The Tower of Bavel and Language

(א) וַֽיְהִ֥י כָל־הָאָ֖רֶץ שָׂפָ֣ה אֶחָ֑ת וּדְבָרִ֖ים אֲחָדִֽים׃ (ב) וַֽיְהִ֖י בְּנָסְעָ֣ם מִקֶּ֑דֶם וַֽיִּמְצְא֥וּ בִקְעָ֛ה בְּאֶ֥רֶץ שִׁנְעָ֖ר וַיֵּ֥שְׁבוּ שָֽׁם׃ (ג) וַיֹּאמְר֞וּ אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵ֗הוּ הָ֚בָה נִלְבְּנָ֣ה לְבֵנִ֔ים וְנִשְׂרְפָ֖ה לִשְׂרֵפָ֑ה וַתְּהִ֨י לָהֶ֤ם הַלְּבֵנָה֙ לְאָ֔בֶן וְהַ֣חֵמָ֔ר הָיָ֥ה לָהֶ֖ם לַחֹֽמֶר׃ (ד) וַיֹּאמְר֞וּ הָ֣בָה ׀ נִבְנֶה־לָּ֣נוּ עִ֗יר וּמִגְדָּל֙ וְרֹאשׁ֣וֹ בַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְנַֽעֲשֶׂה־לָּ֖נוּ שֵׁ֑ם פֶּן־נָפ֖וּץ עַל־פְּנֵ֥י כָל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (ה) וַיֵּ֣רֶד יְהוָ֔ה לִרְאֹ֥ת אֶת־הָעִ֖יר וְאֶת־הַמִּגְדָּ֑ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּנ֖וּ בְּנֵ֥י הָאָדָֽם׃ (ו) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֗ה הֵ֣ן עַ֤ם אֶחָד֙ וְשָׂפָ֤ה אַחַת֙ לְכֻלָּ֔ם וְזֶ֖ה הַחִלָּ֣ם לַעֲשׂ֑וֹת וְעַתָּה֙ לֹֽא־יִבָּצֵ֣ר מֵהֶ֔ם כֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָזְמ֖וּ לַֽעֲשֽׂוֹת׃ (ז) הָ֚בָה נֵֽרְדָ֔ה וְנָבְלָ֥ה שָׁ֖ם שְׂפָתָ֑ם אֲשֶׁר֙ לֹ֣א יִשְׁמְע֔וּ אִ֖ישׁ שְׂפַ֥ת רֵעֵֽהוּ׃ (ח) וַיָּ֨פֶץ יְהוָ֥ה אֹתָ֛ם מִשָּׁ֖ם עַל־פְּנֵ֣י כָל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וַֽיַּחְדְּל֖וּ לִבְנֹ֥ת הָעִֽיר׃ (ט) עַל־כֵּ֞ן קָרָ֤א שְׁמָהּ֙ בָּבֶ֔ל כִּי־שָׁ֛ם בָּלַ֥ל יְהוָ֖ה שְׂפַ֣ת כָּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וּמִשָּׁם֙ הֱפִיצָ֣ם יְהוָ֔ה עַל־פְּנֵ֖י כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (פ)

Genesis 11:1-9

Genesis 11:1 Now all the earth was of one language and one set-of-words.

Genesis 11:2 And it was when they migrated to the east that they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.

Genesis 11:3 They said, each man to his neighbor: Come-now! Let us bake bricks and let us burn them

well-burnt! So for them brick-stone was like building-stone, and raw-bitumen was for them like red- mortar.

Genesis 11:4 Now they said: Come-now! Let us build ourselves a city and a tower, its top in the heavens, and let us make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered over the face of all the earth!

Genesis 11:5 But YHVH came down to look over the city and the tower that the humans were building.

Genesis 11:6 YHVH said: Here, (they are) one people with one language for them all, and this is merely the first of their doings- now there will be no barrier for them in all that they scheme to do!

Genesis 11:7 Come-now! Let us go down and there let us baffle their language, so that no man will understand the language of his neighbor.

Genesis 11:8 So YHVH scattered them from there over the face of all the earth, and they had to stop building the city.

Genesis 11:9 Therefore its name was called Bavel/Babble, for there YHVH baffled the language of all the earth-folk, and from there, YHVH scattered them over the face of all the earth.

רש"י על בראשית י״א:א׳:א׳

שפה אחת. לְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶש:

Rashi on Genesis 11:1:1

שפה אחת ONE LANGUAGE — The Holy Tongue. The word אחת (one) has the same numerical value as הקדש (the holy). Thus we can deduce that everyone spoke Hebrew.

מדרש תנחומא, נח י״ט:א׳

‎הָבָה נֵרְדָה וְנָבְלָה שָׁם שְׂפָתָם. בִּלְבֵּל לְשׁוֹנוֹתָם וְלֹא יָבִין אַחַד מֵהֶן לָשׁוֹן שֶׁל חֲבֵרוֹ, שֶׁהַלָּשׁוֹן הָרִאשׁוֹן הָיוּ מְדַבְּרִים בִּלְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ, וּבוֹ בַּלָּשׁוֹן נִבְרָא הָעוֹלָם.

