11:1 And the whole earth was of one Isaiah 14:13-15 For thou hast said "language" (sepheth) lips, speech, "a tower" /
language, and of one speech. in thine heart, I will ascend into words, language The site that archaeologists propose /
11:2 And it came to pass, as they heaven, I will exalt my throne above as being the location of the famous /
journeyed from the east, that they the stars of God: I will sit also "speech" (dabar) spoken word, speech tower of "Babel" is now a hole in the /
found a plain in the land of upon the mount of the congregation, center of the ancient city of Babylon /
Shinar; and they dwelt there. in the sides of the north: "east" (qedmah) the fore part, the that is 330 feet square. The ancients /
11:3 And they said one to another, I will ascend above the heights east, eastward removed all the bricks to build their /
Go to, let us make brick, and burn of the clouds; I will be like the homes and other buildings. the bricks /
them thoroughly. And they had Most High. "Shinar" (shinar) a plain in Babylon were one foot square and four inches /
brick for stone, and slime had Yet thou shalt be brought down to thick. Near the location was found an /
they for mortar. hell, to the sides of the pit. "brick" (laban, lbenah) to make, to ancient tablet translated as: "The /
11:4 And they said, Go to, let us Psalms 2:1-5 Why do the heathen rage, become white as a brick, tile building of this illustrious tower /
build us a city, and a tower, and the people imagine a vain thing? offended the gods. In a night they /
whose top may reach unto heaven; The kings of the earth set them- "burn" (srephah) cremation, burning threw down what they had built. They /
and let us make us a name, lest we selves, and the rulers take counsel scattered them abroad, and made /
be scattered abroad upon the face together, against the Lord, and "slime" (chemar) bitumen as rising strange their speech. Their progress /
of the whole earth. against his Anointed, saying, to the surface, slime they impeded. They wept hot tears for /
11:5 And the Lord came down to see Let us break their bands asunder, Babylon." /
the city and the tower, which the and cast away their cords from us. "city" (ayar) a place guarded by a There still remains a well preserved /
children of men builded. He that sitteth in the heavens watch, an encampment, post, city example of such a tower to the gods at /
11:6 And the Lord said, Behold, the shall laugh: the Lord shall have the ancient city of Ur. The tower at /
people is one, and they have all them in derision. "tower" (migdal) a rostrum, castle, "Babel" possibly consisted of seven /
one language; and this they begin Then shall he speak unto them in tower platforms as follows. /
to do: and now nothing will his wrath, and vex them in his sore base 600 sq. ft. /
restrained from them, which they displeasure. "top" (rosh) to shake the head, the 1st 330 sq. ft. 110 ft. high /
have imagined to do. Luke 1:49-52 For he that is mighty foremost, the height, the top 2nd 290 sq. ft. 70 ft. high /
11:7 Go to, let us go down, and hath done to me great things; and 3rd 200 sq. ft. 20 ft. high /
there confound their language, holy is his name. "unto heavens" (shameh) lofty, sky, 4th 170 sq. ft. 20 ft. high /
that they may not understand one And his mercy is on them that fear where the clouds move, heavens 5th 140 sq. ft. 20 ft. high /
another's speech. him from generation to generation. 6th 110 sq. ft. 20 ft. high /
11:8 So the Lord scattered them He hath showed strength with his "a name" (shem) conspicuous position, On top a statue to Marduk (Nimrod) /
abroad from thence upon the face arm; he hath scattered the proud honor, fame, renown, a name 70 sq. ft. and 50 feet high /
of all the earth: and they left in the imagination of their hearts. /
off to build the city. He hath put down the mighty from "scattered" (puwts) to dash to pieces, Such towers were found in most every /
11:9 Therefore is the name of it from their seats, and exalted them to break apart, to spread abroad ancient Babylonian city and would not /
called Babel; because the Lord did of low degree. be considered as very impressive as /
there confound the language of all "will be restrained " (batsar) compared to other great structures. /
the earth: and from thence did the to clip off, to be isolated, to /
Lord scatter them abroad upon the withhold, restrain "top may reach unto heaven" /
face of all the earth. A similar phrase is found in Deuter- /
11:10 These are the generations of "imagined" (zamam) to plan, to plot, onomy 1:28 "The people is greater and /
Shem: Shem was a hundred years Luke 3:36 to devise, think evil, imagine taller than we; the cities are great /
