Genesis 11:4

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

Then they said, "Come, let us build a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered over the face of the whole earth."

Additional Resources

Other Translations

  • King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

    And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

  • KJV1611 – Modern English

    And they said, Come, let us build a city and a tower whose top may reach to heaven, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.

  • King James Version 1611 (Original)

    And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

  • American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

    And they said, Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top [may reach] unto heaven, and let us make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

  • King James Version with Strong's Numbers

    And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

  • Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

    And they sayd: Come on let vs buylde vs a cyte and a toure that the toppe may reach vnto heauen. And let vs make us a name for perauenture we shall be scatered abrode over all the erth.

  • Coverdale Bible (1535)

    And sayde: Come, let vs buylde a cite & a tower, whose toppe maye reach vnto heaue, yt we maye make vs a name, afore we be scatred abrode in all londes.

  • Geneva Bible (1560)

    Also they said, Goe to, let vs builde vs a citie and a towre, whose top may reache vnto the heauen, that we may get vs a name, lest we be scattered vpon the whole earth.

  • Bishops' Bible (1568)

    And they sayd: Go to, let vs buylde vs a citie and a towre, whose toppe may reache vnto heauen, and let vs make vs a name, lest peraduenture we be scattered abrode into the vpper face of the whole earth.

  • Authorized King James Version (1611)

    And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top [may reach] unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

  • Webster's Bible (1833)

    They said, "Come, let's build us a city, and a tower, whose top reaches to the sky, and let's make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth."

  • Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

    And they say, `Give help, let us build for ourselves a city and tower, and its head in the heavens, and make for ourselves a name, lest we be scattered over the face of all the earth.'

  • American Standard Version (1901)

    And they said, Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top `may reach' unto heaven, and let us make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

  • American Standard Version (1901)

    And they said, Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top [may reach] unto heaven, and let us make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

  • Bible in Basic English (1941)

    And they said, Come, let us make a town, and a tower whose top will go up as high as heaven; and let us make a great name for ourselves, so that we may not be wanderers over the face of the earth.

  • World English Bible (2000)

    They said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let's make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth."

  • NET Bible® (New English Translation)

    Then they said,“Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise we will be scattered across the face of the entire earth.”

Referenced Verses

  • Deut 1:28 : 28 Where can we go? Our brothers have discouraged us by saying, 'The people are larger and taller than we are, the cities are great and fortified up to the heavens, and we even saw the descendants of the Anakim there.'
  • Deut 9:1 : 1 Listen, Israel: Today you are crossing over the Jordan to enter and take possession of nations greater and stronger than you, with cities that are great and fortified up to the heavens.
  • 2 Sam 8:13 : 13 David gained renown when he returned after striking down eighteen thousand Arameans in the Valley of Salt.
  • Ps 49:11-13 : 11 For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others. 12 Their inward thought is that their houses will last forever, and their dwelling places for all generations; they call their lands by their own names. 13 But man in his honor does not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.
  • Ps 92:9 : 9 But You, O LORD, are exalted forever.
  • Prov 10:7 : 7 The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.
  • Dan 4:11 : 11 He called out loudly and said: ‘Cut down the tree and chop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches.
  • Dan 4:22 : 22 You will be driven away from people, and you will live with the wild animals. You will eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass over you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to whomever He chooses.
  • Dan 4:30 : 30 Immediately, what was spoken about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people, ate grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.
  • Luke 1:51 : 51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
  • John 5:44 : 44 How can you believe, when you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the one and only God?
  • Deut 4:27 : 27 The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD will lead you.
  • Gen 6:4 : 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humanity and had children by them. They were the mighty men of old, men of renown.
  • Gen 11:8-9 : 8 So the LORD scattered them from there over the face of the whole earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • Gen 11:1-3
    3 verses
    88%

    1Now the whole earth had one language and a common speech.

    2As people moved eastward, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.

    3They said to each other, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They had brick for stone and tar for mortar.

  • Gen 11:5-9
    5 verses
    87%

    5But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the people were building.

    6The LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do. Now nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them."

    7Come, let us go down and confuse their language so that they will not understand one another’s speech.

    8So the LORD scattered them from there over the face of the whole earth, and they stopped building the city.

    9That is why it was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

  • Zech 5:11
    72%

    11He replied, 'To the land of Shinar to build a house for it. When it is prepared, it will be set there on its own base.'

  • Ezek 11:3
    72%

    3They say, 'It is not time to build houses; this city is the pot, and we are the meat.'

  • Ezra 5:4
    71%

    4They also asked, 'What are the names of the men who are constructing this building?'

  • Luke 14:29-30
    2 verses
    70%

    29Otherwise, if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,

    30saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

  • Dan 4:11
    69%

    11He called out loudly and said: ‘Cut down the tree and chop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches.

  • Gen 1:26
    69%

    26Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, after our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the creatures that move along the ground.'

  • Neh 4:5-6
    2 verses
    69%

    5Our enemies said, 'They won’t know or see a thing until we come among them, kill them, and stop the work.'

    6So it happened that the Jews who lived nearby came and told us ten times, 'Wherever you turn, they will attack us!'

  • Deut 1:28
    69%

    28Where can we go? Our brothers have discouraged us by saying, 'The people are larger and taller than we are, the cities are great and fortified up to the heavens, and we even saw the descendants of the Anakim there.'

  • Josh 22:26
    69%

    26That is why we said, ‘Let us build an altar—not for burnt offerings or sacrifices,

  • Ezra 5:9
    69%

    9'Then we asked those elders, and we said to them, "Who gave you the authority to rebuild this temple and complete this structure?"'

  • Gen 1:15
    68%

    15and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.' And it was so.

  • Isa 2:15
    68%

    15It will come against every high tower and every fortified wall.

  • Gen 10:10
    68%

    10The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.