Marduk slays Chaos (Tiamat) and becomes known for wisdom and justice.  He is also known as the High Priest of Majick, and this one thread will continue into later Babylonian times.

 

In the Enuma Elish, Enki directs Atrahasis to build a boat to survive the coming flood.  The Sumerian flood myth is currently believed by scholars to be a severe local flood.  Ancient written stories, such as fire or flood myths, are shared amongst all peoples, usually handed down from even more ancient oral sources.

The Noahic flood myth, however, encompasses a worldwide cataclysmic event.  Instigated by angelic intrusions as well as spiritual and physical injustices, the flood is understood as a physical and spiritual cleansing, and what will become a new start for mankind.

 

 

 

In the creation story of the Enuma Elish (Babylonian) there are valuable comparisons to biblical narratives.  However, there are some crucial differences.  Both contain the narrative of bringing chaos into order, or creation.  However, the Enuma Elish is polytheistic, whereas the Judaic  principle offers a single Creator.  Throughout the biblical creation story the lighted torch of the One Hand is exerted by the One God.  The more ancient narrative sounds nothing like the creations of the single God, and suggests mankind may have crossed a veil in consciousness, with at least some who have left the old gods behind.

In Genesis 2.2, we are introduced to the god who seeks remedy and renewal “…the earth was without form (=waste)“,  and void.”  Creator of Adam, the created  man who is to “keep” (=keep safe, preserve) the Garden in Genesis 2.15, this ‘formed’ priesthood man (1.26) and his priestess, will give true life and purpose to the Garden.  Symbolically, it remains a Garden any man may enter.  The more developed ideal of a god who seeks eternal renewal, and even if man may not execute perfectly within it, the expanse for growth laid before mankind is rich.

While the Enuma Elish creates man to serve the gods, in the biblical narrative man is made in God’s image, meaning whole and complete and a part of.  Although Marduk is the son of Enki and Jesus the son of God, Marduk must first slay the chaos monster, Tiamat, in order to create; with Jesus we see a much higher ascendency, a more mature story of God—the Light and His son, a cooperative effort within the Word, a unity, a communion.  The single Creator, referred to as the One True God, and referred to by Jesus as the Father, in contrast to pagan gods, the differences become staggering.  Obviously, the biblical narrative is a much higher understanding of existence and purpose.

In the example of the Enuma Elish, in no manner would mankind be considered as ‘set apart’, as we see in the Adam and Eve chronicle.  Seeking, as in ‘ask, seek, and knock,’ but with no real choices for slaves, such ideas become blunted.  With few exceptions, slaves remain in and of the world.  They are imprisoned.  The biblical perspective initiates a critical shift from a mass slave population toward the principle of individuality and, thus, a deeper understanding of one’s soul-identity as Child of God.  Slaves are not loved, and whereas the Enuma Elish condemns humanity to a form of slavery, the biblical expression establishes individuality of the soul, and love becomes a pronounced attribute.   These differences identify attributes of the later Abramic-Jewish people.

How a person identifies themselves becomes the culture of the person, and every step of their spiritual progression will come out of this culture.  Jesus later speaks to the spiritual culture of his day and encourages transition into Child of God (John 1.12-13; I John 3.1).  He later speaks to the disciples as becoming Sons of God (Lk. 20.36), which establishes a much closer communion, and is essentially extended to all people, should they pick up that mantle.

The contrast between slave and free is the outcry of humanity throughout history.   The attempt to possess eternal life is the dream of kings, but no slave would wish for such a thing; if anything, they would wish for death if they could not have freedom.  The principle of individuality is a fundamental teaching of the Way and highlights key understandings in Jesus’ teaching, particularly the importance of individual consideration, or compassion.  This individuality explains why each person should not be compared to another; rather, the roots of the person must be understood, for each one is an individual Child of God.  Again, we see Jesus extending this attitude toward others on numerous occasions.

The underlying theme of the Enuma Elish, at least as it pertains to mankind, is described as a form of bondage imposed by the gods, with the biblical narrative soaring well above this plane of consciousness.

Noah has cursed the Canaanites due to the indiscretions of Ham.  From the family of Ham, it is Nimrod who will take vengeance upon his brothers for this curse.  This vengeance will soon overwhelm the families of Japheth: Jasher 7.34, “And when Nimrod was forty years old, at that time there was a war between his brethren and the children of Japheth, so that they were in the power of their enemies.  (35) And Nimrod went forth and assembled all the sons of Cush and their families, about four hundred and sixty men, and he hired also from some of his friends and acquaintances about eighty men… (37) And all of the men were about five hundred, and they fought against their enemies, and subdued them…”  Through the Hamite lineage, a breakdown in consciousness has disrupted the relationship between man and man, as well as between man and God.

The gods of Ham are closely connected to astrological rationale.  His attempt is to initiate power on earth.  Nimrod will hunt the men who avow One God.

 

It is foundational that a single God unites all things, cares for and oversees His creation, translates into all forms, and is present before all beings.  Within God’s translation,  purpose stands out.  All existence has a purpose, unified into a greater overall purpose, and provided for our observation and experience as souls.  Purpose directs us to individual development and extends to functional harmony.   Each soul, therefore, is inherently meaningful and purposeful, and thus has a destiny.  Each soul is accessible, or known, through its demonstrations (function).  Each soul is also known through their thoughts and motives, their heart.

The “Branches of Knowledge” were given to Adam, passed down through Seth, then to Enoch, and now to Noah.  The wisdom passed down through the Righteous Remnant, as represented by Noah, is embodied in the Noahide Law.  The fundamental ethos and principles of the Noahide Law are designed to promote a sustainable world, encompassing a set of moral and ethical standards that are not based on any particular religion.*  Noahide law deals with the spirit of matters in life and is intended as a universal moral code.

*Chabad.org

The Noahide laws were intended as a moral and ethical blueprint for humanity as it begins anew.  The reunification of Heaven to Earth, man’s sandals resown for a firm foundation, the rise of wisdom instead of heathen ritual, and an omnibus constructive attitude—love—binds Heaven and the restored Earth.  This single, unifying love force—the passion of God awaits.

§

 

 

N O A H I D E   L A W

 

1.  God is One.  The First Law pronounces the Oneness of God, who cares for us and also wishes that we care for the Earth.  This reunification of heaven and earth is a key element throughout the Noahide Laws.  We must cherish the understanding of the God-gift, the creation of the universe, and the birth (creation) of us as souls.  In part, the principle, but certainly its intimate relationship between us and Him—specifically referring to the worship of false gods (paganism) or the use of idolatry within a specific religion, is anathema.  The One God and the Oneness of God are foremost.

2.  The Second Law: do not profane (curse) God, follows after the first, and that recriminations (anger), regardless of circumstances, should not be expressed toward God (blasphemy).  No matter how difficult the circumstances, they point toward learning from the experience and making wiser choices.  Responsibility toward God’s values and God Himself is a greater expression of ourselves and an indication of soul growth.  Responsibility toward God’s values fosters growth and should not be cursed.  Anger at God has no place.

3.  The Third Law: made in God’s image, man shall not murder man.  If man is understood as a universe unto himself, the precious creation of God, then murder destroys the symbol of All.  That man should not murder is a rectification of the slaying of Abel.  The imperative is to promote life, which is, in total, God’s creation, thus contributing to oneness or wholeness within God’s creation.  A moral and legal imperative must be established against murder (Cain’s Aftermath).  Without conscience, any behavior can be justified, the law becomes meaningless, and order gives way to confusion and then into chaos.

4.  The Fourth Law: Do not be cruel to animals—they share this world with you and have a spirit that animates them.  More directly, do not eat live animals, or raw meat, nor taste blood.  This last refers to the Nephillim, who became blood drinkers and were designated as vampyric.  Likewise, avoid harm to the land, which is commensurate with not injuring animals.  Gratitude should be predominant; use of the land, but not exploitation.  The Spirit abides in everything, and respect for this reality is demonstrated through responsible stewardship, first assigned to Adam.  Proper overseership designates godly honor.

