SEV Biblia, Chapter 11:6
Y dijo el SEÑOR: He aquí el pueblo es uno, y todos éstos tienen un lenguaje; y ahora comienzan a hacer, y ahora no dejarán de efectuar todo lo que han pensando hacer.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Genesis 11:6
Verse 6. The people is one, &c.] From this, as before observed, we may infer, that as the people had the same language, so they had a unity of design and sentiment. It is very likely that the original language was composed of monosyllables, that each had a distinct ideal meaning, and only one meaning; as different acceptations of the same word would undoubtedly arise, either from compounding terms, or, when there were but few words in a language, using them by a different mode of pronunciation to express a variety of things. Where this simple monosyllabic language prevailed (and it must have prevailed in the first ages of the world) men would necessarily have simple ideas, and a corresponding simplicity of manners. The Chinese language is exactly such as this; and the Hebrew, if stripped of its vowel points, and its prefixes, suffixes, and postfixes separated from their combinations, so that they might stand by themselves, it would nearly answer to this character even in its present state. In order therefore to remove this unity of sentiment and design, which I suppose to be the necessary consequence of such a language, God confounded their language-caused them to articulate the same word differently, to affix different ideas to the same term, and perhaps, by transposing syllables and interchanging letters, form new terms and compounds, so that the mind of the speaker was apprehended by the hearer in a contrary sense to what was intended. This idea is not iii expressed by an ancient French poet, Du Bartas; and not badly, though rather quaintly, metaphrased by our countryman, Mr. Sylvester. Some speak between the teeth, some in the nose, Some in the throat their words do ill dispose]
""Bring me,"" quoth one, ""a trowel, quickly, quick!"" One brings him up a hammer. ""Hew this brick,"" Another bids; and then they cleave a tree; ""Make fast this rope,"" and then they let it flee.One calls for planks, another mortar lacks; They bear the first a stone, the last an axe.One would have spikes, and him a spade they give; Another asks a saw, and gets a sieve.Thus crossly crost, they prate and point in vain: What one hath made another mars again.
These masons then, seeing the storm arrived Of God's just wrath, all weak and heart-deprived, Forsake their purpose, and, like frantic fools, Scatter their stuff and tumble down their tools. DU BARTAS. - Babylon.
I shall not examine how the different languages of the earth were formed. It certainly was not the work of a moment; different climates must have a considerable share in the formation of tongues, by their influence on the organs of speech. The invention of new arts and trades must give birth to a variety of terms and expressions. Merchandise, commerce, and the cultivation of the sciences, would produce their share; and different forms of government, modes of life, and means of instruction, also contribute their quota. The Arabic, Chaldee, Syriac, and AEthiopic, still bear the most striking resemblance to their parent, the Hebrew. Many others might be reduced to a common source, yet everywhere there is sufficient evidence of this confusion. The anomalies even in the most regular languages sufficiently prove this. Every language is confounded less or more but that of eternal truth. This is ever the same; in all countries, climates, and ages, the language of truth, like that God from whom it sprang, is unchangeable. It speaks in all tongues, to all nations, and in all hearts: ""There is one GOD, the fountain of goodness, justice, and truth. MAN, thou art his creature, ignorant, weak, and dependent; but he is all-sufficient-hates nothing that he has made] loves thee - is able and willing to save thee; return to and depend on him, take his revealed will for thy law, submit to his authority, and accept eternal life on the terms proposed in his word, and thou shalt never perish nor be wretched."" This language of truth all the ancient and modern BHebel builders have not been able to confound, notwithstanding their repeated attempts. How have men toiled to make this language clothe their own ideas; and thus cause God to speak according to the pride, prejudice and worst passions of men! But through a just judgment of God, the language of all those who have attempted to do this has been confounded, and the word of the Lord abideth for ever.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 5-9 - Here is an expression after the manner of men; The Lord came down to see the city. God is just and fair in all he does against sin an sinners, and condemns none unheard. Pious Eber is not found among thi ungodly crew; for he and his are called the children of God; their souls joined not themselves to the assembly of these children of men God suffered them to go on some way, that the works of their hands from which they promised themselves lasting honour, might turn to their lasting reproach. God has wise and holy ends, in allowing the enemie of his glory to carry on their wicked projects a great way, and to prosper long. Observe the wisdom and mercy of God, in the methods take for defeating this undertaking. And the mercy of God in not making the penalty equal to the offence; for he deals not with us according to ou sins. The wisdom of God, in fixing upon a sure way to stop thes proceedings. If they could not understand one another, they could no help one another; this would take them off from their building. God ha various means, and effectual ones, to baffle and defeat the projects of proud men that set themselves against him, and particularly he divide them among themselves. Notwithstanding their union and obstinacy God was above them; for who ever hardened his heart against him, an prospered? Their language was confounded. We all suffer by it to thi day: in all the pains and trouble used to learn the languages we have occasion for, we suffer for the rebellion of our ancestors at Babel Nay, and those unhappy disputes, which are strifes of words, and aris from misunderstanding one another's words, for aught we know, are owin to this confusion of tongues. They left off to build the city. The confusion of their tongues not only unfitted them for helping on another, but they saw the hand of the Lord gone out against them. It is wisdom to leave off that which we see God fights against. God is able to blast and bring to nought all the devices and designs of Babel-builders: there is no wisdom nor counsel against the Lord. The builders departed according to their families, and the tongue the spake, to the countries and places allotted to them. The children of men never did, nor ever will, come all together again, till the grea day, when the Son of man shall sit upon the throne of his glory, an all nations shall be gathered before him.
Original Hebrew
ויאמר 559 יהוה 3068 הן 2005 עם 5971 אחד 259 ושׂפה 8193 אחת 259 לכלם 3605 וזה 2088 החלם 2490 לעשׂות 6213 ועתה 6258 לא 3808 יבצר 1219 מהם 1992 כל 3605 אשׁר 834 יזמו 2161 לעשׂות׃ 6213
