GENESIS 11: The Tower of Babel

The sons of Noah and their descendants had the opportunity of a new beginning.  It was their chance to do things the way God had commanded, that is, to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 1:28; 9:1, 7). Some of them did, and began to populate regions that were never before explored. Yet others rebelled, and instead of expanding their horizons, they began to gather, establishing fortified cities, to defend that which they were building.

In today’s world it is not strange to build tall building and cities, this has been a natural result of the population growth and the industrialization. However, in the old times, what was normal was to live in the country. Those who lived in the cities were the business people, who sold in the market what others produced on their lands.

That is why it is strange to read that several years after the Great Flood there were people who were determined to build a tower.

(Genesis 11:2-4)  And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth."

Pieter Brueghel (1563)  Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

There is nothing wrong with building a tower per se. The problem was the intention for which it was built. In the cities today very tall buildings are made, because there is no more room to expand. It is done out of need. But what was the need to build a tower in the middle of the Shinar plain?

The Bible explains the reason why the Tower of Babel was made: the men were looking to make a name for themselves. They wanted to exalt themselves; they wanted to reach the heavens and be like God. They did not want to be dispersed and fill the earth, as God had commanded. On the contrary, they wanted to stay together and make wonderful works to become powerful and famous. That generation came together with the purpose of glorifying the power of men and exalting their own names. Theirs was an anthropocentric society (that is, they had man at the core), instead of being Theo centric (God being the center of their lives).

The Bible does not mention Nimrod on Genesis chapter 11, but we must not forget that he was the founder of the city of Babel, where the tower was built. That was his kingdom’s capital. Whether he was alive or not during the actual building of the tower, we cannot help thinking that he planted the idea of self-exaltation and rebellion against God in the hearts of his people. 

GOD’S RESPONSE

What was God’s reaction when he saw the Tower of Babel?

(Genesis 11:5-7) And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech."

Before this, everyone spoke the same language.

(Genesis 11:1)  Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.

However, from that moment forward, God confused them, and each one began speaking a different language. The result was that they did not understand each other. How could anyone live, much less work, with someone without being able to communicate with each other? It is practically impossible.

The way God stopped the plans of men was by confusing them. That is exactly what the word “Babel” means; it literally means “confusion”.

The result was that each one took their own way, and that is how they began to disperse. In this way, God accomplished His will.

(Genesis 11:8-9) A So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth.

THE MODERN VERSION OF BABEL

Did you know that today there is an existing building that was built as a modern image of the Tower of Babel? It is the building that houses the European Parliament, which is located in Strasburg, in the border between Germany and France. It is a modern building, but has the shape of tower that has not been completed. It was purposely built this way. Its architectural design was inspired by Pieter Brueghel’s painting of the Tower of Babel. [See the painting at the top of this entry].

When Parliament was inaugurated, on the flyers and posters they painted a cartoon with the image of the Tower of Babel, which was being built by people who were shaped like bricks. The campaign slogan was “Europe: Many tongues, one voice”.

This is a very attractive phrase that seemed to have a noble message, calling people to unity, respect and tolerance. But why link it to the Tower of Babel, which is a symbol of rebellion against God and the exaltation of man? This was the underlined message, which has characterized the European frame of mind in the modern era.

The “Spirit of Babel” is still alive, and has resurfaced again and again throughout history. And it will continue to be so until the end, when the kingdom of men (Babylon) falls to give room for the Kingdom of God (Jerusalem) – see Revelation 18 and Daniel 2.

(Revelation 14:6-8)  Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water." Another angel, a second, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality."

THE PURPOSE FOR THE CONFUSION

As we already mentioned, in the beginning all men spoke the same language (Genesis 11:1). The original desire of God was for all men to understand each other. This is not limited to speaking the same language, but also having the same understanding. Could you imagine a world where there are no misunderstandings?

The confusion of the language came when men decided to live by his own will, apart from God, above God and instead of God. The problem at Babel did not lie only on the difference of language, but in the variety of thought, mindset, intentions and motivations. When every man is searching for his own glory, then we cannot understand each other. When every one is fighting for his own interest, there is dissension.

God is not against diversity, since he made us all different. As Paul the Apostle tells us, we are all members of the same body; every member is different and unique, but they all work together in unity when they are all connected to the head and submits to it (1 Corinthians 12).

If we want humanity to attain unity, we must stop building our own empires and working on our own individual plans. We must connect ourselves to God’s divine plan, to the Head, each one accomplishing the purpose for which each of us was created. If we want to return to understanding each other, we must place God before our own individual egos.

REVERSING THE CONFUSION

The prophet Zephaniah speaks about the last days, specifically about the day of the wrath and the judgment. In those days the consequence of the sin of Babel will be reversed:

(Zephaniah 3:8-9) Therefore wait for me, declares the LORD, for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed. For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the LORD and serve him with one accord.

The phrase “pure speech” literally means: to clear or clean a language or tongue. Some commentators interpret this verse as a return to speaking a single language. It is not only this, but a return to our understanding each other. Why? Because everyone will call upon the name of the Lord, instead of seeking to “make a name for themselves” as they did during the time of Babel.

SHEM’S GENERATIONS

After the Tower of Babel incident, the Bible presents the generations of Shem (Genesis 11:10-26), which serve as an introduction to the story of the patriarch Abraham (previously called Abram). His destiny will be to restore the name of God through the history of civilization.

The first thing Abram did when he reached the land of Canaan was to go up to Bethel, build an altar and call upon the “Name of the Lord”.

(Genesis 12:8)  From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD.

TERAH’S DESCENDANTS

In Shem’s generations there is a special mention of a man called Terah, who was Abram’s father.

Before advancing to Abram’s story (later called Abraham), it is important for us to meet this patriarch’s close relatives, some of whom will resurface again through the biblical narrative.

(Genesis 11:27-30)  Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot. Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his kindred, in Ur of the Chaldeans. And Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and Iscah. Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.

Abram did not leave Ur of the Chaldeans by himself, his father Terah left with him. According to Jewish tradition they left Ur because the king had killed Haran, Lot’s father, Abram’s brother. However, they did not go far, they did not cross the Euphrates River. They settled in a land not far from Ur, and there they established the town of Haran, in memory of Terah’s late son.

(Genesis 11:31-32)  Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there. The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran.

Terah’s family remained in Haran. But God called Abram to continue his journey… which we will read about in our next study.