5.  The Fifth Law is Do not steal.  Further, benefits you may receive should not be at an unfair cost to another—equity in dealing with others is paramount.  Theft extracts the initial moral, ethical, and faithful acquisition of the one who owns the item.  The very attributes that make up good soul qualities and individuality are removed with the stolen article.  The Seventh Commandment, thou shalt not steal, also pertains to the stealing of people, or slavery, or the slave trade.  Another form of theft is gossip, which can quickly escalate into slander and harm the soul, as it robs both the perpetrator and the victim of their good name.  Concerning theft, all moral premises are robbed, not just the possession stolen.

 

The Sixth Law deals with sex, primarily expositing masculine and feminine polarity, wherein each shares and learns from the other and is meant to be complementary and supportive.  Rightly understood, the natural act is raised into a spiritual act, thus a holy union.  Therefore, specifically, adultery is prohibited.  An additional comment is the caution that only humans can devolve themselves below the level of animals.

 

The Seventh Law provides for a common justice and judgment among all men.  Courts should be established to ensure the equality of the poor and the weak.  Justice should be a reserve for all, at times against other men and at times against the vicissitudes of circumstance.

These laws represent eternal values, first given to Adam but, of necessity, then given to Noah.  They represent New Earth, the second opportunity for man to progress.  Just as Jesus gave us the final interpretation of the Law and the Prophets, expounded the virtues of the Way, and initiated the common man into uncommon understanding, Noahide law also reached a zenith for mankind in its time.

See Genesis 9.4-7; Noahide Law is extracted from Genesis (Talmud, 2nd century).

§

 

N I M R O D

 

After a few generations, we arrive at Genesis, Chapter 11: “The whole earth used the same language, the same words.  (2) It came about that as they traveled from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shin’ar and lived there.  (3) They said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks and bake them in the fire’.  So they had bricks for building- stone and clay for mortar.*  (4) Then they said, ‘Come, let’s build ourselves a city with a tower that has its top reaching up into heaven so that we can make a name for ourselves and not be scattered all over the earth.”

*Fire-kilned bricks were not the same as previous Canaanite stone building structures, which would reach perhaps two stories.

The flood plain mentioned in the bible, located generally in the lower nexus of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, is thought to be near Babylon.  The construction of the city and the ziggurat is strictly man’s intent.  Babylon does not develop organically.  It is concocted by the Mighty Hunter, Nimrod, who wants to pose himself as the man-god who is the conduit to the heavenly gods.  Gathering in one place designates their rebellion.  Religion can then become formed into a power base.  One need only look at the sacrificial ritual, wherein a simple alter is all that is required.  Yet, here is this grandoise city that will become a kind of temple-kingdom.

God directs the people to spread out, and probably for their own good, and not “scattered” in the negative sense.  Each much smaller group will tend to be more self-sufficient.  Cities are notoriously not self-sufficient, since they do not produce enough food, but also, that if there is a basic breakdown, many thousands may be affected at once, not just a few smaller communities.  This spreading out allows new lands to be discovered, new assets to be found and terrain that offers variance, and with a notion toward the good.  A simplicity seems innate in God’s plan, yet the complications of the ziggurat culture (step-pyramids) begins to devour everything around it.

Adhering to pagan gods and to bring them down to earth, or at least communicate with them, is now resurrected through what had been the lost arts given by the fallen angels.  Nimrod’s rebellion is based on retribution for the curse of Noah, and is a long-handed way to justify and consecrate the Hamitic lineage.  They maintain and preserve their understanding of the Zodiac and the movement of constellations, with rituals accompanying.  The whole religion becomes an artifice to obtain power.

Nimrod and his priests knew about the One True God, but much like Cain in earlier times, did not tell the people.  Nimrod’s lineage will be justified, and Nimrod will arrive at his legitimacy as well as legitimacy for his people.  Nimrod and his people take on new status.  The exaltation of Nimrod is complete.  Essentially, the establishment of the temple-city gave place and gravity to the power-based pagan religion.  

