Tower of Babel
Gen 10:8-9
8 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth.
9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; that is why it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD." (NIV)
8 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth.
9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; that is why it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD." (NIV)
![Picture](/uploads/1/2/9/9/12994887/nimrod-2.jpg?410)
Nimrod - Historical Background
The founder of the city of Babylon is Nimrod Bar-Cush.
And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.
And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
Out of that land went forth Ashur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah: the same is a great city
(Genesis 10:8-12).
The name Nimrod may come from the Hebrew verb 'nimrodh' which is translated, "Let us revolt." Nimrod is referred to as a 'mighty one': this phrase derives from the Hebrew word 'gilor' which means "tyrant". Nimrod was not just a powerful man on the earth at that time, he was a tyrannical leader of men. The phrase "a mighty hunter before the Lord" suggests that it was not wild beasts that Nimrod was hunting, but men. Having hunted them he would enslave them and have a tyrannical hold over them. And all this was done in direct opposition to the Lord.
It has also been suggested that Nimrod tamed a leopard to accompany him on his hunts for animals, just as people today use dogs for this purpose. This could also be where Nimrod got his name: the Babylonian name for "leopard" was "nimr" and "rod" means "to subdue."
After the Great Flood, various city-states in Mesopotamia became the temporary seat of power until about 2800 BC, when they were united under the rule of one king, Etana of Kish, who may also be the origin of the Biblical Nimrod. Seven cities were conquered by this king, who established the world's first, post-deluge empire. After founding a southern (Sumerian) empire in Babel, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh, he invaded Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah and Resen. He then unified the people in numerous construction projects, the most prominent of which was the construction of the Tower of Babel.
The founder of the city of Babylon is Nimrod Bar-Cush.
And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.
And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
Out of that land went forth Ashur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah: the same is a great city
(Genesis 10:8-12).
The name Nimrod may come from the Hebrew verb 'nimrodh' which is translated, "Let us revolt." Nimrod is referred to as a 'mighty one': this phrase derives from the Hebrew word 'gilor' which means "tyrant". Nimrod was not just a powerful man on the earth at that time, he was a tyrannical leader of men. The phrase "a mighty hunter before the Lord" suggests that it was not wild beasts that Nimrod was hunting, but men. Having hunted them he would enslave them and have a tyrannical hold over them. And all this was done in direct opposition to the Lord.
It has also been suggested that Nimrod tamed a leopard to accompany him on his hunts for animals, just as people today use dogs for this purpose. This could also be where Nimrod got his name: the Babylonian name for "leopard" was "nimr" and "rod" means "to subdue."
After the Great Flood, various city-states in Mesopotamia became the temporary seat of power until about 2800 BC, when they were united under the rule of one king, Etana of Kish, who may also be the origin of the Biblical Nimrod. Seven cities were conquered by this king, who established the world's first, post-deluge empire. After founding a southern (Sumerian) empire in Babel, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh, he invaded Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah and Resen. He then unified the people in numerous construction projects, the most prominent of which was the construction of the Tower of Babel.
The men that came together in the plain of Shinar had three purposes (11:4):
a. The building of a city
b. The building of a tower
c. Making a name for themselves
which can be summarised as an attempt at unity - the city was a place that they all intended living in, the tower a place that they all intended worshipping on and earthly reputation was what they wanted corporately (the Scripture says that they wanted to make 'a name' not 'names' for themselves).
The earth had one language after the Flood (11:1) which meant that there was a natural unity amongst all mankind - it was God's provision. However, fallen man under the direction of Nimrod attempted to bring themselves into a position of unity that was stronger than that which already existed (11:6a - 'Behold, they are one people...'). The natural unity of language that they had was exploited to produce a unity among themselves that God had not intended to be achieved.
Indeed, they tried to put off God's command to 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth' (Gen 9:1) by attempting to establish themselves in one area (11:2 - 'they settled there' and 11:4 - 'let us build'). Even in what appears to be a noble cause, there is rebellion lurking behind the scenes.
Notice that the building of a tower '...with its top in the heavens...' is an attempt at religious unity (11:4). In ancient times, the high places were places of sacrifice so that the tower would have been a place where each one of them performed various religious rites. Having its top in the heavens is a way of saying that they were attempting to reach up to God, to ascend back into a relationship with Him through their own efforts, whereas the cross speaks to us of God's descent to man and of our impotence to restore ourselves into covenant relationship with God.
Even though their reach is to heaven, God still has to come down to see what's going on - they fall too far short of their target (Gen 11:5).
God is concerned for mankind, taking an active part in human affairs by descending to earth to witness men's deeds. He did this again before judging Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18:21), when He came to deliver His people out of Egypt (Ex 3:8), when He gave commandments to Israel (Ex 19:11,20) and, ultimately, when He came to earth to secure an eternal redemption on behalf of His people (Eph 4:9-10, John 1:1,14).
a. The building of a city
b. The building of a tower
c. Making a name for themselves
which can be summarised as an attempt at unity - the city was a place that they all intended living in, the tower a place that they all intended worshipping on and earthly reputation was what they wanted corporately (the Scripture says that they wanted to make 'a name' not 'names' for themselves).
The earth had one language after the Flood (11:1) which meant that there was a natural unity amongst all mankind - it was God's provision. However, fallen man under the direction of Nimrod attempted to bring themselves into a position of unity that was stronger than that which already existed (11:6a - 'Behold, they are one people...'). The natural unity of language that they had was exploited to produce a unity among themselves that God had not intended to be achieved.
Indeed, they tried to put off God's command to 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth' (Gen 9:1) by attempting to establish themselves in one area (11:2 - 'they settled there' and 11:4 - 'let us build'). Even in what appears to be a noble cause, there is rebellion lurking behind the scenes.
Notice that the building of a tower '...with its top in the heavens...' is an attempt at religious unity (11:4). In ancient times, the high places were places of sacrifice so that the tower would have been a place where each one of them performed various religious rites. Having its top in the heavens is a way of saying that they were attempting to reach up to God, to ascend back into a relationship with Him through their own efforts, whereas the cross speaks to us of God's descent to man and of our impotence to restore ourselves into covenant relationship with God.
Even though their reach is to heaven, God still has to come down to see what's going on - they fall too far short of their target (Gen 11:5).
God is concerned for mankind, taking an active part in human affairs by descending to earth to witness men's deeds. He did this again before judging Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18:21), when He came to deliver His people out of Egypt (Ex 3:8), when He gave commandments to Israel (Ex 19:11,20) and, ultimately, when He came to earth to secure an eternal redemption on behalf of His people (Eph 4:9-10, John 1:1,14).
Gen 11:2-4
1 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.
2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." (NIV)
Gen 11:5-9
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.
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."
8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
9 That is why it was called Babel-- because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth. (NIV)
1 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.
2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." (NIV)
Gen 11:5-9
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.
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."
8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
9 That is why it was called Babel-- because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth. (NIV)
Various towers, or pyramids or Ziggurats were constructed all over the world as a result of the tower of Babel. Usually associated with pagan rituals or sacrifices