Commentaries Dictionaries Concordances

The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

Genesis 11:9

GENESIS—NOTE ON Genesis 11:9 This verse links the name of the city, Babel, with the verb that means “to confuse, to mix, to mingle.” This is also the name used in the OT for the city of Babylon. Babylon symbolizes humanity’s ambition to dethrone God and make the earth its own (see Revelation 17:1).

⇐ ⇔ ⇒
Continues after advertising

See also Genesis 11:9 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Genesis 11:9. _THEREFORE IS THE NAME OF IT CALLED BABEL_] בבל _babel_, from בל _bal_, to _mingle_, _confound, destroy_; hence _Babel_, from the mingling together and confounding of the projects...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    - The Confusion of Tongues 1. נסע _nāsa‛_ “pluck out, break up, journey.” מקדם _mı̂qedem_ “eastward, or on the east side” as in Genesis 2:14; Genesis 13:11;...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 11:1-9 THE TOWER OF BABEL AND THE SCATTERING OF THE NATIONS _ 1. The unity of the nations in Shinar (Genesis 11:1)_ 2. Their attempt: “Let us make” (Genesis 11:3) 3. The divine answer: “Let...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    THE CITY, THE TOWER, AND THE CONFUSION OF SPEECH. The section plainly belongs to J but not to the same stratum as the story of the Flood, nor is it consistent with the origin assigned to the various n...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    BABEL. Hebrew. confusion. Compare Job 5:12, another application of the Hebrew word. SCATTER. Septuagint same word as in Acts 8:1. Result of which was the conversion of the Ethiopian (Acts 8:26) of HAM...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _Therefore was the name of it called Babel_ Babel is the regular Hebrew form of the name Babylon, see Genesis 10:10. The etymology here given is popular; cf. Genesis 16:14; Genesis 19:22 (J). Like mos...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    PART TWENTY-FOUR: THE BEGINNING AGAIN OF HUMAN PRESUMPTION (Genesis 11:1-9) 1. _The Story of Babel_ And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeye...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _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._ Therefo...

  • Darby's translation notes (1890)

    11:9 language (e-12) Lit. 'lip.' Babel; (i-6) Confusion....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    BABEL] as if from _balal,_ 'to confound.' The true etymology, however, is _Bab-ilu,_ 'gate of God.' See on Genesis 4:1. 10-32. The descendants of Shem to Abraham. The formal list here is the continua...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    The people called the city ‘Babel’. That could mean ‘the gate to God’. The people thought that its top would reach heaven. (See verse 4.) But ‘Babel’ also means ‘confusion’. So the people did not hav...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    GOD’S ANCIENT PEOPLE GENESIS _ALUN OWEN_ CHAPTER 11 THE TALL BUILDING AT BABEL V1 All the people who were on the earth had one language. They all had one set of words. V2 And men travelled from...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    THEREFORE IS THE NAME OF IT CALLED BABEL. — Babel is, in Aramaic, Bab-el, _the gate of God,_ and in Assyrian, Bab-ili (Genesis 10:10). It is strange that any one should have derived the word from Bab-...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    עַל ־כֵּ֞ן קָרָ֤א שְׁמָהּ֙ בָּבֶ֔ל כִּי ־שָׁ֛

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    THE CONFUSION OF TONGUES Genesis 11:1 Driven by the fear of another deluge, though God had given distinct assurances to the contrary, and impelled by the desire to perpetuate their name and memory to...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    In this chapter we have the account of a human movement against dispersion. The movement was one of rebellion and was frustrated by divine interposition. The divine intention was the covering of the w...

  • Gary Hampton Commentaries

    THE GATE OF GOD When God is opposed to any action, the end will always be the same. "Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman st...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    Babel, that is, confusion. This is one of the greatest miracles recorded in the Old Testament; men forgot, in a moment, the language which they had hitherto spoken, and found themselves enabled to spe...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    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. Babel mean...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    There is one characteristic of divine revelation to which attention may be profitably called as a starting point. We have to do with facts. The Bible alone is a revelation of facts, and, we can add (n...

