Babel

Narrator: Chris Genthree
Duration: 1min
 •  1 min. read  •  grade level: 11
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The word “Babel” occurs but twice: in Genesis 10:1010And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. (Genesis 10:10) it is the name of the first place mentioned as the beginning of the kingdom of Nimrod; and in Genesis 11:99Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:9) the tower and city are called “Babel,” because there the language of man was confounded so that they did not understand one another. The tower was to be very high “unto heaven,” not with any thought of reaching heaven, but it declared the lofty imagination of man’s heart in the desire to make them a name, and to form a gathering point, which would prevent their being scattered. God would not suffer this, for man no sooner has power than he begins to abuse it. He could not therefore let them as one family exalt their own name, for the Lord’s name alone is to be exalted. As the result of God’s judgment they were scattered and formed into nations according to their tongues and families.
It may be that the name given to the city by Nimrod was Bab-il, signifying “gate of God” (and it is said that on the monuments this very name “The gate of God,” as the name of a city has been found); but that Jehovah altered it to Ba-bel, which signifies “confusion.”