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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Genesis 11:3 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.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/genesis/11-3.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/20/01_Gen_11_03.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Genesis 11:3 - The Tower of Babel" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="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." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/vmenus/genesis/11-3.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc/genesis/11-3.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/genesis/">Genesis</a> > <a href="/genesis/11.htm">Chapter 11</a> > Verse 3</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="ad1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad3.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/genesis/11-2.htm" title="Genesis 11:2">◄</a> Genesis 11:3 <a href="/genesis/11-4.htm" title="Genesis 11:4">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv">Verse<a href="/bsb/genesis/11.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><a href="/niv/genesis/11.htm">New International Version</a> They said to each other, &#8220Come, let&#8217s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.&#8221 They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. <a href="/nlt/genesis/11.htm">New Living Translation</a> They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) <a href="/esv/genesis/11.htm">English Standard Version</a> And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. <a href="/bsb/genesis/11.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a> 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. <a href="/kjv/genesis/11.htm">King James Bible</a> 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. <a href="/nkjv/genesis/11.htm">New King James Version</a> Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. <a href="/nasb_/genesis/11.htm">New American Standard Bible</a> Then they said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and fire them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. <a href="/nasb/genesis/11.htm">NASB 1995</a> They said to one another, &#8220Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.&#8221 And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. <a href="/nasb77/genesis/11.htm">NASB 1977 </a> And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. <a href="/lsb/genesis/11.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a> Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and they had tar for mortar. <a href="/amp/genesis/11.htm">Amplified Bible</a> They said one to another, “Come, let us make bricks and fire them thoroughly [in a kiln, to harden and strengthen them].” So they used brick for stone [as building material], and they used tar (bitumen, asphalt) for mortar. <a href="/csb/genesis/11.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a> They said to each other, “Come, let’s make oven-fired bricks.” (They used brick for stone and asphalt for mortar.) <a href="/hcsb/genesis/11.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a> They said to each other, &#8220Come, let us make oven-fired bricks.&#8221 They used brick for stone and asphalt for mortar. <a href="/asv/genesis/11.htm">American Standard Version</a> 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. <a href="/erv/genesis/11.htm">English Revised Version</a> 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 mortar. <a href="/gwt/genesis/11.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a> They said to one another, "Let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used bricks as stones and tar as mortar. <a href="/gnt/genesis/11.htm">Good News Translation</a> They said to one another, "Come on! Let's make bricks and bake them hard." So they had bricks to build with and tar to hold them together. <a href="/isv/genesis/11.htm">International Standard Version</a> They told each other, "Come on! Let's burn bricks thoroughly." They used bricks for stone and tar for mortar. <a href="/msb/genesis/11.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a> 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. <a href="/net/genesis/11.htm">NET Bible</a> Then they said to one another, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." (They had brick instead of stone and tar instead of mortar.) <a href="/nheb/genesis/11.htm">New Heart English Bible</a> And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. <a href="/wbt/genesis/11.