The Tower of Babel, Confusion of Tongues: Fact or Parable?

by Suzanne Hayes
Copyright Suzanne Hayes.
Presented with permission of the author.

Before reading this article look on the web for images of The Tower of Babel by
Pieter Brueghel the Elder and Confusion of Tongues by Gustave Dor.

Who Built the Tower of Babel?

It is thought that Nimrod commissioned the construction of the Tower of Babel.

Nimrod was the great grandson of Noah, grandson of Ham and son of Cush. He
was King and founder of many cities following the flood - he is associated with
Babylon, Mespotonia, Uruk, Akkad and Calneh. He is depicted as a tyrannous
ruler, a hunter of both animals and men, who established fire worship and
idolatry.

What is the Story of the Tower of Babel

Genesis 11:1-2

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to
pass, as they journeyed from the East, that they found a plain in the land of
Shinar; and they dwelt there

Genesis 11:3

And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them
thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar

Genesis 11:4

And they said, Go to, let us build a city and a tower, whose top may reach into
heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of
the whole Earth

Genesis 11:5-6

And the lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of
men builded. 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
Genesis 11:7

Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not
understand one another's speech

Genesis 11:8-9

So the lord scattered them abroad from hence upon the face of all the earth
and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel;
because the lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from
hence did the lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth

The message from Genesis seems to be that the Babylonian citizens who built
the tower did so without God and without praise of or assistance from God.

Without God, and a need for God, men themselves become Gods.

Speaking one tongue, and with ancient wisdom, humankind would be capable
of anything they put their minds to - this was not God's will or plan for
humankind at this point in history, the knowledge and intent could easily be
twisted for evil purposes and used to wipe out mankind - therefore God had to
slow the advancement of man.

Without clarity of communication, mankind was fragmented and

disempowered with a loss and dispersion of universal wisdom and universal
intent.

The word babble is based upon the incoherent speech of the Babylonians
following the destruction of the tower.

Cultural Interpretations of the Tower of Babel

Greek Account

When all men were of one language, some of them built a high tower as if
they would thereby ascend up to heaven, but the Gods sent storms of wind and
overthrew the tower and gave everyone his peculiar language and for this
reason it was that the city was called Babylon

Sumerian Account

Then Enki, the Lord of abundance, (whose commands are trustworthy) the
lord of wisdom, who understands the land; the leader of the Gods, endowed
with wisdom, the Lord of Eridu changed the speech in their mouths, contention
into it, into the speech of man that (until now) had been one.

Mexican Account

And as men were thereafter multiplying they constructed a very high and
strong Zacualli (a very high tower) in order to protect themselves when again
the second world should be destroyed. At the crucial moment their languages
were changed, and as they did not understand one another, they went to
different parts of the world

Polynesian Account

But the God in anger chased the builders away, broke down the building and
changed their language, so that they spoke diverse tongues.

Crow Indian Account

Then little Coyote did something bad. He suggested to Old Man that he give
the people different languages so they would misunderstand each other and use
their weapons in warsOld Man did what little Coyote said and the people
had different languages and made war on each other.

Copyright by Suzanne Hayes.
Presented with permission of the author.

1. Compare your interpretation / thoughts of Genesis 11, 1-9 to the artistic

representations of Brueghel and Dor. What mood(s) do the images evoke?
What message or purpose do you think they have? How are they similar and
different?
2. How might religious scholars interpret Genesis 11, 1-9? For what purpose?
3. How might a linguist or a cultural anthropologist interpret Genesis 11, 1-9?
4. What explanation can you give that different cultures share similar stories?
5. What is the lesson that is common in all these stories?
6. Do you think that the lessons of humanity are common, no matter the culture,
the period or the place? Why / why not?