Geneva Bible - Genesis Chap 11

Reading Through the Geneva Bible in One Year - click here for intro. In which I post from It's Notes a few of those which I marked of particular interest with sporadic comments.

GENESIS 11:6
Gen 11:6 And the Lord said, (1) Beholde, the people is one, and they all have one language, and this they begin to do, neither can they now be stopped from whatsoever they have imagined to do.

(1) God speaks this in derision, because of their foolish persuasion and enterprise.

God is all powerful, his counsel and purpose can NEVER fail. So the note-makers tell us that when God says that they cannot be stopped from doing whatever they want, He speaks in derision. IS THIS THE RIGHT INTERPRETATION??? I had never seen it in that way in all my previous readings, but had rather thought, that this was GOD's PURPOSES unfolding that he would divide the world. That a world united was not in his purpose, that man's pride should be checked. Matthew Poole agrees with the Geneva bible here, John Gill does not, writing in his commentary:

...behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; which some think is spoken ironically; but I see no reason why it may not be understood seriously, that the people who were concerned in this building were unanimous, not only in their religious principles, such as they were, as Aben Ezra, but in their counsel, purpose, and design in building; they went on with great concord, harmony, and vigour, and being of one language, they understood one another, and so could carry on their work with the greater expedition:

and this they begin to do; to build the city and the tower, and had made considerable progress in it:

and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do; they had prepared bricks, and slime or bitumen, a sufficient quantity for their use, or could easily come at more if they wanted; and they were not to be prevailed upon to desist from their work, by any advice that the sons of God could give them; they were obstinate and self-willed, and not to be argued with and persuaded to leave off; and there was no power on earth superior to them, to oblige them to it; they could only be restrained from their enterprise, and hindered from executing it, by divine power; and which was judged necessary to exert, as appears by what follows: and the words may be rendered, "shall they not be restrained? &c." they shall.

GENESIS 11:7
Gen 11:7 Come on, (1) let us go down, (2) and there confound their language, that every one perceive not another speech.

(1) He speaks as though he took counsel with his own wisdom and power: that is, with the Son and holy Spirit: signifying the greatness and certainty of the punishment.

(2) By this great plague of the confusion of tongues appears God's horrible judgment against man's pride and vain glory.

Love here the note's insight into the Holy Trinity, ie. Let US...

Also this judgment in which the world is divided, cultures are created, is one which IMPACT is seen and felt across the globe to this day.