Migdal Bavel: How Do We Interpret an Ambiguous Story?

(א) וַֽיְהִ֥י כׇל־הָאָ֖רֶץ שָׂפָ֣ה אֶחָ֑ת וּדְבָרִ֖ים אֲחָדִֽים׃ (ב) וַֽיְהִ֖י בְּנׇסְעָ֣ם מִקֶּ֑דֶם וַֽיִּמְצְא֥וּ בִקְעָ֛ה בְּאֶ֥רֶץ שִׁנְעָ֖ר וַיֵּ֥שְׁבוּ שָֽׁם׃ (ג) וַיֹּאמְר֞וּ אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵ֗הוּ הָ֚בָה נִלְבְּנָ֣ה לְבֵנִ֔ים וְנִשְׂרְפָ֖ה לִשְׂרֵפָ֑ה וַתְּהִ֨י לָהֶ֤ם הַלְּבֵנָה֙ לְאָ֔בֶן וְהַ֣חֵמָ֔ר הָיָ֥ה לָהֶ֖ם לַחֹֽמֶר׃ (ד) וַיֹּאמְר֞וּ הָ֣בָה ׀ נִבְנֶה־לָּ֣נוּ עִ֗יר וּמִגְדָּל֙ וְרֹאשׁ֣וֹ בַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְנַֽעֲשֶׂה־לָּ֖נוּ שֵׁ֑ם פֶּן־נָפ֖וּץ עַל־פְּנֵ֥י כׇל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (ה) וַיֵּ֣רֶד ה' לִרְאֹ֥ת אֶת־הָעִ֖יר וְאֶת־הַמִּגְדָּ֑ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּנ֖וּ בְּנֵ֥י הָאָדָֽם׃ (ו) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ה' הֵ֣ן עַ֤ם אֶחָד֙ וְשָׂפָ֤ה אַחַת֙ לְכֻלָּ֔ם וְזֶ֖ה הַחִלָּ֣ם לַעֲשׂ֑וֹת וְעַתָּה֙ לֹֽא־יִבָּצֵ֣ר מֵהֶ֔ם כֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָזְמ֖וּ לַֽעֲשֽׂוֹת׃ (ז) הָ֚בָה נֵֽרְדָ֔ה וְנָבְלָ֥ה שָׁ֖ם שְׂפָתָ֑ם אֲשֶׁר֙ לֹ֣א יִשְׁמְע֔וּ אִ֖ישׁ שְׂפַ֥ת רֵעֵֽהוּ׃ (ח) וַיָּ֨פֶץ ה' אֹתָ֛ם מִשָּׁ֖ם עַל־פְּנֵ֣י כׇל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וַֽיַּחְדְּל֖וּ לִבְנֹ֥ת הָעִֽיר׃ (ט) עַל־כֵּ֞ן קָרָ֤א שְׁמָהּ֙ בָּבֶ֔ל כִּי־שָׁ֛ם בָּלַ֥ל ה' שְׂפַ֣ת כׇּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וּמִשָּׁם֙ הֱפִיצָ֣ם ה' עַל־פְּנֵ֖י כׇּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ {פ}

Genesis 11:1-9

(1) Everyone on earth had the same language and the same words. (2) And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. (3) They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them hard.”—Brick served them as stone, and bitumen served them as mortar.— (4) And they said, “Come, let us build us a city, and a tower with its top in the sky, to make a name for ourselves; else we shall be scattered all over the world.” (5) The LORD came down to look at the city and tower that man had built, (6) and the LORD said, “If, as one people with one language for all, this is how they have begun to act, then nothing that they may propose to do will be out of their reach. (7) Let us, then, go down and confound their speech there, so that they shall not understand one another’s speech.” (8) Thus the LORD scattered them from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. (9) That is why it was called Babel, because there the LORD confounded the speech of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

I. Literary Context

What might the surrounding stories in the Sefer's chronology tell us about the meaning of our passage? The story/stories before? The story/stories after?

מדרש אגדה, בראשית י״א:ד׳

(ב) פן נפוץ. פיהם הכשילם, לכך נאמר ויפץ ה' אותם משם (פסוק ח). אמרו אחר אלף ושש מאות וחמשים [וששה] שנה מתמוטט הרקיע וירד מבול, לפיכך נעשה מגדל:

(ג) וראשו בשמים. כדי שיהא סומכן:

Midrash Aggadah, Genesis 11:4

2. "Lest we be scattered"- There mouths were there downfall, therefore it is said "And the Lord scattered them from there." They said that after 656 years the sky collapses and a flood descends, therefore we shall make a tower.

3. "With it's head in the Sky"- So that is should serve as a support.

ילקוט שמעוני על התורה ס״ב:א׳

(א)... ואם נפל אדם ומת לא היו שמים את לבם עליו ואם נפלה לבנה היו יושבין ובוכים ואומרים אוי לנו אימתי תעלה אחרת תחתיה עמד אברהם והלעיג בם וקללם בשם אלקיו ...

Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 62:1

1. … but if a man fell and died they would not direct their attention, but if a brick fell they would sit and cry and say “waoh is to us” how long until we replace it! Avraham stood by and scorned then and cursed them in the name of his God ...

II. Intertextuality

What may details about places or characters that we find in other biblical passages teach us about our passage?

בראשית י׳:ח׳-י׳

(ח) וְכ֖וּשׁ יָלַ֣ד אֶת־נִמְרֹ֑ד ה֣וּא הֵחֵ֔ל לִֽהְי֥וֹת גִּבֹּ֖ר בָּאָֽרֶץ׃ (ט) הֽוּא־הָיָ֥ה גִבֹּֽר־צַ֖יִד לִפְנֵ֣י ה' עַל־כֵּן֙ יֵֽאָמַ֔ר כְּנִמְרֹ֛ד גִּבּ֥וֹר צַ֖יִד לִפְנֵ֥י ה'׃ (י) וַתְּהִ֨י רֵאשִׁ֤ית מַמְלַכְתּוֹ֙ בָּבֶ֔ל וְאֶ֖רֶךְ וְאַכַּ֣ד וְכַלְנֵ֑ה בְּאֶ֖רֶץ שִׁנְעָֽר׃

Genesis 10:8-10

(8) Cush also begot Nimrod, who was the first man of might on earth. (9) He was a mighty hunter by the grace of the LORD; hence the saying, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter by the grace of the LORD.” (10) The mainstays of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh in the land of Shinar.

רש"י על בראשית י׳:ח׳:א׳

(א) להיות גבור. לְהַמְרִיד כָּל הָעוֹלָם עַל הַקָּבָּ"ה בַּעֲצַת דוֹר הַפַּלָּגָה:

Rashi on Genesis 10:8:1

(1) להיות גבור TO BE A MIGHTY ONE — Mighty in causing the whole world to rebel against the Holy One, blessed be He, by the plan he devised for the generation that witnessed the separation of the races (דור הפלגה) to build the Tower of Babel (Genesis Rabbah 23:7).

III. Historical Context

What could our knowledge of history and archeology tell us about our passage?

Understanding Genesis, Nahum M. Sarna

The word "ziqqurat" is derived from an Akkadian verb zaqaru meaning, "to rise up high". It was used specifically for the great towers constructed at the holy places. the ziqqurat was the most outstanding feature of the Mesopotamian city and dominated its entire area...

The ziqqurat at Babylon to which our biblical narrative refers, was one of the largest and most famous of all... none other than the famous ziqqurat that was closely related to the Esigala, the complex buildings compromising the temple of Marduk*.

* The chief god of the city of Babylon and the national god of Babylonia.

מדרש אגדה, בראשית י״א:ד׳

(א) ונעשה לנו שם. שיעשו מגדל וראשו בשמים וישימו שם ע"ז, כמו שנאמר ושם אלקים אחרים לא תזכירו (שמות כג יג):

Midrash Aggadah, Genesis 11:4

1. "And we shall make for ourselves a name"- that they should build a tower whose top reaches the heavens and they would place there a foreign deity, as it says "and the name of other deities do not mention" (Exodus 23:23).

IV. A Critical and Independent read

What might we conclude about our passage if we were to think about independent of any external contexts and relying only on a thorough reading of the text?

העמק דבר על בראשית י״א:א׳:ב׳

(ב) ודברים אחדים. לא ביאר הכתוב הדברים אלא ברמז כמבואר במדרשים אבל לא פירשן הכתוב כי אם שהיו דברים אחדים וללמדנו דלא משום הדברים התעורר הקב״ה. כי אם בשביל שהיו אחדים. יהיו מה שיהיו. ודבר זה אם כי לפי הנראה אין בזה שום עון ואדרבה חבור עצבים ג״כ ראוי להניח. אבל כאן גרם לחשוב דבר שיצא לתקלת הישוב כאשר יבואר:

Haamek Davar on Genesis 11:1:2

(2) ...And the same words - The text did not explain what those words were, rather, it leaves as a hint, as explained in midrashim. But the words themselves are not explained by the text, it just tells us that they were the same words, to teach us that it wasn't because of the content of the words themselves that the Holy One of Blessing was distressed. They were what they were, and in its simplicity there is not sin, and on the contrary all appears well. But here what happened is that all thought the same thing, and this came to be the problem of the settlement.

העמק דבר על בראשית י״א:ד׳:א׳

(א) וראשו בשמים. זה ודאי לא יעלה עה״ד שיהיה עיר אחת לכל העולם אלא כסבורים שיהיו כל הערים סמוכות וטפלות לאותו העיר שבה המגדל ויהיה המגדל לצפות ממנו למרחוק אחר כל הישוב שלהם שלא יהיו נפרדים בארץ אחרת. ע״כ נצרך שיהיה ראשו בשמים.

Haamek Davar on Genesis 11:4:1

(1) And its top in the sky - It is obvious that you should not think that this would be one city to the whole world, rather they thought that the other nearby cities would be subjects to that city that had the tower, that they would be able to see from it to the distance, over all their settlement, so that no one would be able to separate themselves and go to another land. That's why they needed its top reaching the sky.