Midrash Tanchuma, Noach 19:1

Come, let us go down there and confound their language (Gen. 11:7). He confounded their speech to such a degree that no one was able to understand his companion’s speech. Originally, they had spoken to each other in Hebrew, the language with which the world was created.

ירמיהו כ״ה:כ״ו

(כו) וְאֵ֣ת ׀ כָּל־מַלְכֵ֣י הַצָּפ֗וֹן הַקְּרֹבִ֤ים וְהָֽרְחֹקִים֙ אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־אָחִ֔יו וְאֵת֙ כָּל־הַמַּמְלְכ֣וֹת הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־פְּנֵ֣י הָאֲדָמָ֑ה וּמֶ֥לֶךְ שֵׁשַׁ֖ךְ יִשְׁתֶּ֥ה אַחֲרֵיהֶֽם׃

Jeremiah 25:26

(26) all the kings of the north, whether far from or close to each other—all the royal lands which are on the earth. And last of all, the king of Sheshach shall drink.

רש"י על ירמיהו כ״ה:כ״ו:א׳

(א) ששך. הוא בבל בא"ת ב"ש:

Rashi on Jeremiah 25:26:1

What is this place called Sheshach? According to the Atbash Cipher, it's בבל, Babelonia (Bavel)

נחמיה י״ג:כ״ד-כ״ה

(כד) וּבְנֵיהֶ֗ם חֲצִי֙ מְדַבֵּ֣ר אַשְׁדּוֹדִ֔ית וְאֵינָ֥ם מַכִּירִ֖ים לְדַבֵּ֣ר יְהוּדִ֑ית וְכִלְשׁ֖וֹן עַ֥ם וָעָֽם׃ (כה) וָאָרִ֤יב עִמָּם֙ וָאֲקַֽלְלֵ֔ם וָאַכֶּ֥ה מֵהֶ֛ם אֲנָשִׁ֖ים וָֽאֶמְרְטֵ֑ם וָאַשְׁבִּיעֵ֣ם בֵּֽאלֹהִ֗ים אִם־תִּתְּנ֤וּ בְנֹֽתֵיכֶם֙ לִבְנֵיהֶ֔ם וְאִם־תִּשְׂאוּ֙ מִבְּנֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם לִבְנֵיכֶ֖ם וְלָכֶֽם׃

Nehemiah 13:24-25

(24) a good number of their children spoke the language of Ashdod and the language of those various peoples, and did not know how to speak Judean. (25) I censured them, cursed them, flogged them, tore out their hair, and adjured them by God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters in marriage to their sons, or take any of their daughters for your sons or yourselves.

נחמיה ח׳:א׳-ג׳

(א) וַיֵּאָסְפ֤וּ כָל־הָעָם֙ כְּאִ֣ישׁ אֶחָ֔ד אֶל־הָ֣רְח֔וֹב אֲשֶׁ֖ר לִפְנֵ֣י שַֽׁעַר־הַמָּ֑יִם וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ לְעֶזְרָ֣א הַסֹּפֵ֔ר לְהָבִ֗יא אֶת־סֵ֙פֶר֙ תּוֹרַ֣ת מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה יְהוָ֖ה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (ב) וַיָּבִ֣יא עֶזְרָ֣א הַ֠כֹּהֵן אֶֽת־הַתּוֹרָ֞ה לִפְנֵ֤י הַקָּהָל֙ מֵאִ֣ישׁ וְעַד־אִשָּׁ֔ה וְכֹ֖ל מֵבִ֣ין לִשְׁמֹ֑עַ בְּי֥וֹם אֶחָ֖ד לַחֹ֥דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִֽי׃ (ג) וַיִּקְרָא־בוֹ֩ לִפְנֵ֨י הָרְח֜וֹב אֲשֶׁ֣ר ׀ לִפְנֵ֣י שַֽׁעַר־הַמַּ֗יִם מִן־הָאוֹר֙ עַד־מַחֲצִ֣ית הַיּ֔וֹם נֶ֛גֶד הָאֲנָשִׁ֥ים וְהַנָּשִׁ֖ים וְהַמְּבִינִ֑ים וְאָזְנֵ֥י כָל־הָעָ֖ם אֶל־סֵ֥פֶר הַתּוֹרָֽה׃

Nehemiah 8:1-3

(1) the entire people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the scroll of the Teaching of Moses with which the LORD had charged Israel. (2) On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Teaching before the congregation, men and women and all who could listen with understanding. (3) He read from it, facing the square before the Water Gate, from the first light until midday, to the men and the women and those who could understand; the ears of all the people were given to the scroll of the Teaching.

נחמיה ח׳:ח׳

(ח) וַֽיִּקְרְא֥וּ בַסֵּ֛פֶר בְּתוֹרַ֥ת הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים מְפֹרָ֑שׁ וְשׂ֣וֹם שֶׂ֔כֶל וַיָּבִ֖ינוּ בַּמִּקְרָֽא׃ (ס)

Nehemiah 8:8

(8) They read from the scroll of the Teaching of God, translating it and giving the sense; so they understood the reading.