Why was it wrong to build a tower? (Genesis 11:4)
Genesis 11:4-9 King James Version (KJV) 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6 And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
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Asked April 20 2019
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Jack Gutknecht
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Danny Hickman
Supporter
I think they would have been fine building a tower for the Lord's glory, but they said they were making a name for themselves. Many today start ministries to make a name for themselves. If God wants a tower He'll tell whomever He chooses to build one. He'll specify the place, the dimensions, and most of all, the purpose for the tower. I think the story is there to let us know how we were dispersed. I don't know if I'd say it was "wrong" to build it, but it was evidently a futile effort.
Glen Rogers
The stated purpose for building this city was to prevent them from being scattered. This violated the mandate of the Lord in 9:7 to “Be fruitful and multiply; Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.” Rather than obeying this mandate from the Lord, they decided they did not want to scatter but to remain localized. “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” To ensure they scattered, the Lord confounded their language to make it impossible for them to communicate.
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