19 The cohortatives mirror the cohortatives of the people. They build to ascend the heavens; God comes down to destroy their language. God speaks here to his angelic assembly. See the notes on the word “make” in and “know” in , as well as 10:22–23, where an angel recounts this incident and says “And the Lord our God said to us.… And the Lord went down and we went down with him. And we saw the city and the tower which the sons of men built.” On the chiastic structure of the story, see G. J. Wenham, Genesis (), 1:.
20 Heb “they will not hear, a man the lip of his neighbor.”

In other versions

Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

Come, let’s go down there and confuse their language so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”

Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.”

Come, let us go down and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand each other’s language.”

Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

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