The Tower of Babel and the Division of Nations
Thus the world stood at a crossroads. From the ambition of kings and the gathering of peoples arose a single resolve—to build one city and a tower “whose top may reach unto heaven,” that men might make a name for themselves and prevent their scattering across the earth Genesis 11:4. This purpose did not arise in innocence. From the beginning the Lord had commanded the families of the earth to be fruitful, to multiply, and to replenish the whole land Genesis 9:1, that they might dwell as stewards, establish righteous households, and preserve the Ancient Order. The tower, however, marked a rejection of that command. It was the vision of a centralized dominion—one people, one power, one rule—binding the tribes of the earth together under the authority first seized by Nimrod Jubilees 10:18–27; Jasher 9:20–32.
The Tower of Babel was built of baked brick and bitumen—materials characteristic of the urban centers of southern Mesopotamia Genesis 11:3; ED II–III construction texts; Uruk and Eridu ziggurat foundations. Its structure reflected not only engineering but theology: a giant ziggurat, imitating the sacred mountains of the north but dedicated to the worship of the heavens, the constellations, and the powers Nimrod sought to control Liverani, Uruk: The First City; Steinkeller, The Ziggurat Tradition.
The tower rose to such a height that those laboring at its summit could no longer hear the voices of the workers below. The work became perilous, and the very structure bore witness to the pride that had driven its creation. Year after year the builders strove without rest, and as the tower climbed heavenward, so too did the dominion of Nimrod expand upon the earth. He subdued the tribes round about, drew the peoples of Shinar under his rule, and sought to exalt himself as lord over all the earth Jasher 9:27–29.
It was at this height—when the work was nearly complete and human ambition stood fully revealed—that God decreed an end. The Lord came down and confounded the language of the builders, breaking their unity and scattering them upon the face of all the earth Genesis 11:7–9. In that hour the nations were divided, the one tongue was broken into many, and mankind was dispersed into the lands appointed to the sons of Noah Jubilees 10:22–34; Genesis Rabbah 38:6; Jasher 9:32–38. The languages were set according to the seventy families recorded in the Table of Nations Genesis 10:1–32, a division remembered and preserved in the sacred memory of Israel and the early Church Philo; Augustine.
In the generations that followed, the division was not only of speech but of the earth itself. From the beginning the ancient record preserves the memory that before the days of Peleg the land was one—its mountains joined and its foundations unbroken—but in his days the earth was divided, its regions torn apart and set within their appointed bounds Genesis 10:25; Jubilees 8:8–11; Cave of Treasures 25; Ephrem the Syrian, Commentary on Genesis. The land itself bears witness to this judgment. Across Mesopotamia the earth shows signs of upheaval—shifted riverbeds, broken horizons, and disrupted layers—marking a world reshaped in the generations immediately following the Flood Shuruppak flood strata; Early Dynastic horizons; Third-Millennium collapse layers; Wilkinson, Alluvial Studies.
Thus the rebellion of Babel ended not in triumph but in scattering. The unity that Nimrod sought to forge through compulsion dissolved in a moment. The peoples were divided into nations, the languages multiplied, and the tribes of the earth were driven to the inheritances appointed for them Genesis 11:8–9; Deuteronomy 32:8 (LXX).
This event reshaped the entire world. Japheth’s tribes moved further north and west, settling Europe and the northern Mediterranean. Ham’s descendants spread through Egypt, Cush, the Levant, and Arabia. Shem’s lineage—a line of prophets, patriarchs, and covenant keepers—remained centered in the highlands of Mesopotamia and the hill country that would later be called Canaan Genesis 10:21–32; Josephus, Antiquities 1.6.1–4.
Though the nations scattered, Shem did not. He remained a fixed point of order in a world fractured and in turmoil. He continued to dwell in the northern highlands, between Ararat and the upper Tigris, preserving the Ancient Order that had passed from Adam to Noah and from Noah to him Jubilees 10:12–17. He taught his children the original language, preserved the genealogies and priesthood records, and maintained the rites of sacrifice exactly as they had been given at the beginning Book of the Bee 21; Genesis Rabbah 46:7.
