Tower of Babel narrative
E466962
The Tower of Babel narrative is a biblical story in Genesis that explains the origin of diverse human languages and the scattering of peoples after they attempt to build a tower reaching heaven.
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Genesis narrative
ⓘ
biblical narrative ⓘ etiological myth ⓘ origin-of-languages story ⓘ |
| associatedPlaceName | Babel NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| describesAction |
God confusing human language
ⓘ
God scattering humans over the face of the earth ⓘ humans deciding to build a city ⓘ humans deciding to build a tower with its top in the heavens ⓘ humans migrating from the east ⓘ humans seeking to make a name for themselves ⓘ |
| etymologyExplainedAs | Babel from Hebrew root meaning "to confuse" ⓘ |
| explains |
dispersion of peoples across the earth
ⓘ
origin of multiple human languages ⓘ |
| featuresCharacters |
God
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
humanity ⓘ |
| featuresEvent |
confusion of human language
ⓘ
construction of a city ⓘ construction of a tower ⓘ divine descent to observe the city and tower ⓘ scattering of people over the earth ⓘ |
| featuresLocation | land of Shinar NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| featuresStructure | Tower of Babel NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| followsInText | Table of Nations in Genesis 10 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasMoral |
human pride leads to divine judgment
ⓘ
human unity against divine will is thwarted ⓘ |
| hasPrimaryTheme | origin of diverse human languages ⓘ |
| hasReceptionIn |
Christian exegesis
ⓘ
Islamic exegesis ⓘ Jewish exegesis ⓘ Western literature and art ⓘ |
| hasTheme |
divine judgment
ⓘ
human pride ⓘ limits of human ambition ⓘ scattering of peoples ⓘ unity and dispersion of humanity ⓘ |
| influenced |
Christian theological reflections on pride and unity
ⓘ
Islamic and post-biblical traditions about a great tower ⓘ later Jewish interpretations of language and dispersion ⓘ |
| interpretedAs |
critique of Mesopotamian monumental building
ⓘ
critique of human attempts to reach the divine realm ⓘ |
| languageAfterEvent | many languages ⓘ |
| languageBeforeEvent |
common speech
ⓘ
one language ⓘ |
| locatedInText | Genesis 11:1–9 ⓘ |
| partOf |
Book of Genesis
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Tanakh ⓘ
surface form:
Hebrew Bible
Old Testament NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| precedesInText | genealogy of Shem to Abram ⓘ |
| relatedTo | Primeval history in Genesis NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.