The Meaning of Genesis 11:9 Explained

Genesis 11:9

KJV: Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

YLT: therefore hath one called its name Babel, for there hath Jehovah mingled the pronunciation of all the earth, and from thence hath Jehovah scattered them over the face of all the earth.

Darby: Therefore was its name called Babel; because Jehovah there confounded the language of the whole earth. And Jehovah scattered them thence over the face of the whole earth.

ASV: Therefore was the name of it called Babel; because Jehovah did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did Jehovah scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Therefore is the name of it  called  Babel;  because the LORD  did there confound  the language  of all the earth:  and from thence did  the LORD  scatter them abroad  upon the face  of all the earth. 

What does Genesis 11:9 Mean?

Study Notes

Babel
i.e. confusion. See Scofield " Isaiah 13:1 ".
one language
The history of Babel ("confusion") strikingly parallels that of the professing Church.
(1) Unity Genesis 11:1 --the Apostolic Church Acts 4:32 ; Acts 4:33
(2) Ambition Genesis 11:4 using worldly, not spiritual means Genesis 11:3 ending in a man-made unity--the papacy;
(3) the confusion of tongues Genesis 11:7 --Protestantism, with its innumerable sects.
(See Scofield " Isaiah 13:1 ") .

Verse Meaning

This was the original Babylon that forever after was the city most characterized by rebellion against God"s authority. It stands as a symbol of organized rebellion against God elsewhere in Scripture (e.g, Revelation 17 , 18). [1]
"Man certainly did not expect his project to take such a turn. He did not anticipate that the name he wanted to make for himself would refer to a place of noncommunication." [2]
The story of Babel is important for several reasons.
1.It explains the beginning of and reason for the various languages of mankind.
2.It probably explains the origin of the "races" within humankind.
"The separate language groups no longer could inter-marry freely with the rest of mankind. As in-breeding and lack of access to the larger pool of genes occurred, ethnic characteristics developed. Furthermore, each local environment tended to favor selection of certain traits, and eliminate the others. Ethnic characteristics, such as skin color, arose from loss of genetic variability, not from origin of new genes through mutation as suggested by evolution.
"The concept of race is an evolutionary idea ... ( Acts 17:26). All humans possess the same color, just different amounts of it. We all descended from Noah and Adam." [3]
"The Bible doesn"t tell us what skin color our first parents had, but, from a design point of view, the "middle [4]" makes a great beginning. Starting with medium-skinned parents (AaBb), it would take only one generation to produce all the variation we see in human skin color today. In fact, this is the normal situation in India today. Some Indians are as dark as the darkest Africans, and some-perhaps a brother or sister in the same family-as light as the lightest Europeans. I once knew a family from India that included members with every major skin color you could see anywhere in the world.
"But now notice what happens if human groups were isolated after creation. If those with very dark skins (AABB) migrate into the same areas and/or marry only those with very dark skins, then all their children will have very dark skins. (AABB is the only possible combination of AB egg and sperms cells, which are the only types that can be produced by AABB parents.) Similarly, parents with very light skins (aabb) can have only very light-skinned children, since they don"t have any A or B genes to pass on. Even certain medium-skinned parents (AAbb or aaBB) can get "locked-in" to having only medium-skinned children, like the Orientals, Polynesians, and some of my ancestors, the Native Americans.
"Where people with different skin colors get together again (as they do in the West Indies, for example), you find the full range of variation again-nothing less, but nothing more either, than what we started with. Clearly, all this is variation within kind....
"What happened as the descendants of medium-skinned parents produced a variety of descendants? Evolution? Not at all. Except for albinism (the mutational loss of skin color), the human gene pool is no bigger and no different now than the gene pool present at creation. As people multiplied, the genetic variability built right into the first created human beings came to visible expression. The darkest Nigerian and the lightest Norwegian, the tallest Watusi and the shortest Pygmy, the highest soprano and the lowest bass could have been present right from the beginning in two quite average-looking people. Great variation in size, color, form, function, etc, would also be present in the two created ancestors of all the other kinds (plants and animals) as well.
"Evolutionists assume that all life started from one or a few chemically evolved life forms with an extremely small gene pool. For evolutionists, enlargement of the gene pool by selection of random mutations is a slow, tedious process that burdens each type with a "genetic load" of harmful mutations and evolutionary leftovers. Creationists assume each created kind began with a large gene pool, designed to multiply and fill the earth with all its tremendous ecologic and geographic variety. (See Genesis , chapter1.)" [5]
"Many thinkers labor under the illusion that evolution is an empirical science when in fact it is a philosophy." [6]
3.The Babel story demonstrates the inclination of fallen man to rebel against God and to try to provide for his needs in his own way rather than by trusting and obeying God.
4.It illustrates that rebellion against God results in (a) broken fellowship with God and Prayer of Manasseh , and (b) failure to realize God"s intention for man in his creation, namely, that he rule the earth effectively.
5.It provides the historical background for what follows in Genesis. Abraham came from this area.
"Irony is seen in the beginning and the ending of this passage. The group at Babel began as the whole earth ( Genesis 11:1), but now they were spread over the whole earth ( Genesis 11:9). By this time the lesson is clarified: God"s purpose will be accomplished in spite of the arrogance and defiance of man"s own purposes. He brings down the proud, but exalts the faithful.
"The significance of this little story is great. It explains to God"s people how the nations were scattered abroad. Yet the import goes much deeper. The fact that it was Babylon, the beginning of kingdoms under Nimrod from Cush, adds a rather ominous warning: Great nations cannot defy God and long survive. The new nation of Israel need only survey the many nations around her to perceive that God disperses and curses the rebellious, bringing utter confusion and antagonism among them. If Israel would obey and submit to God"s will, then she would be the source of blessing to the world.
"Unfortunately, Israel also raised her head in pride and refused to obey the Lord God. Thus she too was scattered across the face of the earth." [7]