In contrast, the nations descending from Ham—particularly Nimrod’s line—continued building cities. Their settlements grew into early kingdoms with temples, priesthoods, and standing armies Genesis 10:8–12; ED III texts of Kish and Uruk; Akkadian administrative tablets. These became the first political empires of the post-Flood world.
The sons of Japheth, though initially agrarian and pastoral, gradually established trade routes, metallurgy centers, and fortified tribal chiefdoms across Anatolia and the Pontic regions Kura–Araxes sites; early Hatti settlements; Mellink, AJA 1965. Their cultures remained distinct from the urban centers of the south, retaining kin-based authority and decentralized clans, reflecting the inheritance Noah had given them.
But among all the descendants of Noah, only Shem preserved the full pattern of the Ancient Order—covenant family, priesthood stewardship, consecration of the land, and the law of sacrifice Genesis 9:26–27; Jubilees 7:20–29. From his house the light of righteousness continued to shine while the nations drifted into idolatry and ambition.
It was during the height of this scattering, and in the generation immediately following the rebellion of Babel, that Shem—known in the ancient records as Melchizedek—began to establish a sanctuary and gathering place for all who sought the Most High God. From this work arose Salem, the place of peace, a haven for the righteous while the nations wandered in confusion Genesis Rabbah 46:7; Jubilees 8:19; Book of the Bee 21.
After the dispersal from Babel, the scattered tribes carried fragments of the ancient knowledge with them—distorted memories of the patriarchs, corrupted versions of the covenant, and imperfect traces of the original worship. In Egypt, the priestly class imitated the rituals of sacrifice but married them to the worship of created things: the sun, the Nile, animals, and kings Genesis 10:6,13–14; Coffin Texts; Pyramid Texts; James, Egyptian Religion. In Mesopotamia, the Sumerian priesthood preserved astronomical cycles and temple rites, yet these were severed from the living God and redirected toward idols and celestial powers Uruk priest-kings; ED III temple archives; Kramer, History Begins at Sumer.
Canaan’s sons filled the Levant with fortified settlements and high places, mixing remnants of patriarchal truth with idolatry, fertility cults, and blood rituals Genesis 10:15–19; Amarna pre-urban strata. The tribes of Cush developed the first Nubian and Arabian city-states along the Nile and the Red Sea, shaping what would later become Ethiopia and the kingdoms of the south Genesis 10:7; Nubian A-Group sites; Arabian Bronze Age settlements.
Yet through all these shifting cultures, Shem preserved the unbroken chain of revelation. He alone held the covenant garment of Adam, the tablets of the fathers, and the priesthood rites received from Noah Book of the Bee 21; Jubilees 8:19; Cave of Treasures 14–16. While the nations erected temples of brick and stone, Shem maintained altars of earth and unhewn rock, as commanded from the beginning Exodus 20:25; Jubilees 7:1–5.
Shem’s house remained the gathering point for those who refused the dominion of Nimrod and the seductions of empire. His lineage continued to dwell in the northern highlands, preserving the original tongue, the genealogies, and the laws given from Adam onward. From this sanctuary of righteousness, Shem instructed the remnant in covenant family, stewardship of the land, consecration of increase, and the true order of sacrifice.
In time, as the tribes of Japheth grew into warrior societies and the sons of Ham built the first nations, Shem laid the foundations for a holy place—not a city of oppression like those of Shinar, but a place of refuge, teaching, and divine order. This place would later become Jerusalem, revered as an holy city, yet fashioned after the world Genesis 14:18; Targum Jonathan on Genesis 14:18.
Thus, while Babel fell into confusion and the nations spread in darkness, Shem—Melchizedek—prepared a center of light. As the world fractured into languages, tribes, and kingdoms, he preserved unity by the covenant. As the first empires rose through pride and domination, he upheld the priesthood through humility and sacrifice. And as the memories of Eden dimmed among the scattered peoples, he kept alive the Ancient Order that had begun with Adam and had passed unbroken from father to son.
These were the days of Peleg: days of scattering, division, migration, and the beginning of nations. But for those who sought righteousness, they were also days of gathering around the tents of Shem, where the Most High dwelt and where the priesthood of the fathers remained unchanged.
