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Library / Commentaries and Disputations on Genesis, Volume II

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

{Come ye, therefore, let us go down and there confound their tongue, that they may not understand one another's speech. And so the Lord scattered them from that place into all lands, and they ceased to build the city. And therefore the name thereof was called Babel, because there the language of the whole earth was confounded; and from thence the Lord scattered them abroad upon the face of all countries. These are the generations of Sem. Sem was a hundred years old when he begot Arphaxad, two years after the flood. And Sem lived after he begot Arphaxad five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. And Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Sale. And Arphaxad lived after he begot Sale three hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters. Sale also lived thirty years, and begot Heber. And Sale lived after he begot Heber four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters. And Heber lived thirty-four years, and begot Phaleg. And Heber lived after he begot Phaleg four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters. And Phaleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu. And Phaleg lived after he begot Reu two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters. And Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Sarug. And Reu lived after he begot Sarug two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters. And Sarug lived thirty years, and begot Nachor. And Sarug lived after he begot Nachor two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. And Nachor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Thare. And Nachor lived after he begot Thare a hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters. And Thare lived seventy years, and begot Abram and Nachor and Aran. And these are the generations of Thare. Thare begot Abram, Nachor, and Aran. And Aran begot Lot. And Aran died before Thare his father, in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.}

LatineEnglish

{Come ye, therefore, let us go down and there confound their tongue, that they may not understand one another's speech. And so the Lord scattered them from that place into all lands, and they ceased to build the city. And therefore the name thereof was called Babel, because there the language of the whole earth was confounded; and from thence the Lord scattered them abroad upon the face of all countries. These are the generations of Sem. Sem was a hundred years old when he begot Arphaxad, two years after the flood. And Sem lived after he begot Arphaxad five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. And Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Sale. And Arphaxad lived after he begot Sale three hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters. Sale also lived thirty years, and begot Heber. And Sale lived after he begot Heber four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters. And Heber lived thirty-four years, and begot Phaleg. And Heber lived after he begot Phaleg four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters. And Phaleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu. And Phaleg lived after he begot Reu two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters. And Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Sarug. And Reu lived after he begot Sarug two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters. And Sarug lived thirty years, and begot Nachor. And Sarug lived after he begot Nachor two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. And Nachor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Thare. And Nachor lived after he begot Thare a hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters. And Thare lived seventy years, and begot Abram and Nachor and Aran. And these are the generations of Thare. Thare begot Abram, Nachor, and Aran. And Aran begot Lot. And Aran died before Thare his father, in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.}1

Venite igitur, descendamus et confundamus ibi linguam eorum, ut non audiat unusquisque vocem proximi sui. Atque ita divisit eos Dominus ex illo loco in universas terras, et cessaverunt aedificare civitatem. Et idcirco vocatum est nomen eius Babel, quia ibi confusum est labium universae terrae, et inde dispersit eos Dominus super faciem cunctarum regionum. Hae sunt generationes Sem. Sem erat centum annorum quando genuit Arphaxad, biennio post diluvium. Vixitque Sem postquam genuit Arphaxad quingentis annis, et genuit filios et filias. Porro Arphaxad vixit triginta quinque annis et genuit Sale. Vixitque Arphaxad postquam genuit Sale trecentis tribus annis, et genuit filios et filias. Sale quoque vixit triginta annis et genuit Heber. Vixitque Sale postquam genuit Heber quadringentis tribus annis, et genuit filios et filias. Vixit autem Heber triginta quatuor annis et genuit Phaleg. Et vixit Heber postquam genuit Phaleg quadringentis triginta annis, et genuit filios et filias. Vixit quoque Phaleg triginta annis et genuit Reu. Vixitque Phaleg postquam genuit Reu ducentis novem annis, et genuit filios et filias. Vixit autem Reu triginta duobus annis et genuit Sarug. Vixitque Reu postquam genuit Sarug ducentis septem annis, et genuit filios et filias. Vixit vero Sarug triginta annis et genuit Nachor. Vixitque Sarug postquam genuit Nachor ducentis annis, et genuit filios et filias. Vixit autem Nachor viginti novem annis et genuit Thare. Vixitque Nachor postquam genuit Thare centum decem et novem annis, et genuit filios et filias. Vixitque Thare septuaginta annis, et genuit Abram et Nachor et Aran. Hae sunt autem generationes Thare. Thare genuit Abram, Nachor et Aran. Porro Aran genuit Lot. Mortuusque est Aran ante Thare patrem suum in terra nativitatis suae in Ur Chaldaeorum.

Translator’s notes

  1. Gen 11:7–28 (verse lemma; the confusion at Babel concluded, then the genealogy of Sem down to Thare, Abram, and Aran). ↩