In Genesis 11:4, the people 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...”* God saw this as an act of pride and rebellion, and responded by confusing their language and scattering them. Today, space agencies and astronauts aim to explore or even colonize outer space—what the Bible might refer to as "the heavens." This raises a spiritual question: Are there theological or biblical interpretations that suggest modern space travel could be a continuation of the same spirit of pride or rebellion seen in Babel?

Regardless of the historicity of the account, the people who wrote it down, edited it, listened to the story, and edited again, must have realized some people would be confused by the characters simply giving up after they had overcome much more physically demanding hurdles. The authors and the audience must have had this literary sensitivity. This raises the question: _Why was this not adressed? Why was this not commented on? Why did the author of the story of the Tower of Babel did not consider, or did not address, or glossed over the possibility of some of his characters trying to learn the other's language to continue the enterprise?_

At Genesis 11: 5-7 we read: " The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. And the Lord said, “Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” My question is: Who was/were God talking to, when He said "..let us go down.." ? Was it to the angels, or to the Holy Spirit ? What do the teachings of Catholic Church tell about the words of God at Babel ?

Based on the following verses... **Genesis 10:5** (From these the maritime peoples spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with its own language.) The Hamites **Genesis 10:31** These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations. **Genesis 11:1** Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. ...can we assume (or is it simply a fact) that Genesis is not chronological?

Genesis 11:5 says this: >And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them." Clearly, God was concerned that Man's cooperation would allow them to do anything "that they propose to do." It seemed that for this reason alone, God elected to confuse them. The next verse (Genesis 11:6): >"Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech." What was the source of God's concern here? Why was Man's cooperation to achieve this goal something that God felt He needed to quash?

Are there any other historical accounts that document what happened during or shortly after the tower of Babel? I was wondering if there are any other accounts from the people's that were dispersed, and how exactly they reacted to the event and built new cultures with their new languages.

In [*Spiritual Maturity*](http://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Maturity-Principles-Believer-Commitment/dp/080248252X) , J. Oswald Sanders describes Pentecost as a reversal of Babel . An online search shows this to be a link made by others, and in a related thesis on the topic , Paul J. Pastor goes as far as to claim: > Pentecost as a reversal of Babel has been widely seen by exegetes since the early days of the Church. Who are some of these early exegetes?

In the Genesis account of the tower of Babel a bunch of guys got together to build a really tall tower somewhere in the desert. God gets wind of the affair but it doesn't sit well: > **Genesis 11:5–6 (ESV) ** > And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. So what does He do? He scrambles all their language as a punishment and their plans are foiled. What was the problem with building a tall tower? Are modern skyscrapers a problem for God? Should the guys in the Burj Khalifa be worried?