Genesis 11:4, commentary and pictures

The builders were apostate descendants of Noah who left His worshipers for the plain of Shinar, where in defiance of His direction to disperse and replenish the earth they determined to stay united in one body and build a city to prevent being scattered abroad. By making themselves a name they sought fame and admiration through a tower of stupendous height to be the wonder of the world, a monument to their power and wisdom that would make them illustrious and let them rule over others. The tower was planned for independence from God, built so high and massive that no flood could reach or sweep it away, expressing unbelief in His covenant, pride and rebellion urged on by the first great rebel, while part of it was furnished for idols to turn minds from God to idolatry. God stopped the heaven-daring confederacy by sending angels to confound speech so cooperation ended in confusion and strife, breaking off its upper portion by lightnings from heaven and scattering the builders across the earth. The scattering teaches that His people are to spread throughout the world rather than centralize for security and greatness, while tower-building continues when professed Christians exalt human wisdom above His word in lawless creeds and self-chosen enterprises to make a name, whose confusion is Babylon.

Builders' Defiant Plan

The builders were apostate descendants of Noah who, as their numbers increased, divided from the worshipers of God through a deliberate turning away from Him and from faith in the coming Redeemer. Desiring to forget their Creator and to cast off the restraint of His law, they separated from His faithful followers and journeyed to the plain of Shinar on the banks of the Euphrates. There they resolved to build a city with a tower whose top might reach unto heaven.

Their resolve was direct defiance of God's direction to disperse throughout the earth to replenish and subdue it. They determined instead to keep their community united in one body in a city and to prevent being scattered abroad in colonies. The city was to be the metropolis of a universal empire, for they intended to found a monarchy that would eventually embrace the whole earth.

By making themselves a name they sought fame, honor, admiration and homage from the world. The tower was to be of stupendous height, the wonder of the world, a monument to the power and wisdom of its builders. It would make the founders illustrious and perpetuate their fame to the latest generations, while exalting them as gods and enabling them to rule over others.

The tower was planned for self-protection and independence from God, made so high that no flood could rise to its top and so massive that nothing could sweep it away. It was to rise far above the waters reached by the Flood, reaching even to the clouds, so that if the earth were flooded again they would be beyond danger and would not need to trust to any boat like the ark. The whole undertaking expressed unbelief, rebellion and pride, for it defied God's promise and covenant that He would not again bring a flood upon the earth.

Many denied God's existence and explained the Flood by natural causes, while others who believed a supreme being had destroyed the antediluvian world rebelled against Him with hearts like Cain's. They also meant to ascend to the region of the clouds to discover the cause of the Flood and the reasons for it.

The undertaking was meant to exalt the pride of its projectors and to turn minds, including future generations, from God to idolatry. Part of the tower was made a dwelling for the builders and part splendid apartments furnished and adorned for idols, where the people rejoiced and praised gods of silver and gold against the Ruler of heaven and earth. They corrupted the sacrificial system, having no faith in the coming Redeemer but sacrificing to gods of their own choosing, offering animals and even human beings to idols to gain favor, prosperity and national wealth.

The project was a united, heaven-daring confederacy born of rebellion against God to thwart His purposes and carry out their own purposes, refusing and heeding not the counsel of the Lord. It was established for self-exaltation and not for the glory of God, with determined men inspired and urged on by the first great rebel permitting nothing to interfere or stop their evil course. The great majority were fully united in this proud, rebellious idol-building.

Had they been permitted to go on unchecked and succeed, they would have demoralized the world by their wonderful plans. A mighty power would have borne sway, banishing righteousness and inaugurating a new religion that mixed certain religious ideas with a mass of erroneous theories. Carried out and perfected, their plans would have banished knowledge of Jehovah's holy, just and good law from minds that felt no need to obey the divine statutes, substituting in place of the divine precepts laws framed according to the desires of selfish hearts to carry out their purposes, and closing the door to peace, happiness and security.

Among the builders were some God-fearing men who had been deceived by the pretensions of the ungodly and drawn into their schemes by wonderful representations and a grand outlook. But they refused to join the confederacy and would not be deceived. For the sake of these faithful ones God delayed His judgments and gave the people time to reveal their true character.

