Genesis 11

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 11:3

Genesis 11:3. And they said one to another, &c.— United in language and sentiment, they agreed to provide proper materials, and so to build a city, which might be a more certain habitation than moveable tents, which might also unite them under one government and polity, and give them strength and celebrity. The materials they provided, were brick instead of stone, and for mortar or cement they had slime, bitumen, a kind of liquid pitch, which sometimes is gathered under ground in brittle... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 11:4

Genesis 11:4. Go to, let us build, &c.— They proposed to build a magnificent city with a tower, either for defence or for religion, though for the latter most probably; whose top, says our translation, may reach unto heaven. There is nothing in the Hebrew for may reach; it is only said there, and its head, or top, to heaven: nevertheless, as almost all the versions supply, may reach, the passage may be understood as a vaunt in these builders, expressing the very superlative height to which... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 11:5

Genesis 11:5. And the Lord came down to see, &c. — All allow, the Lord's coming down to see the city and tower, is to be understood, "after the manner of men," by way of accommodation to our conceptions; and means no more, than that by the effects he made it appear, that he observed their motions, and knew their intentions: and this is a very proper way, in our embodied state, of representing the actions of Deity. Some suppose, that the Messiah, the Word of God, is here meant. read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 11:6

Genesis 11:6. The people is one— One in sentiment and design, and one in language also: this seems to confirm the opinion advanced in note on Genesis 11:1. read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 11:7

Genesis 11:7. Let us go down, &c.— God is said to go down, when he executes any work upon earth, which makes his power and presence signally known. The plural us is another proof of the sacred doctrine of the Trinity. See note on ch. Genesis 1:26. And there confound their language— If this word (language) in the first verse, imports not only speech, but sentiment, the confusion here occasioned by the Lord among them, must have been in both. He not only occasioned a confusion and dissension... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 11:10

Genesis 11:10. These are the generations of Shem— The sacred historian having thus far given us an account of such events as concern all mankind, now prepares to quit the narration of general transactions, for the more immediate history of that family, which was chosen by God to be the vehicle of his sacred promises, as well as the progenitors of the Messiah. Accordingly, he resumes the genealogy of Shem and his third son Arphaxad, from whom Abram, the father of the faithful, was lineally... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 11:27

Genesis 11:27. These are the generations of Terah— It may be proper to remark, that it appears, from this genealogy, that these patriarchs begat children about the age of thirty, which may therefore serve as a mean number in any calculation. When it is said, that Terah lived seventy years, and begat three sons, it means, that of these three the eldest was then first born; the same method of speaking is used with regard to Noah, ch. Genesis 5:32. And as Shem is mentioned first, though youngest... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 11:31

Genesis 11:31. They went forth from Ur—to go into Canaan—and came unto Haran— Terah, with his son Abram with Sarai, and his grandson Lot, leaving Nahor and his family behind, from what motive it doth not appear, probably from the call of God, Nehemiah 9:7, left Ur of the Chaldees, purposing to go into the land of Canaan; but the old man stopt short, and died in his two hundredth and fifth year at Haran, a city in the north-west parts of Mesopotamia, celebrated for the defeat of Crassus,... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Genesis 11

CHAPTER 11 :-. CONFUSION OF TONGUES. read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Genesis 11:1

1. the whole earth was of one language. The descendants of Noah, united by the strong bond of a common language, had not separated, and notwithstanding the divine command to replenish the earth, were unwilling to separate. The more pious and well-disposed would of course obey the divine will; but a numerous body, seemingly the aggressive horde mentioned ( :-), determined to please themselves by occupying the fairest region they came to. read more

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 11:3

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 11:4

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 11:5

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 11:6

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 11:7

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 11:10

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 11:27

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 11:31

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Genesis 11

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Genesis 11:1

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