Context Summary

Genesis 11:1-9 - The Confusion Of Tongues
Driven by the fear of another deluge, though God had given distinct assurances to the contrary, and impelled by the desire to perpetuate their name and memory to coming generations, Noah's descendants began to build on the plain of Shinar-a fertile valley watered by the Euphrates and Tigris. Babel, Babylon and Babylon the Great, such is the lineage of the apostasy which has ever opposed the Church of God; like a shadow, stealing along the wall at our side. To Babel we must oppose Abraham; to Babylon, Jerusalem; to Babylon the Great, the Bride, the Lamb's wife. "Come out of her, my people," is the cry that rings down the ages. God comes down to see! From him no secrets are hid. All things are naked and open to His eyes. The one language or lip refers to the pronunciation; speech to the stock of words; God touched the lips. When disunion prevails, destruction follows. But Pentecost and Heaven will undo the wreck of Babel. See Revelation 7:9. [source]

Chapter Summary: Genesis 11

1  One language in the world
2  The building of Babel
5  It is interrupted by the confusion of tongues, and the builders dispersed
10  The generations of Shem
27  The generations of Terah, the father of Abram
31  Terah, with Abram and Lot, move from Ur to Haran

What do the individual words in Genesis 11:9 mean?

Upon thus is called its name Babel for there confused Yahweh the language of all the earth and from there scattered them abroad Yahweh over the face the earth -
עַל־ כֵּ֞ן קָרָ֤א שְׁמָהּ֙ בָּבֶ֔ל כִּי־ שָׁ֛ם בָּלַ֥ל יְהוָ֖ה שְׂפַ֣ת כָּל־ הָאָ֑רֶץ וּמִשָּׁם֙ הֱפִיצָ֣ם יְהוָ֔ה עַל־ פְּנֵ֖י הָאָֽרֶץ פ

עַל־  Upon 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: 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.
כֵּ֞ן  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֵּן 
Sense: so, therefore, thus.
קָרָ֤א  is  called 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
שְׁמָהּ֙  its  name 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
בָּבֶ֔ל  Babel 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בָּבֶל  
Sense: Babel or Babylon, the ancient site and/or capital of Babylonia (modern Hillah) situated on the Euphrates.
בָּלַ֥ל  confused 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בָּלַל 
Sense: to mix, mingle, confuse, confound.
יְהוָ֖ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
שְׂפַ֣ת  the  language 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: שָׂפָה  
Sense: lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding.
כָּל־  of  all 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הָאָ֑רֶץ  the  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וּמִשָּׁם֙  and  from  there 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m, Adverb
Root: שָׁם  
Sense: there, thither.
הֱפִיצָ֣ם  scattered  them  abroad 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine plural
Root: פּוּץ 
Sense: to scatter, be dispersed, be scattered.
יְהוָ֔ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
עַל־  over 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: 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.
פְּנֵ֖י  the  face 
Parse: Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
הָאָֽרֶץ  the  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation