Matthew Henry Commentary Genesis 11:5-9

"And Jehovah came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And Jehovah said, Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is what they begin to do: and now nothing will be withholden from them, which they purpose to do. Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another`s speech. So Jehovah scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off building the city. Therefore was the name of it called Babel; because Jehovah did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did Jehovah scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth." — Genesis 11:5-9 (ASV)

Here is an expression after the manner of men: the Lord came down to see the city. God is just and fair in all He does against sin and sinners, and condemns no one unheard. Pious Eber is not found among this ungodly crew, for he and his are called the children of God. Their souls did not join themselves to the assembly of these children of men. God allowed them to go on for some time, so that the works of their hands, from which they promised themselves lasting honor, might turn to their lasting reproach.

God has wise and holy purposes in allowing the enemies of His glory to carry on their wicked projects to a great extent, and to prosper long. Observe the wisdom and mercy of God in the methods taken for defeating this undertaking. And the mercy of God in not making the penalty equal to the offense; for He does not deal with us according to our sins. The wisdom of God, in choosing a sure way to stop these proceedings.

If they could not understand one another, they could not help one another; this would stop them from their building. God has various means, and effective ones, to baffle and defeat the projects of proud men that set themselves against Him, and particularly He divides them among themselves. Notwithstanding their union and obstinacy, God was above them; for who ever hardened his heart against Him and prospered? Their language was confounded.

We all suffer from it to this day: in all the pains and trouble taken to learn the languages we need, we suffer for the rebellion of our ancestors at Babel. Indeed, those unhappy disputes, which are strifes of words and arise from misunderstanding one another's words, for all we know, are due to this confusion of tongues. They stopped building the city.

The confusion of their tongues not only made them unfit for helping one another, but they also saw the hand of the Lord gone out against them. It is wisdom to abandon what we see God fights against. God is able to blast and bring to nothing all the devices and designs of Babel-builders: there is no wisdom nor counsel against the Lord. The builders departed according to their families, and the tongue they spoke, to the countries and places allotted to them.

The children of men never did, nor ever will, come all together again, until the great day when the Son of Man shall sit upon the throne of His glory, and all nations shall be gathered before Him.