old, and begat Arphaxad two years which was the son of Shem, and walled up to heaven:" from the /
after the flood: "confound" (balal) to overflow, to spies as to the nature of the land of /
11:11 And Shem lived after he begat mix, to mingle, to confound Canaan. Josephus records "Now the /
Arphaxad five hundred years, and multitude were very ready to follow /
begat sons and daughters. which was the son of Apharaxad, "Babel" (babel) confusion the determination of Nimrod, and to /
11:12 And Arphaxad lived five and esteem it a piece of cowardice to /
thirty years, and begat Salah: submit to God; and they built a tower, /
11:13 And Arphaxad lived after he Which was the son of Cainan "generations" (toldah) descent, neither sparing any pains, nor being /
begat Salah four hundred and three history, generations in any degree negligent about the /
years, and begat sons and Luke 3:35 work: and by reason of the multitude /
daughters. which was the son of Salah, of hands employed in it, it grew very /
11:14 And Salah lived thirty years, "old" (shanah) whole age, years high, ... It was built of burnt brick, /
and begat Eber: cemented together with mortar, made /
11:15 And Salah lived after he begat of bitumen, that it might not be /
Eber four hundred and three years, which was the son of Eber, "lived" (chayah) to preserve alive, liable to admit water. When God saw /
and begat sons and daughters. to live that they acted madly, he did not /
11:16 And Eber lived four and thirty resolve to destroy them utterly, since /
years, and begat Peleg: they were not grown wiser by the /
11:17 And Eber lived after he begat "begat" (yalad) to bear young, to destruction of the former sinners; but /
Peleg four hundred and thirty which was the son of Peleg, show lineage, to bring forth he caused a tumult among them, by /
years, and begat sons and producing in them divers languages." /
daughters. Josephus also reports that "Sibyl" /
11:18 And Peleg lived thirty years, "Reu" (ruw) friend wrote: "When all men were of one /
and begat Reu: language, some of them built a high /
11:19 And Peleg lived after he begat tower, as if they would thereby /
Reu two hundred and nine years, which was the son of Reu, ascend up to heaven, but the gods /
and begat sons and daughters. sent storms of wind and overthrew the /
11:20 And Reu lived two and thirty tower, and gave every one his peculiar /
years, and begat Serug: "Serug" (sruwg) tendril language; and for this reason it was /
11:21 And Reu lived after he begat that the city was called Babylon." /
Serug two hundred and seven years, The hebrew word "Babel" means /
and begat sons and daughters. Which was the son of Serug, confusion, but the Chaldean words /
11:22 And Serug lived thirty years, "Bab-el" have been translated as "gate /
and begat Nahor: "Nahor" (nachowr) snorer of God". Archaeologists inform us /
11:23 And Serug lived after he begat that ancient Babylon was a very relig- /
Nahor two hundred years, and begat ious city, a city of many gods. From /
sons and daughters. Luke 3:34 this area polytheism originated and /
11:24 And Nahor lived nine and which was the son of Nahor, spread over the entire globe. The /
twenty years, and begat Terah: "Terah" (terach) ???? names of the gods have changed many /
11:25 And Nahor lived after he begat times, but elements of the early /
Terah a hundred and nineteen Babylonian religions are found in most /
years, and begat sons and all ancient religions. And also /
daughters. which was the son of Terah, remain to be found alive and well /
11:26 And Terah lived seventy years, "Abram" (abram) high father today in the form of astrological /
and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. signs and charts and many aspects that /
11:27 Now these are the generations the "New Age" religions have adopted. /
of Terah: Terah begat Abram, which was the son of Abraham, Also many elements can be found in /
Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Nehemiah 9:7 Thou art the Lord the "Haran" (haran) mountaineer the customs of Christmas and Easter /
Lot. God, who didst choose Abram, and celebrations that are among the trad- /
11:28 And Haran died before his broughtest him forth out of Ur of itions of many Christian denominat- /
father Terah in the land of his the Chaldees, and gavest him the "Lot" (lowt) a veil, covering ions. The legacy started by Nimrod /
nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. name of Abraham; and his followers of rebelling against /
11:29 And Abram and Nahor took them Acts 7:2-5 "nativity" (mowledeth) land of birth, the Creator has continued as "nothing /
