historical · Gen 11:1–9 · ✓ Approved

Babel in early Jewish and Christian reading

Says The builders sought to “make a name for ourselves and not be scattered” (Gen 11:4); the Lord said, “Come, let Us go down and confuse their language” (11:7; הָבָה נֵרְדָה, havah nerdah), and the place is called בָּבֶל, “for there the Lord confused the language of the whole world” (11:9; בָּלַל, balal).

Josephus says God had commanded colonies “for the thorough peopling of the earth”, that Nimrod would build “a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach”, and that “the Hebrews mean by the word Babel, confusion”. Pseudo-Jonathan has them speak “In the holy language”, plan “(an image for) worship on the top of it”, and has the Lord address “the seventy angels which stand before Him”. Jubilees has the Lord send “a mighty wind against the tower”. Augustine: “As the tongue is the instrument of domination, in it pride was punished”; God “does not move locally”; the plural might refer “to the Trinity”, but he prefers the angels. Calvin calls the flood-refuge motive “the dream of their own brain” and takes 11:7 as “not improperly adduced in proof that Three Persons subsist in One Essence of Deity”. Keil finds the confusion in “an effect produced upon the human mind”. These are their readings.

Uncertain The builders’ motive, whom “let Us” addresses, and how the confusion took place are open. No lean is taken, and these readings do not fix the meaning of 11:1–9.

Claims

SaysGen 11:4–9: the builders sought a name and to avoid being scattered; the Lord said “let us go down” and confused their language, so the place is called Babel, and he scattered them over all the earth.
UncertainThe builders’ motive (pride, refusal to fill the earth, a flood refuge, or mixed), whom “let us” addresses (angels, the Trinity, or a plural of deliberation), and how the confusion of language took place are open; no lean is taken, and the early readings do not fix the meaning.

Citations

BSB public domain Gen 11:4, 11:7, 11:9
OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 11:7, 11:9
Josephus (Whiston) public domain Ant. 1.4.1–3 = 1.109–119 (Whiston, 1817, vol. 1), pp. 20–21 (n29–n30); checked against the printed page (scan); quoted, otherwise paraphrased
Etheridge public domain Etheridge, vol. 1 (1862), Targum of Palestine (Pseudo-Jonathan) on Gen 11:1–7, pp. 189–190 (n201–n202); checked against the printed page (scan); quoted, otherwise paraphrased
APOT public domain vol. 2 (1913): Jub 10:26, p. 29 (n48); checked against the printed page (scan); quoted
Augustine, City of God (NPNF1 vol. 2) public domain Civ. 16.4–6, p. 313 (n336) (trans. Dods, NPNF¹ 2; CCEL npnf102.iv.XVI.4, npnf102.iv.XVI.5, npnf102.iv.XVI.6); checked against the printed page (scan); quoted, otherwise paraphrased
Calvin, Genesis (King) 1 public domain Calvin, Genesis 1 (King, CTS 1847), on Gen 11:1, p. 323 (n332), and on Gen 11:7, p. 331 (n340); checked against the printed page (scan); quoted, otherwise paraphrased
Keil–Delitzsch, Pentateuch 1 public domain Keil, Pentateuch vol. 1 (Clark, Martin trans., 1868), on Gen 11:7, p. 175 (n178); checked against the printed page (scan); quoted

Sources BSB public domain OSHB CC BY 4.0 Josephus (Whiston) public domain Etheridge public domain APOT public domain Augustine, City of God (NPNF1 vol. 2) public domain Calvin, Genesis (King) 1 public domain Keil–Delitzsch, Pentateuch 1 public domain Bible Scholarship & Tool CC BY 4.0

2026-11-12

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