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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Genesis 11
Commentary on Genesis 11 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 11
Ge 11:1-32. Confusion of Tongues.
1. the whole earth was of one language. The descendants of Noah, united by the strong bond of a common language, had not separated, and notwithstanding the divine command to replenish the earth, were unwilling to separate. The more pious and well-disposed would of course obey the divine will; but a numerous body, seemingly the aggressive horde mentioned (Ge 10:10), determined to please themselves by occupying the fairest region they came to.
2. land of Shinar—The fertile valley watered by the Euphrates and Tigris was chosen as the center of their union and the seat of their power.
3. brick—There being no stone in that quarter, brick is, and was, the only material used for building, as appears in the mass of ruins which at the Birs Nimroud may have been the very town formed by those ancient rebels. Some of these are sun-dried—others burnt in the kiln and of different colors.
slime—bitumen, a mineral pitch, which, when hardened, forms a strong cement, commonly used in Assyria to this day, and forming the mortar found on the burnt brick remains of antiquity.
4. a tower whose top may reach unto heaven—a common figurative expression for great height (De 1:28; 9:1-6).
lest we be scattered—To build a city and a town was no crime; but to do this to defeat the counsels of heaven by attempting to prevent emigration was foolish, wicked, and justly offensive to God.
6. and now nothing will be restrained from them—an apparent admission that the design was practicable, and would have been executed but for the divine interposition.
7. confound their language—literally, "their lip"; it was a failure in utterance, occasioning a difference in dialect which was intelligible only to those of the same tribe. Thus easily by God their purpose was defeated, and they were compelled to the dispersion they had combined to prevent. It is only from the Scriptures we learn the true origin of the different nations and languages of the world. By one miracle of tongues men were dispersed and gradually fell from true religion. By another, national barriers were broken down—that all men might be brought back to the family of God.
28. Ur—now Orfa; that is, "light," or "fire." Its name probably derived from its being devoted to the rites of fire-worship. Terah and his family were equally infected with that idolatry as the rest of the inhabitants (Jos 24:15).
31. Sarai his daughter-in-law—the same as Iscah [Ge 11:29], granddaughter of Terah, probably by a second wife, and by early usages considered marriageable to her uncle, Abraham.
they came unto Haran—two days' journey south-southeast from Ur, on the direct road to the ford of the Euphrates at Rakka, the nearest and most convenient route to Palestine.