Open Bible Data Home About News OET Key
OET OET-RV OET-LV ULT UST BSB BLB AICNT OEB WEBBE WMBB NET LSV FBV TCNT T4T LEB BBE Moff JPS Wymth ASV DRA YLT Drby RV Wbstr KJB-1769 KJB-1611 Bshps Gnva Cvdl TNT Wycl SR-GNT UHB BrLXX BrTr Related Topics Parallel Interlinear Reference Dictionary Search
parallelVerse INT GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOS JDG RUTH 1SA 2SA PSA AMOS HOS 1KI 2KI 1CH 2CH PRO ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL JOB YHN MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC GAL 1TH 2TH 1COR 2COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1TIM TIT 1PET 2PET 2TIM HEB YUD 1YHN 2YHN 3YHN REV
Gen Intro C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24 C25 C26 C27 C28 C29 C30 C31 C32 C33 C34 C35 C36 C37 C38 C39 C40 C41 C42 C43 C44 C45 C46 C47 C48 C49 C50
Gen 11 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25 V26 V27 V28 V29 V30 V31 V32
Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV) That’s why they named the city ‘Babel’ (meaning ‘mixed-up’) because it was there that Yahweh mixed up everyone’s language and then scattered them over the whole world.
OET-LV On/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in yes/correct/thus/so someone_called his/its_name Babel if/because there he_confused YHWH the_language of_all the_earth/land and_from_there he/it_scattered_them YHWH over the_surface of_all the_earth/land.
UHB עַל־כֵּ֞ן קָרָ֤א שְׁמָהּ֙ בָּבֶ֔ל כִּי־שָׁ֛ם בָּלַ֥ל יְהוָ֖ה שְׂפַ֣ת כָּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וּמִשָּׁם֙ הֱפִיצָ֣ם יְהוָ֔ה עַל־פְּנֵ֖י כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃פ ‡
(ˊal-kēn qārāʼ shəmāh bāⱱel kī-shām bālal yhwh səfat kāl-hāʼāreʦ ūmishshām hₑfīʦām yhwh ˊal-pənēy kāl-hāʼāreʦ.◊)
Key: khaki:verbs, green:YHWH.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
BrLXX Διὰ τοῦτο ἐκλήθη τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῆς, Σύγχυσις, ὅτι ἐκεῖ συνέχεε Κύριος τὰ χείλη πάσης τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐκεῖθεν διέσπειρεν αὐτοὺς Κύριος ἐπὶ πρόσωπον πάσης τῆς γῆς.
(Dia touto eklaʸthaʸ to onoma autaʸs, Sugⱪusis, hoti ekei suneⱪeʼe Kurios ta ⱪeilaʸ pasaʸs taʸs gaʸs, kai ekeithen diespeiren autous Kurios epi prosōpon pasaʸs taʸs gaʸs. )
BrTr On this account its name was called Confusion, because there the Lord confounded the languages of all the earth, and thence the Lord scattered them upon the face of all the earth.
ULT For that reason they called its name Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of the whole earth, and from there Yahweh scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
¶
UST That is why the name of the city is Babel, which means “mixed up,” because that is where Yahweh mixed up the language that everyone on the earth shared, and in that way he made them spread out from there all over the earth.
¶
BSB That is why it is called Babel,[fn] for there the LORD confused the language of the whole world, and from that place the LORD scattered them over the face of all the earth.
11:9 Or Babylon; the Hebrew word for Babel sounds like the Hebrew for confused.
OEB That is why they named it Babel[fn], for there the Lord confused the language of all the inhabitants of earth and scattered them over the whole world.
Confusion
WEBBE Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. From there, the LORD scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.
WMBB (Same as above)
NET That is why its name was called Babel – because there the Lord confused the language of the entire world, and from there the Lord scattered them across the face of the entire earth.
LSV therefore [one] has called its name Babel, for there YHWH has confused the language of all the earth, and from there YHWH has scattered them over the face of all the earth.
FBV That's why it was called Babel,[fn] because the Lord made the language of the world confused.
11:9 Babel sounds like the Hebrew word for “confuse.”
T4T The city was called Babel which means ‘confusion’, because there Yahweh caused the people to become confused because the people [MTY] spoke different languages that the others could not understand, not just one language. From there Yahweh caused them to disperse all over the earth.
LEB Therefore its name was called Babel, for there Yahweh confused the language of the whole earth, and there Yahweh scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
¶
BBE So it was named Babel, because there the Lord took away the sense of all languages and from there the Lord sent them away over all the face of the earth.
Moff No Moff GEN book available
JPS Therefore was the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth; and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
ASV Therefore was the name of it called Babel; because Jehovah did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did Jehovah scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
DRA And therefore the name thereof was called Babel, because there the language of the whole earth was confounded: and from thence the Lord scattered them abroad upon the face of all countries.
YLT therefore hath [one] called its name Babel, for there hath Jehovah mingled the pronunciation of all the earth, and from thence hath Jehovah scattered them over the face of all the earth.
Drby Therefore was its name called Babel; because Jehovah there confounded the language of the whole earth. And Jehovah scattered them thence over the face of the whole earth.
RV Therefore was the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
Wbstr Therefore is the name of it called Babel, because the LORD there confounded the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
KJB-1769 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.[fn]
11.9 Babel: that is, Confusion
KJB-1611 [fn]Therefore is the name of it called Babel, because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad vpon the face of all the earth.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)
11:9 That is, Confusion.
Bshps And therfore is the name of it called Babel, because the Lord dyd there confounde the language of all the earth: and from thence dyd the Lorde scatter them abrode vpon the face of all the earth.
(And therefore is the name of it called Babel, because the Lord did there confounde the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.)
Gnva Therefore the name of it was called Babel, because the Lord did there confounde the language of all the earth: from thence then did the Lord scatter them vpon all the earth.
(Therefore the name of it was called Babel, because the Lord did there confounde the language of all the earth: from thence then did the Lord scatter them upon all the earth. )
Cvdl Therfore is it called Babell, because the LORDE cofounded there the language of all the worlde, and from thece scatred them abrode in to all londes.
(Therefore is it called Babell, because the LORD cofounded there the language of all the world, and from thece scattered them abroad in to all londes.)
Wycl And therfor the name therof was clepid Babel, for the langage of al erthe was confoundide there; and fro thennus the Lord scaterede hem on the face of alle cuntrees.
(And therefore the name thereof was called Babel, for the langage of all earth was confoundide there; and from thence the Lord scaterede them on the face of all countrys.)
Luth Daher heißt ihr Name Babel, daß der HErr daselbst verwirret hatte aller Länder Sprache und sie zerstreuet von dannen in alle Länder.
(Therefore is_called you/their/her Name Babel, that the/of_the LORD there verwirret had aller Länder Sprache and they/she/them zerstreuet from dannen in all Länder.)
ClVg Et idcirco vocatum est nomen ejus Babel, quia ibi confusum est labium universæ terræ: et inde dispersit eos Dominus super faciem cunctarum regionum.
(And idcirco vocatum it_is nomen his Babel, because there confusum it_is labium universæ terræ: and inde dispersit them Master over face cunctarum regionum. )
11:9 Babel: The Babylonians viewed their city as the residence or gateway of the gods. The pun that concludes this account accurately reveals Babylon’s spiritual confusion. Babylon achieved prominence under Nimrod (10:10) and in later biblical history (see 2 Kgs 25:1-30). Its role as an epicenter of arrogance and idolatry make it a fitting image for the anti-God forces associated with the end of time (e.g., Rev 14:8; 16:19; 18:2).
• The tower builders had centralized to ascend into God’s realm (Gen 11:3-4). God descended and scattered them all over the world to frustrate their idolatrous ambition.
Babel: The Dispersion of Nations
The story of the tower of Babel, whose peak was to reach to heaven, explains how nations and ethnic groups were separated by language barriers and scattered geographically. After the Flood, when God had judged an exceedingly wicked human race, humans again rebelled against their Creator by constructing a tower “that reaches into the sky” (Gen 11:4). Instead of worshiping the Lord, their intention was to exalt themselves and unify themselves apart from the Lord. God saw the danger that this posed: Their independence and arrogance would set them right back into a whirlpool of wickedness and, ultimately, destruction. So God intervened to “confuse the people with different languages” (11:7) and “[scatter] them all over the world” (11:9). Babel thus begins the history of differences and misunderstandings between peoples and nations who cannot understand one another’s languages and cultures—a separation that only begins to be reversed with the coming of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2).
After the dispersion of the nations at Babel, God renewed his relationship with humanity in Abraham and his descendants (Gen 12:1-9). In contrast with the people at Babel, Abraham was righteous because he “believed the Lord” and lived by faith in God rather than pride in his accomplishments (15:6; 17:1; 18:19; 26:5).
Passages for Further Study
קָרָ֤א שְׁמָהּ֙
he/it_called his/its=name
Frequently in the Hebrew text, this phrase has a general meaning and does not refer to someone specific. Alternate translation: “people named the city” or “the name of that city is” or “the city was named”
בָּבֶ֔ל
Babel
If you include the meaning of Babel here in your translation or in a footnote, be consistent with the way you translate confused later in this verse and in verse 7.
כִּי שָׁ֛ם & יְהוָ֖ה
that/for/because/then/when there & YHWH
Alternate translation: “because it was in that city that Yahweh”
בָּלַ֥ל
he/it_confused
Alternate translation: “scrambled”
שְׂפַ֣ת כָּל הָאָ֑רֶץ
language_of all/each/any/every the=earth/land
Alternate translation: “the language that everyone on the earth spoke”
וּמִשָּׁם֙ הֱפִיצָ֣ם יְהוָ֔ה
and=from=there he/it_scattered=them YHWH
Alternate translation: “and in that way Yahweh made them spread out from there”
עַל פְּנֵ֖י כָּל הָאָֽרֶץ
on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in face/surface_of all/each/any/every the=earth/land
See how you translated this phrase in verses 4 and 8. Alternate translation: “over the surface of the entire earth.” or “all over the world.”