Genesis

Genesis 11:3–4

³And 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.

⁴“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.”

Read all of Genesis 11

Word by word

Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.

Genesis 11:3

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
And they said	וַיֹּאמְר֞וּ	way·yō·mə·rū	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural	H559 utter, say
to	אֶל־	’el-	Preposition	H413 motion to
one	אִ֣ישׁ	’îš	Noun - masculine singular	H376 man
another	רֵעֵ֗הוּ	rê·‘ê·hū	Noun - masculine singular construct; third person masculine singular	H7453 shouting, roar
Come	הָ֚בָה	hā·ḇāh	Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular; third person feminine singular	H3051 give
let us make	נִלְבְּנָ֣ה	nil·bə·nāh	Verb - Qal - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common plural	H3835 be white
bricks	לְבֵנִ֔ים	lə·ḇê·nîm	Noun - feminine plural	H3843 brick, tile
and bake them	וְנִשְׂרְפָ֖ה	wə·niś·rə·p̄āh	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative - first person common plural	H8313 burn
thoroughly	לִשְׂרֵפָ֑ה	liś·rê·p̄āh	Preposition-l; Noun - feminine singular	H8316 burning
So they used	וַתְּהִ֨י	wat·tə·hî	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular	H1961 fall out, come to pass, become, be
brick	הַלְּבֵנָה֙	hal·lə·ḇê·nāh	Article; Noun - feminine singular	H3843 brick, tile
instead of stone	לְאָ֔בֶן	lə·’ā·ḇen	Preposition-l; Noun - feminine singular	H68 stone
and tar	וְהַ֣חֵמָ֔ר	wə·ha·ḥê·mār	Conjunctive waw, Article; Noun - masculine singular	H2564 bitumen, asphalt
instead of mortar	לַחֹֽמֶר׃	la·ḥō·mer	Preposition-l, Article; Noun - masculine singular	H2563 cement, mortar, clay

Genesis 11:4

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
Come	הָ֣בָה׀	hā·ḇāh	Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular; third person feminine singular	H3051 give
they said	וַיֹּאמְר֞וּ	way·yō·mə·rū	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural	H559 utter, say
let us build	נִבְנֶה־	niḇ·neh-	Verb - Qal - Imperfect Cohortative if contextual - first person common plural	H1129 build
for ourselves	לָּ֣נוּ	lā·nū	Preposition; first person common plural
a city	עִ֗יר	‘îr	Noun - feminine singular	H5892 excitement
with a tower	וּמִגְדָּל֙	ū·miḡ·dāl	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singular	H4026 tower
that reaches	וְרֹאשׁ֣וֹ	wə·rō·šōw	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singular construct; third person masculine singular	H7218 head
to the heavens	בַשָּׁמַ֔יִם	ḇaš·šā·ma·yim	Preposition-b, Article; Noun - masculine plural	H8064 sky, aloft
that we may make	וְנַֽעֲשֶׂה־	wə·na·‘ă·śeh-	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative if contextual - first person common plural	H6213 do, make
a name	שֵׁ֑ם	šêm	Noun - masculine singular	H8034 name
for ourselves	לָּ֖נוּ	lā·nū	Preposition; first person common plural
and not	פֶּן־	pen-	Conjunction	H6435 lest
be scattered	נָפ֖וּץ	nā·p̄ūṣ	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common plural	H6327 be dispersed, scattered
over	עַל־	‘al-	Preposition	H5921 height
the face	פְּנֵ֥י	pə·nê	Noun - common plural construct	H6440 face, before
of all	כָל־	ḵāl	Noun - masculine singular construct	H3605 the whole, all
the earth	הָאָֽרֶץ׃	hā·’ā·reṣ	Article; Noun - feminine singular	H776 earth, land

Cross-references

Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.

Genesis 11:3 Genesis 14:10 · Exodus 1:14 · Exodus 2:3 · Hebrews 10:24 · James 5:1 · Hebrews 3:13 · Isaiah 9:10 · 2 Samuel 12:31 · Isaiah 41:6–7 · Exodus 5:7–18 · Genesis 11:4 · James 4:13

Genesis 11:4 Deuteronomy 1:28 · John 5:44 · Luke 1:51 · Deuteronomy 9:1 · Daniel 4:30 · Psalm 49:11–13 · Proverbs 10:7 · 2 Samuel 8:13 · Psalm 92:9 · Genesis 11:8–9 · Daniel 4:11 · Genesis 6:4

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.