Genesis 11:9

Geneva Bible (1560)

Therefore the name of it was called Babel, because the Lorde did there confounde the language of all the earth: from thence then did the Lord scatter them vpon all the earth.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

עַל־כֵּ֞ן קָרָ֤א שְׁמָהּ֙ בָּבֶ֔ל כִּי־שָׁ֛ם בָּלַ֥ל יְהוָ֖ה שְׂפַ֣ת כָּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וּמִשָּׁם֙ הֱפִיצָ֣ם יְהוָ֔ה עַל־פְּנֵ֖י כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ פ

Transliteration

Therefore qārāʾ šᵊmāh bābel because-there bālal YHWH śᵊpat all-the-ʾāreṣ and-from-there hēpîṣām YHWH upon-pᵊnê all-the-ʾāreṣ

Grammar Details

• *qārāʾ*: qal perfect 3rd masculine singular - he called
• *šᵊmāh*: noun masculine singular + 3rd feminine singular suffix - its name
• *bābel*: proper noun - Babel
• *bālal*: qal perfect 3rd masculine singular - he confused
• *YHWH*: proper noun - the LORD
• *śᵊpat*: noun feminine singular construct - language of
• *ʾāreṣ*: noun feminine singular - earth/land
• *hēpîṣām*: hiphil perfect 3rd masculine singular + 3rd masculine plural suffix - he scattered them
• *pᵊnê*: noun masculine plural construct - face of

Word Meanings

• *qārāʾ*: he called/named
• *šᵊmāh*: its name
• *bābel*: Babel/Babylon
• *bālal*: he confused/mixed/confounded
• *YHWH*: the LORD/Yahweh
• *śᵊpat*: language/speech of
• *ʾāreṣ*: earth/land/ground
• *hēpîṣām*: he scattered them/dispersed them
• *pᵊnê*: face/surface of

