Gen. 11:1-9
- Locate the passage
This passage recounts the Divine interruption of mankind’s selfish plans to make a name for themselves. This passage records the events that led to the Lord enforcing mankind’s obedience to the Divine command to “fill the earth” (Gen. 1:27; 9:1)
- Genre
The passage is narrative. It records the prideful commands of the people of Shinar and the Divine response among the Godhead.
- Determine the structure of the passage
11:1-2 – One language, one speech, one location
11:3-4 – Mankind’s arrogant attempt at self-promotion
11:5-7 – The Lord confuses mankind’s pride
11:8-9 – Divine assistance in mankind’s fulling Divine Command
- Exegete the passage
Bad exegesis has “confused” the interpretation of this passage. The problem was not a building project or a common language. The problem was the arrogant defiance of God’s clear command.
Note the four-fold repetition of the English phrase, “Let us”
- Technically only the verb in vs. 3 and the Divine response in vs. 7 are in cohortative form in Hebrew. Though the imperfect forms of “let us build” and “let us make a name for ourselves” in vs. 4 both carry a cohortative meaning.
- The first three expressions are recorded by the peoples of the earth in their arrogance. The fourth records the Divine response that overrides man’s hubris.
Several commentators have noted the chiasm in this passage:
A “the whole world had one language” (v. 1)
B “there” (v. 2)
C “each other” (v. 3)
D “Come, let’s make bricks” (v. 3)
E “Come, let us build ourselves” (v. 4)
F “a city, with a tower” (v. 4)
G “the Lord came down …” (v. 5)
F′ “the city and the tower” (v. 5)
E′ “that the men were building” (v. 5)
D′ “Come, let us … confuse” (v. 7)
C′ “each other” (v. 7)
B′ “from there” (v. 8)
A′ “the language of the whole world” (v. 9)[ref]See Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 1-15, Word Biblical Commentary vol. 1 (Waco: Word Books, 1987), 235.[/ref]
Gen. 1-11 essentially introduces us to every major concept that we will study in Scripture and prepares us for God’s history of redemption.
11:1 – One language and one speech
- Literally, “one lip” and “one words”
- Probably suggests a common language and vocabulary
- The passage shows a parallelism between the one “language” in vs. 1 and the confused “language” in vs. 9
11:2 – “They found … they dwelt there”
- In disobedience to God’s direct command to fill the earth, the people settled together in the land of Shinar.
11:3 – The making of bricks for a building project prefigures the children of Israel making bricks in Egypt for a different (yet similarly selfish) building project.
11:4 – “Let us make a name for ourselves”
- The phrase recalls the description of the “men of renown” in Gen. 6:4, which is literally translated “men of name.” Ironically, the people of the land of Shinar were trying to duplicate the sin that led to the flood.
- See Gen. 12:2 – “I will make your name great”
11:4 – “Whose top reaches to the heavens”
- Some have interpreted this as mankind trying to reach into Heaven. This probably reflects more of an advanced, anachronistic understanding of Heaven than likely existed in Gen. 11. More likely, this is simply mankind’s effort to build skyscrapers to make a name for themselves instead of following God’s command to fill the earth.
11:5 – “The Lord came down to see”
- “Ra’ah”
- This is the word used in Gen.1 of Divine inspection (1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31)
11:6 – “Nothing they purpose to do will be impossible
- What they “plan” is not “inaccessible”
- See Job 42:2 for a similar connection of these words
- God is not threatened by human advancement
- Instead, God knew the danger that would come from their plans
- God’s Divine foreknowledge, at times, protects us from the foolishness of our own plans
11:7 – “Let Us go down and there confuse their language”
- See 1:26; 3:22
- Does God feel threatened?
- Rather, an act of grace – the danger that will result from it … if left unchecked
- They might could accomplish all that they said:
- Build a city and a tower
- Make a name for themselves and NOT be scattered
- PROBLEM: They will NOT accomplish His purpose
=> SO, God scattered them …
- God’s not afraid of losing His job. He is working to prevent them from living outside His will!
11:8 – “The Lord scattered”
- God scattered them – which was part of God’s commands to Adam to fill the earth
- God was left out of their plans
11:9 – While “Babel” specifically refers to the region that became “Babylon,” it does carry the same connotation as the English word, “babble.”
- Pentecost = reversal of Tower of Babel?
- Sending the various languages out – to reach those scattered
- Let the structure of the text drive the sermon
- God has the right to override my plans
- What’s missing in this building plan is an architect. The presumption of planning without Divine directive led mankind into prideful sin.
- We need to submit our plans to His Will (Prov. 16:1-3, 9)
- My plans should always be in accordance to God’s will
- God had already instructed them to fill the earth and subdue it
- Settling in one spot violated God’s will for His people
- God is not going to help you live outside of His will!
- Prideful ambition vs. Divine Directive
- The “unfinished tower” was a monument to mankind’s arrogant presumption
- Pentecost contrasted God’s plan with mankind’s
- Evil often masquerades as good
- What’s missing in this building plan is an architect. The presumption of planning without Divine directive led mankind into prideful sin.
- The danger of following the crowd’s bad advice
- “Let us build”
- Bad influence (1 Cor. 15:33 – “Bad company corrupts good morals”)
- If the goal of our plans is our “name,” however, good our project might seem, its end violates God’s purpose.
- Monuments to ourselves …
- “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled” (Matt. 23:12)
- The need for thinking less of me and more of Him
