Genesis 11:3 · Bible study
Genesis 11:3 Commentary: Bricks and Bitumen
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Discover the historical and lexical background of the brick-making and bitumen use in the Tower of Babel story, and what it reveals about human ambition.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The verse describes the practical steps taken by the unified human community to construct a city and tower, substituting brick for stone and bitumen for mortar.
- Key words: Lewenah (brick) and chemār (bitumen) distinguish the materials from the typical Israelite stone-and-mortar building.
- Main debate: Whether the detail highlights commendable resourcefulness or amplifies the guilt of rebellion; most commentators see it as intensifying their defiant ambition.
- Theological theme: Human collaboration and technology, though good, are tainted by pride when used to secure a name and resist God's purposes.
- Best use: A sermon on the dangers of collective pride and the idolatry of reputation, or a lesson on the tension between God's mission and human plans.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
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.
WEB World English Bible 2000
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.
KJV King James Version 1769
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.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
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.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
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.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And they said one to another, Come on, let us make bricks, and burn [them] thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And each one said to his neighbour: Come let us make brick, and bake them with fire. And they had brick instead of stones, and slime instead of mortar:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y dijeron los unos á los otros: Vaya, hagamos ladrillo y cozámoslo con fuego. Y fuéles el ladrillo en lugar de piedra, y el betún en lugar de mezcla.
E disseram uns aos outros: Vinde, façamos tijolos e o cozamos com fogo. E foi-lhes os tijolos em lugar de pedra, e o betume em lugar de argamassa.
Ils se dirent l’ un à l’ autre: Allons! Faisons des briques, et cuisons-les au feu. Et la brique leur servit de pierre, et le bitume leur servit de ciment.
Und sie sprachen untereinander: Wohlauf, laß uns Ziegel streichen und brennen! und nahmen Ziegel zu Stein und Erdharz zu Kalk
En zij zeiden een ieder tot zijn naaste: Kom aan, laat ons tichelen strijken, en wel doorbranden! En de tichel was hun voor steen, en het lijm was hun voor leem.
E dissero l’uno all’altro: “Orsù, facciamo dei mattoni e cociamoli col fuoco!” E si valsero di mattoni invece di pietre, e di bitume invece di calcina.
I rzekł jeden do drugiego: Nuże naczyńmy cegły i wypalmy ją ogniem: i mieli cegłę miasto kamienia, a glinę iłowatą mieli miasto wapna.
И сказали друг другу: наделаем кирпичей и обожжем огнем. И стали у них кирпичи вместо камней, а земляная смола вместо извести.
他們彼此 商量說：「來吧！我們要做 磚，把磚燒 透了。」他們就拿 磚 當石頭，又拿 石漆 當 灰泥。
And they said one to another, Come, let us make bricks, burning them well. And they had bricks for stone, putting them together with sticky earth.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Genesis 11:3
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Scholars agree that the materials in this verse reflect real Babylonian building practices, as attested by Herodotus and ancient historians (Gill, Cambridge). The people used brick because Shinar lacked stone, and bitumen was abundant. Keil and Delitzsch note that the Hebrew lishrefah, “to burning,” intensifies the verb, showing they fired bricks in kilns rather than simply sun-drying them, extra effort for durability. Yet this industry, commendable in itself, is set in a context of rebellion. Calvin reads the detail as aggravating their guilt: they labored against great odds to defy God's purpose to scatter. Matthew Henry and Wesley similarly see the toil as part of their disobedience. The consensus holds that the technological achievement, while historically credible, functions in the narrative to underscore the builders' determined, self-glorifying ambition.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse clearly describes the builders' use of brick and bitumen as a practical adaptation to the resources of the Shinar plain, and this activity is framed within the larger narrative of human pride and divine judgment.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Interpretation of materials detail | The use of brick and bitumen accurately reflects ancient Babylonian building practice, confirmed by historians and archaeology. | Some readers treat the detail as neutral historical context; others (e.g. Calvin, Keil and Delitzsch) see the extra effort as a sign of hardened rebellion, making the detail morally charged. |
| Primary motive for building | All commentators agree the builders acted out of pride and self-will, resisting God's plan for dispersion. | Matthew Henry and Wesley emphasize fear of scattering as the main driver; Keil and Delitzsch and Lange stress the desire for renown and a central name. |
| The tower's purpose | The tower was intended as a visible symbol of unity and a monument to the people's achievement. | Some interpreters see it as a literal defensive structure against another flood (though most reject this); others treat the height as hyperbole (Poole), while others take it as a genuine attempt at a ziggurat touching the divine realm. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The plain of Shinar, southern Mesopotamia and later Babylon, was a broad alluvial plain with clay soil but no natural stone. Builders typically used moulded bricks, either sun-dried or kiln-fired. The Hebrew lishrefah indicates the latter, a more durable product. For mortar they used chemār, bitumen or asphalt, which seeps from the ground in that region. Gill and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown note its continued use in Assyria. The Cambridge Bible cites Herodotus (I.179) describing Babylon's walls built with “brick cemented by hot bitumen.” The writer's choice of chemār rather than the Assyrian term kopher (used for Noah's ark in Genesis 6:14) suggests an Israelite composition of the story (Cambridge).
