LXX Gen 11:1–9: one speech, the tower and Confusion

Says Swete’s numbering in Genesis 11 matches the English and the MT. At 11:1 χεῖλος ἕν (Abbott-Smith: χεῖλος, “a lip”) renders שָׂפָה אֶחָת, and φωνὴ μία πᾶσιν renders וּדְבָרִים אֲחָדִים; Abbott-Smith files φωνή at this verse under “speech, language”. At 11:2 ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν (ἀνατολή, “the east”) means “from the east” for מִקֶּדֶם.

Uncertain No lean is taken on what the Hebrew phrases of 11:1–2 mean.

Says At 11:3 ἄσφαλτος ἦν αὐτοῖς ὁ πηλός (πηλός, “clay, as used by a potter”) renders וְהַחֵמָר הָיָה לָהֶם לַחֹמֶר, without the sound-play. At 11:4 πρὸ τοῦ διασπαρῆναι (διασπείρω, “to scatter abroad, disperse”), “before being scattered,” stands for פֶּן־נָפוּץ.

Says At 11:6 γένος ἓν (γένος, “race, nation”) renders עַם אֶחָד, and οὐκ ἐκλείψει ἐξ αὐτῶν πάντα (ἐκλείπω, “to leave off, cease, fail”) renders לֹא־יִבָּצֵר מֵהֶם כֹּל. At 11:7 δεῦτε καὶ καταβάντες συγχέωμεν (συνχέω, “to pour together, commingle, confuse”) keeps the plural of הָבָה נֵרְדָה וְנָבְלָה, and the verse renders שְׂפָתָם with τὴν γλῶσσαν and שְׂפַת with τὴν φωνὴν.

Uncertain No lean is taken on whom the plural of 11:7 includes.

Says 11:8 adds καὶ τὸν πύργον (πύργος, “a tower”), where וַיַּחְדְּלוּ לִבְנֹת הָעִיר names the city only. At 11:9 the name is Σύγχυσις (σύγχυσις, “confusion”; Abbott-Smith cites this verse) for בָּבֶל: the Greek keeps the sense of בָּלַל (Swete: συνέχεεν) but not the sound. The second divine name is Κύριος ὁ θεὸς. The Bodleian Genesis lacks a run of words from καὶ ἐπαύσαντο in 11:8 into 11:9.