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a> 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. <a href="/web/genesis/11.htm">World English Bible</a> They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. <div class="vheading2">Literal Translations</div><a href="/lsv/genesis/11.htm">Literal Standard Version</a> and they each say to his neighbor, “Give help, let us make bricks, and burn [them] thoroughly”: and the brick is to them for stone, and the bitumen has been to them for mortar. <a href="/ylt/genesis/11.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a> and they say each one to his neighbour, 'Give help, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly:' and the brick is to them for stone, and the bitumen hath been to them for mortar. <a href="/slt/genesis/11.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a> And they shall say a man to his neighbor, Come, we will make bricks, and we will burn to a burning, and brick shall be to them for stone, and potter's clay shall be to them for potter's clay.<div class="vheading2">Catholic Translations</div><a href="/drb/genesis/11.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a> And each one said to his neighbour: Come, let us make brick, and bake them of stones, and slime instead of mortar. <a href="/cpdv/genesis/11.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a> And each one said to his neighbor, “Come, let us make bricks, and bake them with fire.” And they had bricks instead of stones, and pitch instead of mortar. <a href="/nabre/genesis/11.htm">New American Bible</a> They said to one another, “Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire.” They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar. <a href="/nrsvce/genesis/11.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a> And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar.<div class="vheading2">Translations from Aramaic</div><a href="/lamsa/genesis/11.htm">Lamsa Bible</a> And they said one to another, Come, let us make bricks and burn them with fire. And they had bricks for stone, and slime for mortar. <a href="/hpbt/genesis/11.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a> And they said each man to his neighbor: “Come, we will lay bricks and we will burn them in fire.” And they had brick for stone and they had lime for mortar.<div class="vheading2">OT Translations</div><a href="/jps/genesis/11.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a> 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. <a href="/sep/genesis/11.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a> And a man said to his neighbour, Come, let us make bricks and bake them with fire. And the brick was to them for stone, and their mortar was bitumen. <a href="/parallel/genesis/11-3.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv">Audio Bible</div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7ehevn8iSgc?start=2318" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="vheadingv">Context</div><a href="/bsb/genesis/11.htm">The Tower of Babel</a> …2And as people journeyed eastward, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3<a href="/hebrew/559.htm" title="559: way·yō·mə·rū (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp) -- To utter, say. A primitive root; to say.">And they said</a> <a href="/hebrew/413.htm" title="413: ’el- (Prep) -- To, into, towards. ">to</a> <a href="/hebrew/376.htm" title="376: ’îš (N-ms) -- Man. Contracted for 'enowsh; a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term.">one</a> <a href="/hebrew/7453.htm" title="7453: rê·‘ê·hū (N-msc:: 3ms) -- Friend, companion, fellow. Or reya2; from ra'ah; an associate.">another,</a> <a href="/hebrew/3051.htm" title="3051: hā·ḇāh (V-Qal-Imp-ms:: 3fs) -- To give. A primitive root; to give; generally, to put; imperatively come.">“Come,</a> <a href="/hebrew/3835.htm" title="3835: nil·bə·nāh (V-Qal-Imperf.Cohort-1cp) -- To be, white, to make bricks. A primitive root; to be white; also to make bricks.">let us make</a> <a href="/hebrew/3843.htm" title="3843: lə·ḇê·nîm (N-fp) -- Brick, tile. From laban; a brick.">bricks</a> <a href="/hebrew/8313.htm" title="8313: wə·niś·rə·p̄āh (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConjImperf.Cohort-1cp) -- To burn. A primitive root; to be on fire.">and bake them</a> <a href="/hebrew/8316.htm" title="8316: liś·rê·p̄āh (Prep-l:: N-fs) -- A burning. From saraph; cremation.">thoroughly.”</a> <a href="/hebrew/1961.htm" title="1961: wat·tə·hî (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3fs) -- To fall out, come to pass, become, be. A primitive root; to exist, i.e. Be or become, come to pass.">So they used</a> <a href="/hebrew/lā·hem (Prep:: 3mp) -- "></a> <a href="/hebrew/3843.htm" title="3843: hal·lə·ḇê·nāh (Art:: N-fs) -- Brick, tile. From laban; a brick.">brick</a> <a href="/hebrew/68.htm" title="68: lə·’ā·ḇen (Prep-l:: N-fs) -- A stone. From the root of banah through the meaning to build; a stone.">instead of stone,</a> <a href="/hebrew/2564.htm" title="2564: wə·ha·ḥê·mār (Conj-w, Art:: N-ms) -- Bitumen, asphalt. From chamar; bitumen.">and tar</a> <a href="/hebrew/1961.htm" title="1961: hā·yāh (V-Qal-Perf-3ms) -- To fall out, come to pass, become, be. A primitive root; to exist, i.e. Be or become, come to pass."