The people's unity of language (v.1) made this large project possible. Their decision to build a tower reaching the sky (v.4) reflects ANE ziggurat architecture, where temples connected heaven and earth. But the writer presents this as a human attempt to “make a name” and avoid dispersion, directly contradicting God's command to fill the earth (Wesley, Matthew Henry). The difficulty of the materials, no stone, no lime mortar, did not deter them; it intensified their resolve.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. The variation in modern translations, “slime” (KJV/ASV), “tar” (WEB/NIV), “bitumen” (Darby), reflects interpretation of the word chemār rather than any textual uncertainty.
Reception History
This verse has been read in both Jewish and Christian traditions as part of the Babel narrative warning against pride and collective rebellion. The early church saw in Babel the archetype of earthly empire opposing God's kingdom. Medieval and Reformation interpreters, including Calvin, Luther, and the Geneva Bible, used the detail of brick and bitumen to illustrate the folly of human effort spent in defiance of God. The materials became a symbol of human self-reliance, with brick representing cultural achievement and bitumen representing the insecure bonds that hold such projects together. Modern scholarship has added archaeological confirmation, noting that the process described matches Mesopotamian building techniques.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Human industry serves a false security. The people invest great effort in making bricks and using bitumen, overcoming material scarcity to build a monument to their own unity. Their technology is real, but its purpose contradicts God's command to fill the earth.
- Collective pride drives the project. The building of a city and tower is explicitly about making a name and preventing dispersion. Their cooperation, though externally impressive, is motivated by fear and self-exaltation.
- God confronts the united rebellion. When the Lord sees their work, he comes down, confuses their language, and scatters them. No amount of ingenuity can sustain a project that defies the Creator.
Five-point outline
- The Setting: One language and one speech, the whole earth united.
- The Strategy: “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly”, maximal effort for a lasting structure.
- The Substitutes: Brick for stone, tar for mortar, resourceful adaptation to available materials.
- The Statement: “Let us make a name for ourselves”, reputation, not obedience, is their declared goal.
- The Sentence: God confuses the language and scatters them, and the name “Babel” becomes confusion.
Illustration hooks
- A church pouring time and money into a building project that overshadows its mission work, industry without kingdom purpose.
- A team collaborating efficiently to launch a product that later proves harmful, cooperation without moral direction.
- The impulse to leave a legacy, to be remembered, while neglecting the quieter call to scatter for God's glory.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is it wrong to use our talents and resources to build something impressive? How do we know when the project is for God versus for ourselves?
- How can I discern whether my ambition is serving God or feeding my ego? What safeguards can help?
- Why would God scatter a people who were working so well together? What does that say about unity founded on shared rebellion?
Leading a Discussion
Genesis 11:3 might look like a simple building detail, but it sets up the whole Babel story. The people use skill and teamwork to make materials suited to their environment, yet the narrator shows us that these efforts, however impressive, serve a purpose that stands against God's plans. As we study this verse, let's examine both the beauty of human cooperation and the danger of collective rebellion.
