Genesis 11:9
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The place is named Babel because God confused the language of all the earth there.
Context
The name 'Babel' is explained etymologically in the narrative. It comes from the event of linguistic confusion: 'because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth.' The name connects to the Hebrew word balal (to confuse), though it also echoes the Akkadian Bab-ilu (Gate of God), creating a play on meanings.
What Does Genesis 11:9 Mean?
The name 'Babel' is explained etymologically in the narrative. It comes from the event of linguistic confusion: 'because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth.' The name connects to the Hebrew word balal (to confuse), though it also echoes the Akkadian Bab-ilu (Gate of God), creating a play on meanings.
This naming establishes the site's historical significance. From this point onward, Babel is memorialized as the place of division. The name carries the permanent record of what occurred there—God's intervention that disrupted human linguistic unity and caused the dispersal of humanity across all lands.
In the Original Language
Babel (בָּבֶל), the name—derived from balal, 'confuse,' though connecting to the Akkadian 'gate of god.'