And they said: Come, let us make 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.
Sforno
"And they said, come let us build for ourselves a city." This was the idea of the leaders of the generation: to make Nimrod the king of all of humanity. "And a tower that reaches the heavens, and we will make a name for ourselves." We will make a name like a tower [i.e., solid]. The tale of the height of the place and size of the city will spread among all of humanity in a way that it will be considered by everyone to be the god of all gods, and all will seek it out. And the intention in this was that the king of that city would reign over all of humanity in that everyone would seek it out.
Hebrew and Aramaic words are the commentator’s citations of the sacred text; the English translation that follows each is the translator’s.
Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.