Genesis 11:4
Strong's Lexicon
“Come,”
הָ֣בָה ׀ (hā·ḇāh)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew 3051: 1) to give, provide, ascribe, come 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to give 1a2) to set, place 1a3) to provide (with reflexive) 1a4) to ascribe (glory) 1a5) to grant, permit, come now

they said,
וַיֹּאמְר֞וּ (way·yō·mə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew 559: 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch

“let us build
נִבְנֶה־ (niḇ·neh-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect Cohortative if contextual - first person common plural
Strong's Hebrew 1129: 1) to build, rebuild, establish, cause to continue 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to build, rebuild 1a2) to build a house (ie, establish a family) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be built 1b2) to be rebuilt 1b3) established (of restored exiles) (fig.) 1b4) established (made permanent) 1b5) to be built up (of childless wife becoming the mother of a family through the children of a concubine)

for ourselves
לָּ֣נוּ (lā·nū)
Preposition | first person common plural
Strong's Hebrew :

a city
עִ֗יר (‘îr)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew 5892: 1) excitement, anguish 1a) of terror 2) city, town (a place of waking, guarded) 2a) city, town

with a tower
וּמִגְדָּל֙ (ū·miḡ·dāl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 4026: 1) tower 1a) tower 1b) elevated stage, pulpit 1c) raised bed

that reaches
וְרֹאשׁ֣וֹ (wə·rō·šōw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 7218: 1) head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning 1a) head (of man, animals) 1b) top, tip (of mountain) 1c) height (of stars) 1d) chief, head (of man, city, nation, place, family, priest) 1e) head, front, beginning 1f) chief, choicest, best 1g) head, division, company, band 1h) sum

to the heavens,
בַשָּׁמַ֔יִם (ḇaš·šā·ma·yim)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew 8064: 1) heaven, heavens, sky 1a) visible heavens, sky 1a1) as abode of the stars 1a2) as the visible universe, the sky, atmosphere, etc 1b) Heaven (as the abode of God)

that we may make
וְנַֽעֲשֶׂה־ (wə·na·‘ă·śeh-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative if contextual - first person common plural
Strong's Hebrew 6213: 1) to do, fashion, accomplish, make 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to do, work, make, produce 1a1a) to do 1a1b) to work 1a1c) to deal (with) 1a1d) to act, act with effect, effect 1a2) to make 1a2a) to make 1a2b) to produce 1a2c) to prepare 1a2d) to make (an offering) 1a2e) to attend to, put in order 1a2f) to observe, celebrate 1a2g) to acquire (property) 1a2h) to appoint, ordain, institute 1a2i) to bring about 1a2j) to use 1a2k) to spend, pass 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be done 1b2) to be made 1b3) to be produced 1b4) to be offered 1b5) to be observed 1b6) to be used 1c) (Pual) to be made 2) (Piel) to press, squeeze

a name for ourselves
שֵׁ֑ם (šêm)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 8034: 1) name 1a) name 1b) reputation, fame, glory 1c) the Name (as designation of God) 1d) memorial, monument

and not
פֶּן־ (pen-)
Conjunction
Strong's Hebrew 6435: conj 1) lest, not, beware lest adv 2) lest

be scattered
נָפ֖וּץ (nā·p̄ūṣ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common plural
Strong's Hebrew 6327: 1) to scatter, be dispersed, be scattered 1a) (Qal) to be dispersed, be scattered 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be scattered 1b2) to be spread abroad 1c) (Hiphil) to scatter 1d) Hithpael) scatter 2) (Qal) to flow, overflow 3) to break 3a) (Polel) to shatter 3b) (Pilpel) to dash to pieces

over
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's Hebrew 5921: prep 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against 1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards 1b) above, beyond, over (of excess) 1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence) 1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition) 1e) over (of suspension or extension) 1f) by, adjoining, next, at, over, around (of contiguity or proximity) 1g) down upon, upon, on, from, up upon, up to, towards, over towards, to, against (with verbs of motion) 1h) to (as a dative) conj 2) because that, because, notwithstanding, although

the face
פְּנֵ֥י (pə·nê)
Noun - common plural construct
Strong's Hebrew 6440: 1) face 1a) face, faces 1b) presence, person 1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim) 1d) face (of animals) 1e) face, surface (of ground) 1f) as adv of loc/temp 1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before 1g) with prep 1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of

of the whole
כָל־ (ḵāl)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's Hebrew 3605: 1) all, the whole 1a) all, the whole of 1b) any, each, every, anything 1c) totality, everything

earth.”
הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew 776: 1) land, earth 1a) earth 1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part) 1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven) 1a3) earth (inhabitants) 1b) land 1b1) country, territory 1b2) district, region 1b3) tribal territory 1b4) piece of ground 1b5) land of Canaan, Israel 1b6) inhabitants of land 1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under) world 1b8) city (-state) 1c) ground, surface of the earth 1c1) ground 1c2) soil 1d) (in phrases) 1d1) people of the land 1d2) space or distance of country (in measurements of distance) 1d3) level or plain country 1d4) land of the living 1d5) end(s) of the earth 1e) (almost wholly late in usage) 1e1) lands, countries 1e1a) often in contrast to Canaan

Parallel Strong's
Berean Study Bible
“Come,” they said, “let us build for ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens, that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of all the earth.”

Young's Literal Translation
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.’

Holman Christian Standard Bible
And they said, “ Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

New American Standard Bible
They said, "Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top [will reach] into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."

King James Bible
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.
Parallel Verses
New International Version
Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth."

New Living Translation
Then they said, "Come, let's build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world."

English Standard Version
Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”

New American Standard Bible
They said, "Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."

King James Bible
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.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth."

International Standard Version
Then they said, "Come on! Let's build ourselves a city and a tower, with its summit in the heavens, and let's make a name for ourselves so we won't be scattered over the surface of the whole earth."

NET Bible
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."

American Standard Version
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.

English Revised 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.

Young's Literal Translation
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.'
















Cross References
Genesis 6:4
There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

Genesis 11:8
So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

Deuteronomy 1:28
Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.

Deuteronomy 4:27
And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.

Deuteronomy 9:1
Hear, O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven,

2 Samuel 8:13
And David gat him a name when he returned from smiting of the Syrians in the valley of salt, being eighteen thousand men.

Psalm 107:26
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.

Jeremiah 51:53
Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the LORD.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Genesis 11:3
And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

Genesis 11:2
And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
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