Genesis 11:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.

NIV: But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.

NASB: Now the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the men had built.

CSB: Then the Lord came down to look over the city and the tower that the humans were building.

NLT: But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building.

KJV: And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

NKJV: But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.

The united peoples of earth make a plan to exalt themselves, by building a tower in their city that would reach to the heavens. Instead of asking God for help, they set out to make themselves powerful enough to get what they wanted. Many scholars see this as a deliberate attempt to guard against another flood, by making a structure specifically intended to protect mankind from God's judgment.

This verse is probably intended to be taken in a dry, almost sarcastic tone. The text reveals that God chooses to "come down" to even see their tower. Of course, God did not need to travel any distance in any direction to see or know what was happening on the earth. Instead, the language is meant to emphasize what a silly idea it was that people could build a tower that would reach to the heavens, or prevent God from enacting His will.

In a more direct sense, this verse shows God "playing along," much as He did when Adam hid from Him in the garden of Eden and God called out (Genesis 3:8–10).

Genesis 11:1–9 recounts one of the most dramatic acts of God recorded in Genesis. Before the tribes and nations described in Genesis 10 were formed, all the people of the earth shared one language and one culture. They also shared the goal of not wanting to be separated. To that end, they decided to make themselves great by building a great city with an enormous tower—and without apparently acknowledging God. To keep humanity from being too powerful, and lapsing into the widespread sin which inspired the flood, God confuses human languages and scattered mankind around the world. The city of Babel, similar to the Hebrew word for ''confused,'' would later become known as Babylon.

Genesis 11 contains three sections: God confuses and scatters the people of the world to stop the building of Babel and its tower. A genealogy is provided showing the direct links between Noah and Abram. The ''generations'' of Terah are introduced, providing a description of the family out of which God will call Abram to become the father of His chosen people.

Genesis 10 provided a table of the nations, describing the peoples and tribes that descended from Noah's three sons and where they settled. Genesis 11 describes how God scattered the peoples of the world after confusing their languages to stop the building of Babel and its tower. The chapter also provides a direct genealogy from Noah to Abram and then introduces Abram by way of his father Terah. The following chapter will begin the story of Abram and God's chosen people, Israel.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/5/2024 7:41:44 AM