BERESHIT- Genesis - Chapter 11

BERESHIT- Genesis - IN THE BEGINNING

CHAPTER 11

בראשית יא

11:1 The entire earth had one language with uniform words.
Vayehi chol-ha'arets safah echat udevarim achadim.

וַֽיְהִ֥י כָל־הָאָ֖רֶץ שָׂפָ֣ה אֶחָ֑ת וּדְבָרִ֖ים אֲחָדִֽים׃

11:2 When [the people] migrated from the east, they found a valley in the land of Shinar, and they settled there.
Vayehi benos'am mikedem vayimtse'u vik'ah be'erets Shin'ar vayeshvu sham.

וַֽיְהִ֖י בְּנָסְעָ֣ם מִקֶּ֑דֶם וַֽיִּמְצְא֥וּ בִקְעָ֛ה בְּאֶ֥רֶץ שִׁנְעָ֖ר וַיֵּ֥שְׁבוּ שָֽׁם׃

11:3 They said to one another, 'Come, let us mold bricks and fire them.' They then had bricks to use as stone, and asphalt for mortar.
Vayomeru ish el-re'ehu havah nilbenah levenim venisrefah lisrefah vatehi lahem halvenah le'aven vehachemar hayah lahem lachomer.

וַיֹּאמְר֞וּ אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵ֗הוּ הָ֚בָה נִלְבְּנָ֣ה לְבֵנִ֔ים וְנִשְׂרְפָ֖ה לִשְׂרֵפָ֑ה וַתְּהִ֨י לָהֶ֤ם הַלְּבֵנָה֙ לְאָ֔בֶן וְהַ֣חֵמָ֔ר הָיָ֥ה לָהֶ֖ם לַחֹֽמֶר׃

11:4 They said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top shall reach the sky. Let us make ourselves a name, so that we will not be scattered all over the face of the earth.'
Vayomeru havah nivneh-lanu ir umigdal verosho bashamayim vena'aseh-lanu shem pen-nafuts al-peney kol-ha'arets.

וַיֹּאמְר֞וּ הָ֣בָה ׀ נִבְנֶה־לָּ֣נוּ עִ֗יר וּמִגְדָּל֙ וְרֹאשֹׁ֣ו בַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְנַֽעֲשֶׂה־לָּ֖נוּ שֵׁ֑ם פֶּן־נָפ֖וּץ עַל־פְּנֵ֥י כָל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

11:5 God descended to see the city and the tower that the sons of man had built.
Vayered Adonay lir'ot et-ha'ir ve'et-hamigdal asher banu beney ha'adam.

וַיֵּ֣רֶד יְהוָ֔ה לִרְאֹ֥ת אֶת־הָעִ֖יר וְאֶת־הַמִּגְדָּ֑ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּנ֖וּ בְּנֵ֥י הָאָדָֽם׃

11:6 God said, 'They are a single people, all having one language, and this is the first thing they do! Now nothing they plan to do will be unattainable for them!
Vayomer Adonay hen am echad vesafah achat lechulam vezeh hachilam la'asot ve'atah lo-yibatser mehem kol asher yazmu la'asot.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֗ה הֵ֣ן עַ֤ם אֶחָד֙ וְשָׂפָ֤ה אַחַת֙ לְכֻלָּ֔ם וְזֶ֖ה הַחִלָּ֣ם לַעֲשֹׂ֑ות וְעַתָּה֙ לֹֽא־יִבָּצֵ֣ר מֵהֶ֔ם כֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָזְמ֖וּ לַֽעֲשֹֽׂות׃

11:7 Come, let us descend and confuse their speech, so that one person will not understand another's speech.'
Havah nerdah venavlah sham sefatam asher lo yishme'u ish sfat re'ehu.

הָ֚בָה נֵֽרְדָ֔ה וְנָבְלָ֥ה שָׁ֖ם שְׂפָתָ֑ם אֲשֶׁר֙ לֹ֣א יִשְׁמְע֔וּ אִ֖ישׁ שְׂפַ֥ת רֵעֵֽהוּ׃

11:8 From that place, God scattered them all over the face of the earth, and they stopped building the city.
Vayafets Adonay otam misham al-peney chol-ha'arets vayachdelu livnot ha'ir.

