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is there a biblical case for limits on technology?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Genesis 11:1-4

“Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. As they traveled east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there. They said to one another, "Come, let's make bricks and burn them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and asphalt for mortar. They said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let's make a name for ourselves, so that we don't get scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth."”

This passage from the book of Genesis describes a time after the great flood, when humanity was united by a common language and settled in the land of Shinar. They decided to collectively undertake a grand construction project, building a city and a tower.

What does building for collective glory, rather than service, reveal about our present motivations for technological advancement?

Then — the setting

The story of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11) is set in the ancient Near East, likely Mesopotamia (Shinar). It reflects a time when cities and monumental architecture, such as ziggurats (terraced pyramids with temples on top), were emerging. These structures were often built to honor deities and serve as cosmic mountains connecting heaven and earth, but the narrative here frames the motivation differently: 'to make a name for ourselves' and avoid scattering. The author likely draws on familiar architectural and cultural forms to illustrate a theological point about human ambition and divine sovereignty. The scattering of peoples and languages offers an etiological explanation for the diversity of human cultures in the ancient world.

Across the Testaments

In the Old Testament, the Babel narrative serves as a foundational story for understanding human pride and the origin of diverse languages. While not directly about 'technology' in the modern sense, it addresses human capacity for collective building and its potential for misdirection. The New Testament does not directly reference the Tower of Babel but picks up on its themes. The Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) is often seen as a reversal of Babel, where diverse languages are miraculously understood, demonstrating unity in the Spirit rather than enforced uniformity. The New Testament also warns against building on faulty foundations (Matthew 7:24-27) and places emphasis on humility rather than self-glorification (Philippians 2:3-8).

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Deuteronomy 8:17-18
This warns against forgetting God in prosperity and attributing success solely to human strength.
Isaiah 14:12-15
This describes Lucifer's prideful ambition to ascend above God, a motif echoed in the Babel narrative.
Luke 12:16-21
The parable of the rich fool speaks to the futility of building up material wealth without regard for life's ultimate purpose.

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