How Tall Was the Tower of Babel?

[Pastor Billy-Reuben]

The Tower of Babel was build from mud bricks, without the use of steel or power tools. I have always thought that despite that fact, it must have been much taller than the glass and steel skyscrapers we have today, because otherwise God would have smashed those, too.

Recently, however, I started wondering if maybe the Tower of Babel was shorter, but steel buildings affect God the same way that iron chariots do. Any thoughts on that?

Pastor Billy-Reuben

[Elmer G. White]

Re: How Tall Was the Tower of Babel?

The Tower of Babel was build from mud bricks, without the use of steel or power tools. I have always thought that despite that fact, it must have been much taller than the glass and steel skyscrapers we have today, because otherwise God would have smashed those, too.

Recently, however, I started wondering if maybe the Tower of Babel was shorter, but steel buildings affect God the same way that iron chariots do. Any thoughts on that?

Pastor Billy-Reuben

I think it must have been taller than modern buildings to annoy God. I recently read a scholarly paper on the issue by Answers in Genesis. In most cases the organization of AiG is much too lieberal to my tastes but this paper seemed to be well-presented. This is what they suggested:

We can only imagine what their original plans looked like. Perhaps they designed an enormous city that would require a thousand years to complete. After all, they probably expected to live a thousand years, as people did before the Flood.

It is possible that they had unique construction materials available after the Flood. Thick layers of lime and other sediments may not have hardened. Perhaps these materials could be formed into bricks as strong as concrete blocks we make today.

This seems quite feasible as so much of the original know-how of man was lost after the Flood and especially after the scattering caused by this tower.

I suggest at least 7000 feet high by the time God intervened.

Of course, the Tower remains a warning lest we strive for cheap victories in Godless medicine, mechanics, tolerance or architecture. I think the new skyscrapers in mooselimb countries of the Persian Gulf and elsewhere are approaching the limit that God tolerates.

Ecclesiastes 2:16
For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.


An example, the EU Parliament building in Godless Strasbourg:



Looks conspiciously similar to the image in your post, Brother! And the roof area looks unfinished. I am afraid they are striving for the Firmament! God will not approve this building. Its destiny is soon to be demolished by LORD, I surmise.

Yours in Christ,

Elmer

[Pastor Billy-Reuben]

Re: How Tall Was the Tower of Babel?

Thanks, brother. What's amazing to me is that a structure could be that large and that strong, yet leave absolutely no trace of archaeological evidence that it ever existed. That just goes to show when God wants something destroyed, it gets destroyed.

Something else I think about is, if I were to try to build a tower to reach up to the firmament, I believe I would have started on top of one of the nearby hills instead of starting down in a river valley. But I guess when your king is named Nimrod, you can't exactly expect him to make the world's smartest decisions.

Pastor Billy-Reuben

[Cranky Old Man]

Re: How Tall Was the Tower of Babel?

I believe God also changed the laws of physics to make sure we would never again build a tower high enough to reach Heaven. My belief is that He increased gravity. That would also explain how the Egyptians build all those pyramids even though they currently cannot even build decent houses. It also explains other mysteries like Stonehenge and the Loch Ness Monster. The increase of gravity simply made the Loch Ness Monster sink to the bottom of the lake.

[Basilissa]

Re: How Tall Was the Tower of Babel?

Here in Southern Mexico (they call this province Peru or something like that) the Indians have supposedly built large structures made out of unbaked/sun-dried mud bricks. (I say supposedly because I'm sure Indians couldn't do it, it's either a natural formation or the aliens did it.).

Anyway, I'm sure that the Tower of Babel was much higher than this pathetic pile of mud:

[Attila's Wife]

Re: How Tall Was the Tower of Babel?

Some time in the 16th Century, the people of Yemen (a small but warlike race) tried their hand at reaching the firmament and built the walled city of Shibam. It is in the middle of nowhere (like everywhere else in Yemen ) and consists of "skyscrapers" about 7 storeys high, made of mud.



What did God do? Well, for almost 500 years he did absolutely nothing. Why? Well, 2 Peter 3:9 may apply here. And I can't pretend to know His Holy sense of humor, but I wonder if he was waiting for the 20th Century. With the arrival of electrical goods and automobiles, the hapless Yeminemis realized that they had made the gates too small and the lanes too narrow, so that everything had to be carried up by hand.