וַיָּ֨פֶץ יְהוָ֥ה אֹתָ֛ם מִשָּׁ֖ם עַל־פְּנֵ֣י כָל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וַֽיַּחְדְּל֖וּ לִבְנֹ֥ת הָעִֽיר׃

11:9 He named it Babel, because this was the place where God confused the world's language. It was from there that God dispersed [humanity] over all the face of the earth.
Al-ken kara shemah Bavel ki-sham balal Adonay sfat kol-ha'arets umisham hefitsam Adonay al-peney kol-ha'arets.

עַל־כֵּ֞ן קָרָ֤א שְׁמָהּ֙ בָּבֶ֔ל כִּי־שָׁ֛ם בָּלַ֥ל יְהוָ֖ה שְׂפַ֣ת כָּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וּמִשָּׁם֙ הֱפִיצָ֣ם יְהוָ֔ה עַל־פְּנֵ֖י כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ פ

11:10 These are the chronicles of Shem:
Shem was 100 years old when he had a son Arpachshad, two years after the flood.
Eleh toldot Shem Shem ben-me'at shanah vayoled et-Arpachshad shnatayim achar hamabul.

אֵ֚לֶּה תֹּולְדֹ֣ת שֵׁ֔ם ם בֶּן־מְאַ֣ת שָׁנָ֔ה וַיֹּ֖ולֶד אֶת־אַרְפַּכְשָׁ֑ד שְׁנָתַ֖יִם אַחַ֥ר הַמַּבּֽוּל׃

11:11 Shem lived 500 years after he had Arpachshad, and he had sons and daughters.
Veyechi-Shem acharey holido et-Arpachshad chamesh me'ot shanah vayoled banim uvanot וַֽיְחִי־שֵׁ֗ם אַֽחֲרֵי֙ הוֹלִיד֣וֹ אֶת־אַרְפַּכְשָׁ֔ד חֲמֵ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֥וֹלֶד בָּנִ֖ים וּבָנֽוֹת׃ (ס)

to be continued...

Shinar
  See note on Genesis 10:10.

asphalt
  See Genesis 14:10, Exodus 2:3. In ancient times, asphalt was often used as a mortar. The Targum Yonathan, however, renders the word chemar here as clay.

descended
  An anthropomorphism denoting special attention, especially for the purpose of punishing the wicked (Moreh Nevukhim 1:10).

Babel
  Hebrew for Babylonia or Babylon.

confused
  Balal in Hebrew, cognate to Babel.

Arpachshad
  See Genesis 10:24.

Ur Casdim
  Often translated Ur of the Chaldeans. Some say that the Casdim derived their name from Arpachshad, which is Arp-casad. Others say that the name came from Kesed (Genesis 22:22), and was not used until after Abraham's time (Radak). (See Yov'loth 11:3).

Yiscah
  Usually identified with Sarah (Rashi; Targum Yonathan; Josephus, Antiquities 1:6:5). In English, this is sometimes rendered as Jessica.

Charan
  A city in Mesopotamia, some 400 miles northeast of the Holy Land. The journey from Ur to Charan was close to 600 miles.