In the generations that followed, men would speak of Melchizedek as the “King of Salem” and “Priest of the Most High God,” but in these early centuries after the Flood he was known simply as Shem, the firstborn of the new earth, the guardian of the covenant, and the watchman set over the nations. The stage was now set for the next era, when Abraham—son of Terah, descendant of Shem—would seek this ancient priesthood and receive the blessings of the fathers.
References
Genesis 11:4 — “And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” ↩ Back to Text
Genesis 9:1 — “And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” ↩ Back to Text
Jubilees 10:18–27 — “And Cush begat Nimrod… and he began to rule over the sons of Noah… and they began to build cities and strongholds, and to make themselves kings.” ↩ Back to Text
Book of Jasher 9:20–32 — “And Nimrod said unto the people, Come, let us build us a great city and a strong tower… and Nimrod ruled over them, and all the people feared him.” ↩ Back to Text
Genesis 11:3 — “And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.” ↩ Back to Text
Early Dynastic II–III Construction Texts — Administrative and building records from ED II–III Mesopotamia document the large-scale production of baked brick and the use of bitumen in monumental construction. These texts describe organized labor and standardized materials, noting that “fired brick set in bitumen became the defining medium of southern Mesopotamian monumental architecture.” ↩ Back to Text
Uruk and Eridu Ziggurat Foundations — Excavations at Uruk and Eridu reveal early ziggurat platforms built of mudbrick cores faced with baked brick and bitumen. Archaeologists observe that these tiered structures were “designed to evoke sacred mountains, linking the earthly city with the realm of the heavens.” ↩ Back to Text
Mario Liverani, Uruk: The First City — Liverani describes the rise of ziggurat-centered cities as a theological as well as political transformation, writing that early Mesopotamian urbanism was marked by “the construction of monumental temple platforms intended to mediate between heaven and earth through institutional worship.” ↩ Back to Text
Piotr Steinkeller, The Ziggurat Tradition — Steinkeller traces the ziggurat as a defining feature of Mesopotamian religion and state power, noting that these structures functioned as “cosmic mountains anchoring divine authority within the urban and political order.” ↩ Back to Text
Book of Jasher 9:27–29 — “And the building of the tower was unto them a transgression and a sin… and the people who built it labored daily and nightly, and the work was very grievous unto them, and the tower was exceedingly high.” ↩ Back to Text
Genesis 11:7–9 — “Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech… So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.” ↩ Back to Text
Jubilees 10:22–34 — “And the Lord scattered them abroad upon the face of all the earth… and He confounded their language, and they could no longer understand one another… and they were divided into nations according to their tongues.” ↩ Back to Text
Genesis Rabbah 38:6 — “Seventy languages were spoken there, and from there the nations were scattered over the face of the whole earth.” ↩ Back to Text
Book of Jasher 9:32–38 — “And the Lord confounded the language of all the earth… and the people were scattered upon the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city and the tower.” ↩ Back to Text
Genesis 10:1–32 — “These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.” ↩ Back to Text
Philo of Alexandria — “The diversity of languages arose from the arrogance of men, when God divided their speech and scattered them over the earth.” ↩ Back to Text
Augustine, The City of God — “The pride of that city deserved the confusion of tongues; and thus mankind was divided, that unity in evil might be broken.” ↩ Back to Text
Genesis 10:25 — “And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.” ↩ Back to Text
Jubilees 8:8–11 — “For in the days of Peleg the earth was divided… and they separated one from another into lands and nations, according to their tongues.” ↩ Back to Text
Cave of Treasures 25 — “In the days of Peleg the earth was divided, and the lands were parted one from another, and the sons of men were scattered.” ↩ Back to Text
Ephrem the Syrian, Commentary on Genesis — “In the days of Peleg the earth was divided, and the nations were separated, and their tongues were confounded.” ↩ Back to Text