Divine Judgment and Scattering

God halted the defiant building project by sending angels to frustrate its purpose, confounding the builders' speech so the work stopped, the tower was abandoned, and the people were scattered abroad over the earth. The confusion of tongues quenched an ambitious human movement for self-security apart from God, teaching that such movements gain nothing but confusion. Their united idol-building to resist His purposes was thus brought to nothing and they were dispersed.

Because the tower was so lofty, commands had to pass through men stationed at different points between top and base. When language was confounded, material that was not needed was called for and directions were reversed. Confusion and dismay stopped all work and ended harmony and cooperation. In rage and disappointment the builders reproached one another until their confederacy ended in strife and bloodshed.

Lightnings from heaven, as evidence of divine displeasure, broke off the upper portion of the tower and cast it to the ground. This was to make men feel that there is a God who rules in the heavens. He is able to confuse and to multiply confusion in order to teach men that they are only men.

The barrier of language that divides people originated in sin in this setting at Babel, where men sought to build a city and tower and keep themselves together rather than be scattered. That origin points to the hope of a time when nothing will prevent people from communicating with one another.

Nineveh was founded about the time of the dispersion from the tower of Babel, whose builders had sought to establish a city and tower, make a name for themselves, and prevent scattering.

Warnings for Later Generations

The scattering that broke up the proud, rebellious plan to build a city and a lofty tower teaches that God's people are to spread throughout the world rather than gather in one place, carrying the gospel to others. That original joining together in Shinar to remain united and make a name sought security from another flood and independence from God, serving self-exaltation and rebellion against God's law rather than God's glory. Seeking security and greatness apart from God by centralizing repeats the same resistance to His purposes that He stopped by confounding language and scattering the builders across the earth.

Tower-building continues when professedly Christian people turn away from the plain teachings of the Bible and build up a creed from human speculations and pleasing fables, pointing to their tower as a way to climb up to heaven. The tower in that sense means salvation taught without obedience to the law of God, and the claim that the transgressor shall not die. Exalting human wisdom above God's holy word destroys unity and brings divisions and dissension, and the existing confusion of conflicting creeds and sects is Babylon, which prophecy applies to the world-loving churches of the last days.

Building a tower also pictures men who have stood in the light of truth failing to search and understand the Scriptures and instead following their own inventions until the mind becomes perverted and spiritual perception is clouded. Making a name in this way means self-exaltation, and building the tower means carrying on a self-chosen and self-supported enterprise they are determined to finish, going to warfare at their own charges apart from God. In pursuing it they become a means of tempting others and tear down what they once built up in order to complete their own work. The decision after the Flood to build a tower reaching to heaven came because its builders would not trust to any boat like the ark that had been built, and though the planning showed wonderful talent, the project was an ambitious human movement for self-security apart from God that the Lord quenched with confusion of tongues to teach that such movements gain nothing but confusion. When people will not walk in the ample light God gives on the way each one should travel, a spirit takes possession of them that makes them think they must do something unusual to call attention to the great things they can do, and the Lord leaves them to themselves to do their wonderful works. Ample light shines on the pathway of the righteous, but many do not walk in this light, and their self-exalting building up of towers to make a name and finish what they are determined to finish is a farce.

The ambition to build high and make a name for oneself repeats itself in building greatly and proudly for selfish gain, in great mansions and lofty buildings built to glorify their owners, and in men and women in the cities of America erecting buildings whose towers reach high into the heavens. Their minds are filled with schemes and ambitious devisings and they are becoming more and more entangled in business relations, acting wildly, and this condition is transgression and sin. Such heights, defenses, and wealth sought for selfish gain are foolish and sinful, cannot keep doom away or make earthly wealth lasting, and cannot protect from God's judgment, especially when the wealth used for them has been gained by oppressing the poor. Human plans for greatness apart from glorifying God cannot stand, for when His appointed time comes even buildings thought fireproof can be destroyed, and this calls for God's ministering servants to proclaim His encouraging message of mercy by crying aloud and lifting up the voice like a trumpet.