“The Lord came down” and “let us go down”
Says וַיֵּרֶד יְהוָה לִרְאֹת (vayyered yhwh lir’ot, “and the Lord came down to see”); the lexicon gives yarad as “come or go down, descend” and cites 11:5 and 11:7. The builders of a top “in the heavens” are בְּנֵי הָאָדָם (“the sons of man”; BSB “the sons of men”).
Says In 11:6 הֵן עַם אֶחָד וְשָׂפָה אַחַת לְכֻלָּם is “behold, one people and one lip for all of them.” לֹא־יִבָּצֵר מֵהֶם כֹּל (“nothing will be withheld from them”) closes the verse; BSB recasts it as “nothing they devise will be beyond them.” In 11:7 הָבָה נֵרְדָה וְנָבְלָה שָׁם שְׂפָתָם (havah nerdah venavlah sham sefatam, “come, let us go down and confuse there their lip”) answers the builders’ הָבָה (“come”) of 11:3–4. The lexicon takes navlah from balal, “mingle, mix, confuse, confound.” BSB’s capital in “let Us go down” is not in the Hebrew.
Uncertain The plural may be one of deliberation or majesty, God addressing a heavenly court, or a Trinitarian hint. The first two fit Hebrew usage but explain a single speaker differently; the court view must supply hearers the text does not name; the Trinitarian view reads later revelation back. “Came down” may be a picture of God’s attention, or a real descent, as in theophanies. No lean is taken here.
Claims
- Saysוַיֵּרֶד יְהוָה לִרְאֹת (vayyered yhwh lir’ot, “and the Lord came down to see”); the lexicon gives yarad as “come or go down, descend” and cites 11:5 and 11:7. The builders of a top “in the heavens” are בְּנֵי הָאָדָם (“the sons of man”; BSB “the sons of men”).
- SaysIn 11:6 הֵן עַם אֶחָד וְשָׂפָה אַחַת לְכֻלָּם is “behold, one people and one lip for all of them.” לֹא־יִבָּצֵר מֵהֶם כֹּל (“nothing will be withheld from them”) closes the verse; BSB recasts it as “nothing they devise will be beyond them.” In 11:7 הָבָה נֵרְדָה וְנָבְלָה שָׁם שְׂפָתָם (havah nerdah venavlah sham sefatam, “come, let us go down and confuse there their lip”) answers the builders’ הָבָה (“come”) of 11:3–4. The lexicon takes navlah from balal, “mingle, mix, confuse, confound.” BSB’s capital in “let Us go down” is not in the Hebrew.
- UncertainThe plural may be one of deliberation or majesty, God addressing a heavenly court, or a Trinitarian hint. The first two fit Hebrew usage but explain a single speaker differently; the court view must supply hearers the text does not name; the Trinitarian view reads later revelation back. “Came down” may be a picture of God’s attention, or a real descent, as in theophanies. No lean is taken here.
Citations
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 11:5–7 (WLC/OSHB; morph HC/Vqw3ms HVNi3ms HVqh1cp HC/Vqh1cp)
- BSB public domain Gen 11:5–7 (BSB)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 432 (leaf n455), archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, s.v. H3381 “come or go down, descend”; checked against the printed page (scan)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 9 (leaf n32), archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, s.v. H120 “man, mankind”; checked against the printed page (scan)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 117 (leaf n140), archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, s.v. H1101 “mingle, mix, confuse, confound”; checked against the printed page (scan)
2026-11-12
Open in Reader All notes on this passage