Genesis 11:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Since they failed to utilize the oneness of their language appropriately, I intention to enlighten them by introducing a new form of communication. The Lord consistently acts in this manner. He did this initially with the woman; since she did not honor the role bestowed upon her, God placed her under the authority of her husband. Likewise, Adam did not take full advantage of the joy found in paradise, and through disobedience, he made himself deserving of punishment. Consequently, God expelled him from Eden, imposing upon him a lasting consequence, stating, "thorns and thistles shall the earth bring forth for you" (Gen. 3:18). When these individuals, who shared a single language, misused the blessing granted to them for malicious purposes, God thwarted their wicked intentions by introducing a multiplicity of tongues. "And let us confound their language," He proclaims, "so that one person shall not comprehend the words of another," thereby transforming their unity of language into a scattering of peoples. Without a common language and shared means of communication, how could they coexist?

Consequently, God imposed a halt on their undertaking and scattered them with diverse tongues. What transpired serves as a prefiguration of the fate of the Jewish people, who, filled with self-importance and seeking alternative paths to heaven, were similarly dispersed into various languages, that is, into the nations. Expelled from their homeland, cities, and homes, they became 'wanderers among the nations,' as the prophet declares (Hos. 9:17). In contrast, on the day of Pentecost, multilingualism took on a positive meaning: as the disciples convened in one place, 'there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the entire house where they were. And there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, resting upon each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them' (Acts 2:2-4). What, then, was the substance of their speech? Empowered by the Spirit, they proclaimed the ascent to heaven through faith in Christ and the unification of all nations and tribes in the Spirit. Every tongue of humanity confessed Christ and articulated His mysteries. Thus, the multilingualism experienced at the tower's construction signified dispersion and exile among the nations, while in Christ, it symbolizes the gathering into unity through the Spirit and an upward journey. Christ has become, for us, a pillar of 'strength,' as the Psalmist states (Psalm 60:4), leading those on earth to the heavenly city and uniting them with the countenances of the holy angels.

In contrast, to Lot, who had not yet purified his thoughts from physical existence and perceived God merely as the creator of the visible world, God manifested not as a Trinity but as a binary presence, indicating that Lot’s mind remained bounded by the physical realm.

By carefully studying the diverse descriptions of God throughout Scripture, it becomes evident that the varying Divine revelations depend on the mental conditions of those receiving them. The builders of the tower began their journey from the east, the domain of true divine knowledge, before arriving in the land of Shinar (Gen. 11:2-4), characterized as ‘blasphemous lips.’ They fell into fragmented beliefs about the divine nature, erecting a structure of polytheistic folly with their disparate opinions. God, in response, broke apart the misguided consensus of these confused individuals and manifested Himself according to the differing dispositions of those who sought Him, revealing that while He is One, He appears divided among them. Therefore, He speaks to Adam, declaring, "Behold, Adam has become like one of Us" (Gen. 3:22).

God's plurality in Scripture serves dual purposes: it either denotes His oneness or collectively expresses His nature. The language used conveys the ineffable mysteries of God in a form we can comprehend, facilitating our understanding of divine truths through familiar words, since God is fundamentally the incomprehensible Mind, the inexpressible Word, and the unfathomable Life. Recognizing this allows us to grasp the essence of divine communication without being obstructed by its complexity.

If anyone questions the use of the plural form referring to God, citing the verse, "Let Us make man in Our image and likeness" (Genesis 1:26), we should understand that this plural usage does not cast doubt on monotheism. When Scripture employs plural language about God to the faithful, it reflects the all-holy Trinity of Persons, subtly indicating the mode of existence of the eternal Godhead, which is essentially One. Conversely, when Scripture addresses the impious in plural terms, it challenges their flawed understanding of God, which incorrectly assumes that distinctions in properties are inherent rather than hypostatic, thereby perpetuating polytheistic beliefs.