Many viewpoints are applied to the mythos of Nimrod, therefore, the historicity of Nimrod moves in numerous directions.  Nimrod is associated as Ninos, as well as Ninurta or Marduk, both of which are assigned a god-like status; Gilgamesh is also mentioned, in part, because he and Nimrod are listed as mighty hunters.  By some scholars, Sargon of Akkad is also believed to be the Nimrod figure.* However, the story of Nimrod carries significant biblical meaning, imparting fundamental lessons within a historical context.  Nimrod is not clearly identified with any one person, but his archtype holds a steady influence.

*Search, Connecting the Bible – Deeper Bible Study, “Identifying Nimrod and Understanding the Tower of Babel”: provides a robust case for Cush as this ‘son of rebellion.’  This video is highly recommended (YouTube).

 

The new technology of fired bricks is employed to build the ziggurat, but to what ends is the ziggurat built?   Earlier ziggurats were not intended as grand structures to make a name for the people who built them, but were more likely used for pagan rituals and were much smaller in size.   In the ancient world, fired bricks were a well-established technology.  Ziggurats were a prominent feature of the landscape, likely used for communal gatherings or celebrations.

As for Nimrod, the final biblical conclusion is cast in a negative light.  Making a ‘name for ourselves’, man proposes himself as reaching up to heaven, an assumption into heaven, representing a kind of hubris, instead of manifesting contriteness and receiving God’s hand reaching down to him.  It seems clear that the gods themselves are perceived as being outside of humanity and above, in the heavens.  The ancient world quickly returns to grasping instead of receiving.  Much like Adam and Eve, man is still reaching for power and status outside of God.   The family of the corrupted Ham proceeds into rebellion against Him.

The building of the ziggurat is the first biblical representation of the people of Ham.  Hamites continue after their rude patriarch, Ham.  It is not certain what sin* Ham committed against his father, Noah, but it is determined that there is something fundamentally wrong with Ham.  It has been passed down generationally to the people now overseen by Nimrod.  Countering this heritage, Shem is the progenitor of the Semitic peoples.  Abraham is in the lineage of Shem, as is Jesus.   The curse of Noah upon the Canaanite tribes becoming slaves to the lineage of Shem—Gen.  9.25, “Cursed be Canaan, he will be a servant of servants to his brothers”—produces animosity between the family of Ham and the families of Shem and Japheth.

*The sin of Ham: raped his mother, thus the birth of Canaan?  “Cursed be Canaan,”  suggests a time-lapse between 9.24 & 9.25, as Canaan was not born yet.  The family of Shem is given higher prominence (9.26).

It may not be the technology itself that is the problem, but rather the attitude and motive behind its use.  Much like Cain, whose progeny helped shape the modern world, it is not the development itself, but rather the use to which it is put.*  The advent of what is recognized as a Bedouin culture is attributed to Jabal and is content in its beginnings.  Later, we find roving tribes of Bedouin who raid caravans, enslaving and snatching women and wealth.  Even earlier, we discover Tubal-Cain, who becomes an ironmonger and a militarist.

*See Cain’s Inheritance.

Under Nimrod’s leadership, the Hamite people enter a new land in mass, the land of Shinar (Sumer).  They determined that there should be no more scattering of their people.  Consolidation of power then occurs, and in no way replicates God’s plan, which is for the people to slowly spread out across the land.  This consolidation marks the first disobedience to God’s plan for humanity, and with it, the city-state assumes magnitude (power)—man’s self-power increases, God’s authority is replaced with the Cain technology, as well as the arts of the fallen angels.  Nor shall the people of Ham continue to expand forthrightly, but it is supposed that other people shall come to them in that they have made a name for themselves, representing the second sin, hubris.  None of their considerations seems to have a godly intent; their ideas are the configurations of men, and these ideas are born out of the rebellion of Ham.

