for there the LORD confused the language
The Hebrew word for "confused" is "balal," which signifies a mixing or mingling that results in disorder. This divine act of confusion was a direct response to humanity's unified rebellion against God. By confusing their language, God effectively halted their plans and demonstrated His sovereignty over human affairs. This event underscores the theme of divine judgment and mercy, as God intervenes to prevent humanity from further self-destruction. It also highlights the importance of communication and unity in fulfilling God's purposes.

of the whole world
The phrase "the whole world" emphasizes the global impact of this event. It was not a localized incident but one that affected all of humanity. This scattering of people and languages marks a pivotal moment in human history, leading to the formation of diverse cultures and nations. From a theological perspective, it serves as a backdrop for the later narrative of redemption, where God seeks to reunite humanity through the Gospel. The universality of this event points to the comprehensive nature of God's plan for salvation, which encompasses all people and nations.

and from there the LORD scattered them
The act of scattering is a direct consequence of the confusion of languages. The Hebrew word "puwts" conveys the idea of dispersing or spreading out. This scattering was both a judgment and a mercy, as it prevented further collective rebellion and allowed for the diversification of cultures and societies. It also set the stage for God's redemptive work through Abraham and his descendants, who were called to be a blessing to all nations. The scattering reminds us of God's ultimate authority and His ability to use even human disobedience to fulfill His purposes.

over the face of the whole earth
This phrase underscores the extent of the dispersion, reaching "the face of the whole earth." It highlights the comprehensive nature of God's intervention and the resulting spread of humanity across the globe. This dispersion is a key element in the unfolding biblical narrative, as it sets the stage for the calling of Abraham and the establishment of Israel as a distinct people through whom God would reveal Himself to the world. It also foreshadows the Great Commission, where believers are called to spread the Gospel to all corners of the earth, reversing the effects of Babel through the unifying power of the Holy Spirit.

The Babylonian legends are in remarkable agreement with the Hebrew narrative. They represent the building of the tower as impious, and as a sort of Titanic attempt to scale the heavens. This means that the work was one of vast purpose; for there is something in the human mind which attaches the idea of impiety to all stupendous undertakings, and the popular feeling is always one of rejoicing at their failure. The gods therefore destroy at night what the builders had wrought by day; and finally, Bel, "the father of the gods," confounds their languages. It is remarkable that the very word used here is balai (or perhaps balah), and thus the meaning of "confusion" would attach to the word equally in the Assyrian as in the Hebrew language (Chald. Gen., p. 166).

One question remains: Was the tower of Babel the temple of Bel destroyed by Xerxes, and which was situated in the centre of Babylon? or was it the tower of Borsippa, the site of which was in one of the suburbs, about two miles to the south? This tower was the observatory of the Chaldean astronomers, and its name, according to Oppert, means "the tower of languages." We incline to the belief that this ruin, now called the Birs-Nimrud, was the original tower, and that the temple of Bel was a later construction, belonging to the palmy times of the Chaldean monarchy. An account of it will be found in Sayce, Chald. Gen., pp. 169, 170, and in Rawlinson, Anc. Mon., i. 12, 21, &c.

(1) modern philology has as yet only succeeded in explaining the growth of what might be called the sub-modifications of human speech, and is confessedly unable to account for what appears to be its main division into a Shemitic, an Aryan, and a Turanian tongue, which may have been produced in the sudden and miraculous way described; and

(2) nothing prevents us from regarding the two events, the confusion of tongues and the dispersion of the nations, as occurring simultaneously, and even acting and reacting on each other. As the tribes parted, their speech would diverge, and, on the other hand, as the tongues differed, those who spoke the same or cognate dialects would draw together and draw apart from the rest. We may even suppose that, prior to the building of Babel, if any of the human family had begun to spread themselves abroad upon the surface of the globe, a slight diversity in human speech had begun to show itself; and the truthfulness of the narrative will in no wise be endangered by admitting that the Divine interposition at Babel may have consisted in quickening a natural process which had already commenced to operate; nay, we are rather warranted to conclude that the whole work of subdividing human speech was not compressed into a moment of time, but, after receiving this special impulse, was left to develop and complete itself as the nations wandered farther and ever farther from the plains of Shinar (cf. Kurtz, 'Hist. of the Old Covenant,' vol. 1. pp. 108-117 (Clark's For. Theol. Lib.), and 'Quarry on Genesis,' pp. 195-206).

CHALDAEAN LEGEND OF THE TOWER OF BABEL. Berosus, indeed, does not refer to it, and early writers are obliged to have recourse to somewhat doubtful authorities to confirm it. Eusebius, e.g., quotes Abydenus as saying that "not long after the Flood, the ancient race of men were so puffed up with their strength and tallness of stature that they began to despise and contemn the gods, and labored to erect that very lofty tower which is now called Babylon, intending thereby to scale the heaven& But when the building approached the sky, behold, the gods called in the aid of the winds, and by their help overturned the tower, and cast it to the ground! The name of the ruin is still called Babel, because until this time all men had used the same speech; but now there was sent upon them a confusion of many and diverse tongues" ('Praep. Ev.,' 9:14). But the diligence of the late George Smith has been rewarded by discovering the fragment of an Assyrian tablet (marked If, 3657 in British Museum) containing an account of the building of the tower, in which the gods are represented as being angry at the work and confounding the speech of the builders. In col. 1, lines 5 and 6 (according to W. St. C. Boscawen's translation) run - . . .

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