Genesis 11:3 - Clarke's commentary and critical notes on the Bible

And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. Let us make brick - It appears they were obliged to make use of brick, as there was an utter scarcity of stones in that district; and on the same account they were obliged to use slime, that is, bitumen, (Vulg). ασφαλτος, (Septuagint) for mortar: so it appears they had neither common stone nor lime-stone; hence they had brick for stone, and asphaltus or bitumen instead of mortar.