Hebrew Bible Study
Hebrew Bible Study

Commentary for Genesis 11:6

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

And the LORD said: ‘Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is what they begin to do; and now nothing will be withholden from them, which they purpose to do.

Rashi on Genesis

הן עם אחד BEHOLD, THEY ARE ONE PEOPLE — They possess all the advantage of being one people and of having one language common to all of them, and this is what they begin to do!
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Sforno on Genesis

הן עם אחד, the only way I can stop them from carrying out their unanimously approved plan is to sow the seeds of discord between them. The instrument of bringing this about is to confuse their language. Basically, people’s disagreements are either religious, (philosophical) in nature, or they result from misunderstanding what they mean when they speak. These people had been of one mind in matters of religion, seeing that they had all agreed with the mistaken idolatrous philosophy shared by mankind at that time. In spite of such apparently good reasons for disagreeing with one another, they did not misunderstand each other.
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Radak on Genesis

'ויאמר ה, to the angels;
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Haamek Davar on Genesis

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Rashi on Genesis

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Radak on Genesis

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Siftei Chakhamim

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Rav Hirsch on Torah

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Chizkuni

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Rashi on Genesis

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Sforno on Genesis

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Haamek Davar on Genesis

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Radak on Genesis

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Rav Hirsch on Torah

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Radak on Genesis

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Radak on Genesis

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