King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
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.
Complete Jewish Bible:
They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them in the fire.” So they had bricks for building-stone and clay for mortar.
Berean Standard Bible:
And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” So they used brick instead of stone, and tar instead of mortar.
American Standard Version:
And they said one to another, Come, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
And they said{H559} one{H376} to another{H7453}, Go to{H3051}, let us make{H3835} brick{H3843}, and burn{H8313} them throughly{H8316}. And they had brick{H3843} for stone{H68}, and slime{H2564} had{H1961} they for morter{H2563}.
Cross-References (KJV):
Genesis 14:10
- And the vale of Siddim [was full of] slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.
Exodus 1:14
- And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, [was] with rigour.
Exodus 2:3
- And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid [it] in the flags by the river's brink.
Hebrews 3:13
- But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
2 Samuel 12:31
- And he brought forth the people that [were] therein, and put [them] under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.
Hebrews 10:24
- And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
James 5:1
- ¶ Go to now, [ye] rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon [you].
Explore This Verse Across Other Resources:
Commentary for Genesis 11:3
Genesis 11:3 is part of the narrative known as the Tower of Babel, which occurs shortly after the Great Flood in the biblical timeline. The historical context of this verse is rooted in the post-diluvian era when humanity was repopulating the earth, and this story serves as an etiology explaining the origins of different languages and the dispersion of peoples.
**Themes:**
1. **Human Unity and Ambition**: The verse reflects a time when all humans spoke a single language and were united in a common purpose. Their ambition to build a city and a tower "whose top may reach unto heaven" (Genesis 11:4) symbolizes human potential and the desire for collective achievement.
2. **Self-Sufficiency**: The people's decision to make bricks and use slime (bitumen or asphalt) for mortar indicates a resourcefulness and independence from natural materials like stone, which were less readily available in the plains of Shinar (Babylon).
3. **Divine-Human Relationship**: The construction project is presented as an act of defiance against God's will. By attempting to reach heaven, the people are challenging the divine order, which prompts God to confound their language and scatter them across the earth to prevent the completion of the tower.
4. **Pride and Consequences**: The verse hints at the pride of the people, which ultimately leads to their downfall. The Tower of Babel story is a cautionary tale about the dangers of overreaching and the consequences of hubris.
5. **Diversity and Dispersion**: The decision to use bricks instead of stone can also be seen as a metaphor for the adaptability of humans to their environment, which would later be necessary as they were forced to spread out across the world, leading to cultural and linguistic diversity.
The Tower of Babel story, including Genesis 11:3, addresses fundamental questions about human nature, the relationship between humanity and the divine, and the origins of cultural differences, making it a rich source for theological and anthropological reflection.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H559
There are 4434 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אָמַר
Transliteration: ʼâmar
Pronunciation: aw-mar'
Description: a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude); answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [idiom] plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), [idiom] still, [idiom] suppose, talk, tell, term, [idiom] that is, [idiom] think, use (speech), utter, [idiom] verily, [idiom] yet. - Strong's Number: H376
There are 1507 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אִישׁ
Transliteration: ʼîysh
Pronunciation: eesh
Description: contracted for אֱנוֹשׁ (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation); also, another, any (man), a certain, [phrase] champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-) man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), [phrase] none, one, people, person, [phrase] steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy. Compare אִשָּׁה. - Strong's Number: H7453
There are 173 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: רֵעַ
Transliteration: rêaʻ
Pronunciation: ray'-ah
Description: or רֵיעַ; from רָעָה; an associate (more or less close); brother, companion, fellow, friend, husband, lover, neighbour, [idiom] (an-) other. - Strong's Number: H3051
There are 30 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יָהַב
Transliteration: yâhab
Pronunciation: yaw-hab'
Description: a primitive root; to give (whether literal or figurative); generally, to put; imperatively (reflexive) come; ascribe, bring, come on, give, go, set, take. - Strong's Number: H3835
There are 8 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: לָבַן
Transliteration: lâban
Pronunciation: law-ban'
Description: a primitive root; also as denominative from לְבֵנָה; to be (or become) white; to make bricks; make brick, be (made, make) white(-r). - Strong's Number: H3843
There are 10 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: לְבֵנָה
Transliteration: lᵉbênâh
Pronunciation: leb-ay-naw'
Description: from לָבַן; a brick (from the whiteness of the clay); (altar of) brick, tile. - Strong's Number: H8313
There are 107 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שָׂרַף
Transliteration: sâraph
Pronunciation: saw-raf'
Description: a primitive root; to be (causatively, set) on fire; (cause to, make a) burn((-ing), up) kindle, [idiom] utterly. - Strong's Number: H8316
There are 12 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שְׂרֵפָה
Transliteration: sᵉrêphâh
Pronunciation: ser-ay-faw'
Description: from שָׂרַף; cremation; burning. - Strong's Number: H68
There are 1276 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֶבֶן
Transliteration: ʼeben
Pronunciation: eh'-ben
Description: from the root of בָּנָה through the meaning to build; a stone; [phrase] carbuncle, [phrase] mason, [phrase] plummet, (chalk-, hail-, head-, sling-) stone(-ny), (divers) weight(-s). - Strong's Number: H2564
There are 3 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: חֵמָר
Transliteration: chêmâr
Pronunciation: khay-mawr'
Description: from חָמַר; bitumen (as rising to the surface); slime(-pit). - Strong's Number: H1961
There are 72 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: הָיָה
Transliteration: hâyâh
Pronunciation: haw-yaw
Description: a primitive root (compare הָוָא); to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary); beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use. - Strong's Number: H2563
There are 26 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: חֹמֶר
Transliteration: chômer
Pronunciation: kho'mer
Description: from חָמַר; properly, a bubbling up, i.e. of water, a wave; of earth, mire or clay (cement); also a heap; hence, a chomer or dry measure; clay, heap, homer, mire, motion.