John Walton: The Meaning of the Tower of Babel

seedbed.com
Seedbed's mission is to gather, connect, and resource the people of God to sow for a great awakening. // Find out more and join the awakening journey! seedbed.com
What is the meaning of the Tower of Babel and why was God displeased with the project? Dr. John Walton sets the story straight by suggesting that it be read in its ancient context.
The Tower of Babel was, in all probability, an ancient ziggurat-a large, stepped structure typically built next to temples. They were not made for people, but for gods to come down from heaven (note that this is exactly what God does in Gen 11:5) and supply the needs of the people.
The builders tried to establish the sacred space that they lost in the Garden of Eden, but they wanted God for their own purposes. What follows in Genesis 12 through the story of Abraham is God initiating his own plan for re-establishing sacred space.

[@kargs5krun]

_"we have to be aware of its not written _*_TO US_*_ but written *FOR US*._ Epic! But missed/forgotten by many (including self). Thank you for this simple but HUGE reminder. Simple analysis yet Profound. Bravo ! +Seedbed

[@princeamoakwa4057]

My new found pearl. So helpful.

[@pannonia77]

It is certainly not written to us. But in my opinion it is not written FOR US, either. The whole creation story is embarrassing for any scientifically non illiterate person at least since Copernicus, but after the discovery that the Earth is much much older than just 6000 years, the discovery of extant species, after Darwin, after Fred Hoyle (that the Universe is expanding), is even more embarrassing. Sensible Christians therefore try to interpret it figuratively. Only the scientifically illiterate fundamentalists who beside their scientific illiteracy have no understanding of literary genres, either, hold on to a literal interpretation of a clearly mythical text.

[@davidqatan]

@@pannonia77 it isn’t interpreted figuratively. Walton explains the ancient near eastern thought behind it. It’s not scientific, it’s theological.

[@jasonschmidt157]

@@pannonia77 A fool says in his heart there is no God.

[@pannonia77]

@@jasonschmidt157 Other fools who have no thoughts of their own cite the Bible.

[@debracarey2129]

Until you wrap your head around what happened in Genesis 6:1-4 you will not understand, really understand why God was so upset at Nimrod and his followers over the tower of Babel. They were trying to bring down... the 'gods', the fallen angels, not God.

[@KarlGessler]

Nice 7min summarization. Thank you!

[@dinorockwell7670]

The internet has become the modern tower of babel

[@GTKJNow]

Truth to that. He said [Gen 11:6 KJV] 6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people [is] one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. And they are working on the Spiritual Tower of Babel today Example, Pres. Biden said, "There's nothing we can't do together"! What do you give a rich man who has everything? Love. Give the Lord your 1st love, He gets lonely too and He NEEDS your love, are you going to be part of the bride of Christ?

[@rhodananfuka475]

It makes sense. They built it out of selfishness and pride

[@WalterRMattfeld]

The Bible says mankind, after the flood, built a tower "to make a name for themselves and prevent being scattered" across the earth. God is offended by this action, and to prove his power, confuses their one language into many, causing the work to stop on the tower, then scattering mankind over the earth as they are unable to communicate with each other. Some understand God saw the tower as some form of rebellion to his will. He had instructed Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply and take dominion over all the earth and its creatures. This could not happen if man stayed in just one locality. Walton is correct about the Babylonian concepts regarding the tower or Ziggurat. It was made to honor the gods, not to defy the gods. It was an artificial mountain with a room at its top with a bed in it for the god to rest/sleep on whenever he chose to descend from heaven and dwell among his people. A table near the bed was provided with food for the god to dine on before falling asleep. A beautiful maiden was sometimes put in the room for the god to have sex with (all this according to the Greek historian Herodotus, who visited Babylon and talked in person with the priests there circa 450 BC). Some Babylonian myths have the ziggurat being made by the gods, not by man. In the Bible God is portrayed as dwelling among his people atop Mount Zion in Jerusalem, in Solomon's Temple. He has a Mercy Seat that he sits upon in the Holy of Holies (the gods of other nations are portrayed in art forms as seated upon chreubbim thrones like Yahweh). He is presented two meals every day, morning and evening by the Levite priests. The Mesopotamian gods were daily presented two meals, morning and evening, just like Yahweh. To show a people that their god could not protect them, the Assyrians and Babylonians were in the habit of taking images of the gods (art forms show gods seated on thrones being hauled off into captivity) from temples and carrying them off into captivity, along with the subjugated people. The Mercy Seat of God is carried off to Babylon and his temple destroyed, denying him visitation rights to Mt. Zion (in Babylonian eyes) and ending his dwelling among his people. When Israel returned from the Babylonian Exile, it was without God's Mercy Seat. Yet the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, told the people that God would dwell again in their midst if the Temple was rebuilt (nothing said of a Mercy Seat being needed). The Temple was rebuilt by 515 BC.

[@kenperry6379]

Amen notice the bricks were cooked making them water proof thus making sure they were not flooded again

[@NEMO-NEMO]

@walter For the novice on this thread, please explain who the gods are?

[@jepizzo2]

Jehovah wanted humans to “fill the earth and subdue it.” They were meant to spread out all over the earth. A lot of genetic diversity was lost in the Flood. If humans all lived together at this early time, it would be a melting pot and everyone would end up looking similar. Only by dividing into separate groups at this early time could different races of humans come about with unique coloration, features and culture. Nimrod wanted everyone to remain together so he could rule ALL humans. One thought behind the high tower could have been rebellion and defiance against God. If there was ever another Flood they could escape God’s judgment by ascending the tower. They wanted a means of saving themselves apart from obedience to God. Also, issues had been raised in Eden that humans could rule themselves successfully without God. Only by dividing up could they try every imaginable form of government and resolve the question. 6,000+ years of history have proven innumerable forms of human rule inadequate, exploitative and divisive. Then there is this matter of “nothing that they may have in mind to do that will be unattainable for them.” Genesis 11:6 Jehovah had a certain amount of time in mind to resolve issues raised in Eden, set up precedents for forgiveness of sins, prepare the messianic kingdom, preaching of the good news and eventual reconciliation of obedient mankind. Humans would have progressed technically too quickly and endangered their own existence through nuclear weapons or climate change millennia before now. At Armageddon God will have to step in “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth” and that intervention would have been needed too soon. wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200000529 www.jw.org/en/

[@traildude7538]

In contrary to several claims of where the Tower was, there is a place where these things happened: * it would have been the largest ziggurat and possibly the largest human structure to that point * the structure was never finished * a big reason it wasn't finished was that workers spoke a bunch of different languages * not just the work force but much of the city's population got scattered Those fit the Genesis account , and there is no other place where those were the case. The city was Eridu, arguably the first city of mankind.

[@jgr7487]

this story rhymes amazingly with David wanting to build the Temple, & how God answered.

[@docanaheim55]

Unfortunately I believe the stories are very much different. David desired to construct rhe temple to glorify God , but God informs him he is sinful and He will not inhabit the Holy of Holies because David defiled himself with the blood of those he had killed for his sins. Now Nimrod built for glory of Nimrod .

[@phyllismccraw6710]

Excellent.

[@kcstoneguy]

Interesting

[@paulpenn6584]

Brilliant!

[@vanthawng154]

Thanks

[@brianchamberlin6724]

Would be on AirBnB listing if still in existence today.

[@kennethmckinney6145]

While I appreciate much of Walton’s writings, this interpretation is way off the mark of the known Genesis narrative. Heiser’s Deuteronomy approach seems to be the best fit

[@graysonpulis7650]

Where exactly do you see a deep disagreement here? Perhaps I missed it. Walton's main point is that they desired to make a name for themselves by bringing God down to them. Not by going up to God. Heiser seems to agree..."Ziggurats were divine abodes, places where Mesopotamians believed heaven and earth intersected. The nature of this structure makes evident the purpose in building it-to bring the divine down to earth." Notice he uses nearly the exact same language as Walton here...

[@mikekulati7526]

I hear what others are saying on this wild speculative take by Dr Walton, I am in agreement with you Kenneth McKinney completely.

[@pannonia77]

This happens since many Christian believers are blind to see the Bible as it is, namely that the first 11 chapters of Genesis are not history but myths. You cannot build a tower to reach the sky. This cannot be history. (The highest buildings built by mankind 3000 years ago were the great pyramids, and they do not reach 150 meters. The highest mountain, Everest, is more than 50 times higher. Not even today, with modern technology can we build buildings several thousand meters high, let alone "reach the sky".) This story is clearly a myth. It says that people try to reach the sky, i.e. want to rrach the realm of the gods, eliminating the distance between the human world and the divine realm.

[@jepizzo2]

Jehovah wanted humans to “fill the earth and subdue it.” They were meant to spread out all over the earth. A lot of genetic diversity was lost in the Flood. If humans all lived together at this early time, it would be a melting pot and everyone would end up looking similar. Only by dividing into separate groups at this early time could different races of humans come about with unique coloration, features and culture. Nimrod wanted everyone to remain together so he could rule ALL humans. One thought behind the high tower could have been rebellion and defiance against God. If there was ever another Flood they could escape God’s judgment by ascending the tower. They wanted a means of saving themselves apart from obedience to God. Also, issues had been raised in Eden that humans could rule themselves successfully without God. Only by dividing up could they try every imaginable form of government and resolve the question. 6,000+ years of history have proven innumerable forms of human rule inadequate, exploitative and divisive. Then there is this matter of “nothing that they may have in mind to do that will be unattainable for them.” Genesis 11:6 Jehovah had a certain amount of time in mind to resolve issues raised in Eden, set up precedents for forgiveness of sins, prepare the messianic kingdom, preaching of the good news and eventual reconciliation of obedient mankind. Humans would have progressed technically too quickly and endangered their own existence through nuclear weapons or climate change millennia before now. At Armageddon God will have to step in “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth” and that intervention would have been needed too soon. wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200000529 www.jw.org/en/

[@mccalltrader]

@@graysonpulis7650 I think the issue at hand is that Heiser would argue, that God disinherited the nations because of their rebellion against his command in gen9:7. The people of babel are quoted as saying, that they didn’t want to be scattered, which goes against Gods command to multiply on the earth and increase upon it…which is an allusion to the original command God gave to Adam and Eve..to fill the earth and subdue it gen 1:28

[@rob-zx9kf]

Built without Gods guidance so they were guided by who's spirit?

[@shawndurham297]

Never heard this interpretation, but it makes sense.

[@Hillers62]

Not if you read the actual text...

[@chrisossa2022]

@@Hillers62 exactly this is all conjecture

[@rosehammer9482]

Read the Jewish historian Josephus account of the tower of babel. John Walton and Josephus are miles apart and their understanding. I’ll stick with Josephus.

[@rhodes6840]

So in this context how would the building of it make anything possible for them? It sounds more to be something from before the flood, something dangerous and powerful just from the results.

[@NicholasReguin]

It’s not the act of the building it itself, it is the attitude of the people and their aim of manipulating God.

[@joe4570]

if you want to read about this further read Michael Heiser

[@samphonnetgamgee5625]

No don't read Michael Heiser. Many of the things he says have no biblical foundation. He's not even a Christian.

[@dav1djac0b]

@@samphonnetgamgee5625 do you know more about this man or reason you say he’s not Christian? I think he’s a fraud.

[@user-hd6em5fo7i]

interesting

[@petemiller9865]

👊✌

[@stwoods25]

Interesting. Will need to do some more research, which is always a good thing...

[@anthemproducer2030]

Steve Woods don’t he’s off

[@jepizzo2]

Jehovah wanted humans to “fill the earth and subdue it.” They were meant to spread out all over the earth. A lot of genetic diversity was lost in the Flood. If humans all lived together at this early time, it would be a melting pot and everyone would end up looking similar. Only by dividing into separate groups at this early time could different races of humans come about with unique coloration, features and culture. Nimrod wanted everyone to remain together so he could rule ALL humans. One thought behind the high tower could have been rebellion and defiance against God. If there was ever another Flood they could escape God’s judgment by ascending the tower. They wanted a means of saving themselves apart from obedience to God. Also, issues had been raised in Eden that humans could rule themselves successfully without God. Only by dividing up could they try every imaginable form of government and resolve the question. 6,000+ years of history have proven innumerable forms of human rule inadequate, exploitative and divisive. Then there is this matter of “nothing that they may have in mind to do that will be unattainable for them.” Genesis 11:6 Jehovah had a certain amount of time in mind to resolve issues raised in Eden, set up precedents for forgiveness of sins, prepare the messianic kingdom, preaching of the good news and eventual reconciliation of obedient mankind. Humans would have progressed technically too quickly and endangered their own existence through nuclear weapons or climate change millennia before now. At Armageddon God will have to step in “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth” and that intervention would have been needed too soon. wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200000529 www.jw.org/en/

[@stwoods25]

@@jepizzo2 You made some interesting point. Would like to respond and communicate further regarding this topic..

[@myokavango]

Thank you for your kind explanation. I was getting bit annoyed with this part. Why the heck did he do that for...not anymore. Cheers

[@jepizzo2]

Jehovah wanted humans to “fill the earth and subdue it.” They were meant to spread out all over the earth. A lot of genetic diversity was lost in the Flood. If humans all lived together at this early time, it would be a melting pot and everyone would end up looking similar. Only by dividing into separate groups at this early time could different races of humans come about with unique coloration, features and culture. Nimrod wanted everyone to remain together so he could rule ALL humans. One thought behind the high tower could have been rebellion and defiance against God. If there was ever another Flood they could escape God’s judgment by ascending the tower. They wanted a means of saving themselves apart from obedience to God. Also, issues had been raised in Eden that humans could rule themselves successfully without God. Only by dividing up could they try every imaginable form of government and resolve the question. 6,000+ years of history have proven innumerable forms of human rule inadequate, exploitative and divisive. Then there is this matter of “nothing that they may have in mind to do that will be unattainable for them.” Genesis 11:6 Jehovah had a certain amount of time in mind to resolve issues raised in Eden, set up precedents for forgiveness of sins, prepare the messianic kingdom, preaching of the good news and eventual reconciliation of obedient mankind. Humans would have progressed technically too quickly and endangered their own existence through nuclear weapons or climate change millennia before now. At Armageddon God will have to step in “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth” and that intervention would have been needed too soon. wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200000529 www.jw.org/en/

[@GTX1123]

I always found verse 6 to be intriguing; i.e. God Himself had to scatter them because He Himself acknowledged the fact that "nothing they plan to do will be impossible". Some have speculated that this tower / ziggurat was actually a demonic portal they were trying to open into the spirit realm which would have released an incredible level of demonic power into the earth, once again corrupting all of mankind to the same level of Genesis 6. While the plain meaning of the text doesn't affirm or deny this idea, it is a plausible explanation, especially when you consider the Genesis 6 reference to the Nephilim just a few chapters earlier and the more detailed explanation in the Book of Enoch. Mt. Hermon was kind of a portal where these fallen angels came into the earth and IMHO they were trying the same thing again with the tower of Babel, but this time God intervened by scattering the people. This is also why I believe that Hermon was the Mt of transfiguration where first, Yeshua proclaimed his deity as the Messiah at it's base in front of the "gates of hell" and then took His three closest disciples to the summit where He was transfigured into a glorified state. He was proclaiming that HE IS LORD OF ALL REALMS and the "head of all principalities and powers". The tower of babel account also seems to fit within the idea that this story is a prophetic foreshadowing of the very end of days and the rise of the antichrist as well. The antichrist will seek to corrupt the world and the entire human race by opening demonic portals to hell all over the earth. This also explains Paul's reference to "lying signs and wonders" (2 Thessalonians 2) with even calling "fire down out of heaven" (Rev 13:13) and is also why THERE WILL BE a final fulfillment of Joel 2:28.

[@DirtMankee]

Interesting.

[@nomoregoodlife1255]

Ill try and provide an interesting perspective: What are demons if not dangerous; and what is danger but the unknown. When the old wise elders speak of hidden fury, they speak of hidden-ness itself. What risk % am I to attribute to complete uncertainty? For safety sake I must go with as close to 100% as my model allows. TL;DR - daemons are the unknown. applied to modern times those "demons" would be AI. all the best ♥

[@GTX1123]

@@nomoregoodlife1255 In the bigger picture, this comes down to whether or not you believe the Bible is the Word of God. Scripture gives us a clear picture of what demons are and what their purpose is. If you don't believe this, then the truth is utter anarchy and a case of whatever anyone wants it to be. But this can't be true either because the idea that I think blue is blue but you think it's red is utter nonsense (there's no clearer example of this in regards to whether or not Jesus is who he said he was - per C.S. Lewis He was either LORD, a lunatic or a liar). As we have seen more recently in the culture war, people are turning logic on its head by saying "well, that's YOUR truth". NO! This is utter nonsense. It is either THE TRUTH or it isn't. When it comes to demons, not only have I found the scriptures to be 100% accurate in their explanation of them but there is evidence in cases of demonic possession that cannot be explained otherwise. Here is but one example from none other than news journalist, writer and TV host Bill O'Reilly. Many years ago O'Reilly did a tour of Rome and met with members of the Vatican, one of which was a theologian. They were discussing this very issue when O'Reilly shared his view, which at the time was that demons weren't real or at least, were not as the Bible describes them to be. This theologian let him hear a recording of an exorcism where an uneducated, elderly Italian peasant woman had demons cast out of her. At one point in the recording she began speaking in other languages in a male voice - something that is not uncommon in deliverance ministry (this is what we Protestants call it - it's essentially the same as what the Catholics call exorcism). The priests who performed the exorcism took the recording to the Vatican and had their language experts analyze it. This elderly, uneducated peasant woman was speaking PERFECT ancient Etruscan, a language which has been extinct for thousands of years. I have heard of other FIRST HAND accounts of demons speaking through uneducated people in ancient Ugaritic and other languages. There is absolutely no other way to logically explain this but that these are evil beings from the spirit realm which have predated us by thousands of years, which is exactly as the Bible describes them to be. This is a simple case of logic. If there's no way outside of scripture to explain this; i.e. these are ancient evil beings from another realm, then I URGE you to go further into what scripture says about this and every other issue in life - THE MOST important issue being salvation through Jesus! As C.S. Lewis said in regards to Jesus, He's either "Lord, a lunatic or a liar". In other words, He either is who He claimed to be and we had better believe what He had to say about Himself and life or it's ALL nonsense and lies. So you see, like Neo in the movie "The Matrix" we all have a choice. Take the blue pill, go back to your bed and believe whatever you want to believe or take the red pill and go further into the rabbit hole of THE TRUTH as revealed in God's Word. "The choice is yours, I leave it up to you".

[@nomoregoodlife1255]

@@GTX1123 what were these "uneducated" people saying?

[@GTX1123]

@@nomoregoodlife1255 First, when I say "uneducated" please understand that's not meant as an insult. I simply mean that they only knew their native language - they were not educated in speaking different languages. It's usually something around cursing Jesus and God and praising satan. Sometimes they'll say the Lord's prayer backwards and sometimes they'll say things to the people casting them out about their families that only the person they're talking to would know (in that person's language of course). Sometimes the person who is demonized will be able to do things physically impossible. About 20 years ago I heard a first hand account from a missionary who was in Haiti who was casting demons out of a woman who at one point, walked up the side of a tree sideways. This account was similar to what happened with Latoya Ammons's children who were able to walk up walls backwards, levitate and speak in other voices. An Indianapolis police captain and social workers all witnessed this on separate occasions. About 27 years ago I was in Russia with a large group doing outreach into the city of Togliatti. After one of the meetings two people who were part of the ministry team I was with, asked me and another team member if we would help them with a young Tatar woman who attended the meeting and said she wanted to be delivered from demons. She only weighed about 120 lbs but it was all me and my friend could do to restrain her while the demons were being cast out of her. She spoke and roared like a man at times, but thank God she was completely set free. The thing you have to understand about demons is that there is NO LOVE and NO LIGHT in them. They are the essence of PURE EVIL, LIES and DECEPTION. One of the best descriptions of them I've ever heard outside the Bible is a line from the movie "Terminator"; "Listen, and understand. That terminator is out there. It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead". While this was of course describing the terminator in the movie, it is 100% apropos to evil spirits with one exception - demons are TERRIFIED of Jesus. When performing deliverance and casting them out, there almost always comes a point when the their spiritual stronghold over a person is broken and the demons in them will drag the person down on all fours and yelp, whine, cry and howl like a wounded animal. And it is quite common that when they are about to be cast out that they'll lament Jesus rising from the dead because that spelled their eternal doom. They don't fear man but when a person has Jesus living on the inside of them and is walking in the power and authority of Christ, demons are completely powerless against them.

[@frisb.7948]

Interesting interpretation..

[@barbarza]

Hmmmmmmm.....tower under Nimrod would not be invitation for God to come down., but per book of Yasher, to kill God as 'nimrodians' had in mind.

[@fromthewrath2come]

Have had much respect over the years. Found Dr. Walton's study aids for OT studies invaluable. It seems he does not agree with Mike Heiser's Divine Council World view. I find Dr. Heiser's view has more integrity and is more comprehensive.

[@dehsa38]

Then why would God confuse the only language, at the time, to thwart further construction of it??

[@jepizzo2]

Jehovah wanted humans to “fill the earth and subdue it.” They were meant to spread out all over the earth. A lot of genetic diversity was lost in the Flood. If humans all lived together at this early time, it would be a melting pot and everyone would end up looking similar. Only by dividing into separate groups at this early time could different races of humans come about with unique coloration, features and culture. Nimrod wanted everyone to remain together so he could rule ALL humans. One thought behind the high tower could have been rebellion and defiance against God. If there was ever another Flood they could escape God’s judgment by ascending the tower. They wanted a means of saving themselves apart from obedience to God. Also, issues had been raised in Eden that humans could rule themselves successfully without God. Only by dividing up could they try every imaginable form of government and resolve the question. 6,000+ years of history have proven innumerable forms of human rule inadequate, exploitative and divisive. Then there is this matter of “nothing that they may have in mind to do that will be unattainable for them.” Genesis 11:6 Jehovah had a certain amount of time in mind to resolve issues raised in Eden, set up precedents for forgiveness of sins, prepare the messianic kingdom, preaching of the good news and eventual reconciliation of obedient mankind. Humans would have progressed technically too quickly and endangered their own existence through nuclear weapons or climate change millennia before now. At Armageddon God will have to step in “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth” and that intervention would have been needed too soon. wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200000529 www.jw.org/en/

[@gmac6503]

Excellent! Commonly misinterpreted and Walton and Heiser are very informative on ANE studies

[@andrewmole745]

It may be true that it is commonly misinterpreted. However, Walton takes it another step further into confusion with regard to the meaning of the passage. This interpretation goes against one of the principles that we should follow, namely to let scripture speak for itself and not to add new ideas from external sources that don't explain the original intent. Sumerian worship is a red herring here, or at best a bit of local colour that is not intended to add to the meaning. If we look at the passage (Gen 11:1-9), we see that Moses does not make reference to any stairway or to the idea that the tower is to bring God down (although it does indeed seek to link the earth to the heavens), and makes no reference to the idea that God is offended by the "corruption" of His image. Indeed the tower and its function (if any) are not the focus of the narrative. The author never mentions the tower on its own, but rather always mentions the tower together with the city. Babel is the city, not the tower. Moses’ focus is actually on the desire of the builders to make a *name* for themselves (i..e. their pride) and their desire not to be scattered (the word “scatter” appears three times in the passage). In the preceding passages we have read of God’s command to go out and fill the earth (stated in Gen 9:1 & 7). The Canaanite clans are described as "scattering" in 10:18 and the nations are 'spread out' in 10:32. The resistance to being scattered is in opposition to God’s will. The Hebrew word for "*name*" (shem), used in "making a *name* for themselves", appears twice (v4 & 9, "make a *name*" and "*called* Babel") and is then echoed in the passage that follows - the genealogy of Shem. In the conclusion of the Biblical narrative, the pride of the builders is thwarted (they fail to make a name for themselves), and they are scattered (emphasized twice), which are the two themes of the passage. Interestingly, the passage only states that they stop building the “city”, without any reference to status of the the tower. God's purpose is fulfilled. All in all, the tower is not the main focus (perhaps simply an identifier for the city). In summary, by going to other sources and introducing new ideas that are not in the text, this commentary is redirecting us away from the biblical points that are being made in the text. It appears to be an example of scholarship adding to scripture, something that we are warned against in Deuteronomy and Revelation, rather than providing context to explain or support the narrative. As an aside, I don't feel there is any support for using this as part of a theme of “sacred spaces”, which in any case risks creating a focus on things rather than on God. God is, after all, the one who makes things sacred (holy). From a Judaeo-Christian perspective, human spaces are not 'sacred' apart from God.

[@jepizzo2]

What evidence is there that these things happened? It is a known fact that civilization (writing, farming, livestock raising, cities, etc.) all started in Mesopotamia in the recent past and spread out all around the world from there. What is your explanation of why ancient early peoples in the Americas, Asia, Egypt and other places then all started making ziggurats (similar to the Tower) as part of their worship? Seems like a very specific, labor intensive idea to all have separately. All languages can be traced back to several dozen or so distinct proto-languages which fits the Biblical narrative. Also, did you know there are hundreds of similar narratives all around the globe of a worldwide Flood with similar key elements? They mention God being angry with mankind and so bringing a Flood to wipe them out. 1 man is told to build a ship to save his family and the animals. Some even mention him sending out a raven and a dove to test the receding waters among other similarities. Interestingly the ancient Chinese symbol for a ship is the symbol for boat with 8 mouths or people on it! There are tons (literally) of other evidence for the Flood. It is a known fact sea level was once hundreds of feet lower than it is now. The poles were warm, with fossils from tropical creatures like alligators, frogs, turtles etc found there. All around the Arctic, such as Ellesmere Island forests of huge Sequoias are found knocked over and instantly buried in massive tsunamis as would be expected from the Flood. It is now so cold no trees can grow there at all let alone giant ones. They still keep finding mammoths all over the Arctic which were enveloped in mud and frozen so fast they still have food in their mouth! These have been frozen this whole time and just now finally thawing out. They even found liquid blood in one showing both how fast it froze and that it was recent, fitting the ~4500 years ago time table of the Bible account. I could go on and on though I don’t know how much evidence is needed, or if ANY amount would ever be enough. Scroll down in this entry to the subheading “evidence for the Deluge” wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200001150 www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/science/

[@rhodananfuka475]

Michael heiser also has more to say abt the tower of babel. And both reasoning makes senese

[@pannonia77]

I think the point (or one of the points) of this myth is that humans want to reach the sky, i.e. the abode of God (or the gods), so God has to intervene. The main motif of the Fall is the same. God himself says that after eating of the forbidden fruit "man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil". So God intervenes should not man become wholly godlike by eating from the tree of life. It says that man is not like the gods and should not try to eliminate the distance between himself and the gods. Probably the editors of Genesis thought this myth was a very good one, and it was in line with the main concept of Genesis 1-11, i.e. that God created a good world, and the fact that the actual world is not good is due to man's sins, the omnipotent God has nothing to do with it.

[@NEMO-NEMO]

@pannonia First of all, this was not a myth. Secondly, man was not trying to reach God, he was trying to command God to come to him! Just like in the Catholic Mass, the priest commands God to come down into the wafer (host) offering the congregation the real and live body of Jesus Christ. Also the blood. The idea being that the power of the pope is supernatural and more than just human bc he claims to have been given that power through Peter, who is supposedly buried under the Vatican central floor. This supernatural power is in turn passed down to a priest after he accepts his final vows. So all these folks are claiming to be and have supernatural powers just like the Babel story, where they believed/believe that they could build a building, shaped in a particular style to allow them to command God to come down to the sight. Oof!

[@pannonia77]

@@NEMO-NEMO Where do you get this idea that people wanted to command the god to come down? Not from the Bible, since it does not talk about it. So, before trying to engage in an exchange of ideas, please get your facts right.

[@NEMO-NEMO]

@@pannonia77 You need to listen more closely to the video. I think you missed the point of his explanation. He explains it much better than I can. 1:38 is where you need to begin listening more closely.

[@jepizzo2]

Jehovah wanted humans to “fill the earth and subdue it.” They were meant to spread out all over the earth. A lot of genetic diversity was lost in the Flood. If humans all lived together at this early time, it would be a melting pot and everyone would end up looking similar. Only by dividing into separate groups at this early time could different races of humans come about with unique coloration, features and culture. Nimrod wanted everyone to remain together so he could rule ALL humans. One thought behind the high tower could have been rebellion and defiance against God. If there was ever another Flood they could escape God’s judgment by ascending the tower. They wanted a means of saving themselves apart from obedience to God. Also, issues had been raised in Eden that humans could rule themselves successfully without God. Only by dividing up could they try every imaginable form of government and resolve the question. 6,000+ years of history have proven innumerable forms of human rule inadequate, exploitative and divisive. Then there is this matter of “nothing that they may have in mind to do that will be unattainable for them.” Genesis 11:6 Jehovah had a certain amount of time in mind to resolve issues raised in Eden, set up precedents for forgiveness of sins, prepare the messianic kingdom, preaching of the good news and eventual reconciliation of obedient mankind. Humans would have progressed technically too quickly and endangered their own existence through nuclear weapons or climate change millennia before now. At Armageddon God will have to step in “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth” and that intervention would have been needed too soon. wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200000529 www.jw.org/en/

[@pannonia77]

@@jepizzo2 The main issue with your explanation is that you seem to think that all this actually happened. So you wrote a lof of nonsense, I want to react to one of them. You wrote that people could take refuge in the tower in case of another flood. No, they couldn't. According to the Biblical myth the water covered the whole Earth, that is more than 8 km (the highest mountain if the Earth is above 8800 meter high), the highest building people built before the Bible was written were the Egyptian pyramids, the highest of which is 140 meter high, somewhat less than 1/60th of Mount Everest. Anyway, building a tower to reach the sky is figurative language. When the highest building to date is 140 high, you cannot try to build a tower to "reach the sky". Even today with the latest technology the highest building humanity built is less than 1000 meter high.

[@exaucemayunga22]

In Genesis 9:11, didn't God say there would be no more flood? Why is there flood today?

[@Lilliard-hz7gu]

What flood today? Gen 9:11 says never again will the earth and all life by destroyed by a flood.

[@exaucemayunga22]

@Lilliard-hz7gu Did all life get destroyed by flood before?

[@Lilliard-hz7gu]

@@exaucemayunga22 Yes, Noah's flood which was 1656 years after creation according to the Genesis genealogies.

[@exaucemayunga22]

@@Lilliard-hz7gu Well, Noah's family and all the animals in the ark weren't destroyed, so it wasn't all live

[@patrickkelly1766]

Also, as part of re-establishing God's presence among His people in the NT, He allows them to speak in tongues -- to understand one another again, to un-scatter them.

[@petermacdearle8389]

The people simply wanted to build an impressive building. It was about arrogance. Whete in the scripture it says that the people wanted to meet the needs of the gods? The text speaks about angry gods coming down. I down understand why the gods scattered the people.

[@harveywabbit9541]

The Exile to Babylon/Egypt (winter) can never exceed six months. The gate is the autumn equinox.

[@Legomyegoorj]

No no, don’t read the comments! Do not go gentle into the night!

[@nomoregoodlife1255]

Thanks a lot for this video. 4:30 the humans were doing it for themselves not for god, and as such fate reverted the balance scattering the volk. Is there such a balancing mechanism for when the gods act despite the people? & are there stories of such times? Thanks a bunch ♥

[@williambosman9944]

Thanks this was very informative and inspirational. Not like that fool driven by demons and make fun of the Bible on the same topic. Thinking he understand the Bible and provoke our Lord and Saviour.

[@bradbrown2199]

Micheal Heiser’s Unseen Realm

[@samphonnetgamgee5625]

Bad choice! He's a deceiver.

[@mccormyke]

Did the ancients intend to ascend unto heaven by means of knowledge beyond their ethics, wisdom and goodness to use without perversion

[@Liminalplace1]

If you listened..the answer is NO. A temple the god was to come down..into the temple.

[@wtpiep82]

Wouldn’t all of this been easier if He just didn’t allow the Serpent in the Garden

[@ututut77]

this explanation doesn’t seem to address the reason the text gives for why god intervened. Gen 11: 6 The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” The rest of the story is context but these verses are the reason given. Why does god need to be worried that “nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them”? god sounds threatened. humans would never be more powerful than god so this doesn’t make sense to me.

[@andrewoutcalt7625]

Nothing would be impossible for them. Literally: "All that they purpose to do will not be withheld from them." A plain reading seems to carry this idea: They'll able to do what they plan to do. What's their plan? To glorify themselves according to their current confused and arrogant perspective. A path that is shameful in God's sight. God is not threatened by them.

[@jepizzo2]

Jehovah wanted humans to “fill the earth and subdue it.” They were meant to spread out all over the earth. A lot of genetic diversity was lost in the Flood. If humans all lived together at this early time, it would be a melting pot and everyone would end up looking similar. Only by dividing into separate groups at this early time could different races of humans come about with unique coloration, features and culture. Nimrod wanted everyone to remain together so he could rule ALL humans. One thought behind the high tower could have been rebellion and defiance against God. If there was ever another Flood they could escape God’s judgment by ascending the tower. They wanted a means of saving themselves apart from obedience to God. Also, issues had been raised in Eden that humans could rule themselves successfully without God. Only by dividing up could they try every imaginable form of government and resolve the question. 6,000+ years of history have proven innumerable forms of human rule inadequate, exploitative and divisive. Then there is this matter of “nothing that they may have in mind to do that will be unattainable for them.” Genesis 11:6 Jehovah had a certain amount of time in mind to resolve issues raised in Eden, set up precedents for forgiveness of sins, prepare the messianic kingdom, preaching of the good news and eventual reconciliation of obedient mankind. Humans would have progressed technically too quickly and endangered their own existence through nuclear weapons or climate change millennia before now. At Armageddon God will have to step in “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth” and that intervention would have been needed too soon. wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200000529 www.jw.org/en/

[@Blogger2020]

Depressing :( He only sees chapter three of the first book of Moses and jumps to Babel. The chapters in between explain what happened at the Tower of Babel. There they wanted to get back in touch with the fallen spirit world, as a result of which these angels who left their "dwellings" were condemned to be bound until the day of judgment, like elsewhere from the Bible we can see. Mixing of the languages ​​of the tower of Babel was just a way of carrying out the decisions that God made when he came to see the activities of Nimrod and Semirames. You can find them in the fifth book of Moses, chapter 32, verses 8,9 turn it as it was in the beginning. God then abandoned the nations to the possession of these "stranger gods"; this is how Satan's instrument for this cosmic battle, which began after the flod. Verse 9 tells that God`s chosen for himself, is the nation of Israel, which is being born out of this battle in transition. It is downright sad to see Christians' confused understanding of eschatology as well. One of the biggest causes of destruction to our understanding has been replacement theology.

[@robertrandolph2850]

It Was A Stargate.

[@janettehager2100]

hahaha

[@NEMO-NEMO]

What gods? You need to explain that more fully.

[@StathakosIf]

This sounds very logical... but completely irrelevant to what Genesis 11 says!

[@scottenosh4548]

There is a possibility that the Tower of Babel may have taken place in Lebanon...specifically, the place we know today as Baalbek. There is a reason why the Shemitic families of the time began referring to a near by area as "Gebal", while the children of Japheth through Javan (the Greeks) continued referring to this same place as "Byblos". It's also worth noting that Shinar (as mentioned in Genesis) means 'land of two rivers', while Genesis gives no other indication to Shinar's location...Baalbek means "the source of two rivers". And if you look at Ezekiel 26-28, these texts clearly identify this region as one of the major capitals of the Antichrist. How many ancient Bible locations have been proven false in recent years...especially locations related to Exodus? This could be one such instance as well.

[@mikeainsworth9861]

It is a myth so it did not happen anywhere, but the story setting is Babylon as Babel is the Hebrew word for that city.

[@scottenosh4548]

@@mikeainsworth9861 the name Babel is a universal name, not Hebrew, as it predates Hebrew. It's the only universal word left from the time of the universal language that was in place. It's called Babel because of the supernatural event that took place there...God encrypted man's language, which will be reversed at some point in the future (Zephaniah 3:9). The multiple languages we now speak is a system of restraint that God put in place to prevent man from opening 'pandora's box' too soon (which is what's happening now). The evidence of this historic event is literally around you and inside you. It's everywhere. It's not in man's programming to just invent new languages.

[@mikeainsworth9861]

@@scottenosh4548 Sorry, but your reply is completely without any anthropological or linguistic merit. If within the 150,000 years that verbal language has existed there was ever a universal form - and that is extremely doubtful if you want to expand beyond basic yelps, grunts, and shouts based on pain, fear and pleasure - it certainly was not around within the last 6,000 years that make up the Bible. We have records going back that far documenting different languages, which makes a universal language within the time frame an impossibility. Should you have evidence to the contrary beyond undefined claims of it being “around”, I will welcome it. As regards your claim that creating new languages isn’t in humans’ programming, you seem to overlook Esperanto, Klingon and numerous computer programming languages we have in fact created just to create them.

[@scottenosh4548]

@@mikeainsworth9861 Shifting the 'burden of proof' I see. Before I decide to take the bate, what are these records you refer to? And where can I look them up? (I'm happy to do so). As for 'created' languages, you and I both know that we've never heard anyone at the library, coffee shop, air port, etc. speaking Klingon (which is inspired by Greek and Egyptian, seeing as the 'creators' [screenplay writers] were freemasons), Esperanto, or binary. Esperanto is not a 'created' language, it's a derived language. "Esperanto's vocabulary, syntax, and semantics derive predominantly from languages of the Indo-European group." One of the original Indo-European languages is Yiddish...which is strikingly similar to both German AND Aramaic (the original, post-Babel Shemitic language, from which Hebrew was eventually derived, whose name comes from 'Abraham'). While I don't speak Yiddish, I do speak Hebrew. Esperanto (like Old English, Middle English, and Modern English) is only made possible by pre-existing languages, like all modern languages.

[@scottenosh4548]

@@mikeainsworth9861 If I may ask you a simple question...Based on today's global population, what would you say Earth's population was about 500 years ago??

[@brocksampson4874]

Read more

[@rubstroll1]

I wouldn't want to live in the ancient world...

[@davephagan2053]

I don't want to say that this is laughable, because if you're only getting your information from the Bible and not from jubilees or some of the other books that actually discussed the Tower of Babel. However dear sir, please properly educate yourself the Tower of Babel took three days to walk around... Its stated exactly why they were built and what the three offences were

[@MsColetha]

Yet Satan had no hand in this??

[@moniquewhite2850]

Ummm ? No

[@JamesRichardWiley]

I think someone forgot to mention that Yahweh is all powerful and has total control over his creation at all times. That includes free will which he included when he made humanity and which he can revoke at any time because he is god. So why was Yahweh displeased over a project which he knew about long before it began? Did Yahweh know beforehand that he would be displeased?

[@tonykleib7234]

James Richard Wiley you have a horrible understanding of free will if you think god can revoke it.

[@jepizzo2]

Jehovah wanted humans to “fill the earth and subdue it.” They were meant to spread out all over the earth. A lot of genetic diversity was lost in the Flood. If humans all lived together at this early time, it would be a melting pot and everyone would end up looking similar. Only by dividing into separate groups at this early time could different races of humans come about with unique coloration, features and culture. Nimrod wanted everyone to remain together so he could rule ALL humans. One thought behind the high tower could have been rebellion and defiance against God. If there was ever another Flood they could escape God’s judgment by ascending the tower. They wanted a means of saving themselves apart from obedience to God. Also, issues had been raised in Eden that humans could rule themselves successfully without God. Only by dividing up could they try every imaginable form of government and resolve the question. 6,000+ years of history have proven innumerable forms of human rule inadequate, exploitative and divisive. Then there is this matter of “nothing that they may have in mind to do that will be unattainable for them.” Genesis 11:6 Jehovah had a certain amount of time in mind to resolve issues raised in Eden, set up precedents for forgiveness of sins, prepare the messianic kingdom, preaching of the good news and eventual reconciliation of obedient mankind. Humans would have progressed technically too quickly and endangered their own existence through nuclear weapons or climate change millennia before now. At Armageddon God will have to step in “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth” and that intervention would have been needed too soon. wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200000529 www.jw.org/en/

[@itsjustrenee1320]

How do we know it's a zigerat? The Bible doesn't state that does it?

[@WalterRMattfeld]

The Hebrew word for "tower" is MIGDAL, and it refers to a defensive structure usually, part of a walled fortress. Ziggurat is a Babylonian word and means "to be high." Cuneiform inscriptions note some Ziggurats were called "MOUNTAIN" (Akkadian Kur). Atop the artifical mountain was a room equipped with abed for the god to sleep in when ever he wanted to come down from heaven and dwell among his people. Near the bed was a table with food and drink for the god to consume. On some occasions, a beautiful damsel was placed in this room for the god's sexual pleasure.

[@hillbillytarzan]

Renee` Hill kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZjOpIhoe5Zrosk

[@dannywizz]

This guy is full of it!

[@stevefirsake899]

This was one of the first attempts of man to break away from this cell...notice the use of the names - God, Lord, Lord God - in the first set of chapters of the bible. Only those with eyes and ears can see...

[@briancrane7634]

Tower of Babel was an effort by man through his own efforts to reach God...we CANNOT reach God except through Jesus Christ Who Reaches us...He is the only BRIDGE between God and man there is no other! 'Believe in Him and you shall be saved'!

[@jorgeluislopezrosas8159]

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

[@mikeainsworth9861]

The Tower of Babylon (Babel) would have been built to Marduk, not Yahweh. I don’t know, but that seems an important point to ignore and the combination of these two gods by the speaker strikes me as disingenuous.

[@harveywabbit9541]

Babel = bab (gate) and el (god/Jupiter). Babylon = gate of the sun god. This would be the autumn equinox which is also the door in the side of Noah's Arc/Ark.

[@mikeainsworth9861]

@@harveywabbit9541 The root word can be translated as gate, but in this context it has no reference to the door of the ark. It is specific to the city of Babylon which was viewed to be the gateway to Marduk. Hebrew: בָּבֶל -transliteration: Babel -meaning: “The Gate of God(s)” Greek: Βαβυλών -transliteration: Babylṓn -meaning: Babel In the Assyrian tablets it means “The city of the dispersion of the tribes.”

[@harveywabbit9541]

@@mikeainsworth9861 Thank you, but the biblical Babylon is the winter season. We are about to enter Solomon's winter season of Nov (Sagittarius), Dec (Capricorn), Jan (Aquarius), and Feb (Pisces). The leader is Nahor, the snorting horse in Sagittarius. Winter will be followed by the spring season of Mar/Aries, Apr/Taurus, May/Gemini, and Jun/Cancer. The leader of spring is Abram the ram who is elevated. Abram aka spring will be followed by summer, Jul/Leo, Aug/Virgo, Sep/Libra, and Oct/Scorpio. Haran aka Heat (like Ham) is the perfect leader of these four summer months.

[@davidez4640]

Love how he's making up things that are not written anywhere to justify a story that makes no sense in the first place. Good work 👍

[@davidez4640]

@Zachary Estep nope, he's making things up like all guys like him do, they have to cause of you read the story as written in the bible God will come out as being an asshole

[@dinaali1296]

@@davidez4640 Genesis 11:6 is kinda weird, "The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them." meaning... the lord thinks we have unlimited potential? it's all up to the person interpreting anyway, nothing matters.

[@AlbertM170]

@@davidez4640 he does this cause he knows that people like you and me do not live in the culture that wrote Genesis, and thus there is much we don't know about their cultural contexts. And to prevent people from reading in their own cultures into the text, and interpreting the Biblical text as if it was written in the 21st century, he has to present the Bible as it was understood by the people who first wrote it and read it. This kind of study happens all the time in virtually every historical document ever written, but especially in the Bible considering how popular and widely read it is. This kind of study is the reason we know that, despite what Rameses II claimed, he did not single-handedly rout the entire Hittite army in the Battle of Kadesh, neither did Thutmose III absolutely depopulate Canaan.

[@willwill7736]

I see you get off into explain in the problem of people instead of God will have you serve no other God

[@seekrighteousness297]

To me he is trying to copy Michael Heiser without all the knowledge

[@mujaku]

G-d as absolute spirit that eventually comes to dwell within mankind (this is a new testament)-not through external things. But next, we must awaken to this spirit thus becoming anointed symbolized by Christ. This awakening is accomplished by the crucifixion-not in a literal sense, but in a spiritual sense whereby spirit is distinguished from the flesh which is hostile to G-d.

[@seanharrington8051]

My question is, were they building it to Yahweh or the other real gods?

[@jepizzo2]

Jehovah wanted humans to “fill the earth and subdue it.” They were meant to spread out all over the earth. A lot of genetic diversity was lost in the Flood. If humans all lived together at this early time, it would be a melting pot and everyone would end up looking similar. Only by dividing into separate groups at this early time could different races of humans come about with unique coloration, features and culture. Nimrod wanted everyone to remain together so he could rule ALL humans. One thought behind the high tower could have been rebellion and defiance against God. If there was ever another Flood they could escape God’s judgment by ascending the tower. They wanted a means of saving themselves apart from obedience to God. Also, issues had been raised in Eden that humans could rule themselves successfully without God. Only by dividing up could they try every imaginable form of government and resolve the question. 6,000+ years of history have proven innumerable forms of human rule inadequate, exploitative and divisive. Then there is this matter of “nothing that they may have in mind to do that will be unattainable for them.” Genesis 11:6 Jehovah had a certain amount of time in mind to resolve issues raised in Eden, set up precedents for forgiveness of sins, prepare the messianic kingdom, preaching of the good news and eventual reconciliation of obedient mankind. Humans would have progressed technically too quickly and endangered their own existence through nuclear weapons or climate change millennia before now. At Armageddon God will have to step in “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth” and that intervention would have been needed too soon. wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200000529 www.jw.org/en/

[@chike3485]

The 'deity' that ‘descends’ to see the Tower of Babel is not God (Elohim), it’s LORD (Yahweh). The Tower of Babel parable/allegory is a classic example of divide and conquer. The so called powers (represented as LORD in the Bible story) could not bear to see a united humanity. also in response to minute mark 3:18, the ancient world was correct in their assertation. checkout Gen 2:5..."Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground" the reason for the creation of man is out of the need for someone to work the earth/ground. Contrast that to Genesis 1:26 where man is created in the image of 'God' to have dominion over all things. In chapter 1 humans are created to be 'royalty' but in chapter 2 humans are created to be 'slaves'.

[@chrispfeifer7628]

So when mankind works together, in cooperation, God says together there is nothing that can not do so let's go stop this right here. Excuse me. How does this fit with the popular idea of God being love. God is forgiveness. God is all that is good. Up until the point that human beings start doing good? By scattering and confusing the language, this would mark the beginning of mankind's strife and confrontations with each other. God set in motion all the wars, the tribal fights, and the death that followed with it. This is not a feel good kind of story. This is a dark, sinister action taken by a all powerful and all loving God. That's the only logical answer. You can do all kinds of mental gymnastics and decide to believe what you want. That is your choice. But do so with the knowledge that no one can be certain of mercy and God being on the same page, let alone the same book. Words have meaning. I've not added or subtracted anything that changes the story. Although I'm sure many will lash out rather than understand that something might not add up

[@jepizzo2]

Jehovah wanted humans to “fill the earth and subdue it.” They were meant to spread out all over the earth. A lot of genetic diversity was lost in the Flood. If humans all lived together at this early time, it would be a melting pot and everyone would end up looking similar. Only by dividing into separate groups at this early time could different races of humans come about with unique coloration, features and culture. Nimrod wanted everyone to remain together so he could rule ALL humans. One thought behind the high tower could have been rebellion and defiance against God. If there was ever another Flood they could escape God’s judgment by ascending the tower. They wanted a means of saving themselves apart from obedience to God. Also, issues had been raised in Eden that humans could rule themselves successfully without God. Only by dividing up could they try every imaginable form of government and resolve the question. 6,000+ years of history have proven innumerable forms of human rule inadequate, exploitative and divisive. Then there is this matter of “nothing that they may have in mind to do that will be unattainable for them.” Genesis 11:6 Jehovah had a certain amount of time in mind to resolve issues raised in Eden, set up precedents for forgiveness of sins, prepare the messianic kingdom, preaching of the good news and eventual reconciliation of obedient mankind. Humans would have progressed technically too quickly and endangered their own existence through nuclear weapons or climate change millennia before now. At Armageddon God will have to step in “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth” and that intervention would have been needed too soon. wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200000529 www.jw.org/en/

[@anonymousforcommentslol6075]

i’m not gonna argue about your beliefs because it’s perfectly fine and valid, i was agnostic for like four years bc of how many contradictions are in the bible, but i think many of these are supposed to be messages rather than taken word for word. i’ve found that what i believe to be God has helped me so much, and i also think wars would have happened regardless of anything because i think God gave us free will for the pure reason that he didn’t want to force us to do certain things that we didn’t want to. that’s my explanation.

[@anonymousforcommentslol6075]

i think that we’re ALLOWED to sin, and quite frankly, this belief is gonna get shit from the other Christians- i don’t believe in hell. at least, not in the sense other Christians do. i think the idea of that sort of hell is not something god would allow, like i kinda think it exists but i don’t think humans that sin go there after they die, bc we all sin. what i think is that sin, which again we’re given the full option to do, drives us further away from God, and my belief is that sin can lead to unhappiness internally. ofc u don’t have to follow that but that’s just my experience. i just recently started being Christian again so i don’t have all the answers

[@anonymousforcommentslol6075]

but yeah i also feel iffy abt this story tbh it doesn’t fully sit right, i’m tryna look into it more.

[@noabaak]

I warn against this type of stretching in his own conjecture or interpretation of the event. Not even false, it is senseless. This is your imagination, so keep it to yourself. - New York, 1/11/2019

[@williambosman9944]

I understand why you didn't get it bro.

[@watteau33]

You're just wrong. Bable was about man no longer needing God(s). It was Ayn Rand's dream come true. At long last, mankind could do anything! Rocket ships! Time travel! Just read the scripture: "and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them"

[@adamclark1972uk]

Now we are in the process of globalisation and reversing the scattering perpetrated by God at Babel.

[@onestagetospace4892]

I agree. Except that Ayn Rand is not really an example to follow in a world where people are interdependent by nature. She never accepted that. Babel, the place still exists, i even have a video about it and it is not a small ziggurat. But Babel can be any construct of man: a building but also an ideology, an organisation, an empire. They collapse after a while because of their weight and complexity to manage them and keep everybody pointed in the same direction. There is no evil in that allthough theology wants to make it so.

[@TonyTrupp]

The thing about metaphor and myth is that it’s open to interpretation

[@onestagetospace4892]

Well. There is always the option that something was a physical reality before it became a myth (e.g. a King, hero, place). The city of Troy became a myth and was for a time believed only to be a myth. And yet, the geographical descriptions in the myth were still useful to find the location and ruins of the actual city state.I guess open mindedness always is the safest bet.

[@jasonbourne6365]

Tony Trupp Its not a myth.

[@heatherjackson1702]

You have no idea what you are talking about. Read the book of Jasher

[@hodgemoss]

Heather Jackson Could this person be called an apologetic??

[@editorsphilosophynow3646]

I looked in my Bible but I couldn't find that one

[@hillbillytarzan]

Bobby Allen there is where you are wrong. Most of those books were read as a history. There is one main topic of the Bible. It is very simple. Unless you follow Jesus Christ and do what he and his apostles taught, you will be rejected by God the father. Christ said if you deny me before men, I shall deny you before the father.

[@kentrtrimoredjo9861]

The creation of the evil.

[@BMill88]

I believe the Tower of Babel was modern day CERN, a particle accelerator.

[@whatjusthappened5753]

very possible, a stargate or portal. The Elohim beings weren't pleased with it.

[@Lucas-gm3bv]

At best, this is a circumlocuitous exercise, but if this God figure ever figures out what it is its actually interested in, it’s still an extraterrestrial ‘other’, and I’m not exactly sure why it’s wasting its time pestering its pets but it’s apparently got nothing but time, soooo, whatever. »shrug« My time’s much more limited, and my patience is finite. I get that I’m just a pet to this being, but you don’t see me trying to get my pet hamster to understand the finer aspects of Shakespeare’s sonnets, do you? I get Shakespeare. My hamster doesn’t. It’s a limitation common to most hamsters, so I don’t waste my time or my hamster’s time. Does this God creature not understand that we are not the same species? Does the thing not notice we tend to drop dead every so often while it’s got a comparably infinite lifespan? This level of cluelessness seems incongruous with the claim of omniscience. Speaking of incongruous claims, it claims some sort of affection for us, which is cute and all, but taking our united ancestors and sowing confusion by screwing up their ability to communicate with each other is cruel, evil, and mean. Don’t get me wrong, we’re quite good at being cruel, evil, and mean - I don’t imagine our species to be held in any great regard by the population of insects whose wings we tear off or the bugs we squish under our feet as children … but most of us don’t go around saying we love and care for insects. Is a bit of consistency too much to ask for? I’m not even going to pretend that I expect a proper, straightforward explanation of whatever’s going on in Genesis, never mind the rest of that anthology. More or less for the same reason I don’t expect a hamster to understand Shakespeare. I don’t expect it to, and I certainly have no plans to punish the poor thing for preferring to drop dead halfway through a freshman college performance of Titus Andronicus (which is, incidentally, so very under-appreciated - I’ll grant you, I’d have written in two, maybe three changes, but considering Shakespeare’s utter inexperience when writing it, it’s still a pretty brilliant opener). It’s a bit long; first-year English majors are dorks (lovely, adorably cute people, but still, dorks); and IT’S A HAMSTER, with an even shorter lifespan than humans, it’s not meant to be a Shakespeare aficionado!! I’m only human, and I can do that … but God’s going to send us all to Hades (for eternity) if we don’t interpret his puzzles and mind-games? Nope, that doesn’t come off as petty, not in the least! So much for there being only one path to everlasting life. All I ask is that Hell be full of poets … and free of gotchya tricks. I mean, I do understand that the Host is going to be an absolute asshole, but there’s plenty of those in life, so I don’t expect eternal life to be any better. Give me poets, a decent library, and half-decent WiFi … I’m in there for eternity, so if it gets a bit slow during peak hours, meh, what’s the hurry? Not such a problem when you’ve literally got all of eternity on your hands. (And people call me a pessimist!)

[@gloriosatierra]

Nope! The sin was unification: one world language, one world religion, one world government. The LORD is NOT about that. Were not the nations created from families before the Tower? 🍃

[@fredkatespooner3907]

We are suppose to go where no man has gone before.. can't accomplish that with a physical rainbow flag..

[@jepizzo2]

Jehovah wanted humans to “fill the earth and subdue it.” They were meant to spread out all over the earth. A lot of genetic diversity was lost in the Flood. If humans all lived together at this early time, it would be a melting pot and everyone would end up looking similar. Only by dividing into separate groups at this early time could different races of humans come about with unique coloration, features and culture. Nimrod wanted everyone to remain together so he could rule ALL humans. One thought behind the high tower could have been rebellion and defiance against God. If there was ever another Flood they could escape God’s judgment by ascending the tower. They wanted a means of saving themselves apart from obedience to God. Also, issues had been raised in Eden that humans could rule themselves successfully without God. Only by dividing up could they try every imaginable form of government and resolve the question. 6,000+ years of history have proven innumerable forms of human rule inadequate, exploitative and divisive. Then there is this matter of “nothing that they may have in mind to do that will be unattainable for them.” Genesis 11:6 Jehovah had a certain amount of time in mind to resolve issues raised in Eden, set up precedents for forgiveness of sins, prepare the messianic kingdom, preaching of the good news and eventual reconciliation of obedient mankind. Humans would have progressed technically too quickly and endangered their own existence through nuclear weapons or climate change millennia before now. At Armageddon God will have to step in “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth” and that intervention would have been needed too soon. wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200000529 www.jw.org/en/

[@freddurstedgebono6029]

There wasnt a one world government at that time period lol. Completely reading into it

[@stevecollette6831]

This is a hot mess...... his god is amazingly weak, needy and inconsistent.

[@nandobasile4694]

Interpretation strongly flawed by the assumption that there is only one god (as the Bible says, but not the Qumran texts or the original Sumerian tablets). The sin of Babel was to threaten the gods. To think that they can build a tower for a flying machine (erroneously translated as a ''name'' for it) and start to soar the skies without the approval of one of the Elohim. Put ''flying machine'' in place of ''name'' and what Walton is telling suddenly get sense. The gods understood that united men will eventually overthrow them, since the feared their number (programmed to grow and multiply much faster than them) and their intelligence (that was the same as the gods' one, cause gave it to Man). Babel was a signal for the gods that man has to be stopped to ''...begin like us...". The first defeat for Humanity as a single race Then the gods deployed ''divide ut impera'' and Man's families were assigned to the supervision of different ones, as explained in the Qumran scrolls. And Enki worked out different languages for them. One of them, known as Yahweh, was assigned the family of Israel. Therefore, he was not building a ''sacred place'' for him, but just recruiting his own army. And they invented religions, a way to keep the Man fighting with the Man and facilitate the gods to control them.

[@jmcalaster]

Further proof that, just because you have "Dr." In front of your name, it doesn't mean you have any idea what you're talking about. Stick to the KJV! Not the words of a man.

[@titojr8575]

This guy is full of it! In the book of Jasher U get more of the story. This huge Tower was a rebellion of Nimrod and all his kingdom over 600 yrs after the Flood. They had the numbers and 1 language. They chose Shinar because it had enough space! This huge zigurrat was never finished. God confused their languages and then destroyed most of the Tower, the earth opened up and a third was swallowed, the top third was burned by heavenly fire and only the middle third was left so that people could see their folly. It was called Babel because it means CONFUSION! Those who understood each other fled 2 different parts of the world as God had wanted them 2 do in the first place!

[@vedinthorn]

You literally can't read the book of Jasher as no copies exist and there are no quotations of it.

[@jepizzo2]

Jehovah wanted humans to “fill the earth and subdue it.” They were meant to spread out all over the earth. A lot of genetic diversity was lost in the Flood. If humans all lived together at this early time, it would be a melting pot and everyone would end up looking similar. Only by dividing into separate groups at this early time could different races of humans come about with unique coloration, features and culture. Nimrod wanted everyone to remain together so he could rule ALL humans. One thought behind the high tower could have been rebellion and defiance against God. If there was ever another Flood they could escape God’s judgment by ascending the tower. They wanted a means of saving themselves apart from obedience to God. Also, issues had been raised in Eden that humans could rule themselves successfully without God. Only by dividing up could they try every imaginable form of government and resolve the question. 6,000+ years of history have proven innumerable forms of human rule inadequate, exploitative and divisive. Then there is this matter of “nothing that they may have in mind to do that will be unattainable for them.” Genesis 11:6 Jehovah had a certain amount of time in mind to resolve issues raised in Eden, set up precedents for forgiveness of sins, prepare the messianic kingdom, preaching of the good news and eventual reconciliation of obedient mankind. Humans would have progressed technically too quickly and endangered their own existence through nuclear weapons or climate change millennia before now. At Armageddon God will have to step in “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth” and that intervention would have been needed too soon. wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200000529 www.jw.org/en/

[@anthemproducer2030]

What in the world are you talking about...? What you said makes NO sense at all

[@biblethumper3212]

This is precisely why I have such little regard for theologians. All they succeed in doing is muddying the water of the word. Nothing straightforward. They try to intellectualize God's word and turn it into something of their own making. If they ever tried to witness to anyone that person would be so confused they would likely never revisit the Bible again.

[@jepizzo2]

I felt the same way about his presentation. Here are some other possible explanations. Jehovah wanted humans to “fill the earth and subdue it.” They were meant to spread out all over the earth. A lot of genetic diversity was lost in the Flood. If humans all lived together at this early time, it would be a melting pot and everyone would end up looking similar. Only by dividing into separate groups at this early time could different races of humans come about with unique coloration, features and culture. Nimrod wanted everyone to remain together so he could rule ALL humans. One thought behind the high tower could have been rebellion and defiance against God. If there was ever another Flood they could escape God’s judgment by ascending the tower. They wanted a means of saving themselves apart from obedience to God. Also, issues had been raised in Eden that humans could rule themselves successfully without God. Only by dividing up could they try every imaginable form of government and resolve the question. 6,000+ years of history have proven innumerable forms of human rule inadequate, exploitative and divisive. Then there is this matter of “nothing that they may have in mind to do that will be unattainable for them.” Genesis 11:6 Jehovah had a certain amount of time in mind to resolve issues raised in Eden, set up precedents for forgiveness of sins, prepare the messianic kingdom, preaching of the good news and eventual reconciliation of obedient mankind. Humans would have progressed technically too quickly and endangered their own existence through nuclear weapons or climate change millennia before now. At Armageddon God will have to step in “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth” and that intervention would have been needed too soon. wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200000529 www.jw.org/en/

[@socksumi]

Strange take on this myth.

[@canadiankewldude]

Not if its real history.

[@TonyTrupp]

The tower existed, but the christian interpretation of it is mythology overlaying that history

[@titojr8575]

It's not a myth, they have found the ruins of the 1st New World Order.

[@SPQR748]

You had me until you mentioned Jesus who is not the Messiah of the Israelites 🌞

[@Hillers62]

First of all...why did "god" have a "chosen" people? Weren't ALL people god's children??? It's like a father saying he only loves one of his children...and lets the others know it...Secondly...why did god feel offended that his creation was evolving to take care of themselves???? Was he jealous? (yes)...You are tap dancing around the fact that god DIVIDED people (for his futures wars)...A real god would want unity...in both language and ideas...instead, he created chaos and division...and I'm suppose to believe in this "god"???????

[@captainawesome1458]

load of rubbish

[@davoudderogar]

So god punished the people to meet their own needs and gave them different languages and countries, great plan. Same way that God punished Eve with pain of pregnancy. So humans are result of two people mistakes talking sank language. Actually I am glad he punish them because he could have killed(158 time in Bible god orders killing). I really love the stories, great creator of great stories. Best seller in the world for last 5000 yeas of Abrahamic religion has created 18 million Jews, 2.1-2.5 billion christian and 1.2-1.5 Muslims. All saying almost the same. If you believe either one and you are wrong, well you will be burnt over and over. Final master piece. You would be safe to go with christianity. 2.5 could not be wrong could they?

[@fireburn1512]

davoud derogar well said....so every culture and race occupied the same space at the same time....hmmm i wonder what language was that...why would god intervene in our everday life in our quest for knowledge and truth...

[@DanielWesleyKCK]

What a creative ahistorical and decontextualized interpretation of the biblical texts!

[@titojr8575]

Your pride will be your downfall. The Roman Catholic Church is a paganized version of Christianity! Jesus rose from the dead so why in almost EVERY Catholic Church U see a dying figure on a crosshand,, . t's a mockery, the 1st Pope, Leo the great spoke 2 Attilla The Hun and he left Italy. That was in early 510 AD, The next thousand years Rome was in control and would extinguish every "heresy" they could find! Thank God 4 the Guttenberg Press! Bibles were copied by hand, if they found U with 1 they would tie it around your neck and burn both!

[@MZONE991]

davoud derogar This is just plain wrong Read his books

[@dankarp8567]

100% garbage. This is what happens when you mix the historical writings of man and try to fit it to the Biblical text. If he were to use The Bible as his only source, he would not have come to this incorrect belief. Sad.

[@bxrprimetime1]

Dan Karp so true. If he went only by the Bible he wouldn't have any of the cultural info behind the situation or the archeology to support it. After all, this story is in a Babylonian context and not a Hebrew one (hence it's in Babel) and your not going to get much from the Bible to explain the situation.

[@hiddetjevanderwaal2827]

Don't you think that it's essential to doing proper exegesis to place the narrative in it's historical and cultural context? This is not at all about a supposed 'mix of historical writings and inspired biblical truth' but to place the narrative in the environment in which it belongs.

[@jasonbourne6365]

Dan Karp Shut up

[@MZONE991]

Dan Karp Ironically you are integrating your own cultural understanding into your reading of the Bible You and Walton are the same, both are trying to interpret the Bible through a cultural lens The only difference is that Walton is more logical and more coherent since he talks about the culture of the Bible not ours

[@dav1djac0b]

@@hiddetjevanderwaal2827 history is faithbased and cast majority untrue. You’re mixing the two