of God's judgments upon earth, to keep the world in some order and to tie the hands of those that will not be checked by law.
  - (2.) The wisdom and mercy of God in the methods that were taken for the defeating of this enterprise (v. 7): Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language. This was not spoken to the angels, as if God needed either their advice or their assistance, but God speaks it to himself, or the Father to the Son and Holy Ghost. They said, Go to, let us make brick, and Go to, let us build a tower, animating one another to the attempt; and now God says, Go to, let us confound their language; for, if men stir up themselves to sin, God will stir up himself to take vengeance, Isa. 59:17, 18. Now observe here,
    - [1.] The mercy of God, in moderating the penalty, and not making it proportionable to the offence; for he deals not with us according to our sins. He does not say, "Let us go down now in thunder and lightning, and consume those rebels in a moment;' or, "Let the earth open, and swallow up them and their building, and let those go down quickly into hell who are climbing to heaven the wrong way.' No; only, "Let us go down, and scatter them.' They deserved death, but are only banished or transported; for the patience of God is very great towards a provoking world. Punishments are chiefly reserved for the future state. God's judgments on sinners in this life, compared with those which are reserved, are little more than restraints.
    - [2.] The wisdom of God, in pitching upon an effectual expedient to stay proceedings, which was the confounding of their language, that they might not understand one another's speech, nor could they well join hands when their tongues were divided; so that this would be a very proper method both for taking them off from their building (for, if they could not understand one another, they could not help one another) and also for disposing them to scatter; for, when they could not understand one another, they could not take pleasure in one another. Note, God has various means, and effectual ones, to baffle and defeat the projects of proud men that set themselves against him, and particularly to divide them among themselves, either by dividing their spirits (Jdg. 9:23), or by dividing their tongues, as David prays, Ps. 55:9.
III. The execution of these counsels of God, to the blasting and defeating of the counsels of men, v. 8, 9. God made them know whose word should stand, his or theirs, as the expression is, Jer. 44:28. Notwithstanding their oneness and obstinacy, God was too hard for them, and wherein they dealt proudly he was above them; for who ever hardened his heart against him and prospered? Three things were done:-
- 1. Their language was confounded. God, who, when he made man, taught him to speak, and put words into his mouth fit to express the conceptions of his mind by, now caused these builders to forget their former language, and to speak and understand a new one, which yet was common to those of the same tribe or family, but not to others: those of one colony could converse together, but not with those of another. Now,
  - (1.) This was a great miracle, and a proof of the power which God has upon the minds and tongues of men, which he turns as the rivers of water.
  - (2.) This was a great judgment upon these builders; for, being thus deprived of the knowledge of the ancient and holy tongue, they had become incapable of communicating with the true church, in which it was retained, and probably it contributed much to their loss of the knowledge of the true God.
  - (3.) We all suffer by it, to this day. In all the inconveniences we sustain by the diversity of languages, and all the pains and trouble we are at to learn the languages we have occasion for, we smart for the rebellion of our ancestors at Babel. Nay, and those unhappy controversies which are strifes of words, and arise from our misunderstanding one another's language, for aught I know are owing to this confusion of tongues.
  - (4.) The project of some to frame a universal character, in order to a universal language, how desirable soever it may seem, is yet, I think, but a vain thing to attempt; for it is to strive against a divine sentence, by which the languages of the nations will be divided while the world stands.
  - (5.) We may here lament the loss of the universal use of the Hebrew tongue, which from this time was the vulgar language of the Hebrews only, and continued so till the captivity in Babylon, where, even among them, it was exchanged for the Syriac.
  - (6.) As the confounding of tongues divided the children of men and scattered them abroad, so the gift of tongues, bestowed upon the apostles (Acts 2), contributed greatly to the gathering together of the children of God, who were scattered abroad, and the uniting of them in Christ, that with one mind and one mouth they might glorify God, Rom. 15:6.
- 2. Their building was stopped: They left off to build the city. This was the effect of the confusion of their tongues; for it not only incapacitated them for helping one another, but probably struck such a damp upon their spirits that they could not proceed, since they saw, in this, the hand of the Lord gone out against them. Note,
  - (1.) It is wisdom to leave off that which we see God fights against.
  - (2.) God is ale to blast and bring to nought all the devices and designs of Babel-builders. He sits in heaven, and laughs at the counsels of the kings of the earth against him and his anointed; and will force them to confess that there is no wisdom nor counsel against the Lord, Prov. 21:30; Isa. 8:9, 10.
- 3. The builders were scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth, v. 8, 9. They departed in companies, after their families, and after their tongues (ch. 10:5, 30, 31), to the several countries and places allotted to them in the division that had been made, which they knew before, but would not go to take possession of till now that they were forced to it. Observe here,
  - (1.) The very thing which they feared came upon them. That dispersion which sought to evade by an act of rebellion they by this act brought upon themselves; for we are most likely to fall into that trouble which we seek to evade by indirect and sinful methods.
  - (2.) It was God's work: The Lord scattered them. God's hand is to be acknowledged in all scattering providences; if the family be scattered, relations scattered, churches scattered, it is the Lord's doing.
  - (3.) Though they were as firmly in league with one another as could be, yet the Lord scattered them; for no man can keep together what God will put asunder.
  - (4.) Thus God justly took vengeance on them for their oneness in that presumptuous attempt to build their tower. Shameful dispersions are the just punishment of sinful unions. Simeon and Levi, who had been brethren in iniquity, were divided in Jacob, ch. 49:5, 7; Ps. 83:3-13.
  - (5.) They left behind them a perpetual memorandum of their reproach, in the name given to the place. It was called Babel, confusion. Those that aim at a great name commonly come off with a bad name.
  - (6.) The children of men were now finally scattered, and never did, nor ever will, come all together again, till the great day, when the Son of man shall sit upon the throne of his glory, and all nations shall be gathered before him, Mt. 25:31, 32.

