Dictionary Article

Translation of a Hebrew word in Genesis 10:10 and 11:9. Elsewhere it is translated “Babylonia” or “Babylon” (see 2 Kgs 17:24). The rendering “Babel” in the Genesis passages is intended to relate the name to the early cultural setting reflected by Genesis 11:1-9, especially to the attempt to build a “tower.” The translation “Babel” is also intended to associate the Tower of Babel incident with the popular understanding that Babel is derived from a root meaning “to confuse” (v 9).

Show passage in OET: GEN 10:10

OET-RV GEN 10:10

10 His kingdom began in the cities of Bavel, Erek, Akad, and Keleneh, all in the Shin’ar region.

OET-LV GEN 10:10

10 And_it _became the _beginning _of his/its_kingdom Bāⱱel and_Erech and_Akkad and_Kələneh in_land of _Shinˊār.

Show passage in OET: GEN 11:9

OET-RV GEN 11:9

9 That’s why they named the city ‘Bavel’ (meaning ‘mixed-up’) because it was there that Yahweh mixed up everyone’s language and then scattered them over the whole world.

OET-LV GEN 11:9

9 Therefore yes/correct/thus/so someone _called his/its_name Bāⱱel if/because there YHWH he _confused the _language _of all _of the_earth/land and_from_there he/it _scattered_them YHWH over the _surface _of all _of the_earth/land.

Show passage in OET: KI2 17:24

OET-RV KI2 17:24

24 Then the Assyrian king sent people from Bavel (Babylon) and from Kut and from Ivah and from Hamat and Sefarvayim, and he settled them in the cities of the northern kingdom in place of the Israelis. And they possessed Shomron (Samaria) and lived in its towns.

OET-LV KI2 17:24

24 And_ the _king _of ʼAshshūr _he/it _brought from_Bāⱱel and_from_Kūt/(Cuthah) and_from_Avva and_from_Ḩₐmāt and_Şəfarvayim and_he _caused_them_to _dwell in_the _cities _of Shomrōn in _place _of the _people _of Yisrā^ʼēl/(Israel) and_they _took _possession _of DOM Shomrōn and_they _lived in_cities _of_its.

Show passage in OET: GEN 11:1–9

OET-RV GEN 11:1

11 Now the whole world had a single language and the same words,

OET-RV GEN 11:2

2 and as they migrated from the east, they discovered a plain in the Shin’ar region and settled there.

OET-RV GEN 11:3

3 Then they said to each other, “Come on, let’s make bricks and cure them with fire.” So they had bricks instead of stones, and they had tar for mortar.

OET-RV GEN 11:4

4 Then they said, “Come on, let’s build a city for ourselves and a tower with its top in the sky, and let’s make a reputation for ourselves, so that we don’t get scattered all over the whole earth.”

OET-RV GEN 11:5

5 Then Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower that the humans were building

OET-RV GEN 11:6

6 and he said, “Look, they’re just one people group, and they all speak the same language. This is only the beginning of what they can do together—soon they’ll be capable of doing anything they plan to do.

OET-RV GEN 11:7

7 Come on then, let’s go down and confuse their language so that they won’t be able to understand each other’s words.”

OET-RV GEN 11:8

8 ⇔So then they stopped building the city and Yahweh caused them to scatter over the whole world.

OET-RV GEN 11:9

9 That’s why they named the city ‘Bavel’ (meaning ‘mixed-up’) because it was there that Yahweh mixed up everyone’s language and then scattered them over the whole world.

OET-LV GEN 11:1

11 And_ all _of the_earth/land _he/it _was language one and_words/messages one(s).

OET-LV GEN 11:2

2 And_he/it _was on_their_pulling _out from_east and_they _found a _plain in_land of _Shinˊār and_they _lived there.

OET-LV GEN 11:3

3 And_they _said each to his/its_neighbour come_NOW let _us _make _bricks bricks and_let _us _burn to_burning and_it _became to/for_them the_brick to_stone and_the_bitumen it _became to/for_them to_mortar.

OET-LV GEN 11:4

4 And_they _said come_NOW let _us _build to/for_ourselves a _city and_(a)_tower and_its_top in_the _heavens and_we _may _make to/for_ourselves a _name lest we _should _be _scattered over the _surface _of all _of the_earth/land.

OET-LV GEN 11:5

5 And_ YHWH _he/it _descended for_seeing DOM the_city and_DOM the_tower which the _children _of the_humankind they _had _built.

OET-LV GEN 11:6

6 And_ YHWH _he/it _said HERE a _people one and_(a)_language one to/for_all_them and_this their_beginning for_doing and_now not it _will _be _withheld from_them all that they _will _plan for_doing.

OET-LV GEN 11:7

7 Come_NOW let _us _go _down and_let _us _confuse there their_language that not they _will _hear each the _language _of his/its_neighbour.

OET-LV GEN 11:8

8 And_ YHWH _he/it _scattered DOM_them from_there over the _surface _of all _of the_earth/land and_they _stopped to_build the_city.

OET-LV GEN 11:9

Jump to OET GEN 10:10 section.

Jump to OET GEN 11:9 section.

Jump to OET KI2 17:24 section.

Jump to OET GEN 11:1–9 section.

Archaeological excavations have provided information about the building of towers for temples called ziggurats. The excavation of a number of such towers has made it clear they were structures consisting of several platforms, each of lesser dimensions than the one immediately below it. The top platform served as the location for a small temple dedicated to the particular deity of the builder or of the city in which it was built.

The first ziggurat at Babylon was built by Shar-kali-sharri, king of Akkad in the latter part of the 23d century BC. Archaeologists understand that this ziggurat was destroyed and rebuilt several times across the centuries. It apparently lay in ruins from sometime around 2000 BC to around 1830 BC, at which time a forebear of Hammurabi (1728–1636 BC) founded or rebuilt the city named Bab-ilu, or Babel.

The Babylonian Creation Epic gives details concerning the construction of a “celestial city” as the proper abode of Marduk. It was with this theological understanding that the name Babel, “gate of god,” was a significant term. Other terminology associated with the temple built for Marduk and with the ziggurat suggests that Babel, for the early Babylonians, was the on-earth entrance into the heavenly or celestial realm.

Jewish and Arab traditions associate the Tower of Babel of Genesis with a large temple ruin dedicated originally to Nabu in the city of Borsippa, or Birs-Nimrod.

Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary