Bible Dictionaries
Babel The Tower of

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Search for…

Enter query below:

or

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Prev Entry
Babel

Next Entry
Babylon

Resource Toolbox

Print Article

Additional Links

Concordances
Thompson Chain Reference
• Babel, Tower of
Dictionaries
CARM Theological Dictionary
• Babel, Tower of
Easton's Bible Dictionary
• Babel, Tower of
Fausset Bible Dictionary
• Babel, Tower of
Hastings' BibleDictionary
• Babel, Tower of
Smith Bible Dictionary
• Babel The Tower of
Encyclopedias
Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia
• Tower of Babel
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
• Babel, Tower of
• Tower of Babel
Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia
• Babel Tower of
The Catholic Encyclopedia
• Tower of Babel
The Jewish Encyclopedia
• Babel, Tower of

Ba'bel, The Tower of. The "tower of Babel" is only mentioned once in Scripture, Genesis 11:4-5, and then as incomplete. It was built of bricks, and the "slime" used for mortar was probably bitumen. Such authorities as we possess, represent the building as destroyed soon after its erection. When the Jews, however, were carried captive into Babylonia, they thought they recognized it in the famous temple of Beaus, the modern Birs Nimrod. But the Birs-Nimrrud, though it cannot be the tower of Babel itself; may well be taken to show the probable shape and character of the edifice.

This building appears to have been a sort of oblique pyramid built in seven receding stages, each successive one being nearer to the southwestern end which constituted the back of the building. The first, second and third stories were each 26 feet high the remaining four being 15 feet high.

On the seventh stage, there was probably placed the Ark or Tabernacle, which seems to have been again 15 feet high, and must have nearly, if not entirely, covered the top of the seventh story. The entire original height, allowing three feet for the platform, would thus have been 156 feet, or, without the platform, 163 feet.