Gen 11:10-26

We have here a genealogy, not an endless genealogy, for here it ends in Abram, the friend of God, and leads further to Christ, the promised seed, who was the son of Abram, and from Abram the genealogy of Christ is reckoned (Mt. 1:1, etc.); so that put ch. 5, ch. 11, and Mt. 1, together, and you have such an entire genealogy of Jesus Christ as cannot be produced, for aught I know, concerning any person in the world, out of his line, and at such a distance from the fountain-head. And, laying these three genealogies together, we shall find that twice ten, and thrice fourteen, generations or descents, passed between the first and second Adam, making it clear concerning Christ that he was not only the Son of Abraham, but the Son of man, and the seed of woman. Observe here,

1. Nothing is left upon record concerning those of this line but their names and ages, the Holy Ghost seeming to hasten through them to the story of Abram. How little do we know of those that have gone before us in this world, even those that lived in the same places where we live, as we likewise know little of those that are our contemporaries in distant places! we have enough to do to mind the work of our own day, and let God alone to require that which is past, Eccl. 3:15.
2. There was an observable gradual decrease in the years of their lives. Shem reached to 600 years, which yet fell short of the age of the patriarchs before the flood; the next three came short of 500; the next three did not reach to 300; after them we read not of any that attained to 200, except Terah; and, not many ages after this, Moses reckoned seventy, or eighty, to be the utmost men ordinarily arrive at. When the earth began to be replenished, men's lives began to shorten; so that the decrease is to be imputed to the wise disposal of Providence, rather than to any decay of nature. For the elect's sake, men's days are shortened; and, being evil, it is well they are few, and attain not to the years of the lives of our fathers, ch. 47:9.
3. Eber, from whom the Hebrews were denominated, was the longest-lived of any that was born after the flood, which perhaps was the reward of his singular piety and strict adherence to the ways of God.

Gen 11:27-32

Here begins the story of Abram, whose name is famous, henceforward, in both Testaments. We have here,

I. His country: Ur of the Chaldees. This was the land of his nativity, an idolatrous country, where even the children of Eber themselves had degenerated. Note, Those who are, through grace, heirs of the land of promise, ought to remember what was the land of their nativity, what was their corrupt and sinful state by nature, the rock out of which they were hewn.
II. His relations, mentioned for his sake, and because of their interest in the following story.
- 1. His father was Terah, of whom it is said (Jos. 24:2) that he served other gods, on the other side of the flood, so early did idolatry gain footing in the world, and so hard is it even for those that have some good principles to swim against the stream. Though it is said (v. 26) that when Terah was seventy years old he begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran (which seems to tell us that Abram was the eldest son of Terah, and was born in his seventieth year), yet, by comparing v. 32, which makes Terah to die in his 205th year, with Acts 7:4 (where it is said that he was but seventy-five years old when he removed from Haran), it appears that he was born in the 130th year of Terah, and probably was his youngest son; for, in God's choices, the last are often first and the first last. We have,
- 2. Some account of his brethren.
  - (1.) Nahor, out of whose family both Isaac and Jacob had their wives.
  - (2.) Haran, the father of Lot, of whom it is here said (v. 28) that he died before his father Terah. Note, Children cannot be sure that they shall survive their parents; for death does not go by seniority, taking the eldest first. The shadow of death is without any order, Job 10:22. It is likewise said that he died in Ur of the Chaldees, before the happy removal of the family out of that idolatrous country. Note, It concerns us to hasten out of our natural state, lest death surprise us in it.
- 3. His wife was Sarai, who some think, was the same with Iscah, the daughter of Haran. Abram himself says of her that she was the daughter of his father, but not the daughter of his mother, ch. 20:12. She was ten years younger than Abram.
III. His departure out of Ur of the Chaldees, with his father Terah, his nephew Lot, and the rest of his family, in obedience to the call of God, of which we shall read more, ch. 12:1, etc. This chapter leaves them in Haran, or Charran, a place about mid-way between Ur and Canaan, where they dwelt till Terah's head was laid, probably because the old man was unable, through the infirmities of age, to proceed in his journey. Many reach to Charran, and yet fall short of Canaan; they are not far from the kingdom of God, and yet never come thither.

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