wives: the name of Abram's wife ...The God of glory appeared unto will be restrained from them, which /
was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's our father Abraham, when he was in "Ur" (uwr) fire, flame, light they have imagined to do." "for the /
wife, Milcah, the daughter of Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in imagination of man's heart is evil /
Haran, the father of Milcah, and Haran, "Chaldees" (kasdiymah) towards the from his youth:" (Genesis 8:21) /
the father of Iscah. And said unto him, Get thee out of Kasdites /
11:30 But Sarai was barren; she had thy country, and from thy kindred, "the generations of Shem" /
no child. and come into the land which I shall "Sarai" (saray) dominative Shem means honor and character, but /
11:31 And Terah took Abram his son, show thee. sounds like our shame. Such is the /
and Lot the son of Haran his son's Then came he out of the land of the "Milcah" (milkah) a queen two faced nature of all mankind and /
son, and Sarai his daughter-in- Chaldeans, and dwelt in Haran: and so is the history of the lineage that /
law, his son Abram's wife; and from thence, when his father was "Iscah" (yickah) to watch the Lord has chosen to carry his Word /
they went forth with them from Ur dead, he removed him into this land, for as long as man is on this planet. /
of the Chaldees, to go into the wherein ye now dwell. "barren" (aqar) sterile, barren The Scriptures that follow detail many /
land of Canaan; and they came unto And he gave him none inheritance low points and many high points in the /
Haran, and dwelt there. in it, no, not so much as to set his "Canaan" (knaan) humiliated lineage of His people. But there /
11:32 And the days of Terah were two foot on: yet he promised that he shall always be those chosen few who /
hundred and five years: and Terah would give it to him for a possess- will be dedicated to the Word of the /
died in Haran. ion, and to his seed after him, Creator. As the Lord promised Abraham: /
when as yet he had no child. "I will make of thee a great nation, /
and I will bless thee, and make thy /
name great; and thou shalt be a /
blessing: /
... and in thee shall all families /
of the earth be blessed." /
(Genesis 12:2-3) /
/
/
MATTERS OF CONTENTION MATTERS OF CONTENTION /
/
"of one language, and of one speech" "the generations of Shem" /
Speech is one of those marvelous attributes that separates man from the Name Age at son's birth/at death Name Age at son's birth/at death /
rest of the animal kingdom. Granted a number of the animal species seem Shem 100 600 Adam 130 930 /
to be able to communicate some thoughts and warnings verbally, but most of Arphaxad 35 438 Seth 105 912 /
their communication would seem to be with body language. How does the Shelah 30 433 Enosh 90 905 /
evolutionist explain this advanced development by man? Obviously they Eber 34 464 Kenan 70 910 /
would maintain that it evolved slowly over millions of years! But why Peleg 30 239 Mahalalel 65 895 /
has only one species developed this capability to such an advanced state? Reu 32 239 Jared 162 962 /
Why did not another species do likewise? Serug 30 230 Enoch 65 365 /
And how about writing? How long has man been able to write and not any Nahor 29 148 Methusaleh 187 969 /
other species? Archaeologists verify that writing appears to have origin- Terah 130 205 Lamech 182 777 /
nated from the area of the Tigris-Euphrates flood plain along with advan- Abraham 75 175 Noah 502 950 /
ced species of man. And indeed known examples of writing are rather /
recent in the history of this earth as the Scriptures record! Many We have provided data on the patriarchs before the deluge for comparison. /
propose that writing was definitely known before the flood and ancient Note the decreasing life span after the flood. Many scholars use this as /
writings such as that of Hammurabi (king of Babylon approx. 2000 BC) evidence to support the theories that the climatic conditions changed /
records that he enjoyed reading the writings before the flood. But there dramatically following the flood. That the "vapor canopy" was depleted. /
is argument that Hammurabi was referring to only a local Babylonian flood. Others propose that the decrease in life span was due to an increase of /
And there is argument as to whether Moses was writing from written words radiation due to a nearby supernova. /
or from verbal traditions. But remember there is the ancient tradition There is also considerable debate as to whether the numbers can be used /
that Enoch invented writing before the deluge. to provide an exact date for the flood and the creation! The most famous /
