The word lebenah could also have a reference to a white or chalky clay of which bricks were made. In ancient times bitumen was collected from seepages in the ground and then mixed with other materials to create the desired strength and consistency.Īlso, the word bricks referred to in Genesis 11:3 comes from the word lebenah which means bricks or burnt tile and is the same word used in Exodus to describe what the Hebrew slaves made for the Egyptians. This word is transliterated as chemar, and means bitumen or asphalt.Īccording to the Merriam-webster dictionary, bitumen is: an asphalt of Asia Minor used in ancient times as a cement and mortar. You might have been surprised to find the word asphalt in the Bible. The Bible says in Genesis 11:3 (NJKV), “Then they said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar.” Let’s look at the words asphalt and brick. His government would have been responsible for planning, gathering the resources and eventually building the Tower of Babel. He and his officials were probably the driving force behind the tower. Nimrod, as mentioned earlier, founded the city of Babel and other cities in Shinar. Genesis 10:8-10 gives some background information about the land of Shinar and says that Nimrod was a mighty hunter before the Lord and the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. In Hebrew, Shinar means the “country of two rivers” which refers to the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers that flow through Iraq. The Tower of Babel was located in the plain of Shinar which is most likely in present-day Iraq. The name, Tower of Babel, is fitting since God eventually confused the builders’ language so they couldn’t understand one another. Looking a little deeper, the Hebrew word Babel or Babylon, בָּבֶל, means “confusion” (by mixing) and is derived from the Hebrew word, balal, which means “to mix, mingle, confuse, confound”.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |