"Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another's speech."
attentively, call gather together, carefully, certainly, consent, consider
A primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.) -- X attentively, call (gather) together, X carefully, X certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, X diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), X indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, X surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness. http://concordances.org/hebrew/8085.htm
Looking up the other 23 places where the same word understand is found in the Hebrew Scripture I see it has the meaning of listening TO OBEY. So it's linked to TRUST in my opinion. http://concordances.org/hebrew/yishmeu_8085.htm
To be putting all trust in MAN to obey is wrong. Isn't it? That is what the builders of Babylon seemingly were heading. Like the Watchtower. Do not millions listen to The Tower to OBEY? What good is it doing?