Genesis 11:7

Genesis 11:7

Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

a. NLT: Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.”

b. NIV: Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

c. YLT: Give help, let us go down, and mingle there their pronunciation, so that a man doth not understand the pronunciation of his companion.'

d. Amplified Bible Classic: Come, let Us go down and there confound (mix up, confuse) their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

e. Septuagint: Come, and having gone down let us there confound their tongue, that they may not understand each the voice of his neighbour.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: Come, let us descend and there confuse their language, that they should not understand one another’s language.

1. “Go to, let us go down…”

a. Go to [3051 * yahab] [Strong: a primitive root; to give (whether literal or figurative); generally, to put; imperatively (reflexive) come:--ascribe, bring, come on, give, go, set, take.]

b. [let us] go down [Strong: 3381 yarad yaw-rad' a primitive root; to descend (literally, to go downwards; or conventionally to a lower region, as the shore, a boundary, the enemy, etc.; or figuratively, to fall); causatively, to bring down (in all the above applications); -X abundantly, bring down, carry down, cast down, (cause to) come(-ing) down, fall (down), get down, go(-ing) down(-ward), hang down, X indeed, let down, light (down), put down (off), (cause to, let) run down, sink, subdue, take down.]

1). Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges: The use of the 1st pers. plur. is a well-known crux of interpretation. How are we to explain its occurrence in the utterance of the Almighty? The only other passages in which it is found are (1) Genesis 3:22, “And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us”; (2) Genesis 11:7, “Go to, and let us go down, and there confound their language”; (3) Isaiah 6:8, “And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”

a). Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

b). Genesis 3:22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

c) Genesis 19:24 Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven;

2. “…and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.”

a. and there [Strong: 8033 sham shawm a primitive particle (rather from the relative pronoun, 834); there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or thence:--in it, + thence, there (-in, + of, + out), + thither, + whither.]

b. confound [Strong: 1101 balal baw-lal' a primitive root; to overflow (specifically with oil.); by implication, to mix; also (denominatively from 1098) to fodder:--anoint, confound, X fade, mingle, mix (self), give provender, temper.]

c. their language [Strong: 8193 saphah saw-faw' or (in dual and plural) sepheth {sef-eth'}; probably from 5595 or 8192 through the idea of termination (Compare 5490); the lip (as a natural boundary); by implication, language; by analogy, a margin (of a vessel, water, cloth, etc.):--band, bank, binding, border, brim, brink, edge, language, lip, prating, ((sea-))shore, side, speech, talk, (vain) words.]

d. that [Strong: 834 'aher ash-er' a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number); who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.:--X after, X alike, as (soon as), because, X every, for, + forasmuch, + from whence, + how(-soever), X if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), X though, + until, + whatsoever, when, where (+ -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, + whither(- soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection.]

e. [they may] not [Strong: 3808 lo' lo or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle; not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else, ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, + of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.]

f. understand [Strong: 8085 shama` shaw-mah' a primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.):--X attentively, call (gather) together, X carefully, X certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, X diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), X indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, X surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness.]

g. one [Strong: 376 'iysh eesh contracted for 582 (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation):--also, another, any (man), a certain, + champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-)man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), + none, one, people, person, + steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy.]

h. another’s [Strong: 7453 rea` ray'-ah or reya2 {ray'-ah}; from 7462; an associate (more or less close):--brother, companion, fellow, friend, husband, lover, neighbour, X (an-)other.]

           

i. speech [Strong: 8193 saphah saw-faw' or (in dual and plural) sepheth {sef-eth'}; probably from 5595 or 8192 through the idea of termination (Compare 5490); the lip (as a natural boundary); by implication, language; by analogy, a margin (of a vessel, water, cloth, etc.):--band, bank, binding, border, brim, brink, edge, language, lip, prating, ((sea-))shore, side, speech, talk, (vain) words.]