The intent to build the ziggurat becomes a statement of rebellion against God’s plan, for who else has built such a ziggurat?  We will come together; others will come unto us.  This self-attribution leaves no room for the god of the Semite peoples, whom we later see resounding with Abraham.  Instead, it fits neatly within pagan notions—that there are many gods with whom we share space, that the gods are orchestrated within the stars and planets (which men have named).  To pierce the first heavenly encasement surrounding the earth seems the goal of building the ziggurat.  The leadership and priests of Nimrod were aware of God, they acknowledged Him, but in their hearts, they despised Him.  Being waterproofed, the ziggurat becomes a religious refuge to paganism, repudiating God’s word that he would not send such a flood.

In some ways, we see a repeat of the Adam and Eve story—not accepting the whole of the good, but grasping for other fruit, with the promise or belief that ‘I’ will become great—the burgeoning ‘I’ that captures us all and has now captured the Hamite people.  Nimrod himself bears the responsibility for this hubris, as the biblical narrative tells us that lawless and cruel humankind has already returned to wicked ways, and this is evident in the proliferation of many gods and the ravaging of monotheism.  There is no mention of meeting with God on top of the ziggurat; only to the heavens do they reach (stars, gods).  God is not mentioned in Gen. 11.1-4.

The facts indicate a completely different story and society, in which the name of the Lord was known only by a few, certainly among the Hamites, and that Nimrod was aware of Him but not of Him.

“In that year, according to tradition, knowledge of the Lord was scarce among men, and certain forces in the Near East wished to keep things that way.  Stories collected in medieval times, later published under the title Ma’a-sei Avraham Avinu (“Deeds of Abraham Our Father”), recall his birth as being marked by a star rising in the east, consuming other stars.  At this fearful wonder, priests at the court of the Mesopotamian tyrant, Nimrod, prophesied that a child was to be born whose descendants would seize the spiritual future of mankind, condemning the old gods to the ashes, to be replaced by the One God.  Nimrod trembled at this.  Almost alone among his contemporaries, who were ignorant of the Almighty, he knew God and hated Him.  The Bible itself mentions Nimrod only in passing, noting that he was “a mighty hunter before the Lord,” which the Oral Torah understands to mean that he hunted men’s souls, seeking to turn them away from God.  So Nimrod, advised by Satan, literally hunted Abraham.  The future patriarch was born in a cave suffused with supernatural light, and God sent the angel Gabriel to protect him, causing a black cloud to hide the child from his enemies.  The boy was called Abraham.”*

*David Klinghoffer, 2003. The Discovery of God, Three Leaves Press, Doubleday, pp. 1-2.  Highly recommended, and considered a classic.

 

Upon the Earth, a counterforce to God has erupted.  Spite, revenge, vindictiveness, lust for power without regard to any godly standard, and a willingness to bend all things his way, Nimrod captures the minds of the people.  The size of the ziggurat will require many thousands of men and years of work.  As each day passes, the influence of the ziggurat’s construction and its hypnotic trance becomes increasingly a part of daily life.  The whole of society is pressed mainly toward this labor.  Whether feeding the men who work on the ziggurat, or the people’s ethos now bound by the ‘progress’ of the building program, the building of the ziggurat consumes all of the city-state.

 

 

 

 

 

Nimrod is the son of Cush.  Nimrod’s heritage casts a dark suspicion upon him, in that he is the grandson of Ham, Ham being the son who profaned his father, Noah.  Nimrod appears in the Bible as the king of Shinar and who ruled over much of Mesopotamia.  “…they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar” Gn. 11.2.  “And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar,” Gn. 10.10.  Much like his grandfather, Ham, he is far afield in his excesses and the later abuse of his neighbors.

Ashur, son of Shem, this city (Ashur) and the surrounding cities later became the nucleus of the Assyrian Empire.

Empire of Nimrod.  For more information, search for Nimrod and the Nile-Indus connection.

Nimrod, the “Mighty Hunter,” is despised in scripture.  He is considered a hunter of men’s souls, a heritage passed down through the tainted nature of Ham’s soul.  His strength developed into prowess, but not through or by the power of God.  Therefore, he is considered unholy in his nature and his acts.  He is thought to have some form of gigantism.  This gigantism is parsed toward Ham’s wife.  Nimrod’s biblical name, meaning to rebel, associates him with the Cain heritage.  “He [Nimrod] gradually turned the government into a tyranny, seeing no other way of turning men from the fear [reverence] of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence upon his power,” Josephus, Ant.  1.4.2* (Bk. 1, Ch. 4, ¶ 2)

*Nimrod: from Heb. Marad, to rebel; also, “we will rebel”, or “Come, let us rebel.”

