Chapter XXXIV.
What kind of man Cham, that wicked son, was: and about the son of Chus, the giant and hunter, whose name is explained, and from whom the kingdom of Babylon is said to have begun.
Now I ask by what means did the Scriptura mention the son of Cham, that wicked man, being older? There are two kinds of earth, one sandy and dusty, or rather, powder-like: the other kind of earth is fruitful and fertile, that is, firmer and deeper earth. Therefore, what does the wicked man generate if not dust, from which generation cannot arise? And so the Prophet compared the wicked to dust, saying: Not so the wicked, not so, but like the dust which the wind drives away from the face of the earth (Psalm 1, 4). For this reason, even according to a higher sense, the barren soul of the wicked is unfruitful and cannot produce useful fruits.
127. By what means, then, did Cush also beget Nimrod, who was a hunter before God? Hence it is said: Even as Nimrod, the giant hunter before God (Gen. X, 9). What else, therefore, could dust and sand generate but an earthly man, since the wicked prefer earthly things to heavenly ones? For fables introduce the giants as having desired to fight against heaven, and they thought that by climbing up earthly heights, they could reach the heavens.
128. However, a higher meaning is signified by this, that those who love earthly pleasures, follow them, and think that by them they can attain the grace of God, and that the heavenly kingdom should be conferred upon such errors, he fights against heavenly things with a stubborn affection. Therefore, there is also a proverb about one who has sinned: Like the giant hunter Nembroth before God. Nembroth, however, is said to mean Aethiops in interpretation. The color of Aethiops signifies the darkness and filth of the soul, which is opposed to light, devoid of brightness, enveloped in darkness, more similar to night than to day. The hunter also has use in the forests, his conversation among wild animals and beasts. Therefore, the irrational is mixed with irrational passions; and the hunter is accustomed to exploring things that are of rustic and fierce malice, and to possess and delight in them. In the end, Nimrod is the beginning of this kingdom of Babylon, that is, confusion; because malice and power are not in simplicity and purity, not in the distinction of virtue, but in the confusion of vices.