Bricks, bitumen, a tower and a name
Says וַיְהִי בְּנָסְעָם מִקֶּדֶם (vayhi binso‘am miqqedem) is “and it was, as they journeyed miqqedem”: the lexicon lists this use of hayah, “fall out, come to pass, become, be,” with an infinitive. They found בִקְעָה (“a plain”) בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר (“in the land of Shinar”). In 11:3 נִלְבְּנָה לְבֵנִים וְנִשְׂרְפָה לִשְׂרֵפָה is “let us brick bricks and burn them to a burning,” each verb with its own noun (saraf, “burn”). וְהַחֵמָר הָיָה לָהֶם לַחֹמֶר (“and the bitumen was to them for mortar”) plays khemar, “bitumen, asphalt,” against khomer, “cement, mortar, clay.” BSB has “tar instead of mortar.”
Says In 11:4 עִיר וּמִגְדָּל וְרֹאשׁוֹ בַשָּׁמַיִם is “a city and a tower, and its top in the heavens” (BSB “a tower that reaches to the heavens”). וְנַעֲשֶׂה־לָּנוּ שֵׁם (“and let us make for ourselves a name”) is followed by פֶּן־נָפוּץ (pen-nafuts, “lest we be scattered”).
Implies The scattering they fear is the spread commanded in 9:1 and begun in 9:19, so the plan sets itself against it.
Uncertain Miqqedem may mean “eastward,” as the lexicon takes it with a verb of motion, or “from the east”; the Greek reads “from the east.” The project is read as pride (“a name”), a refusal to fill the earth, a temple-tower, a political union, or a mix; each fits one clause of 11:4. No lean is taken here.
Claims
- Saysוַיְהִי בְּנָסְעָם מִקֶּדֶם (vayhi binso‘am miqqedem) is “and it was, as they journeyed miqqedem”: the lexicon lists this use of hayah, “fall out, come to pass, become, be,” with an infinitive. They found בִקְעָה (“a plain”) בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר (“in the land of Shinar”). In 11:3 נִלְבְּנָה לְבֵנִים וְנִשְׂרְפָה לִשְׂרֵפָה is “let us brick bricks and burn them to a burning,” each verb with its own noun (saraf, “burn”). וְהַחֵמָר הָיָה לָהֶם לַחֹמֶר (“and the bitumen was to them for mortar”) plays khemar, “bitumen, asphalt,” against khomer, “cement, mortar, clay.” BSB has “tar instead of mortar.”
- SaysIn 11:4 עִיר וּמִגְדָּל וְרֹאשׁוֹ בַשָּׁמַיִם is “a city and a tower, and its top in the heavens” (BSB “a tower that reaches to the heavens”). וְנַעֲשֶׂה־לָּנוּ שֵׁם (“and let us make for ourselves a name”) is followed by פֶּן־נָפוּץ (pen-nafuts, “lest we be scattered”).
- ImpliesThe scattering they fear is the spread commanded in 9:1 and begun in 9:19, so the plan sets itself against it.
- UncertainMiqqedem may mean “eastward,” as the lexicon takes it with a verb of motion, or “from the east”; the Greek reads “from the east.” The project is read as pride (“a name”), a refusal to fill the earth, a temple-tower, a political union, or a mix; each fits one clause of 11:4. No lean is taken here.
Citations
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 11:2–4 (WLC/OSHB; morph HR/Vqc/Sp3mp HVqh1cp HC/Vqh1cp HVqi1cp)
- BSB public domain Gen 11:3–4 (BSB)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 224 (leaf n247), archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, s.v. H1961 “fall out, come to pass, become, be”; checked against the printed page (scan)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 869 (leaf n892), archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, s.v. H6924 “front, east, aforetime”; checked against the printed page (scan)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 976 (leaf n999), archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, s.v. H8313 “burn”; checked against the printed page (scan)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 330 (leaf n353), archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, s.v. H2564 “bitumen, asphalt”; checked against the printed page (scan)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 330 (leaf n353), archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, s.v. H2563 “cement, mortar, clay”; checked against the printed page (scan)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 1029 (leaf n1052), archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, s.v. H8064 “heavens, sky”; checked against the printed page (scan)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 153 (leaf n176), archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, s.v. H4026 “tower”; checked against the printed page (scan)
- LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 Gen 11:2, text and apparatus. LXX: Swete, vol. 1 (1901), p. 17 (leaf n48). Checked against the printed page (scan).
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2026-11-12
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