Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
Ver. 9. The Lord did there confound the language.] A sore cross and hindrance of interchange of commodities between nation and nation. This great labour also hath God laid hereby upon the sons of men, that a great part of our best time is spent about the shell (in learning of language) before we can come at the kernel of true wisdom, Scripture wisdom especially. Our Saviour's epitaph, written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, as it sets forth Christ unto us to be; First, The most holy (for the Hebrew tongue is called the holy tongue); Secondly, The most wise (for in Greek is all human wisdom written); Thirdly, The most powerful (for the Latins were lords of the earth, and propagated their tongue among all the nations). So it signifies that God would have the dignity and study of these three tongues to be retained and maintained in the churches of Christ to the world's end. Hebricians, saith Reuchlin, drink of the fountains; Grecians of the rivers; Latinists of the standing pools only. a There were that mocked at the multitude of tongues. Act 2:13 And the monks were mad almost at such Camilli literarii as chased out barbarism and brought in the learned languages. b But let us acknowledge it a singular gift of God, as for the gathering of the Church at first, Act 2:1-4 so still for the edifying of the body of Christ, "till we all come unto a perfect man," Eph 4:13 to speak the language of Canaan, in the kingdom of heaven.
And from thence did the Lord scatter them.] The Hebrew doctors say, c that at this dispersion there were seventy nations, with seventy various languages. Epiphanius saith, that their one language was divided into seventy-two; for so many men were then present, and each man had his own dialect, and went his own way with it. Cleopatra is famous in history for her skill in tongues. She could give a ready answer to ambassadors that came, whether they were Ethiopians, Hebrews, Arabians, Syrians, Medes, or Parthians. Yea, she could tune and turn her tongue, as an instrument of many strings, saith Plutarch, d to whatever language she pleased. This minds me of those cloven tongues, and of that utterance the Spirit gave them. Act 2:1-47 "Parthians, Medes, Elamites, strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians heard" the apostles speak "in their own tongue the wonderful works of God," to the singular advantage of the Church, that was then out of all nations to be collected, and that by a like means as these rebels were scattered.
a Hebraei bibunt fontes, Greci rivos, Latini paludes .
b Joh. Manlii. loc. com., p. 130.
c R. Menahem in Gen. xi.
d την γλωτταν ωσπερ οργανον τι πολυχορδεο, ευπετως τρεπουσα προς ην βουλοιτο διαλεκτον. Plut.