KJV King James Version
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.
VERSE STUDY • KJV
Genesis 11:4
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.
Read it in 5 translations
BSB Berean Standard Bible
“Come,” they said, “let us build for ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens, that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of all the earth.”
WEB World English Bible
They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.”
ASV American Standard Version
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.
YLT Young’s Literal Translation
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.’
Surrounding context — Genesis 11
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 throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
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.
Topics connected to this verse
Original-language word links
These Hebrew/Greek tokens are linked by Strong's number. Click one for its lexicon definition and other occurrences.
וַיֹּאמְר֞וּH559 · a.marto sayהָ֣בָה׀H3051 · ya.havto giveנִבְנֶה־H1129 · ba.nahto buildלָּ֣נוּH9035 · nuusעִ֗ירH5892 · irexcitementוּמִגְדָּל֙H4026 · mig.dal(Hananel) Towerוְרֹאשׁ֣וֹH7218 · roshheadבַשָּׁמַ֔יִםH8064 · sha.ma.yimheavenוְנַֽעֲשֶׂה־H6213 · a.sahto make: doלָּ֖נוּH9035 · nuusשֵׁ֑םH8034 · shemnameפֶּן־H6435 · penlestנָפ֖וּץH6327 · putsto scatterעַל־H5921 · aluponפְּנֵ֥יH6440 · pa.nehface: beforeכָל־H3605 · kolallהָאָֽרֶץ׃H776 · e.retsland: country/planet
Cross-references
Deuteronomy 1:28Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people [is] greater and taller than we; the cities [are] great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.John 5:44How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that [cometh] from God only?Luke 1:51He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.Deuteronomy 9:1Hear, O Israel: Thou [art] to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven,Daniel 4:30The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?Psalm 49:11-13Their inward thought [is, that] their houses [shall continue] for ever, [and] their dwelling places to all generations; they call [their] lands after their own names.Proverbs 10:7The memory of the just [is] blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.2 Samuel 8:13And David gat [him] a name when he returned from smiting of the Syrians in the valley of salt, [being] eighteen thousand [men].Daniel 4:11The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth:Genesis 6:4There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare [children] to them, the same [became] mighty men which [were] of old, men of renown.Genesis 11:8-9So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.Psalm 92:9For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.Daniel 4:22It [is] thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.Deuteronomy 4:27And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.
HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION
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