Referenced Verses

• Gen 10:10 : 10 And the beginning of his kingdome was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
• Gen 10:20 : 20 These are the sonnes of Ham according to their families, according to their tongues in their countries and in their nations.
• Gen 10:5 : 5 Of these were the yles of the Gentiles deuided in their landes, euery man after his tongue, and after their families in their nations.
• Acts 17:26 : 26 And hath made of one blood all mankinde, to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath assigned the seasons which were ordeined before, and the boundes of their habitation,
• 1 Cor 14:23 : 23 If therefore when the whole Church is come together in one, and all speake strange tongues, there come in they that are vnlearned, or they which beleeue not, will they not say, that ye are out of your wittes?
• Gen 10:25 : 25 Vnto Eber also were borne two sonnes: the name of the one was Peleg: for in his dayes was the earth diuided: and his brothers name was Ioktan.
• Gen 10:31-32 : 31 These are the sonnes of Shem according to their families, according to their tongues, in their countreis and nations. 32 These are the families of the sonnes of Noah, after their generations among their people: and out of these were the nations diuided in the earth after the flood.
• Isa 13:1-9 : 1 The burden of Babel, which Isaiah the sonne of Amoz did see. 2 Lift vp a standard vpon the hie mountaine: lift vp the voyce vnto them: wagge the hand, that they may goe into the gates of the nobles. 3 I haue commanded them, that I haue sanctified: and I haue called ye mightie to my wrath, and them that reioyce in my glorie. 4 The noyse of a multitude is in the mountaines, like a great people: a tumultuous voyce of the kingdomes of the nations gathered together: the Lorde of hostes nombreth the hoste of the battell. 5 They come from a farre countrey, from the end of the heauen: euen the Lord with the weapons of his wrath to destroy the whole land. 6 Howle you, for the day of the Lorde is at hande: it shall come as a destroier from the Almightie. 7 Therefore shal all hands be weakened, and all mens hearts shall melt, 8 And they shalbe afraid: anguish and sorowe shal take them, and they shal haue paine, as a woman that trauaileth: euery one shall be amased at his neighbour, and their faces shalbe like flames of fire. 9 Beholde, the day of the Lorde commeth, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger to lay the land wast: and he shall destroy the sinners out of it. 10 For the starres of heauen and the planets thereof shall not giue their light: the sunne shalbe darkened in his going foorth, and the moone shal not cause her light to shine. 11 And I will visite the wickednes vpon the worlde, and their iniquitie vpon the wicked, and I wil cause the arrogancie of the proud to cease, and will cast downe the pride of tyrants. 12 I will make a man more precious then fine golde, euen a man aboue the wedge of golde of Ophir. 13 Therefore I will shake the heauen, and the earth shall remooue out of her place in the wrath of the Lord of hostes, and in the day of his fierce anger. 14 And it shall be as a chased doe, and as a sheepe that no man taketh vp. euery man shall turne to his owne people, and flee eche one to his owne lande.
• Jer 50:1-9 : 1 The word that the Lord spake, concerning Babel, and cocerning the land of the Caldeans by the ministerie of Ieremiah the Prophet. 2 Declare among the nations, and publish it, and set vp a standart, proclaime it and conceale it not: say, Babel is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken downe: her idols are confounded, and their images are burst in pieces. 3 For out of the North there commeth vp a nation against her, which shall make her lande waste, and none shall dwel therein: they shall flee, and depart, both man and beast. 4 In those daies, and at that time, sayeth the Lorde, the children of Israel shal come, they, and the children of Iudah together, going, and weeping shal they goe, and seeke the Lord their God. 5 They shal aske the way to Zion, with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let vs cleaue to the Lorde in a perpetuall couenant that shall not be forgotten. 6 My people hath beene as lost sheepe: their shepheards haue caused them to goe astray, and haue turned them away to the mountaines: they haue gone from mountaine to hil, and forgotten their resting place. 7 Al that found them, haue deuoured them, & their enemies saide, We offende not, because they haue sinned against the Lord, the habitation of iustice, euen the Lord the hope of their fathers. 8 Flee from the middes of Babel, and depart out of the lande of the Caldeans, and be ye as the hee goates before the flocke. 9 For loe, I will raise, and cause to come vp against Babel a multitude of mightie natios from the North countrey, and they shall set themselues in aray against her, whereby shee shall be taken: their arrowes shall be as of a strong man, which is expert, for none shall returne in vaine. 10 And Caldea shalbe a spoyle: all that spoyle her, shalbe satisfied, sayth the Lord. 11 Because yee were glad and reioyced in destroying mine heritage, & because ye are growen fatte, as the calues in the grasse, and neied like strong horses, 12 Therefore your mother shall bee sore confounded, and she that bare you, shall be ashamed: beholde, the vttermost of the nations shalbe a desert, a drie land, and a wildernes. 13 Because of the wrath of the Lorde it shall not be inhabited, but shal be wholy desolate: euery one that goeth by Babel, shall be astonished, and hisse at all her plagues. 