If we dismiss arguments from those leaning towards polytheism, we can join together in reverence for the Holy Scriptures, which occasionally portray the Most Holy Trinity as the singular Creator, indicating "Let Us make man"—recognizing that creation arises from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. At other times, Scripture depicts the Trinity as the Guide for those living righteously, as well as the Sustainer of those who receive their existence from Her. Furthermore, She is also shown as the Judge and Corrector of those who depart from natural law, as seen in the command, "Come, and let Us go down, and confound their language."

The Holy Trinity is not merely the Creator but also encompasses and distributes all creation according to each one's merits, standing as One God—Creator, Provider, and Judge. It is the shared role of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in creation, judgment, and divine provision for all created beings.

Further interpretations suggest that the confusion stemmed from a temporary disorder affecting human memory and imagination, where individuals could not recall the words that their thoughts demanded, similar to certain ailments that disrupt cognitive function.

Supporting the first interpretation, Origen posits that the angels, as guardians of the nations, provided distinct languages to each group, except for the Jews, who retained the original language bestowed upon Adam by God. Many ancient scholars have attempted to quantify the number of languages that emerged at Babel based on the seventy, or according to the Greek texts, seventy-two descendants of Noah listed by Moses (Genesis 10:5-32), or by the number of Israelites who entered Egypt (Deuteronomy 32:8; Genesis 46:27 according to Hebrew). However, these estimates lack significant weight, for among the descendants of Noah mentioned in Genesis, there were those who likely continued to speak a common language post-Babel, such as the descendants of Canaan, while others, like Arphaxad, Shelah, and Eber, did not partake in the confusion. Additionally, some children of Joktan were born after Babel. Furthermore, when Moses remarks that God established the boundaries of nations according to the Israelites, it does not clarify the exact count of the Israelites involved (12 or 70?) nor does it indicate the total number of distinct languages.

Those who advocate for a more natural explanation for the confusion of tongues dilute its significance and undermine the solemn depiction of God’s judgment found in Moses’ account. The explanation that aligns with the intent of sacred scripture, by acknowledging God’s direct involvement in the mingling of languages, accommodates both a divine act and a natural progression, suggesting that amidst the miracle of diversity, an original language could have persisted until it gradually evolved into many variations across different peoples and regions.

Therefore, ancient languages such as Chaldean, Syrian, Canaanite, Phoenician, Arabic, Armenian, Ethiopian, and Persian appear as branches stemming from one root—the Hebrew language. It is reasonable to surmise that languages like Greek, Latin, Slavonic, Teutonic (ancient German), Tatar, and Chinese, considered indigenous, are merely distant offshoots from this original source. In the divine judgment that led to the confusion of languages and the scattering of peoples, God's benevolent purposes also emerge: to shield human societies from tyrannical oppression, for if humanity were unified under a single ruler like Nimrod, authority would overwhelm freedom, leaving innocence vulnerable to coercion; to avert moral decay that would be pervasive in an all-encompassing kingdom, ensuring that after the nations' division, one could thrive in simplicity and virtue amidst obscurity; and to prevent ceaseless conflict, which would inevitably arise were humanity confined to a singular focal point for settlement.

This signifies His readiness to make His presence known to humanity in a more direct manner than previously experienced.

The confusion of language that ensued from these words of the Lord involved a miraculous disruption in the operations of memory, leading to disarray in the employment of words. The people did not abandon the vocabulary of their native language, but they lost grasp of the words' meanings and articulated terms that no longer conveyed the ideas they once signified. This confusion served the purpose ‘lest any man should hear the voice of his neighbor’—‘lest they should hear’ conveys the notion of ‘lest they should comprehend, lest they should fully grasp’ (cf. 1 Cor. 14:2). Someone who does not understand the words, even though they may hear them, treats those words as if they had not been spoken at all.

God's words are presented in the plural: ‘Come, let us’ and ‘let us mix’, reflecting the communion of the three Persons of the Holy Trinity, as well as God's declaration about the creation of humanity: “Let us make man in our image” (Gen. 1:26).