The Tower of Babel
A tower to the heavens, and many languages
Two things you can tap
- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
Story
What happened?
Tap a verse number, like , to read the Bible’s exact words.
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- The people: Noah's descendants, some time after the flood. They all speak one language.
- The LORD: God. LORD in capital letters stands for God's personal name. Jewish readers traditionally don't say it aloud, out of respect.
Setting
- A wide, flat plain in the land of Shinar. Later this land was called Babylonia. Today it is in Iraq.
When
- Long ago, after the flood and before Abram. Genesis does not give a date we can match to our calendar.
Before the Story
God kept Noah's family safe through the flood. Afterward, God promised never again to destroy all life with a flood (9:11).
God gave them a blessing. He said, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth" (9:1). "Be fruitful" here means to have children. God wanted people to spread out over the whole world.
Noah's family grew into many families. Genesis 10 lists them, clan by clan.
Here's what you know that almost nobody in this story knows: God is not far away. He does not need a tower to reach them.
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. One language | 11:1-2 | Everyone speaks the same language. They settle on a plain |
| 2. Bricks and tar | 11:3 | They make bricks and bake them hard |
| 3. A name for ourselves | 11:4 | They plan a city and a tall tower |
| 4. The LORD came down | 11:5-6 | God comes to see what they are building |
| 5. Scattered | 11:7-8 | God confuses their language. The building stops |
| 6. Babel | 11:9 | The city gets its name |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 6One Language
A long line of families walked east.
At that time, the whole world had one language. Everyone used the same words.
The families came to a wide, flat plain in the land of Shinar. They stopped walking and settled there.
Scene 2 of 6Bricks and Tar
The people said to each other, "Come on, let's make bricks. Let's bake them hard in the fire."
So they used bricks instead of stone. They used tar to stick the bricks together, instead of mortar. Mortar is a paste that holds building stones together.
The Bible doesn't say why they chose brick. One likely reason: the plain had plenty of clay but few stones.
Scene 3 of 6A Name for Ourselves
Now they had bricks that would last. With them, the people made a big plan.
They said, "Come... let us build for ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens" (11:4).
They gave two reasons. They wanted to "make a name for ourselves" (11:4). That means they wanted to be famous and important.
They also did not want to be "scattered over the face of all the earth" (11:4). They did not want to be spread apart.
But God had blessed them to fill the earth (9:1). His blessing told them to spread out. Their plan was to stay in one place.
Scene 4 of 6The LORD Came Down
"Then the LORD came down to see the city and the tower" (11:5).
This is a way of speaking about God. God already knows everything. The words show God paying close attention.
Many readers notice something here. The people wanted a tower that reached heaven. But the Bible says God came down to see it. However tall it was, it was far below God.
The LORD spoke about what he saw. They were one people, and they spoke one language. This tower was only the start. "Nothing they devise will be beyond them" (11:6).
The Bible doesn't say exactly what would have come next. But remember why the people built the tower. They wanted a name for themselves, and they did not want to be scattered.
Scene 5 of 6Scattered
Then the LORD said, "Come, let Us go down and confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another's speech" (11:7).
That is what happened. People spoke, and others could not understand them.
The LORD scattered them over the whole earth.
They stopped building the city.
Scene 6 of 6Babel
The city was named Babel. In Hebrew, Babel sounds like the word for "confuse."
It got that name because there "the LORD confused the language of the whole world" (11:9).
From there, the LORD scattered people over the whole earth.
The people built a tower so they would not be scattered. They were scattered anyway. And now they were filling the earth, as God had blessed them to do.
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "Brick instead of stone, and tar instead of mortar" (11:3) | The people found new ways to build with what the plain had. Being clever was not the problem. The plan was. |
| "A tower that reaches to the heavens" (11:4) | They wanted a building so tall it seemed to touch the sky, where God is. |
| "Make a name for ourselves" (11:4) | They wanted to be great by their own work. |
| "Not be scattered" (11:4) | They did not want to be spread apart. But God had blessed them to fill the earth (9:1). |
| "The LORD came down to see" (11:5) | This is a way of speaking about God. God did not need to travel to see. The words show that God pays attention. |
| "Let Us go down" (11:7) | God speaks as "Us," as he did at creation (1:26). |
| "Babel" (11:9) | The name sounds like the Hebrew word for "confuse." |
Back Then
Shinar was probably the old name for Babylonia. That is the southern part of the flat land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, in today's Iraq. (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
The tower was built of baked bricks. The bricks were held together with bitumen, a thick natural tar. (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
In Hebrew, Babel sounds like "confusion." The people of Babylon had their own meaning for the name, "the gate of God." (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
People in that land built tall temple towers. They were built in steps, like giant stairs, from baked brick. Today they are called ziggurats. Old Bible dictionaries describe the ruins of one such tower near Babylon, called Birs Nimrud. Easton's Bible Dictionary thought it was probably the tower of Babel. Smith's Bible Dictionary said it was not, but that it shows what the tower may have looked like. No one knows for sure. Many scholars think towers like these are in the background of this story.
Literal Reader Alert
Did God have to walk down to see the tower? No. God is everywhere, and he knows everything (Psalm 139:1-7). "Came down to see" is a way of speaking about God. It shows God paying close attention. It also shows how small the tower was next to God.
Was God afraid of people? No. Genesis does not say God was afraid. God stopped a plan that went against his blessing. Many Christians read 11:6 as God stopping pride before it did more harm.
Who is "Us" in "let Us go down"? The Bible doesn't explain. Many Christians hear a hint of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jewish readers explain it in other ways.
Why does Genesis 10 already list many languages? Genesis 10 lists nations "according to their languages" (10:5). The tower story comes after it. It's okay to notice things like this. Careful readers have asked about it for centuries. Many think chapter 10 gives the big picture, and chapter 11 goes back to tell how the spreading out began.
Is this how all languages began? Christians read this in different ways. Some read it as the history of how languages began. Many others, including many Lutherans today, read it as a true story about people and God. They don't read it as a science report. Language scholars see languages slowly change over thousands of years. Both groups believe God speaks through this story. Faith and science do not have to be in conflict.
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The people | Probably afraid | They built so they would not be scattered over the earth (11:4) |
| The people | Wanting to be important | They wanted to make a name for themselves (11:4) |
| The people | Confused | They could no longer understand each other (11:7) |
| The people | The Bible doesn't say | Genesis does not tell how they felt when they had to leave (11:8) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
Which part of this story feels close to you? Tap one.
Afraid of being scattered
The builders wanted a tower to hold them together. God never needed a tower to find them. He came down to them. He comes to you too.
Wanting to matter
The builders tried to make a name for themselves. You don't have to. In Baptism, God puts his own name on you.
Nobody understands me
That is a lonely feeling. At Pentecost, God spoke to people in their own languages. The Spirit even prays for us when we have no words (Romans 8:26).
English isn't my first language
Welcome. Your language is not a punishment. God loves to hear every language, and he understands yours.
It's really bad right now
You don't have to carry it alone. Please tell a trusted adult today. If you are in danger, call 911 or your local emergency number. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 any time. Outside the U.S., findahelpline.com lists free helplines.
You Might Have Heard
"Different languages are God's punishment."
What's true: At Babel, God confused the language of proud builders and scattered them (11:7-8).
What the story is mainly about: God stopped a proud plan. He sent people out to fill the earth, as he had blessed them to do (9:1). The Bible never says any language is cursed. Every language is welcome to God. At the end of the Bible, John sees a huge crowd "from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne" (Revelation 7:9). Tongue means language. Their languages are not erased. God welcomes them all.
Where Jesus is: The builders tried to make a name for themselves. Jesus did the opposite. He humbled himself, even to death on a cross. "Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names" (Philippians 2:9).
Good News
At Babel, people tried to build their way up to heaven. God came down instead.
In Jesus, God came all the way down. "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us" (John 1:14).
In the very next chapter of Genesis, God makes a promise to a man named Abram. "I will make your name great" (Genesis 12:2). The builders tried to make a name for themselves. God gives a name as a gift.
At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down on Jesus's followers in Jerusalem. People from many nations were there. "Each one heard them speaking his own language" (Acts 2:6). God did not make everyone learn one language. He spoke in theirs. Many Christians see Pentecost as the reverse of Babel.
We cannot build our way up to God. God comes down to us, and he speaks our language.
Big Idea
God came down at Babel to stop a proud plan, and at Pentecost he spoke to people in their own languages.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
Luther's hymn "Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord" (1524) begins with a verse from an older German song. It praises the Holy Spirit for gathering people from every language in the world into one faith. Luther added the second and third verses.
In Church
Many churches follow the Revised Common Lectionary. On the Day of Pentecost in Year C, Genesis 11:1-9 can be the first reading. Then Acts 2:1-21 is the second reading, so Babel and Pentecost are heard side by side.
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
Then the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of men were building.
How did that feel?