Here, the tower can help us. The imagery of a building reaching the heavens supports this suggestion Gen If this is correct, then Gen provides further evidence for the time of writing: the oldest ziggurat was originally built with mud bricks. Only at the latest building stage, in the seventh century B. All things considered, the tower of Babel story is likely a postexilic addition to the primeval history.
The Hebrew Bible contains a variety of views about foreigners and their relationship to Israel and to God, reflecting the fact that Israel was in nearly constant contact with foreign peoples. Despite the numerous Mesopotamian touches in the Tower of Babel story Gen , there is almost no Mesopotamian material relating to it. The Tower of Babel 1Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.
View more. The Coming of the Holy Spirit 1When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. Hebrew is regarded as the spoken language of ancient Israel but is largely replaced by Aramaic in the Persian period.
Relating to the period in Judean history following the Babylonian exile — B. A region notable for its early ancient civilizations, geographically encompassing the modern Middle East, Egypt, and modern Turkey. Of or related to the written word, especially that which is considered literature; literary criticism is a interpretative method that has been adapted to biblical analysis. Six Days of Creation and the Sabbath 1In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,2the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face o The period in Judean history following the Babylonian exile — B.
Site HarperCollins Dictionary. Passages Home Tower of Babel. Add this:. Did you know…? The story of the tower of Babel describes the diversity of languages and people. The tower of Babel is only mentioned in Gen They were so prolific that all of Genesis 10 is dedicated to listing all their children and grandchildren by name, and there were quite a few.
So, while many were claiming territory, still many other people continued spreading across the earth and filling it. It was during one of these migrations that a certain group of people found a great place to build a tower.
In the middle of nowhere in the land of Shinar historical Babylon and currently Iraq, about 60 miles southwest of Baghdad , a group of migrants under the mighty leadership of Nimrod decided to stop and create a village.
Nimrod was the grandson of Noah and the son of Ham. If you remember, Ham was the son Noah cursed for teasing and making fun of his dad after he found his dad drunk and naked one night Genesis One day while the people were building the village, someone perhaps Nimrod himself suggested they build a tower that reached to the heavens. So, these villagers are talking about creating a tower that reaches to God Himself.
Let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth. Their goal was to create something that represented their great abilities and establish a famous reputation among the other tribes. They wanted to be the envy of everyone across the land. Remember, they were supposed to multiply and fill the earth, but this group of people had decided to stop, put down roots, and show off how smart and skilled they were. He then had a little conversation with Himself.
Now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. God notices how united they are, and they all have one language which allows them to do whatever they wish to do. So, He comes up with a plan. But they were all driven away, the village construction was never completed, and their language was suddenly changed. With stories like this, it can be hard to understand what the lesson might be.
By building the tower, the inhabitants of the city wanted to make a name for themselves and also prevent the population from being scattered across the earth:.
Genesis tells us that God came to see the city and the tower they were building. He perceived their intentions, and in his infinite wisdom, he knew this "stairway to heaven" would only lead the people away from God. The goal of the people was not to glorify God and lift up his name but to build a name for themselves. In Genesis , God told humankind: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. By building the tower, the people were ignoring God's clear instructions.
Babel is derived from the root meaning "to confuse" God observed what a powerful force the people's unity of purpose created. As a result, he confused their language, causing them to speak many different languages so they would not understand each other. By doing this, God thwarted their plans. He also forced the people of the city to scatter all across the face of the earth. Bible readers often wonder what was so wrong with building this tower.
The people were coming together to accomplish a notable work of architectural wonder and beauty. Why was that so bad? To arrive at the answer, one must understand that the tower of Babel was all about convenience, and not obedience to the will of God. The people were doing what seemed best for themselves and not what God had commanded.
Their building project symbolized the pride and arrogance of humans who were trying to be equal with God. In seeking to be free from reliance on God, the people thought they could reach heaven on their own terms.
The tower was a grandiose project—the ultimate human-made achievement. It resembled the modern masterstrokes people continue to build and boast about today, such as the Dubai Towers or the International Space Station. To build the tower, the people used brick instead of stone and tar instead of mortar.
They used human-made materials, instead of more durable materials created by God. The people were building a monument to themselves, to call attention to their abilities and achievements, instead of giving glory to God. God said in Genesis God made it clear that when people are unified in purpose, they can accomplish impossible feats, both noble and ignoble. This is why unity in the body of Christ is so important in our efforts to accomplish God's purposes on earth.
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