 

Essentially, in the building of the massive ziggurat, Nimrod is proposing the first public works program.  This is the method Nimrod uses to organize, focus, and captivate the population.  And they said, “Come, let us build a city, and a tower with its top to the sky, and make a name for ourselves; else we shall be scattered all over the world,” Gn. 11.4.  “…with its top to the sky,”  indicates that the zodiac is the central understanding and focus of worship, the encasement of the earth by the planets and the stars.*  The phrase, “else we be scattered all over the world,” suggests a possible fear of God rooted in the past (the flood).  They perceived themselves as facing many enemies, likely monotheists from the heritage of Shem and Japheth.  This phrase also infers the desire for and formation of a power base.  Whereas, there are only indications of Cain’s structured society, with Nimrod there is no doubt secular society has reared its head.

*”Ancient Egyptian religion and rituals were a complex system of polytheistic beliefs that formed an integral part of ancient Egyptian culture.  The religion centered on Egypt, with many deities believed to be present and in control of the world.  About 1500 deities are known.  Rituals such as prayers and offerings were provided to the gods to gain their favor.  Formal religious practice centered on the pharaohs, the rulers of Egypt, who were believed to possess divine powers due to their positions.  They acted as intermediaries between their people and the gods, and they were obligated to sustain the gods through rituals and offerings so that they could maintain Ma’at, the order of the cosmos, and repel Isfet, which was chaos.  The state dedicated enormous resources to religious rituals and the construction of temples. ¶ Individuals could interact with the gods for their own purposes, appealing for help through prayer or compelling the gods to act through magic.”—Wikipedia/ancient Egyptian gods.   This description indicates the religious consciousness of much of the world.

By building the Tower of Babel, Nimrod unifies the people under his authority and attempts to reach the heavens, and thus the gods.  His promise that the people may seek safety if God sends another flood, combined with the organization and work to build the ziggurat itself, Nimrod embodies this ascension to the gods—all elements become directed toward Nimrod’s glory.  Even so, a primary lesson within the story still carries weight, that without God, there is no intrinsic power to unify.  This is shown to be the case as the unfinished tower is left to the desert.  The unification of Nimrod is facilitated by connivance, coercion, or, when necessary, blunt trauma.

Nimrod went on to conquer the Assyrian lands, which were located well to the north of the Babylonian regions.  He suppressed any godly notions of those devout or peaceful people.  He forced those conquered, just as Cain forced the ground, to adhere to his will.  The unification proposed by Nimrod is spawned by his intellectual construct and hatred of God.  In Nimrod’s view, enemies seem to be on all sides, and the Earth once again becomes worn-torn.

 

Due to these unjustified assumptions of power, Nimrod always feared Shem and the sons of Shem (Gen. 10.21-31).  It is through Shem’s lineage, via Terah, that Abraham is born.  Forced to leave Ur due to Abraham’s belief in one almighty God, Terah’s family leave Ur and settle in Haran.  Abraham’s belief in the one God also explains why later generations concerning the four kings from the north (Gn. 14.5-7) raided extensively around the lands of Sodom, Gomorrah, Zohar, Zeboiim, and Admah (Gn. 14.1-2), as well as the cities themselves.  Even after some generations, this ongoing war had not ended.  The kingly descendants of Nimrod were looking to eradicate the most notable figure in the family of Shem, Abraham.*  When Abraham was not found, they were glad to take Lot as a captive.  Nimrod is described as sly and deceitful, and because he is a descendant of Ham is cursed (named) by Noah as a family of “servants of servants” (Gn. 9.25-27).

Ibid. Klinghoffer provides a good account of this search; also, Chabad.org.

