Genesis 11

Genesis 11 General Notes

Structure and formatting

This chapter is a story traditionally referred to as the "Tower of Babel."

This chapter seeks to answer the questions: why do people speak different languages? how did people become so dispersed across the earth? God's punishment described in this chapter may also explain why the world has racial and ethnic divisions.

Special concepts in this chapter

Age of people when they die

After the flood, people began to live shorter lives. This chapter begins to record the shortening of the average lifespan.

Important figures of speech in this chapter

Personification

The statement "Yahweh came down to see" is a type of personification. Yahweh always knows what happens on earth. This statement indicates that Yahweh is about to bring judgment on mankind. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=translate#figs-personification and /WA-Catalog/en_tw?section=kt#judge)

Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter

"Let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top will reach to the sky"

The people were very full of pride and rebelled against God in this action. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=translate#figs-explicit)

Genesis 11:1

Now

This word shows that the writer is beginning a new part of the story.

the whole earth

This represents all the people on the earth. Alternate translation: "all the people on the earth" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=translate#figs-metonymy)

used one language and had the same words

These two phrases mean basically the same thing and emphasize that all people spoke the same language. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=translate#figs-parallelism)

Genesis 11:2

they journeyed

"they moved around"

in the east

Possible meanings are 1) "in the east" or 2) "from the east" or 3) "to the east." The preferred choice is "in the east" because Shinar is to the east of where scholars believe the ark came to rest.

settled

stopped moving from one place to another and began to live at one location

Genesis 11:3

Come

If your language has a way of urging or commanding people to begin work, like the English "Come on!" you might use it here.

bake them thoroughly

People make bricks out of clay and heat them in a very hot oven to make them hard and strong.

tar

a thick, sticky, black liquid that comes up from the ground

mortar

This is a thick substance made of lime powder, clay, sand, and water used to make stones or bricks stick together.

Genesis 11:4

let us make a name for ourselves

"let us make our reputation great"

name

reputation

we will be scattered

This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "we will separate from each other and live in different places" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=translate#figs-activepassive)

Genesis 11:5

the descendants of Adam

"the people"

came down

The information about where he came down from can be made explicit: "came down from heaven." This does not tell how he came down. Use a general word meaning "came down." (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=translate#figs-explicit)

to see

"to observe" or "to look more closely"

Genesis 11:6

one people with the same language

All the people were one big group and they all spoke the same language.

they are beginning to do this

Possible meanings are 1) "they have begun to do this," meaning that they have begun to build the tower but it is not finished, or 2) "this is just the first thing they have done," meaning that in future they will do greater things.

nothing that they intend to do will be impossible for them

This can be stated in positive form. Alternate translation: "anything they intend to do will be possible for them" or "they will be able to do anything they want to do" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=translate#figs-doublenegatives)

Genesis 11:7

Come

If your language has a way of urging or commanding people to begin work, like the English "Come on!" you might use it here. See how this is translated in Genesis 11:3.

let us go down

The word "us" is plural even though it refers to God. Some translate it as "let me go down" or "I will go down." If you do this, consider adding a footnote to say that the pronoun is plural. See the note on "Let us make" in Genesis 1:26. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=translate#figs-pronouns)

confuse their language

This means that Yahweh would cause the people all over the earth to stop speaking the same language. Alternate translation: "mix up their language" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=translate#figs-explicit)

so that they may not understand each other

This was the purpose of confusing their language. Alternate translation: "so that they will not be able to understand what each other is saying" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=translate#figs-explicit)

Genesis 11:8

from there

"from the city"

Genesis 11:9

its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused

The name "Babel" sounds like the word that means "confused." Translators may want to add a footnote about this.

confused the language of the whole earth

It means that Yahweh caused the people all over the earth to no longer speak the same language. Alternate translation: "mixed up the language of the whole earth" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=translate#figs-explicit)

Genesis 11:10

General Information:

The rest of this chapter lists the line of Shem's descendants down to Abram.

These were the descendants of Shem

This sentence begins the list of Shem's descendants.

flood

This is the flood from Noah's time when people had become so evil that God sent a worldwide flood to cover the earth.

became the father of Arphaxad

"had his son Arphaxad" or "his son Arphaxad was born"

Arphaxad

a man's name (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=translate#translate-names)

a hundred ... two

Translators may write the words or the numerals "100" and "2." (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=translate#translate-numbers)

Genesis 11:11

five hundred

Translators may write the words or the numeral "500." (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=translate#translate-numbers)

Genesis 11:12

he became the father of Shelah

"his son Shelah was born"

Shelah

This is a man's name. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=translate#translate-names)

Genesis 11:13

403 years

"four hundred and three years" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=translate#translate-numbers)

Genesis 11:14