Tower of Babel—Clearing Up the Confusion

The account of the Tower of Babel is under attack like the rest of Genesis 1–11. But do you understand why an ancient “skyscraper” is so important even today? Do you know the gospel connection?

While many Bible-believing Christians study to defend Creation or the Flood, few take time to research and defend Genesis 10 and 11. Those who do will find overwhelming evidence that confirms the event and people listed there and underscores the trustworthiness of the Bible’s historical record.

Bodie Hodge’s new book, Tower of Babel—The Cultural History of Our Ancestors, is an exciting and invaluable tool for Christians who support the biblical foundations of truth that have been undermined by humanist thinking.

Hodge tackles the challenges to the Tower of Babel account head-on and reveals amazing facts of history along the way. For example, doubters claim that chapters 10 and 11 contradict each other because chapter 10 says that people were separated into their lands according to their languages, and chapter 11 says they all spoke one language.

Hebrew narratives often give the summary or significance of an account before going into the details separately.

This is similar to the argument that Genesis 1 and 2 contradict each other, and the solution is the same in both cases: Hebrew narratives often give the summary or significance of an account before going into the details separately.

Within the church, confusion abounds about certain aspects of the Tower of Babel. This book discusses the possible reasons the tower was built, the shape of the tower, its location, the role of Nimrod (if any), and much more.

Many are confused by the statement in Genesis 10:25 that in Peleg’s days “the earth was divided.” Some believe this verse refers to continental drift, but that is unlikely because the movement of the continents into their present positions would have caused huge tsunamis to wash over them—another worldwide Flood, contrary to God’s promise. The context of Genesis 10 clearly concerns the division of Noah’s descendants (the people of the earth) according to their languages.

Tower of Babel is packed with fascinating information, charts, and illustrations that honor God’s Word while exploring many likely answers to questions about this event. Hodge shows how the number of language families in the world today can easily be explained by the dispersion at Babel. He also pulls together people’s names from extrabiblical historical records, making many possible connections to the names listed in the Bible. This book would be an excellent reference for anyone who wants to be prepared to defend the true account of the Tower of Babel and its place in understanding the high intelligence and key role of ancient man.