The Tower of Babel in Genesis: How the Tower of Babel Narrative Influences the Theology of Genesis and the Bible

Copyright © 2012 James Austin

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and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only. Cover illustration is a depiction of The Confusion of Tongues as engraved by Gustave Dore, with the Hebrew words Tower and Babel superimposed on it.

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222.11 A936

ISBN: 978-1-4497-7672-5 (sc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012922038

WestBow Press rev. date: 11/21/2012

CONTENTS

Abstract

List Of Abbreviations

Dedications

Introduction

The Scope of this Project

The Babel Narrative

Methods for Examination

An Exegetical Analysis

Literary Analysis

Motifs in the Narrative

Tower Themes Compiled

Rebellion

Names

Judgment

Universality of the Narrative

Anthropomorphisms in the Narrative

Genesis Influenced

A Brief Introduction to Genesis

Expositional Commonalities

Conclusion

The Tower in Genesis

Genesis in the Tower

Bibliography

Abstract

The Tower of Babel is a critical portion of the Genesis narrative. Its place early in the Genesis account of humanity’s history lends to the idea that it placed an indelible mark on the continuing theology of Genesis. An exegesis of the Tower of Babel narrative uncovers particular themes that resonate throughout the Genesis account. One can conclude that the Tower of Babel motif remains a strong and central part of the entire Genesis narrative.

List Of Abbreviations

Dedications

For Bill and Velma Austin, my father and mother, who inspired me with a love of learning and who encouraged me to press on when things got tough. Thank you.

It would have been impossible for me to complete this work without the Lord and His servants sent to be of comfort and help to me. I cannot count how many times I was looking for a resource or a bit of information, and it just seemed to materialize in a book or library shelf right in front of me. I know that God helped me write this paper.

I would like further to acknowledge my family for their patience with me while I slaved over a hot keyboard. I had to be away from family activities a lot in order to complete this thesis on time. Karma, Tracy and Tyler were as patient as Job while I sat and wrote. I thank the efforts of my professors to teach me not to be satisfied with the obvious, but rather to search for deeper meanings.

Introduction

The biblical account of creation has had an uninterrupted audience from the time it was first penned until the present day. The Tower of Babel narrative is one among many pre-historical events that took place near the beginning of the world and of humanity. What has troubled many theologians is what role the Tower of Babel narrative plays in this account. Where does the Tower of Babel narrative fit in Old Testament history? Why does it appear to be a parenthetical narrative shoved in between Genesis 10 and the remainder of Genesis 11?

The present author contends that the Tower of Babel narrative describes a pivotal point in the biblical tale of human history. Embedded within the verses of this narrative is one of many examples of God’s plan for humanity and humanity’s attempt to go another way. The Tower of Babel narrative is one important development in a long line of many. This is not to mean that the Tower of Babel narrative is insignificant. It is in fact an exceptionally unique story of the interplay between God and humanity, and the terrible results of rebellion. It exists as an entity unto itself, fits exactly where it has been placed, and is in fact critical to the theology of Genesis.

The Scope of this Project

The present writing begins with the admission that there is little consensus concerning the Tower of Babel narrative. Virtually every aspect of the narrative is in question. Part of this lack of consensus comes from the antiquity of the Tower of Babel. John H. Hayes contends there are three factors that contribute to the problems of consensus- the first is that not one single verse of this ancient literature has come to us in an original manuscript. Secondly, he states, there is probably no other extant text, ancient or modern, which is witnessed to by so many diverse types of sources and the history of which is so difficult to elucidate as that of the text of the Old Testament. Finally, he argues, the further back the textual tradition of the Old Testament is followed… the wider the over-all range of textual divergence between them.¹

Other factors that affect consensus include one’s approach to the biblical materials, as they presently exist. Prior to 1800 AD, the predominant view was that the Book of Genesis was a divinely inspired, literal, and accurate historical and chronological account of humanity from creation to the days of Israelite captivity in Egypt. Beginning in the early nineteenth century, a more critical approach led to the general view that Genesis was not a unified work, not the product of Moses, and potentially inaccurate and uninspired (variously labeled the historical/critical view, Documentary theory, JEDP, etc.). The modern approach is not unlike a marriage of the former approaches, but still leads to much controversy and therefore a lack of consensus.

Therefore, since opinions of authorship and transmission of the text of Genesis are fluid, and since such issues are not germane to this study, this research will focus specifically upon the text, as it is available today, regardless of how it came to be in its present form. Considering the lack of consensus as to the author(s) of Genesis, and since the material spans many generations of human history, the present author will refer to the individual, group, or didacticians who penned Genesis 11:1-9 as the compiler. The argument for this term is that one person could not have personally experienced all (if any) of the history recorded in Genesis and therefore had to conduct some sort of compiling of information.

The work of the compiler in creating the Tower of Babel narrative will be examined, not in light of the aforementioned issues, but rather in light of its situational role and its role in the theology of Genesis. The Tower of Babel narrative plays a unique role in the Genesis narrative. The scope of this research is to discover the various facets of the role of the Tower of Babel narrative, as it currently exists in its present form. Finally, the present writer affirms the inspiration, infallibility and trustworthiness of the Old and New Testaments in the form available today.

The Babel Narrative

The account of the Tower of Babel is recorded in Genesis 11:1-9. One version of the story records:

Now, the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly. They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 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. But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 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. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other. So, the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 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.²

This short narrative is fraught with motifs that form significant, larger themes. These themes tie the Tower of Babel narrative together as a singular unit and connect it with the theology of the entire book of Genesis. The Tower of Babel narrative seems to play a unique role in Genesis as a mixture of Eden and Ark- human action and divine judgment on a universal scale. It also sets the stage for transition from universal to individual focus, while maintaining a universal impact. In seeking to discover the Tower of Babel’s contribution to the theology of Genesis, this thesis will highlight the themes of the Tower of Babel and demonstrate how they influence the entire book of Genesis. In keeping with the scope of this research and nature of the material, certain parameters are in place to ensure the accomplishment of the aforementioned task.

Methods for Examination

The parameters of the present work of research are set in order to discover what themes are present in the Tower of Babel narrative as it currently stands. This thesis will seek to discover themes that not only aggregate the narrative, but that also resonate in the theology of the Book of Genesis. To expose potential themes, a thorough exegetical study of the text of the Tower of Babel narrative will be conducted, highlighting significant motifs.

The exegetical portion of this thesis will examine portions of the Tower of Babel narrative that have been deemed most central to the narrative, according to scholars from various sides of the Tower of Babel debate. The exegetical work of this thesis will be limited to discovering the content of the material as it relates to the whole of the book of Genesis.

Following an exploration of the exegetical aspects of the Tower of Babel narrative, an exploration of major themes will appear in order to discover what surfaces from the exegetical work. Only the major themes and the central theme will be brought into the next portion of the discussion, which concerns the Tower of Babel’s influence on the theology of Genesis. Following an exploration of the exegetical aspects and relevant themes of the Tower of Babel narrative, this thesis will explore the relationship and importance of this narrative in light of the theology of Genesis as a whole.

Conclusions will be drawn from discoveries in the previous section. When the reader has completed his perlustration of this short narrative, he will discover the overarching theme that connects the Tower of Babel narrative as an independent work and as a critical component that influences the theology of the entire book of Genesis.

An Exegetical Analysis

An exegetical examination of the Tower of Babel narrative is critical in order to glean concepts contained within the narrative. The objective is to discover how to particularize this narrative in light of the theology of