thinking bible.

You asked

what did 'reaching the sky' mean to people building monumental structures in mesopotamia then?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Genesis 11:4

They said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top may reach to the sky, and let's make a name for ourselves, so that we won't be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth."

This verse is from the story of the Tower of Babel, found in the book of Genesis. It describes a unified people in the land of Shinar (Mesopotamia) who decide to build a great city and a tower.

What does pursuing a collective vision, whether for connection or recognition, demand of us today?

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Read alongside it

  • Deuteronomy 1:28

    Describes cities 'fortified up to the sky,' showing monumental scale was a concern for different biblical authors.

  • Isaiah 14:13

    Depicts a king's hubris, saying, 'I will ascend into heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God'.

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