What is the significance of the tower of Babel?

Question:

I reread the history of the tower of Babel and I do not understand exactly what would its significance be, if there is any? Thank you and God bless you!

Firstly, let’s look carefully at the text again:

Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. The LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth. (Genesis 11:1-9)(NASB)

The first thing to mention is that in this passage figurative speech is not used and we should understand things according to their direct meaning, that is, people built a real tower.

I think you rather refer to people’s motivation in building the tower and the answer is found in verse 4. People built this tower to make a name for themselves and not to be scattered throughout the earth, which was totally contrary to God’s command given immediately after the flood, when He said:

“As for you, be fruitful and multiply; populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.” (Genesis 9:7)(NASB)

God help us to live in complete obedience to Him all the days of our life.

Translated by Felicia Rotaru