What did they do? Those of the school of Rabbi Shila said: They said, Let us build a tower and ascend to the firmament and strike it with axes so that its waters will gush out, as it is said, "Come, let us build us a city," and so forth. They laughed at this in the West [the Land of Israel]: If so, let them build it on a mountain. Rabbi Yirmiyah ben Elazar said: They split into three factions. One said, Let us ascend and dwell there; one said, Let us ascend and worship idols; and one said, Let us ascend and make war. The one that said "Let us ascend and dwell there"—"from there the LORD scattered them." And the one that said "Let us ascend and make war" was turned into apes and spirits and demons and night-demons. And the one that said "Let us ascend and worship idols"—"for there the LORD confounded the language of all the earth." Rabbi Natan says: They all intended idolatry. It is written here "and let us make a name for ourselves," and it is written there "and make no mention of the name of other gods" (Exodus 23:13); just as there it refers to idolatry, so too here it refers to idolatry. Rabbi Yochanan said: A third of the tower was burned, a third was swallowed up, and a third remains standing. Rav said: The air of the tower causes one to forget his learning. Rav Yosef said: Babel and Borsif are an ill omen for the Torah. Babel—"for there the LORD confounded [balal] the language of all the earth"; Borsif—"an empty pit" [bor shofi].
Three Factions of the Tower and Its Threefold Fate
Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 62:13
מַאי עָבִיד, אַמְרֵי דְּבֵי רַבִּי שִׁלָּא, אָמְרוּ, נִבְנֶה מִגְדָּל וְנַעֲלֶה לָרָקִיעַ וְנַכֵּהוּ בְּקַרְדּוּמוֹת כְּדֵי שֶׁיָּזוּבוּ מֵימָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר הָבָה נִבְנֶה לָנוּ עִיר וְגוֹ'. מַחֲכוּ עֲלָהּ בְּמַעֲרָבָא, אִם כֵּן לִיבְנָן אֲחֹד טוּרָא אָמַר רַבִּי יִרְמִיָּה בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר, נֶחְלְקוּ לְשָׁלֹשׁ כִּתּוֹת, אַחַת אוֹמֶרֶת נַעֲלֶה וְנֵשֶׁב שָׁם, וְאַחַת אוֹמֶרֶת נַעֲלֶה וְנַעֲבֹד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, וְאַחַת אוֹמֶרֶת נַעֲלֶה וְנַעֲשֶׂה מִלְחָמָה, זוֹ שֶׁאָמְרָה נַעֲלֶה וְנֵשֶׁב שָׁם מִשָּׁם הֱפִיצָם ה', וְזוֹ שֶׁאָמְרָה נַעֲלֶה וְנַעֲשֶׂה מִלְחָמָה נַעֲשׂוּ קוֹפִין וְרוּחִין וְשֵׁדִין וְלִילִין וְזוֹ שֶׁאָמְרָה נַעֲלֶה וְנַעֲבֹד ע"ז, כִּי שָׁם בָּלַל ה' שְׂפַת כָּל הָאָרֶץ. רַבִּי נָתָן אוֹמֵר, כֻּלָּם לַעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה נִתְכַּוְּנוּ, כְּתִיב הָכָא וְנַעֲשֶׂה לָנוּ שֵׁם וּכְתִיב הָתָם "וְשֵׁם אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים לֹא תַזְכִּירוּ", מַה לְּהַלָּן ע"ז, אַף כָּאן ע"ז. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן, מִגְדָּל שְׁלִישׁ נִשְׂרַף, שְׁלִישׁ נִבְלַע שְׁלִישׁ קִיֵּים אָמַר רַב, אֲוִיר מִגְדָּל מְשַׁכֵּחַ אֶת הַתַּלְמוּד. אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף, בָּבֶל בּוּרְסִיף סִימָן רַע לַתּוֹרָה בָּבֶל כִּי שָׁם בָּלַל ה' שְׂפַת כָּל הָאָרֶץ, בּוּרְסִיף בּוֹר שֹׁאֲפִי.