Babel and “he confused”
Says וַיָּפֶץ יְהוָה אֹתָם מִשָּׁם עַל־פְּנֵי כָל־הָאָרֶץ (“and the Lord scattered them from there over the face of all the earth”) repeats the words the builders feared in 11:4. וַיַּחְדְּלוּ לִבְנֹת הָעִיר (“and they stopped building the city”) names the city only.
Says עַל־כֵּן קָרָא שְׁמָהּ בָּבֶל (“therefore its name was called bavel”) is explained by כִּי־שָׁם בָּלַל יְהוָה (“for there the Lord confused,” balal). The name and the verb sound alike; the lexicon cites 11:9 under balal. בָּבֶל is the same word as Babel in 10:10 (בָּבֶל), where BSB has “Babylon.” The verse ends וּמִשָּׁם הֱפִיצָם יְהוָה (“and from there the Lord scattered them”).
Implies The people sought a name (11:4) and the city receives one, Babel, from what the Lord did there. The scattering carries out 9:1 and 9:19.
Uncertain The confusion may be a sudden miraculous division of speech, a rapid fracturing, or the start of language families over a short time. The text gives neither the number of languages nor the process. No lean is taken here.
Claims
- Saysוַיָּפֶץ יְהוָה אֹתָם מִשָּׁם עַל־פְּנֵי כָל־הָאָרֶץ (“and the Lord scattered them from there over the face of all the earth”) repeats the words the builders feared in 11:4. וַיַּחְדְּלוּ לִבְנֹת הָעִיר (“and they stopped building the city”) names the city only.
- Saysעַל־כֵּן קָרָא שְׁמָהּ בָּבֶל (“therefore its name was called bavel”) is explained by כִּי־שָׁם בָּלַל יְהוָה (“for there the Lord confused,” balal). The name and the verb sound alike; the lexicon cites 11:9 under balal. בָּבֶל is the same word as Babel in 10:10 (בָּבֶל), where BSB has “Babylon.” The verse ends וּמִשָּׁם הֱפִיצָם יְהוָה (“and from there the Lord scattered them”).
- ImpliesThe people sought a name (11:4) and the city receives one, Babel, from what the Lord did there. The scattering carries out 9:1 and 9:19.
- UncertainThe confusion may be a sudden miraculous division of speech, a rapid fracturing, or the start of language families over a short time. The text gives neither the number of languages nor the process. No lean is taken here.
Citations
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 11:8–9 (WLC/OSHB; morph HC/Vhw3ms HVqp3ms HVhp3ms/Sp3mp)
- BSB public domain Gen 11:8–9 (BSB)
- 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
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