Model reconstruction of the ziggurat at Ur.
Alice C. Linsley
We do not know the exact nature of the tower of Babel. It is generally assumed that this was a ziggurat, but it may simply have been an observation tower in a fortified complex. Towers were used for astronomical observations and as watchtowers for defense. If the biblical writers meant a ziggurat, why does the text not use the Akkadian word for a ziggurat? The term Ziggurat comes from the Akkadian word ziqqurratu, which is translated as "rising building" (from Akkadian zaqâru, "to rise high"). Instead, the Hebrew reads: מִגְדַּל בָּבֶל, (Migdal Bavel). A migdal was a sacred pillar.
Genesis only describes the structure as a tower of baked brick and mortar. If the writer is speaking of a ziggurat, we would expect more description. For example, the Babylonian ziggurat typically had ramparts. Genesis does not mentioned ramparts.
The Tower of Babel narrative
One theory is that Genesis 11:1 is speaking of a common Proto-Nostratic group.
Another is that the populations listed in the Table of Nations were linguistically related because they were all Proto-Afroasiatics. The Afro-Asiatic language family is the oldest known group. Semitic languages are a subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic family. Semitic languages include Ancient Akkadian, Amharic, Arabic, Geez, Hebrew, Maltese, Phoenician, and Ugaritic. By Abraham's time (2000 BC) the populations whose ancestors used commonly recognized words were dispersed as shown on this map.
If we take the Tower of Babel story literally, we will force an interpretation on Genesis that goes beyond the biblical data. The peoples listed in Genesis 10 were dispersed long before the time of the ziggurats and the rise of the Akkadian Empire. Most of the ethnic groups in Genesis are closely related. Note, however, that Genesis 10 does not list the Hebrew as being among the rebellious peoples. Did the narrators of this story exempt themselves from divine judgement? Or it is because the Table of Nations does not recognize castes, and the Hebrew were a ruler-priest caste.
The Tower of Babel story has been used by the followers of Ken Ham to advance the notion that linguistic and ethnic diversity resulted from God's judgement. This is stated in one of the 12 Affirmations and Denials found at the back of some of Ham's books. Affirmation XII claims that the diversity of languages and skin color came about as a result of divine judgment at the Tower of Babel.
XII. We affirm that all people living and dead are descended from Adam and Eve...and that the various people groups (with their various languages, cultures, and distinctive physical characteristics, including skin color) arose as a result of God's supernatural judgment at the Tower of Babel..."
The Tower of Babel story comes from a time much later than Abraham. The narrative is used to speak of the contagion of sin which can increase when moral corruption is tolerated by rulers and embraced by the masses. The empire is lost. The peoples are scattered. The device of scattering is found in other places in the Bible as an antidote to sin or rebellion. Consider the Scatter-Gather Motif in Judges and elsewhere in the Bible.
The Tower of Babel story shows that the rebellion that took place characterized whole populations. This speaks of the contagion of sin. The archaic rulers were a powerful force in shaping the ancient world, but they often over-reached, as is common of rulers who think they are invincible. This same hubris is shared by most powerful rulers and heads of state.
The Genesis record allows for a more naturalistic explanation for the linguistic "confusion." Teh diversity of languages came about gradually as related people when separate ways. It resulted from the separation and dispersion of kinsmen. The narrative about the separate territories of the brothers Peleg and Joktan is instructive
To Eber were born two sons: the first was called Peleg, because it was in his time that the earth was divided, and his brother was called Joktan. (Gen. 10:25)
The Hebrew word for earth that appears in Genesis 10:25 is eretz, which can mean territory or land. Ebere divided his territory between his sons Peleg and Joktan. Peleg and his descendants became Arameans. They spoke Aramaic. Joktan and his descendants resided in Arabia. They became the speakers of Arabic. However, originally both sones were Hebrew.
Genesis 11:1 speaks of the whole world having one language. That means that the related peoples of the Table of Nations spoke language that shared common roots (radicals). The languages spoken were in the Afro-Asiatic family, the oldest known language family. This is proof of the reliability of the Genesis record. For example, were the Chinese and Polynesians listed in the Table of Nations, we would know that someone had corrupted the text, since Abraham and his Hebrew ancestors had no knowledge of those populations.
Related reading: Peleg: Time of Division; Noah's Sons and Their Descendants; The Lines of Ham and Shem Intermarried; Akkadian Lexicon; Hebrew Lexicon, Ancient Egyptian Lexicon
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