></a> <a href="/hebrew/lā·hem (Prep:: 3mp) -- "></a> <a href="/hebrew/2563.htm" title="2563: la·ḥō·mer (Prep-l, Art:: N-ms) -- From chamar; properly, a bubbling up, i.e. Of water, a wave; of earth, mire or clay; also a heap; hence, a chomer or dry measure.">instead of mortar.</a> 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.”…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div> <a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><a href="/exodus/1-14.htm">Exodus 1:14</a> and made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. Every service they imposed was harsh. <a href="/exodus/5-7.htm">Exodus 5:7-8</a> “You shall no longer supply the people with straw for making bricks. They must go and gather their own straw. / But require of them the same quota of bricks as before; do not reduce it. For they are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ <a href="/isaiah/9-10.htm">Isaiah 9:10</a> “The bricks have fallen, but we will rebuild with finished stone; the sycamores have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.” <a href="/isaiah/65-3.htm">Isaiah 65:3</a> to a people who continually provoke Me to My face, sacrificing in the gardens and burning incense on altars of brick, <a href="/jeremiah/6-29.htm">Jeremiah 6:29</a> The bellows blow fiercely, blasting away the lead with fire. The refining proceeds in vain, for the wicked are not purged. <a href="/ezekiel/22-20.htm">Ezekiel 22:20</a> Just as one gathers silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into the furnace to melt with a fiery blast, so I will gather you in My anger and wrath, leave you there, and melt you. <a href="/hosea/7-4.htm">Hosea 7:4</a> They are all adulterers, like an oven heated by a baker who needs not stoke the fire from the kneading to the rising of the dough. <a href="/nahum/3-14.htm">Nahum 3:14</a> Draw your water for the siege; strengthen your fortresses. Work the clay and tread the mortar; repair the brick kiln! <a href="/1_corinthians/3-12.htm">1 Corinthians 3:12</a> If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, <a href="/1_corinthians/3-13.htm">1 Corinthians 3:13</a> his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work. <a href="/1_corinthians/3-15.htm">1 Corinthians 3:15</a> If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames. <a href="/2_timothy/2-20.htm">2 Timothy 2:20</a> A large house contains not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. Some indeed are for honorable use, but others are for common use. <a href="/hebrews/11-10.htm">Hebrews 11:10</a> For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. <a href="/revelation/18-12.htm">Revelation 18:12</a> cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory, precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; <a href="/revelation/18-13.htm">Revelation 18:13</a> of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and carriages; of bodies and souls of slaves.</div> <a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div>And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar.they said one to another.<a href="/genesis/11-4.htm">Genesis 11:4,7</a> 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… <a href="/psalms/64-5.htm">Psalm 64:5</a> They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?<a href="/proverbs/1-11.htm">Proverbs 1:11</a> If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:not as.<a href="/hebrews/3-13.htm">Hebrews 3:13</a> But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.<a href="/hebrews/10-24.htm">Hebrews 10:24</a> And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:burn throughly.<a href="/exodus/1-14.htm">Exodus 1:14</a> 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.<a href="/exodus/5-7.htm">Exodus 5:7-18</a> Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves… <a href="/2_samuel/12-31.htm">2 Samuel 12:31</a> 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.slime.<a href="/genesis/14-10.htm">Genesis 14:10</a> 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.<a href="/exodus/2-3.htm">Exodus 2:3</a> 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.