14 Put your selues in aray against Babel rounde about: all ye that bende the bowe, shoote at her, spare no arrowes: for shee hath sinned against the Lord. 15 Crie against her round about: she hath giuen her hand: her foundations are fallen, and her walles are destroyed: for it is the vengeance of the Lord: take vengeance vpon her: as she hath done, doe vnto her. 16 Destroy the sower from Babel, and him that handleth the sieth in the time of haruest: because of the sworde of the oppressor they shall turne euery one to his people, and they shall flee euery one to his owne land. 17 Israel is like scattered sheepe: the lions haue dispersed them: first the King of Asshur hath deuoured him, and last this Nebuchad-nezzar King, of Babel hath broken his bones. 18 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hostes the God of Israel, Behold, I wil visit ye King of Babel, and his land, as I haue visited the King of Asshur. 19 And I will bring Israel againe to his habitation: hee shall feede on Carmel and Bashan, and his soule shall be satisfied vpon the mount Ephraim and Gilead. 20 In those daies, and at that time, sayeth the Lorde, the iniquitie of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none: and the sinnes of Iudah, and they shall not be founde: for I will be mercifull vnto them, whome I reserue. 21 Goe vp against the lande of the rebelles, euen against it, and against the inhabitantes of Pekod: destroy, and lay it waste after them, saieth the Lorde, and doe according to all that I haue commaunded thee. 22 A crie of battell is in the land, and of great destruction. 23 Howe is the hammer of the whole world destroied, and broken! Howe is Babel become desolate among the nations! 24 I haue snared thee, and thou art taken, O Babel, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striuen against the Lorde. 25 The Lord hath opened his treasure, & hath brought foorth the weapons of his wrath: for this is the woorke of the Lorde God of hostes in the lande of the Caldeans. 26 Come against her from the vtmost border: open her store houses: treade on her as on sheaues, and destroy her vtterly: let nothing of her be left. 27 Destroy all her bullockes: let them goe downe to the slaughter. Wo vnto them, for their day is come, and the time of their visitation. 28 The voyce of them that flee, and escape out of the lande of Babel to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lorde our God, and the vengeance of his Temple. 29 Call vp the archers against Babel: al ye that bend the bow, besiege it rounde about: let none thereof escape: recompence her according to her worke, & according to all that she hath done, doe vnto her: for she hath bene proud against the Lord, euen against the holy one of Israel. 30 Therefore shall her yong men fall in the streetes, and al her men of warre shalbe destroied in that day, sayeth the Lord. 31 Beholde, I come vnto thee, O proude man, saith the Lord God of hostes: for thy day is come, euen the time that I will visite thee. 32 And the proude shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him vp: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, & it shall deuoure all round about him. 33 Thus saieth the Lord of hosts, The children of Israel, and the children of Iudah were oppressed together: and all that tooke them captiues, held them, and would not let them goe. 34 But their strong redeemer, whose Name is the Lord of hostes, he shall maintaine their cause, that he may giue rest to the lande, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babel. 35 A sworde is vpon the Caldeans, sayeth the Lord, and vpon the inhabitants of Babel, and vpon her princes, and vpon her wise men. 36 A sworde is vpon the soothsaiers, and they shall dote: a sword is vpon her strong men, & they shalbe afraide. 37 A sworde is vpon their horses & vpon their charets, and vpon all the multitude that are in the middes of her, and they shall be like women: a sworde is vpon her treasures, and they shall be spoyled. 38 A drought is vpon her waters, and they shall be dried vp: for it is the lande of grauen images, and they dote vpon their idoles. 39 Therefore the Ziims with the Iims shall dwel there, & the ostriches shal dwel therein: for it shall be no more inhabited, neither shall it be inhabited from generation vnto generation. 40 As God destroied Sodom and Gomorah with the places thereof neere about, sayeth the Lord: so shal no man dwell theere, neither shal the sonne of man remaine therein. 41 Beholde, a people shall come from the North, and a great nation, and many Kings shall be raised vp from the coastes of the earth. 42 They shall holde the bowe and the buckeler: they are cruell and vnmercifull: their voyce shall roare like the sea, and they shall ride vpon horses, and be put in aray like men to the battell against thee, O daughter of Babel. 43 The King of Babel hath heard the report of them, & his hands waxed feeble: sorow came vpon him, euen sorowe as of a woman in trauaile. 44 Beholde, hee shall come vp like a lyon from the swelling of Iorden vnto the strong habitation: for I will make Israel to rest, and I will make them to haste away from her: and who is a chosen man that I may appoynt against her? for who is like me, and who will appoynt me the time? and who is the shepheard that will stande before me? 45 Therefore heare the counsell of the Lorde that hee hath deuised against Babel, and his purpose that hee hath conceiued against the lande of the Caldeans: surely the least of the flocke shall drawe them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them. 46 At the noyse of the winning of Babel the earth is moued, and the crye is heard among the nations.