Shuruppak Flood Strata — Excavations at Shuruppak reveal thick flood and disruption layers separating occupational phases, indicating major environmental upheaval. Archaeologists describe these strata as evidence of “significant sediment deposition and landscape disturbance affecting settlement continuity.” ↩ Back to Text
Hans J. Nissen, Early Dynastic Horizons — Nissen documents marked breaks in settlement patterns and material culture during the Early Dynastic period, noting “episodes of disruption, reorganization, and regional realignment across southern Mesopotamia.” ↩ Back to Text
Harvey Weiss, Third-Millennium Collapse Layers — Weiss identifies widespread stratigraphic and settlement disruption across Mesopotamia during the late third millennium, describing “abrupt environmental and societal dislocations visible in collapse horizons.” ↩ Back to Text
T. J. Wilkinson, Alluvial Studies — Wilkinson documents major shifts in river courses and alluvial landscapes in Mesopotamia, observing that “changes in hydrology and sedimentation repeatedly reshaped the inhabited plains.” ↩ Back to Text
Genesis 11:8–9 — “So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth, and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth.” ↩ Back to Text
Deuteronomy 32:8 (LXX) — “When the Most High divided the nations, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God.” ↩ Back to Text
Genesis 10:21–32 — “Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber… were children born… These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.” ↩ Back to Text
Josephus, Antiquities 1.6.1–4 — “Now all the children of Noah were three… and their posterity inhabited the earth… Japheth’s posterity inhabited Europe and Asia… Ham possessed the land from Syria to Egypt… Shem dwelt in Asia, beginning at the river Euphrates.” ↩ Back to Text
Jubilees 10:12–17 — “And Shem dwelt in the portion which he had chosen… and he was a priest of the Most High God, and he taught his sons the judgments and the ordinances of the Lord.” ↩ Back to Text
Book of the Bee 21 — “Shem was perfect in all his ways… and he preserved the books of the generations, the language, and the tradition of the fathers, and taught them to his sons.” ↩ Back to Text
Genesis Rabbah 46:7 — “In the early generations men spoke the holy tongue, and the righteous preserved it, while others turned aside.” ↩ Back to Text
Genesis 10:8–12 — “And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth… And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.” ↩ Back to Text
Early Dynastic III Texts of Kish and Uruk — Royal and administrative inscriptions from ED III Mesopotamia attest to established kingship, temple institutions, and organized military authority. These texts describe rulers who “appointed officials, levied labor, maintained armed retainers, and governed cities through temple and palace households.” ↩ Back to Text
Akkadian Administrative Tablets — Early Akkadian records document centralized administration through taxation, ration distribution, and state-controlled labor. Scholars note that these tablets reflect “the emergence of imperial governance marked by standing institutions, bureaucratic control, and enforced political authority.” ↩ Back to Text
Kura–Araxes Cultural Sites — Archaeological evidence from the Kura–Araxes horizon documents Early Bronze Age communities organized around mixed agriculture, pastoralism, metallurgy, and regional exchange. Scholars describe these societies as “kin-based agro-pastoral groups with localized authority and fortified village settlements rather than centralized urban institutions.” ↩ Back to Text
Early Hatti Settlements — Excavations in central Anatolia reveal early Hatti communities characterized by fortified towns, clan-based leadership, and regional chiefdoms. Archaeologists note that these settlements exhibit “decentralized political organization rooted in extended kinship networks.” ↩ Back to Text
M. J. Mellink, American Journal of Archaeology (1965) — Mellink’s analysis of Early Bronze Age Anatolia emphasizes continuity from village societies to later states, observing that “early Anatolian cultures retained non-urban, kin-based structures long after the rise of city-states in southern Mesopotamia.” ↩ Back to Text
Genesis 9:26–27 — “And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem.” ↩ Back to Text
Jubilees 7:20–29 — “And Noah commanded his sons that they should work righteousness, and cover the shame of their flesh, and bless their Creator… and keep the commandments and ordinances all the days of their life.” ↩ Back to Text
Genesis Rabbah 46:7 — “Shem the son of Noah is Melchizedek, king of Salem; and he ministered before God, and taught righteousness to men.” ↩ Back to Text