<div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/ezekiel/46-20.htm">Bake</a> <a href="/exodus/2-3.htm">Bitumen</a> <a href="/nahum/3-14.htm">Brick</a> <a href="/isaiah/65-3.htm">Bricks</a> <a href="/revelation/18-13.htm">Burn</a> <a href="/revelation/21-8.htm">Burning</a> <a href="/genesis/11-1.htm">Earth</a> <a href="/genesis/4-25.htm">Instead</a> <a href="/genesis/4-8.htm">Let's</a> <a href="/zephaniah/1-11.htm">Mortar</a> <a href="/james/4-12.htm">Neighbour</a> <a href="/genesis/9-23.htm">Putting</a> <a href="/psalms/58-8.htm">Slime</a> <a href="/psalms/69-14.htm">Sticky</a> <a href="/genesis/2-12.htm">Stone</a> <a href="/exodus/2-3.htm">Tar</a> <a href="/jude/1-22.htm">Thoroughly</a> <a href="/genesis/8-18.htm">Together</a> <a href="/genesis/11-1.htm">Used</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/genesis/18-6.htm">Bake</a> <a href="/genesis/14-10.htm">Bitumen</a> <a href="/exodus/1-14.htm">Brick</a> <a href="/exodus/1-14.htm">Bricks</a> <a href="/genesis/44-18.htm">Burn</a> <a href="/genesis/15-17.htm">Burning</a> <a href="/genesis/11-4.htm">Earth</a> <a href="/genesis/22-13.htm">Instead</a> <a href="/genesis/11-4.htm">Let's</a> <a href="/exodus/1-14.htm">Mortar</a> <a href="/exodus/2-13.htm">Neighbour</a> <a href="/genesis/14-15.htm">Putting</a> <a href="/genesis/14-10.htm">Slime</a> <a href="/genesis/14-10.htm">Sticky</a> <a href="/genesis/28-18.htm">Stone</a> <a href="/genesis/14-10.htm">Tar</a> <a href="/exodus/21-19.htm">Thoroughly</a> <a href="/genesis/13-6.htm">Together</a> <a href="/genesis/18-12.htm">Used</a><div class="vheading2">Genesis 11</div>1. <a href="/genesis/11-1.htm">One language in the world.</a> 2. <a href="/genesis/11-2.htm">The building of Babel.</a> 5. <a href="/genesis/11-5.htm">It is interrupted by the confusion of tongues, and the builders dispersed.</a> 10. <a href="/genesis/11-10.htm">The generations of Shem.</a> 27. <a href="/genesis/11-27.htm">The generations of Terah, the father of Abram.</a> 31. <a href="/genesis/11-31.htm">Terah, with Abram and Lot, move from Ur to Haran.</a> </div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div>  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/genesis/11.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/genesis/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/genesis/11.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div>And they said to one another This phrase indicates a collective decision-making process among the people. It reflects the unity and shared purpose of the group, which is a recurring theme in the early chapters of Genesis. This unity, however, is directed towards a purpose that ultimately opposes God's command to fill the earth (<a href="/genesis/9.htm">Genesis 9:1</a>). The communal aspect of their decision can be contrasted with the individual obedience seen in figures like Noah.“Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” The use of bricks signifies a technological advancement for the people of that time. In the Mesopotamian region, where the Tower of Babel narrative is set, natural stone was scarce, prompting the innovation of brick-making. This process involved baking clay bricks to harden them, making them more durable. The phrase suggests human ingenuity and self-reliance, which can be seen as a departure from reliance on God. This technological progress is not condemned in itself but becomes problematic when used to defy divine will.So they used brick instead of stone This substitution highlights the adaptability and resourcefulness of the people. In the ancient Near East, stone was often used for construction, but in the plains of Shinar, where the narrative is set, stone was not readily available. The choice to use brick instead of stone underscores the human desire to overcome natural limitations. This can be seen as a metaphor for humanity's attempt to assert independence from God, paralleling the pride and self-sufficiency that led to the fall in <a href="/genesis/3.htm">Genesis 3</a>.and tar instead of mortar. Tar, or bitumen, was a common adhesive in Mesopotamian construction due to its waterproof properties. This choice of materials indicates a sophisticated understanding of building techniques. The use of tar instead of traditional mortar suggests a desire for permanence and security in their construction, reflecting humanity's attempt to create a lasting legacy apart from God. This mirrors the later biblical theme of building on a firm foundation, as seen in Jesus' parable of the wise and foolish builders (<a href="/matthew/7-24.htm">Matthew 7:24-27</a>), where the true foundation is obedience to God's word.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <a href="/topical/t/the_people_of_shinar.htm">The People of Shinar</a> The collective group of people who settled in the land of Shinar, which is often associated with the region of Mesopotamia. They are the builders of the Tower of Babel. 2. <a href="/topical/t/the_land_of_shinar.htm">The Land of Shinar</a> A geographical location in the ancient Near East, often identified with southern Mesopotamia. It is the setting for the events of <a href="/bsb/genesis/11.htm">Genesis 11</a>. 