Discussion questions
- Read Genesis 11:1-4. What stands out to you about the way the people speak to one another? Note the repeated “Come, let us…” in vv. 3-4.
- Why do you think the writer gives us so much detail about the bricks and the tar? What does it reveal about the builders' attitude?
- Look at the words for “stone” and “mortar” (the materials they lacked) and “brick” and “tar” (what they used instead). What kind of gap does this create in the story?
- In v.4 the people say, “Let us make a name for ourselves.” Compare this with God's promise to Abram in Genesis 12:2 to “make your name great.” What is the difference between these two situations?
- How does the description of their effort (burning bricks thoroughly, using bitumen) challenge the idea that they were lazy or careless? Why would the narrator highlight their diligence?
- The people wanted to avoid being “scattered.” Why would scattering be a bad thing in their eyes? Was God's command in Genesis 9:1 to “fill the earth” still valid?
- In what ways do we still try to “build a name” for ourselves, either as individuals or as a church? How can we use our skills and resources in ways that submit to God's plans rather than resist them?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 11:4 | They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.” |
| Genesis 11:7 | Come, let’s go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” |
| Genesis 14:10 | Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and some fell there. Those who remained fled to the hills. |
| Exodus 1:14 | and they made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve. |
| Exodus 2:3 | When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket for him, and coated it with tar and with pitch. She put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank. |
| Exodus 5:7 | “You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick, as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. |
| Exodus 5:18 | Go therefore now, and work; for no straw shall be given to you; yet you shall deliver the same number of bricks!” |
| II Samuel 12:31 | He brought out the people who were in it, and put them to work under saws, under iron picks, under axes of iron, and made them go to the brick kiln; and he did so to all the cities of the children of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke explains that builders in this region had no choice in materials, since stone was extremely scarce. They used brick as a substitute for stone and bitumen, a natural asphalt, in place of lime mortar. This local necessity shaped their construction methods.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes distinguishes "one lip" from "one stock of words" as two different elements of language. He reads the Hebrew to mean humanity shared both the same speech material and the same manner of forming it, making their unity far deeper than a common vocabulary.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that the builders at Babel were not drawn by ease or advantage but pressed on despite immense difficulty, having neither stones nor mortar. Their stubborn labor on a near-impossible task only deepened their guilt, exposing a mad ambition that rushes against God even when all seems hopeless.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The writer's choice of building materials reveals an Israelite author: he is more familiar with stone and mortar than with brick and bitumen. The Hebrew word for slime (ḥkmar) differs from the word for pitch used in the flood story (kopher), further showing the story's Israelite character.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Bible notes that the builders used brick instead of stone and slime instead of mortar because the plain of Shinar had no stone or lime for proper building. Their resourcefulness in substituting materials shows how determined they were to carry out their project despite the natural limitations of the land.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights that the builders had no stone in the plain of Shinar, so they made bricks and used bitumen for mortar. He confirms this practice with extensive historical sources, showing that the region was known for its abundant pitch, which later also cemented Babylon's famous walls.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that brick was the only building material available in that region, with some bricks sun-dried and others kiln-fired. The slime refers to bitumen, a mineral pitch that hardens into strong cement, still used in Assyria and found on ancient burnt brick ruins at Birs Nimroud.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch argue that the people's real motive was pride: they wanted fame and an artificial center to hold them together. But the spiritual bond of unity was already shattered by sin. Trying to preserve oneness through outward works could not succeed and could only invite God's judgment of dispersion.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees the tower-builders as trying to replace lost inner unity of faith with a forced outward uniformity. Their heaven-defying project was a Titanic attempt to make a name for themselves, rejecting Shem's blessed calling. The confusion of languages was God's judgment, releasing the natural diversity that pride had suppressed.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry sees the people's real sin not in building a tower but in refusing to scatter as God commanded. Their one language became a tool for self-willed unity: they clung together out of distrust, preferring their own plan for safety and reputation over the land God had given them.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley sees the builders defying God's command to fill the earth, aiming instead to stay together and make a name for themselves. Their project failed entirely: not one builder's name is recorded, and their unity was founded on outright disobedience.