Next Chapter Bereshit 11

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11:1	The entire earth had one language with uniform words. Vayehi chol-ha'arets safah echat udevarim achadim.	וַֽיְהִ֥י כָל־הָאָ֖רֶץ שָׂפָ֣ה אֶחָ֑ת וּדְבָרִ֖ים אֲחָדִֽים׃
11:2	When [the people] migrated from the east, they found a valley in the land of Shinar, and they settled there. Vayehi benos'am mikedem vayimtse'u vik'ah be'erets Shin'ar vayeshvu sham.	וַֽיְהִ֖י בְּנָסְעָ֣ם מִקֶּ֑דֶם וַֽיִּמְצְא֥וּ בִקְעָ֛ה בְּאֶ֥רֶץ שִׁנְעָ֖ר וַיֵּ֥שְׁבוּ שָֽׁם׃
11:3	They said to one another, 'Come, let us mold bricks and fire them.' They then had bricks to use as stone, and asphalt for mortar. Vayomeru ish el-re'ehu havah nilbenah levenim venisrefah lisrefah vatehi lahem halvenah le'aven vehachemar hayah lahem lachomer.	וַיֹּאמְר֞וּ אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵ֗הוּ הָ֚בָה נִלְבְּנָ֣ה לְבֵנִ֔ים וְנִשְׂרְפָ֖ה לִשְׂרֵפָ֑ה וַתְּהִ֨י לָהֶ֤ם הַלְּבֵנָה֙ לְאָ֔בֶן וְהַ֣חֵמָ֔ר הָיָ֥ה לָהֶ֖ם לַחֹֽמֶר׃
11:4	They said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top shall reach the sky. Let us make ourselves a name, so that we will not be scattered all over the face of the earth.' Vayomeru havah nivneh-lanu ir umigdal verosho bashamayim vena'aseh-lanu shem pen-nafuts al-peney kol-ha'arets.	וַיֹּאמְר֞וּ הָ֣בָה ׀ נִבְנֶה־לָּ֣נוּ עִ֗יר וּמִגְדָּל֙ וְרֹאשֹׁ֣ו בַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְנַֽעֲשֶׂה־לָּ֖נוּ שֵׁ֑ם פֶּן־נָפ֖וּץ עַל־פְּנֵ֥י כָל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
11:5	God descended to see the city and the tower that the sons of man had built. Vayered Adonay lir'ot et-ha'ir ve'et-hamigdal asher banu beney ha'adam.	וַיֵּ֣רֶד יְהוָ֔ה לִרְאֹ֥ת אֶת־הָעִ֖יר וְאֶת־הַמִּגְדָּ֑ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּנ֖וּ בְּנֵ֥י הָאָדָֽם׃
11:6	God said, 'They are a single people, all having one language, and this is the first thing they do! Now nothing they plan to do will be unattainable for them! Vayomer Adonay hen am echad vesafah achat lechulam vezeh hachilam la'asot ve'atah lo-yibatser mehem kol asher yazmu la'asot.	וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֗ה הֵ֣ן עַ֤ם אֶחָד֙ וְשָׂפָ֤ה אַחַת֙ לְכֻלָּ֔ם וְזֶ֖ה הַחִלָּ֣ם לַעֲשֹׂ֑ות וְעַתָּה֙ לֹֽא־יִבָּצֵ֣ר מֵהֶ֔ם כֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָזְמ֖וּ לַֽעֲשֹֽׂות׃
11:7	Come, let us descend and confuse their speech, so that one person will not understand another's speech.' Havah nerdah venavlah sham sefatam asher lo yishme'u ish sfat re'ehu.	הָ֚בָה נֵֽרְדָ֔ה וְנָבְלָ֥ה שָׁ֖ם שְׂפָתָ֑ם אֲשֶׁר֙ לֹ֣א יִשְׁמְע֔וּ אִ֖ישׁ שְׂפַ֥ת רֵעֵֽהוּ׃
11:8	From that place, God scattered them all over the face of the earth, and they stopped building the city. Vayafets Adonay otam misham al-peney chol-ha'arets vayachdelu livnot ha'ir.	וַיָּ֨פֶץ יְהוָ֥ה אֹתָ֛ם מִשָּׁ֖ם עַל־פְּנֵ֣י כָל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וַֽיַּחְדְּל֖וּ לִבְנֹ֥ת הָעִֽיר׃
11:9	He named it Babel, because this was the place where God confused the world's language. It was from there that God dispersed [humanity] over all the face of the earth. Al-ken kara shemah Bavel ki-sham balal Adonay sfat kol-ha'arets umisham hefitsam Adonay al-peney kol-ha'arets.	עַל־כֵּ֞ן קָרָ֤א שְׁמָהּ֙ בָּבֶ֔ל כִּי־שָׁ֛ם בָּלַ֥ל יְהוָ֖ה שְׂפַ֣ת כָּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וּמִשָּׁם֙ הֱפִיצָ֣ם יְהוָ֔ה עַל־פְּנֵ֖י כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ פ
11:10	These are the chronicles of Shem: Shem was 100 years old when he had a son Arpachshad, two years after the flood. Eleh toldot Shem Shem ben-me'at shanah vayoled et-Arpachshad shnatayim achar hamabul.	אֵ֚לֶּה תֹּולְדֹ֣ת שֵׁ֔ם ם בֶּן־מְאַ֣ת שָׁנָ֔ה וַיֹּ֖ולֶד אֶת־אַרְפַּכְשָׁ֑ד שְׁנָתַ֖יִם אַחַ֥ר הַמַּבּֽוּל׃
11:11	Shem lived 500 years after he had Arpachshad, and he had sons and daughters. Veyechi-Shem acharey holido et-Arpachshad chamesh me'ot shanah vayoled banim uvanot	וַֽיְחִי־שֵׁ֗ם אַֽחֲרֵי֙ הוֹלִיד֣וֹ אֶת־אַרְפַּכְשָׁ֔ד חֲמֵ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֥וֹלֶד בָּנִ֖ים וּבָנֽוֹת׃ (ס)

	to be continued...