Tower of Babel

The Tower of Babel was a temple-tower built by the post-Flood population on a plain "in the land of Shinar" (Genesis 11:2), when everyone spoke the same language.

Type of tower

The Tower of Babel was not an attempt to physically reach heaven, but was rather a temple, whose "top is in the heavens". (Genesis 11:4 NKJV) Ancient Mesopotamian ziggurat temple-towers' top compartment represented heaven, and it seems the same is most likely the case for the Tower of Babel.^[1]^

Reason for building the tower

The city and tower of Babel were built by people who were rebelling against God, by directly contradicting his command to "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth." The purpose of building the tower was to "make a name for [them]selves", and to prevent them from being "dispersed over the face of the whole earth." (Genesis 11:4) By building a city to not be dispersed, and a tower to make a name for themselves, the people of Babel were defying God.

God's response

Genesis 11:5-8 describe God's response to the pride and arrogance of the people. He notes that when all of humanity can conspire together, the effects can be disastrous. Therefore, he confused their language (Babel means confusion), and the people dispersed, leaving the city unfinished.

Effects of Babel

The many languages around the world today are a result of the confusion of the language, and the dispersion of the people. Languages today fit into one of twenty or so language families. Both the languages in each family, and the people that speak them, are shown to be genetically linked, while few links have been found between families. This shows that both modern races, and modern languages, are due to the confusion and dispersion of Babel.^[2]^