THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
When He observed the rise of wickedness and the spread of affliction, He chose not to abandon them, but rather, in His boundless compassion—acting as the ultimate healer—He recognized the intensifying disease and the permanence of the wound. Consequently, He decisively intervened to eradicate the root cause of their suffering. "And the Lord said," as it is written, "Behold, they are one people, and they all share the same language"—that is, one voice and one tongue. "This is what they have begun to do; and now nothing they propose to do will be impossible for them." Can you perceive the Lord's humanity?
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In His desire to thwart their plans, He initially offers a reasoned account of His intentions, highlighting the magnitude of their transgressions, the depth of their malevolence, and how they have misused their linguistic unity. "Behold," He states, "they are one people, and one language among them; this is what they have begun to do, and they will not turn back from their designs." Typically, God operates in this manner: when He intends to bring forth judgment, He first reveals the gravity of the sins committed, providing a rationale for His forthcoming punishment. This pattern was evident in the days of the flood, when He sought to make His impending warning clear. The Scriptures recount, "And the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5). Observe how He first showcased the depths of their depravity before declaring, "I will wipe out man" (Gen. 6:7). Thus, "Behold, they are one people with one language; this is what they have begun to do." If they exploit this shared thought and language to spiral into such madness, what worse deeds might they not commit in the future? "And they will not turn back from what they have planned," He warns. Their efforts will go unchecked; on the contrary, they will strive to fulfill every design unless they are swiftly met with consequences for their audacious actions. This scenario mirrors the plight of the first man. When God resolved to expel Adam from the abode of Paradise, He inquired, "Who told you that you were naked?" Again, He remarked, "Behold, Adam has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; now, lest he extend his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever." Consequently, "the Lord God cast him out of the garden of Eden" (Gen. 3:11, 22-23). Now, He declares: "Behold, they are one nation, all speaking the same language; this is what they have begun to do, and they will not turn from their intentions; let us go down and confuse their language, so that one will not understand the speech of the other."