Mind of the Church

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Library / Commentaries and Disputations on Genesis, Volume II

Book Sixteen — the tower of Babel and the division of tongues

{Chapter eleven of Genesis. And the earth was of one language and of the same speech. And when they removed from the East, they found a plain in the land of Sennaar, and dwelt in it. And each one said to his neighbor: Come, let us make bricks and bake them with fire. And they had brick instead of stones, and bitumen instead of mortar. And they said: Come, let us make us a city and a tower, the top whereof may reach to heaven; and let us make our name famous before we be scattered abroad into all lands. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the children of Adam were building; and he said: Behold, it is one people, and all have one language; and they have begun to do this, neither will they leave off from their designs till they accomplish them in deed.}

LatineEnglish

{Chapter eleven of Genesis. And the earth was of one language and of the same speech. And when they removed from the East, they found a plain in the land of Sennaar, and dwelt in it. And each one said to his neighbor: Come, let us make bricks and bake them with fire. And they had brick instead of stones, and bitumen instead of mortar. And they said: Come, let us make us a city and a tower, the top whereof may reach to heaven; and let us make our name famous before we be scattered abroad into all lands. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the children of Adam were building; and he said: Behold, it is one people, and all have one language; and they have begun to do this, neither will they leave off from their designs till they accomplish them in deed.}1

Caput undecimum Genesis. Erat autem terra labii unius et sermonum eorundem. Cumque proficiscerentur de Oriente, invenerunt campum in terra Sennaar et habitaverunt in eo. Dixitque alter ad proximum suum: Venite, faciamus lateres et coquamus eos igni: habueruntque lateres pro saxis, et bitumen pro caemento. Et dixerunt: Venite, faciamus nobis civitatem et turrim cuius culmen pertingat ad caelum, et celebremus nomen nostrum antequam dividamur in universas terras. Descendit autem Dominus ut videret civitatem et turrim quam aedificabant filii Adam, et dixit: Ecce unus est populus et unum est labium omnibus, coeperuntque hoc facere, nec desistent a cogitationibus donec opere compleant.

Translator’s notes

  1. Gen 11:1–6 (verse lemma, opening the chapter on the title page). ↩