Gen 11 Babel the Fortified City

The story is about punishment

1. The term “Tower of Babel” is in English translation and not in the Hebrew
2. In Gen 10:5 the text states that the earth already had multiple languages
   1. 5 From these the coastland peoples spread. These are the descendants of Japheth in their lands, with their own language, by their families, in their nations.
   2. The text states no negative judgment of different languages
   3. Here we also see that the people have been multiplying
   4. Gen 11 begins with humanity still unified with one language
   5. Gen 11: 3 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. 4 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; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”
   6. In building a fortified city/tower we see that the city is excluding outsiders
3. Building of the Cities
   1. Ziggurats (fortified cities) were common in Ancient Messopitainoa
   2. Ref 1: Deu 1: 28 Where are we headed? Our kindred have made our hearts melt by reporting, “The people are stronger and taller than we; the cities are large and fortified up to heaven! We actually saw there the offspring of the Anakim!’
   3. Ref 2: Deu 9: 1 Hear, O Israel! You are about to cross the Jordan today, to go in and dispossess nations larger and mightier than you, great cities, fortified to the heavens, Humans were trying to gain security away from God
   4. Humans were showing that they didn’t need God
   5. In these cities some have too much and some have too little
   6. The cities monumental architecture was a symbol of power
   7. The word for bricks in Hebrew is used in Exodus 5:6-13

• This can be symbolic for slavery (lebenah)
• In Exodus we see that the Egyptians were making the Israelites make bricks by getting their own straw
• This also can be about gated communities
• God may want us to not be segregated (Gen 1)

4. Finally the text ends with God scattering the people

[i] Partial Notes from Introduction to Hebrew Bible BI-101-A Introduction to Hebrew Bible 1 Denise Hopkins (Notes Taken at Wesley Theological Seminary by Terrell Harris)