3. <a href="/topical/t/the_making_of_bricks.htm">The Making of Bricks</a> The technological advancement and communal effort to create bricks for construction, signifying human ingenuity and unity in purpose. 4. <a href="/topical/t/the_use_of_tar.htm">The Use of Tar</a> The choice of tar (or bitumen) as a binding agent instead of traditional mortar, indicating a departure from natural materials and a reliance on human innovation. 5. <a href="/topical/t/the_event_of_building.htm">The Event of Building</a> The collective decision to build a city and a tower, which ultimately leads to God's intervention and the scattering of the people.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><a href="/topical/h/human_ingenuity_and_pride.htm">Human Ingenuity and Pride</a> The making of bricks and the use of tar demonstrate human creativity and technological advancement. However, it also reflects pride and self-reliance, as the people sought to make a name for themselves apart from God. <a href="/topical/u/unity_and_disobedience.htm">Unity and Disobedience</a> While unity is often seen as positive, the unity at Babel was in direct opposition to God's command to spread out and fill the earth. This teaches us that unity must align with God's purposes. <a href="/topical/d/divine_intervention.htm">Divine Intervention</a> God's response to the building project shows His sovereignty and the futility of human efforts that go against His will. It reminds us that God's plans will ultimately prevail. <a href="/topical/i/innovation_and_dependence_on_god.htm">Innovation and Dependence on God</a> While innovation is a gift from God, it should not lead us away from dependence on Him. We must use our skills and resources in ways that honor God and align with His purposes.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_genesis_11.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Genesis 11</a> <a href="/q/bible's_view_on_un_and_end_times.htm">What does the Bible say about the UN and end times?</a> <a href="/q/can_genesis_11_8_align_with_archaeology.htm">Can the global scattering described in Genesis 11:8 be reconciled with archaeological evidence of more gradual human migrations and cultural developments?</a> <a href="/q/evidence_of_pitch_baskets_for_infants.htm">Exodus 2:3 – Is there any historical or archaeological evidence for Hebrew mothers using pitch-covered baskets to conceal infants on the Nile? </a> <a href="/q/why_exceed_120_years_in_genesis_11_12-16.htm">Why did people live longer than 120 years after God set the limit in Genesis 6:3, as seen in Genesis 11:12-16?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/genesis/11.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(3) Let us make brick, and burn them throughly.--Heb., for a burning. Bricks in the East usually are simply dried in the sun, and this produces a sufficiently durable building material. It marks a great progress in the arts of civilisation that these nomads had learned that clay when burnt becomes insoluble; and their buildings with "slime," or native pitch, for cement would be virtually indestructible. In fact, Mr. Layard says that at Birs-Nimroud it was scarcely possible to detach the bricks one from another, as the cement by which they were united was most tenacious (Nineveh and Babylon, p. 499).<div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/genesis/11.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div>Verse 3. - And they said one to another. Literally, a man to his neighbor; ἄνθρωπος τῷ πλησίον αὐτοῦ (LXX.). Go to. A hortatory expletive - come on (Anglice). Let us make brick. Nilbenah lebenim; literally, let us brick bricks; πλινθεύσωμεν πλίνθους (LXX.); laterifecimus lateres (Calvin); lebenah (from laban, to be white), being so called from the white and chalky day of which bricks were made. And burn them thoroughly. Literally, burn them to a burning; venisrephah lisrephah, a second alliteration, which, however, the LXX. fails to reproduce. Bricks were usually sun-dried; these, being designed to be more durable, were to be calcined through the agency of fire, a proof that the tower-builders were acquainted with the art of brick-making. And they had - literally, and there was to theme - brick for stone. Chiefly because of the necessities of the place, the alluvial plain of Babylon being void of stones and full of clay; a proof of the greatness of their crime, seeing they were induced to undertake the work non facilitate operis, nec aliis commodis, quae se ad manum offerrent (Calvin); scarcely because bricks would better endure fire than would stones, the second destruction of the world by fire rather than water being by this time a common expectation (Com a Lapide). Josephus, 'Ant., lib. 