![]() ![]() In some cultures a person's continued comfort in the afterlife was dependent on care from descendants in the land of the living. The ancient world placed immense value on the sense of continuity from one generation to another. The wording of these omens understood in the context of the omen series is essentially about exceeding natural boundaries to the effect that a city can overreach itself to rival sacred structures and thus bring about its own destruction. Yet Mesopotamian cities were regularly built on high ground, with the temple on the highest ground. In keeping with the negative results of the project here, the reader of Genesis will find a few of the omens in the Shumma Alu series remarkable: “If a city lifts its head to the midst of heaven, that city will be abandoned” (1.15), and “If a city rises like a mountain peak to the midst of heaven, that city will be turned to a ruin” (1.16). This would have been transparent to the ancient reader. It is this language, along with the indication that God “came down” ( verse 5), that gives textual confirmation that the tower is a ziggurat. Throughout Mesopotamian literature, almost every occurrence of the expression describing a building “with its head in the heavens” refers to a temple with a ziggurat. ![]() Consequently, the city was, in effect, a temple complex. Instead, it was comprised of the public buildings, such as administrative buildings, and granaries, which were mostly connected with the temple. In the earliest stage of urbanization, the city was not designed for the private sector. One single architectural feature dominated the landscape of early Mesopotamian cities: towers known as ziggurats. Genesis 11:4 comes to life as we understand the deeper cultural context for the original readers and hearers of the Bible.Ī city, with a tower. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth. For Students Pursue a deeper knowledge of God through self-paced college- and seminary-level online courses in Old and New Testament studies, theology, biblical Greek, and more.For Instructors and School Administrators Enhance your school’s traditional and online education programs by easily integrating online courses developed from the scholars and textbooks you trust. ![]()
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