Jubilees 8:19 — “And Shem dwelt in the portion which he had chosen… and he was a priest of the Most High God, and he taught righteousness and judgment.” ↩ Back to Text
Book of the Bee 21 — “And Melchizedek was Shem, the son of Noah… and he was the priest of the Most High God, and he preserved the tradition of the fathers.” ↩ Back to Text
Genesis 10:6, 13–14 — “And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan… And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim.” ↩ Back to Text
Egyptian Coffin Texts — Middle Kingdom funerary texts preserving ritual formulae, invocations, and cosmic theology. Scholars note that the Coffin Texts reflect “a complex system of ritual sacrifice, astral symbolism, and deified natural forces integrated into priestly religion.” ↩ Back to Text
Egyptian Pyramid Texts — Old Kingdom inscriptions associated with royal burial and divine kingship. These texts emphasize solar worship, the divinization of the king, and ritual ascent among the gods, describing the pharaoh as “a god who ascends to the sky and joins the imperishable stars.” ↩ Back to Text
E. O. James, Egyptian Religion — James documents the development of Egyptian worship as a synthesis of ritual sacrifice, nature veneration, and royal divinity, noting that “religious practice became inseparably bound to the worship of the sun, the Nile, animal forms, and the divine status of kings.” ↩ Back to Text
Uruk Priest-Kings — Archaeological and textual evidence from early Uruk reveals sacral kingship centered on temple authority, with priest-rulers overseeing ritual, astronomy, and labor. Scholars describe these rulers as “mediators between the gods and the city through cultic administration.” ↩ Back to Text
Early Dynastic III Temple Archives — Administrative tablets from ED III Mesopotamia record offerings, festivals, and astronomical observances managed by temple institutions. These archives reflect “the formalization of ritual knowledge divorced from direct covenantal theology.” ↩ Back to Text
Samuel Noah Kramer, History Begins at Sumer — Kramer documents Sumerian religious life as preserving early ritual forms while redirecting worship toward a pantheon of gods and celestial forces, observing that “ancient religious practices endured even as their theological meaning was transformed.” ↩ Back to Text
Genesis 10:15–19 — “And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth… and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad… and the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon… unto Gaza.” ↩ Back to Text
Amarna Region Pre-Urban Strata — Archaeological layers in the Levant reveal fortified settlements and cultic high places predating Late Bronze urban centers. Scholars note that these strata reflect “localized fortified communities with ritual installations, preceding the rise of centralized city-states.” ↩ Back to Text
Genesis 10:7 — “And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.” ↩ Back to Text
Nubian A-Group Sites — Archaeological evidence from Lower Nubia documents early Nile-based polities marked by fortified settlements, trade networks, and emerging social hierarchy. Researchers describe the A-Group culture as “the earliest expression of organized Nubian society along the Nile corridor.” ↩ Back to Text
Arabian Bronze Age Settlements — Excavations across southern Arabia and the Red Sea littoral reveal Early Bronze Age towns engaged in trade, metallurgy, and regional governance. Scholars observe that these settlements represent “the formative stages of Arabian city-states connected by maritime and overland exchange.” ↩ Back to Text
Book of the Bee 21 — “Shem was perfect in all his ways… and he preserved the garment of Adam, the books of the generations, and the tradition of the fathers, and taught them to his sons.” ↩ Back to Text
Jubilees 8:19 — “And Shem dwelt in the portion which he had chosen… and he was a priest of the Most High God, and he taught righteousness and judgment.” ↩ Back to Text
Cave of Treasures 14–16 — “The garment of Adam, the tablets of the fathers, and the books of the generations were delivered into the hand of Shem, the son of Noah.” ↩ Back to Text
Exodus 20:25 — “And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.” ↩ Back to Text
Jubilees 7:1–5 — “And Noah built an altar… and offered a burnt offering… and the Lord smelled the sweet savor… and Noah ordained statutes and judgments for his sons.” ↩ Back to Text
Genesis 14:18 — “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.” ↩ Back to Text
Targum Jonathan on Genesis 14:18 — “And Melchizedek, the king of Jerusalem, he is Shem the Great, brought forth bread and wine; and he ministered before God Most High.” ↩ Back to Text