1. cp. 4; Herod, lib. 1. cp. 179; Justin, lib. 1. cp. 2; Ovid, ' Metam.,' 4:4; and Aristoph. in Avibus (περιτευχίζειν μεγάλαις πλίνθοις ὀπταῖς ὥσπερ Βαβυλῶνα), all attest that the walls of Babylon were built of brick. The mention of the circumstance that brick was used instead of stone "indicates a writer belonging to a country and an age in which stone buildings were familiar, and therefore not to Babylonia" (Murphy). And slime. Chemer, from chamar, to boil up; ἄσφαλτος (LXX.); the bitumen which boils up from subterranean fountains like oil or hot pitch in the vicinity of Babylon, and also near the Dead Sea (lacus asphaltites). Tacitus, ' Hist.,' 5:6; Strabo, 16. p. 743; Herod., lib. h c. 179; Josephus, 'Antiq.,' lib. 1. c. 41 Pliny, lib. 35. 100. 15; Vitruvius, lib. 8. c. 3, are unanimous in declaring that the brick walls of Babylon were cemented with bitumen. Layard testifies that so firmly have the bricks been united that it is almost impossible to detach one from the mass ('Nineveh and Babylon,' p. 499). Had they. Literally, was to them. For mortar. Chomer. The third instance of alliteration in the present verse; possibly designed by the writer to represent the enthusiasm of the builders. <a href="/commentaries/genesis/11-3.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a> <a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div>And they said וַיֹּאמְר֞וּ (way·yō·mə·rū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural <a href="/hebrew/strongs_559.htm">Strong's 559: </a> To utter, say to אֶל־ (’el-) Preposition <a href="/hebrew/strongs_413.htm">Strong's 413: </a> Near, with, among, to one אִ֣ישׁ (’îš) Noun - masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_376.htm">Strong's 376: </a> A man as an individual, a male person another, רֵעֵ֗הוּ (rê·‘ê·hū) Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_7453.htm">Strong's 7453: </a> Friend, companion, fellow “Come, הָ֚בָה (hā·ḇāh) Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular | third person feminine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_3051.htm">Strong's 3051: </a> To give, to put, imperatively, come let us make נִלְבְּנָ֣ה (nil·bə·nāh) Verb - Qal - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common plural <a href="/hebrew/strongs_3835.htm">Strong's 3835: </a> To be, white, to make bricks bricks לְבֵנִ֔ים (lə·ḇê·nîm) Noun - feminine plural <a href="/hebrew/strongs_3843.htm">Strong's 3843: </a> Brick, tile and bake וְנִשְׂרְפָ֖ה (wə·niś·rə·p̄āh) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative - first person common plural <a href="/hebrew/strongs_8313.htm">Strong's 8313: </a> To be, on fire them thoroughly.” לִשְׂרֵפָ֑ה (liś·rê·p̄āh) Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_8316.htm">Strong's 8316: </a> Cremation So they used וַתְּהִ֨י (wat·tə·hî) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_1961.htm">Strong's 1961: </a> To fall out, come to pass, become, be brick הַלְּבֵנָה֙ (hal·lə·ḇê·nāh) Article | Noun - feminine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_3843.htm">Strong's 3843: </a> Brick, tile instead of stone, לְאָ֔בֶן (lə·’ā·ḇen) Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_68.htm">Strong's 68: </a> A stone and tar וְהַ֣חֵמָ֔ר (wə·ha·ḥê·mār) Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_2564.htm">Strong's 2564: </a> Bitumen, asphalt instead of mortar. לַחֹֽמֶר׃ (la·ḥō·mer) Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_2563.htm">Strong's 2563: </a> A bubbling up, of water, a wave, of earth, mire, clay, a heap, a chomer, dry measure <div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/genesis/11-3.htm">Genesis 11:3 NIV</a> <a href="/nlt/genesis/11-3.htm">Genesis 11:3 NLT</a> <a href="/esv/genesis/11-3.htm">Genesis 11:3 ESV</a> <a href="/nasb/genesis/11-3.htm">Genesis 11:3 NASB</a> <a href="/kjv/genesis/11-3.htm">Genesis 11:3 KJV</a> <a href="//bibleapps.com/genesis/11-3.htm">Genesis 11:3 BibleApps.com</a> <a href="//bibliaparalela.com/genesis/11-3.htm">Genesis 11:3 Biblia Paralela</a> <a href="//holybible.com.cn/genesis/11-3.htm">Genesis 11:3 Chinese Bible</a> <a href="//saintebible.com/genesis/11-3.htm">Genesis 11:3 French Bible</a> <a href="/catholic/genesis/11-3.htm">Genesis 11:3 Catholic Bible</a> <a href="/genesis/11-3.htm">OT Law: Genesis 11:3 They said one to another Come let's (Gen. Ge Gn)</a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/genesis/11-2.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Genesis 11:2"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Genesis 11:2" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/genesis/11-4.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Genesis 11:4"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Genesis 11:4" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>