Also, they couldn't bury electrical cables because that would have undermined the mud, so you got this unattractive effect:



In 2008 Our Lord finally took pity on the fools and sent a great flood, which caused much of it to collapse.

PRAISE HIM!

[Mother Of Seven]

Re: How Tall Was the Tower of Babel?

I believe God also changed the laws of physics to make sure we would never again build a tower high enough to reach Heaven. My belief is that He increased gravity.

He may have just raised the firmament.

[Alvin Moss]

Re: How Tall Was the Tower of Babel?

These scientific matters can be confusing and there can be many opinions, as we see above.

I am unable to answer the exact question as to whether that ungodly tower was higher than a skyscraper or not, or exactly what adjustments the Lord may have made, but I can say that I believe that tower was very, very tall.

That is my opinion.

[Ezekiel Bathfire]

Re: How Tall Was the Tower of Babel?

He may have just raised the firmament.

This seems a very real possibility. In the days of the Patriarchs, it was obvious that Man was closer to God as He revealed Himself unto them far more and far more spectacularly than He does today. Back then he would directly send plagues and turn rivers to blood, whereas, today, he leaves spreading plagues like AIDS to nigras who have been going in unto monkeys and rivers turning red to seasonal outbreaks of algae.

[Joshrine]

Re: How Tall Was the Tower of Babel?

Didn't it have something to do with World Jewelry?

[Basilissa]

Re: How Tall Was the Tower of Babel?

Thanks, brother. What's amazing to me is that a structure could be that large and that strong, yet leave absolutely no trace of archaeological evidence that it ever existed. That just goes to show when God wants something destroyed, it gets destroyed.

Indeed! it must have been much taller than the Ziggurat of Ur (which, at about 7 stories high, was a head-spinning skyscraper for ancient Babylonians). (Some people claim that this ziggurat inspired the Biblical story of the tower of Babel, which is obviously wrong because the ziggurat was finished and there was no language divergence associated with its creation).

Nonetheless, as you note, God was so thorough that there is no archaeological existence of the tower of Babel - while the ziggurat of Ur is standing until this day:

Something else I think about is, if I were to try to build a tower to reach up to the firmament, I believe I would have started on top of one of the nearby hills instead of starting down in a river valley. But I guess when your king is named Nimrod, you can't exactly expect him to make the world's smartest decisions.

That is truly an excellent interpretation based on the best available data!

[Praisegodtogether]

Re: How Tall Was the Tower of Babel?

I think we should have an annual event where we re-build all these anti-god monuments and then burn them at the end of the year to renew our faith.

Just to remind ourselves about the purpose of our life. I'm not talking about getting a math scientist or something of that nature to pay and build these monuments but just like an annual event.

Where we create effigies of these buildings of the past and then burn them down. Perhaps out of cardboard or light wood?


Faith strengthening exercise if I may.

[Basilissa]

Re: How Tall Was the Tower of Babel?

I think we should have an annual event where we re-build all these anti-god monuments and then burn them at the end of the year to renew our faith.

Just to remind ourselves about the purpose of our life. I'm not talking about getting a math scientist or something of that nature to pay and build these monuments but just like an annual event.

Where we create effigies of these buildings of the past and then burn them down. Perhaps out of cardboard or light wood?

Faith strengthening exercise if I may.

That is a very interesting idea - it could be something similar to the annual pagan goat idol burning in Sweden.

By the way, it would be great if you could find your way to the Introduction Forum and create a thread there, you know, to introduce yourself.

[Mary Etheldreda]

Re: How Tall Was the Tower of Babel?

I think we should have an annual event where we re-build all these anti-god monuments and then burn them at the end of the year to renew our faith.

Just to remind ourselves about the purpose of our life. I'm not talking about getting a math scientist or something of that nature to pay and build these monuments but just like an annual event.

Where we create effigies of these buildings of the past and then burn them down. Perhaps out of cardboard or light wood?


Faith strengthening exercise if I may.

Friend, you might consider Landover Baptist Annual Witch Hunt to be an invigorating adventure! Renews a man's enthusiasm to live out the faith in a practical, Scripture-Affirming way! Call the office for more information and to get on the mailing list. Be sure to have your name, number, address, and bank account routing number available!