Amid Nimrod’s building program, the people essentially renamed themselves the ‘earthly powerful’, representing on the earth the many gods they supported.  Nimrod encouraged defiance of God and then garnered the envy of other men; it is under this influence and pathway that the people followed.  Such pathways are of the flesh, and the flesh weighs heavy.  They were trying to outwit God.* After their imaginations, they entered into a kind of unreality.  They undertook the building of the ziggurat in their name and to attribute Self, dismissing God.  The construction of the ziggurat entails an act of rebellion.

*They built the ziggurat to escape another flood if God sent such a flood again. Fire-kilned bricks cemented with pitch or asphalt make for a waterproof building.

Middle East ziggurat construction

 

 

 

 

B o o k  of  J a s h e r

Chapter Nine

 

19 And Abram said unto himself Surely these are not gods that made the earth and all mankind, but these are the servants of God,* and Abram remained in the house of Noah and there knew the Lord and his ways and he served the Lord all the days of his life, and all that generation forgot the Lord, and served other gods of wood and stone, and rebelled all their days.

*”servants of God,” usually considered the Council of God, or those who are assigned tasks.

20 And king Nimrod reigned securely, and all the earth was under his control, and all the earth was of one tongue and words of union.

21 And all the princes of Nimrod and his great men took counsel together; Phut, Mitzraim, Cush and Canaan with their families, and they said to each other, Come let us build ourselves* a city and in it a strong tower, and its top reaching heaven, and we will make ourselves famed, so that we may reign upon the whole world, in so that evil of our enemies may cease from us, that we may reign mightily over them, and that we may not become scattered over the earth on account of their wars.

*Many clans came to the site of the ziggurat and, once there, attempted to establish not only an earthly kingdom but a spiritual kingdom overseen by their pagan gods.  Being of the family of Ham, they hated God, for God had cursed them through Noah.  There seems to be no doubt that the family of Ham had many enemies, for those who surrounded them were monotheists, the families of Shem and Japheth.

22 And they all went before the king, and they told the king these words, and the king agreed with them in this affair, and he did so.

23 And all the families assembled consisting of about six hundred thousand men, and they went to seek an extensive piece of ground to build the city and the tower, and they sought in the whole earth and they found none like one valley at the east* of the land of Shinar, about two days’ walk, and they journeyed there and they dwelt there.

*”At the east,” east is usually given a negative connotation, as “in the land of Nod east of Eden.”

24 And they began to make bricks and burn fires to build the city* and the tower that they had imagined to complete.

*The whole city had to be built, not just the tower.

25 And the building of the tower was unto them a transgression and a sin, and they began to build it, and whilst they were building against the Lord God of heaven, they imagined in their hearts to war against him and to ascend into heaven.

26 And all these people and all the families divided themselves in three parts;* the first said We will ascend into heaven and fight against him; the second said, We will ascend to heaven and place our own gods there and serve them; and the third part said, We will ascend to heaven and smite him with bows and spears; and God knew all their works and all their evil thoughts, and he saw the city and the tower which they were building.

*”Divided themselves in three parts” equates to highly organized, implying serious intent.  “…ascend into heaven,” the building of the ziggurat itself proclaiming their rebellion, as well as “…fight against him; …place our own gods there,” replaces God with man’s vision or pagan gods (astrological).  “…and serve them,” completes the rebellion.  “…will ascend to heaven and smite him,” secures the uprising, and outward spectacle, outward ritual, and outward declarations are all configured by man’s hands.

27 And when they were building they built themselves a great city and a very high and strong tower; and on account of its height the mortar and bricks did not reach the builders in their ascent to it, until those who went up had completed a full year,* and after that, they reached to the builders and gave them the mortar and the bricks; thus was it done daily.

*”…completed a full year, and after that…done daily,” denotes a massive commitment.

28 And behold, these ascended and others descended the whole day; and if a brick should fall from their hands and get broken, they would all weep over it, and if a man fell and died, none of them would look at him.

29 And the Lord knew their thoughts, and it came to pass when they were building they cast the arrows toward the heavens, and all the arrows fell upon them filled with blood,* and when they saw them they said to each other, Surely we have slain all those that are in heaven.

*This reference to blood seems symbolic: “We will ascend into heaven and smite him with bows and spears.” However, they may have launched arrows as an insult to God, indicating incredible vitriol.

30 For this was from the Lord in order to cause them to err, and in order; to destroy them from off the face of the ground.

31 And they built the tower and the city, and they did this thing daily until many days and years were elapsed.

32 And God said to the seventy angels who stood foremost before him, to those who were near to him, saying, Come let us descend and confuse their tongues [babel= confusion], that one man shall not understand the language of his neighbor, and they did so unto them.

33 And from that day following, they forgot each man his neighbor’s tongue, and they could not understand to speak in one tongue, and when the builder took from the hands of his neighbor lime or stone which he did not order, the builder would cast it away and throw it upon his neighbor, that he would die.

34 And they did so many days, and they killed many of them in this manner.

35 And the Lord smote the three divisions that were there, and he punished them according to their works and designs;* those who said, We will ascend to heaven and serve our gods, became like apes and elephants [animals]; and those who said, We will smite the heaven with arrows, the Lord killed them, one man through the hand of his neighbor; and the third division of those who said, We will ascend to heaven and fight against him, the Lord scattered them throughout the earth.

*”…punished them according to their works and designs,” proposes the Law of Rectitude, according to actions and intent (motive).  Instead of becoming more unified, they become scattered, depleted, and weakened.

36 And those who were left amongst them, when they knew and understood the evil which was coming upon them, they forsook the building, and they also became scattered upon the face of the whole earth.

37 And they ceased building the city and the tower; therefore he called that place Babel, for there the Lord confounded the Language of the whole earth; behold, it was at the east of the land of Shinar.

38 And as to the tower which the sons of men built, the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up one-third part thereof, and a fire also descended from heaven and burned

another third, and the other third is left to this day, and it is of that part which was aloft, and its circumference is three days’ walk.*

*”…circumference is three days’ walk,” may indicate three stations of doctrine for the whole of the ziggurat.   The first two levels would introduce the new theology, with the top level serving as the final worship area, likely drawing inspiration from Egyptian roots.   In other words, a worldwide religion was being created.   This comment is speculative, but various descriptions indicate the labor and intensity of the Hamite commitment, and as they conquered to spread their religion.

39 And many of the sons of men died in that tower, a people without number.

 

 

Many historical theories surround Nimrod.  One most obvious is that Nimrod is borrowed from the Gilgamesh legend.  Another is that Nimrod or Gilgamesh is Sargon.  Both Gilgamesh and Nimrod are considered men of great size, which indicates the perversion of the human race by the fallen angels, later referred to in the Anakites and Raphaim, as well as Og of Bashan, considered to be the last of the giants.

The more critical issue within biblical recounting deals with the moral and spiritual history of what would later become the Israelites.  Early chapters in the Hebrew Bible aim to establish a narrative that aligns with later Judaic principles and illustrates biblical truth or sound spiritual reasoning.  Thus, Nimrod, even if derived from Gilgamesh, becomes more critical to the spiritual narrative than the pursuit of specific historical accuracy.  However, biblical as well as many historical scholars, accredit the Nimrod narrative.

In conclusion, the rebellion fosters the ‘return of evil’ and the worship of pantheons of gods, whether named after planets, constellations, or nature.  This rebellion is conducted with motive and strong intent, and Nimrod and his priests suppress a knowledge of God.  It is an open rebellion.

In contrast, we have Noah’s two sons, Shem and Japheth, whose belief and faith during these earliest times remained rooted in monotheism.  It is only later that the families of Japheth move northward under the influence and submission of Nimrod.  They return to nature worship and will harbour other pagan notions.  The Japhites later spread into Europe (Celts).  The families of Shem maintain the messianic thread that will be handed down.

Nimrod’s pagan legacy suggests a return to a past perhaps more comfortable, visible, and recognizable than the spirit that moves like the wind, unseen, yet whose works can be observed.  Tangible gods are bound by their tangibility; the unseen God of One is unbounded and remains the Creator of All, in All, and that includes us.

 

 

 

 

God Bless!