  • James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary

    _‘WHAT WILL THESE BABBLERS SAY?’_ ‘Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth.’ Genesis 11:9 I. GOD IS NOT THE AUTHOR OF CONFUSION,...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    9._Therefore is the name of it called Babel_. Behold what they gained by their foolish ambition to acquire a name! They hoped that an everlasting memorial of their origin would be engraven on the towe...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 10 AND 11. Chapter s 10, 11 give us the history of the world as peopled and established after the deluge, and the ways of men in this new world; the great pla...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    THEREFORE IS THE NAME OF IT CALLED BABEL,.... The name of the city mentioned, and the tower also, which signifies "confusion", as the Septuagint version renders it; and so Josephus w says the Hebrews...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    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. Ver. 9. _...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 One language in the world. 3 The building of Babel. 5 The confusion of tongues. 10 The generations of Shem. 27 The generations of Terah the father of Abram. 31 Terah goeth from Vr to Haran. 1...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    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. Babel mean...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    The Beginning of the Various Languages...

  • Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures

    FOURTH SECTION _The Tower of Babel, the Confusion of Languages, and the Dispersion of the Nations_ GENESIS 11:1-9 1And the whole earth was of one language [lip], and of one speech. 2And it came to p...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    BABEL: THE CITY AND THE TOWER Up to this time there was only one language. In the world today men wish they could have this advantage, but God is wiser than men. Men desire this for the very same rea...

  • Marginal Notes in the King James Version (1611)

    BABEL: that is, Confusion...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    5-9 Here is an expression after the manner of men; The Lord came down to see the city. God is just and fair in all he does against sin and sinners, and condemns none unheard. Pious Eber is not found...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    No text from Poole on this verse....

  • Notes on the Pentateuch by Charles Henry Mackintosh

    This is a chapter of very deep interest to the spiritual mind. It records two great facts, namely, the building of Babel, and the call of Abraham; or, in other words, man's effort to provide for himse...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Genesis 11:9 name H8034 called H7121 (H8804) Babel H894 LORD H3068 confused H1101 (H8804) language H8193 earth

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    THE SIN OF THE NATIONS (11:1-9). We are now to be shown why the nations divided up into different languages with the consequent suspicions, hatreds and warfares which resulted. Overall it will be seen...

  • Scofield's Bible Commentary

    BABEL That is, Confusion. (_ See Scofield) - (Genesis 11:1). _ (_ See Scofield) - (Isaiah 13:1)_ _...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Genesis 11:1. From the text we gather these practical suggestions: I. Examine carefully the quality and meaning of every new plan of life. II. Beware of the sophism that Heaven helps those who help...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Genesis 11:9 I. God is not the Author of confusion, but of peace. Yet once, in His wise compassion, He made confusion in order to prevent it; He destroyed peace, that in the end he might restore it....

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Failure under Noamic covenant. Tower of Babel. Scattering of the people. Ancestry of Abram. CHARACTERS: Shem, Terah, Abram, Lot, Sarai. CONCLUSION: Man ever builds under the heavens, seeki...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Genesis 11:1. _One language_ or lip. These words are to be literally understood, because it is added, God confounded their language. There has been a long and unavailing dispute whether the Chaldaic,...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth_ GOD CAUSING CONFUSION IN ORDER TO RESTORE PEACE I. GOD IS NOT THE AUTHOR OF CONFUSION, B...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL NOTES.— The whole earth.] The then known world with all its human inhabitants. ONE LANGUAGE AND OF ONE SPEECH.] _Heb. Of one lip, and one (kind of) words._ Murphy renders, “Of one lip and one...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION GENESIS 11:1 AND THE WHOLE EARTH. I_.e._ the entire population of the globe, and not simply the inhabitants of the land of Shinar (Ingiis; cf. Genesis 9:29). WAS. Prior to the dispersion s...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Now in chapter eleven. The whole earth was of one language, and one speech (Genesis 11:1). Probably Hebrew because in the earlier record of the book of Genesis, the names of the people were Hebrew n...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Babel. that is, Confusion. Genesis 10:5 Genesis 10:10 Genesis 10:20 Genesis 10:31...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    THE TOWER OF BABEL Genesis 11:1 INTRODUCTORY WORDS We will give some suggestion as to the connecting link between our last study, and today's. There are two outstanding considerations. 1. NOAH'S DR...

Continues after advertising