dating had been that of Bishop Ussher which was listed in the margins of /
"let us build a city" many Bible printings. There have been many other and diverse datings which /
Is this the first attempt of man to construct an organized society, or are less well known. Those who propose that the listings and numbers are /
were there prior advanced societies before the deluge? Scholars are very unsuitable for exact datings have a good case to present that there are gaps /
divided on this matter. Unfortunately the motives of man at this point in the listings. That the Hebrew word translated as begat does not require /
seems to be contrary to the will of the Creator. The efforts are to a direct son but allows for a more distant relationship. Luke included /
"make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad". The Lord had desired that an extra name of Cainan between Arphaxad and Salah . Luke 3:35-36 "...Salah, /
they "replenish the earth" but they desire to band together and form a Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad..." This extra /
political and religious society which under the direction of Nimrod would name is found in some manuscripts of the Septuagint translation, but deleted /
defy the desires of the Creator and institute the worship of men and gods. in others. Luke may have used the Septuagint for his studies. But many /
Most often man develops these societies in order that one man or one group propose that it is a copying error. The are many other very good reasons /
of men can have power and control over the others. It is probable that to believe that generations have been deleted from the listings and that /
this was the post flood origination of that most evil of things, taxes! only a few men of note have been listed. All of the men listed had many /
Nimrod probably conscripted laborers and funds to build the tower! As a "sons and daughters" that were not listed. To have listed all offspring /
mighty man he probably used force including killings to have his way. would have been extremely tedious and unnecessary to delivering the desired /
messages and meanings. /
"confound their language" I Chronicles 26:24-26 "And Shebuel the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, /
Was this a sudden miraculous intervention of the Creator or did the was ruler of the treasures. And his brethren by Eliezer; Rehabiah his son, /
naturally contentious nature of man come into play and did hostile fact- and Jeshaniah his son, and Joram his son, and Zichri his son, and Shelomith /
ions develop and form their own societies, religions and languages in an his son. Which Shelomith and his brethren were over all the treasures of /
effort to overthrow Nimrod? Traditional writings inform us that there the dedicated things, which David the king, and the chief fathers ... /
were also catastrophic forces involved in the destruction of the tower. had dedicated." /
The Scriptures inform us "let us go down, and confound their language", The Hebrew word ben (son of) as the word yalad (begat) in many cases /
therefore intervention of the heavenly host was involved, but we know indicates lineage, but not necessarily one son following another. As we /
that man needs little encouragement to become hostile and disorganized. see in Chronicles where Gershom the son of Moses is recorded as having a /
As we see demonstrated over and over man is very capable of inventing son Shebuel who was over the treasures of David. Either there was another /
confusion on his own without any help. If one contentious man sees that Moses or we have over 400 years covered by the two words ben between Moses /
he can possibly seize control if he forms his own society and language, and Shebuel of the time of David. Moses did have a son Gershom, but there /
will he not do so, of course. This event was very noteworthy since many were also other men named Gershom. We know for certain of only one Moses. /
ancients recorded it. Was this possibly the first organized war? Many scholars propose that there is a time gap in the lineages between /
Many scholars inform us that somewhere in the traditions of most cultures Eber and Peleg. That the flood occurred possibly one or two thousand /
there is knowledge that at one time man was unified, spoke one language, years before the time of Abraham. For by the time of Abraham men had /
and worshiped one God. developed rather sophisticated societies and large cities far from the /
site of Babel. But most cannot see stretching the time over more than /
100,000 years as many secular anthropologists would advocate. The debates /
will undoubtedly continue until the Lord returns! /
