Genesis 11: The Curious Case of the Tower of Babel

The last of the pre-Abraham stories in Genesis concerns the famous tower of Babel. Reading the text, however, we are faced with many questions:________________________________________1) When did this story happen? In the last verse of chapter 10 we are told: “These are the groupings of Noah’s descendants . . . [they] branched out over the earth after the Flood.” Hebrew (Genesis 10:32):אֵלֶּה מִשְׁפְּחוֹת בְּנֵי־נֹחַ לְתוֹלְדֹתָם בְּגוֹיֵהֶם וּמֵאֵלֶּה נִפְרְדוּ הַגּוֹיִם בָּאָרֶץ אַחַר הַמַּבּוּל׃But then, in the first two verses of chapter 11 we are told: “Everyone on earth had the same language and the same words. And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.” Hebrew (Genesis 11:1–2):וַיְהִי כָל־הָאָרֶץ שָׂפָה אֶחָת וּדְבָרִים אֲחָדִים׃וַיְהִי בְּנָסְעָם מִקֶּדֶם וַיִּמְצְאוּ בִקְעָה בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם׃Based on the text, it seems like this story may have happened prior to chapter 10. But, the reference to the founding of Shinar by Nimrod in chapter 10 and the people settling there in chapter 11 probably means this story happened during chapter 10.________________________________________2) Who are these people? If we place the story after the flood then we are left with the problem of the last verse in chapter 10. If the text explains that descendants of Noah spread across the world, then the story in chapter 11 must be related to a specific group of these children. This is most likely the Shem family or the Cham family that migrated over. However, the fact that the people are called sons of Adam and not the sons of Noah or Shem or Cham may imply they are direct descendants of Adam and that this story took place prior to the flood. (Also answering question 1).________________________________________3) What did they want to do?The traditional explanation is that the people wanted to build a tower to fight God, yet this motivation is absent from the text. All the text says is:“And they said, ‘Come, let us build us a city, and a tower with its top in the sky, to make a name for ourselves; else we shall be scattered all over the world.’” (verse 4)Hebrew (Genesis 11:4):וַיֹּאמְרוּ הָבָה נִבְנֶה־לָּנוּ עִיר וּמִגְדָּל וְרֹאשׁוֹ בַשָּׁמַיִם וְנַעֲשֶׂה לָּנוּ שֵׁם פֶּן־נָפוּץ עַל־פְּנֵי כָל־הָאָרֶץ׃It sounds like the motivation for the people is twofold — the ambiguous “make a name for ourselves” and the practical “else we shall be scattered.” (Ironically what ends up happening to them). If we connect these two reasons, it sounds like the people wanted to establish a set named location, as opposed to a nomadic lifestyle.________________________________________4) Why did God punish them?So far this seems like a legitimate decision for the people. They no longer want to be nomads and they want a centralized location. Yet, God is upset about this:“And the LORD said, ‘If, as one people with one language for all, this is how they have begun to act, then nothing that they may propose to do will be out of their reach.’” (verse 6)Hebrew (Genesis 11:6):וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה הֵן עַם אֶחָד וְשָׂפָה אַחַת לְכֻלָּם וְזֶה הַחִלָּם לַעֲשׂוֹת וְעַתָּה לֹא־יִבָּצֵר מֵהֶם כֹּל אֲשֶׁר יְזַמּוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת׃Why is human ingenuity so bad? The text does not provide an answer. This lingering question could be why commentators interpreted this story to mean that the people wanted to attack God, and God needed to scatter them to avoid this result.