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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 11:5-9

We have here the quashing of the project of the Babel-builders, and the turning of the counsel of those froward men headlong, that God's counsel might stand in spite of them. Here is, I. The cognizance God took of the design that was on foot: The Lord came down to see the city, Gen. 11:5. It is an expression after the manner of men; he knew it as clearly and fully as men know that which they come to the place to view. Observe, 1. Before he gave judgment upon their cause, he enquired into it;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 11:5

And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower ,.... Not locally or visibly, being immense, omnipresent, and invisible; nor in order to see and take notice of what he otherwise could not see from heaven, for he is omniscient; but this is spoken after the manner of men, and is to be understood of some effects and displays of his power, which were manifest, and showed him to be present: the Targum is,"and the Lord was revealed to take vengeance on them on account of the business of the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 11:6

And the Lord said ,.... Not to the angels, as Aben Ezra, but rather to the Son and Spirit, or within himself: behold, the people is one, and they have all one language ; which some think is spoken ironically; but I see no reason why it may not be understood seriously, that the people who were concerned in this building were unanimous, not only in their religious principles, such as they were, as Aben Ezra, but in their counsel, purpose, and design in building; they went on with great... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 11:7

Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language ,.... These words are not spoken to the angels, as the Targum and Aben Ezra; for, as Philo the Jew observes F8 De Confus. Ling. p. 344. , they are said to some as co-workers with God, which angels could not be in this work of confounding the language of men; it being above the power of creatures so to work upon the mind, and on the faculty of speech, as to make such an alteration as was at the confusion of tongues, when men... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 11:8

So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence, upon the face of all the earth ,.... Hence that which they feared came upon them, and what they were so careful to guard against befell them, occasioned by those measures they took to secure themselves from it; for not being able to understand one another, they left off their design, and as many as spoke the same language joined together, and so parted in bodies; some went one way, and some another, and settled in different places, until at... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 11:9

Therefore is the name of it called Babel ,.... The name of the city mentioned, and the tower also, which signifies "confusion", as the Septuagint version renders it; and so Josephus F23 Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 1. c. 4. sect. 13.) says the Hebrews call confusion "Babel": perhaps this name was given it by the sons of Eber, or it might be a common name preserved in all languages, as some are; and though the first builders desisted from going on with building it, yet it seems that afterwards... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 11:5

And the Lord came down - A lesson, says an ancient Jewish commentator, to magistrates to examine every evidence before they decree judgment and execute justice. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 11:6

The people is one, etc. - From this, as before observed, we may infer, that as the people had the same language, so they had a unity of design and sentiment. It is very likely that the original language was composed of monosyllables, that each had a distinct ideal meaning, and only one meaning; as different acceptations of the same word would undoubtedly arise, either from compounding terms, or, when there were but few words in a language, using them by a different mode of pronunciation to... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 11:7

Go to - A form of speech which, whatever it might have signified formerly, now means nothing. The Hebrew העה habah signifies come, make preparation, as it were for a journey, the execution of a purpose, etc. Almost all the versions understand the word in this way; the Septuagint have δευτε , the Vulgate venite , both signifying come, or come ye. This makes a very good sense, Come, let its go down, etc. For the meaning of these latter words see Genesis 1:26 , and Genesis 18:21 . read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 11:9

Therefore is the name of it called Babel - בבל babel , from בל bal , to mingle, confound, destroy; hence Babel, from the mingling together and confounding of the projects and language of these descendants of Noah; and this confounding did not so much imply the producing new languages, as giving them a different method of pronouncing the same words, and leading them to affix different ideas to them. Besides Mr. Hutchinson's opinion, (see on Genesis 11:4 ; (note)), there have been... read more

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