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# babel

noun (babel — noise); proper noun (Babel — the Tower of Babel)

«babel» in the English dictionary: everyday and in Jewish tradition — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (Bible) The Tower of Babel is a story in Genesis where people tried to build a tower up to heaven; God mixed up their language so they could not understand each other, and they spread over the earth. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babel/#m1)
2. A babel is a confused noise of many voices talking at once. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babel/#m2)

### In the lessons

In RE the Babel story is about pride and about why there are many languages. In everyday writing "a babel of voices" describes a busy market or noisy classroom. Phrases: the Tower of Babel, a babel of voices, a babel of languages.

### Examples

- The people of Babel wanted a tower that reached the sky. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babel/#x1)
- God confused their language, and work on the tower stopped. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babel/#x2)
- The station was a babel of voices in many languages. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babel/#x3)
- Our classroom became a babel when the teacher left. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babel/#x4)
- We built a Tower of Babel from paper cups. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babel/#x5)
- The story of Babel explains why people speak different languages. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babel/#x6)

### Note

Capital B for the Bible place; small b for "confused noise". Say "BAY-bul". Not the same as "babble" (to talk fast and foolishly), though they sound alike and the meanings are close.

## In Jewish tradition

In Genesis it is a city and the place of the tower. The name sounds like the Hebrew word for "confuse".

**Interpretation.** God mixed up human language at Babel, and people scattered across the earth. The tradition reads the story as a warning against pride and against building to make a name for ourselves.

### Examples

- And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. (Torah GEN.10.10, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/B/babel/#x1)
- Therefore was the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth; and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. (Torah GEN.11.9, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/B/babel/#x2)

### Note

Capital B for the Bible place; small b for "confused noise". Say "BAY-bul". Not the same as "babble" (to talk fast and foolishly), though they sound alike and the meanings are close.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «babel» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babel/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«babel» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/babel.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of «babel» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/B/babel/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«babel» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/judaism/w/babel.html) on Mova free.