And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The builders ingeniously compensated for the lack of stone and mortar by developing advanced brick-making and bitumen-cement technology. This highlights that their rebellion wasn't just about pride, but also about their innovative, self-reliant drive against divine design.
And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Following the great flood, humanity, united by a single language, settled in the plain of Shinar. Instead of spreading out and repopulating the earth as God commanded, they decided to build a massive city and a tower reaching the heavens, aiming to make a name for themselves and prevent their own scattering. This passage details their practical decision to use bricks and bitumen, readily available materials in their plain, to construct their ambitious, defiant project.
Faced with a landscape lacking stones, humanity's ingenuity kicked into high gear. What does this tell us about our drive to build and create?
The people of Shinar found themselves in a region rich in clay but devoid of natural stone. This wasn't a setback, but a catalyst for innovation.
A New Building Material
Instead of stone, they decided to 'make brick, and burn them thoroughly.' This wasn't just a simple mud brick; burning them made them incredibly durable and resistant to the elements, virtually indestructible when used with a strong binder.
The Power of Bitumen
For mortar, they utilized 'slime,' which is bitumen – a natural tar-like substance found in the region. This viscous material, when mixed with the bricks, created an exceptionally strong bond. Ancient historians noted how tenacious this cement was, making structures built with it incredibly resilient.
This demonstrates a core human trait: adapting and innovating when faced with limitations. Instead of giving up, they found a way to build something lasting, even magnificent, from the resources available.
Why did they want to build so high? It wasn't just about shelter. Their ambition reveals a deep-seated desire to make a name for themselves.
The primary motivation behind building the city and tower wasn't just practical need or even a desire for a grand dwelling. It was about self-glorification and defying divine command.
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The Desire for Immortality
Their stated goal was 'let us make us a name.' This wasn't about leaving a legacy of faith or obedience, but about carving out an immortal reputation for themselves, independent of God. They sought to achieve fame and recognition through their own monumental efforts.
Rebellion Against Divine Will
This ambition directly opposed God's earlier command to Noah and his family: 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth' (Genesis 9:1). Instead of dispersing and populating the earth, they clustered together, seeking to establish a single, powerful center of human achievement, to prevent their own scattering. Their building project was an act of unified rebellion against God's plan for humanity.
Understand the original words
lebenah · Hebrew Noun
Man-made building blocks made of clay, often representing human ingenuity and the attempt to replace divine provision (stone) with human technology.
chemar · Hebrew Noun
A sticky, tar-like substance used as mortar; it symbolizes the human effort to bind together and stabilize structures apart from God’s design.
The builders' use of brick and bitumen highlights their ingenuity in a challenging environment, yet their motivation—to 'make a name for themselves'—reveals a deep-seated pride and defiance of God's command to fill the earth, which ultimately led to divine intervention.
c. 3000 BC
Post-Flood population growth
Following the Great Flood, humanity, unified by a single language, began to multiply rapidly across the earth.
c. 3000 BC
Settlement in the Plain of Shinar
The descendants of Noah settled in the land of Shinar, a fertile plain with abundant clay but scarce stone.
c. 3000 BC— this verse
Decision to build city and tower
The people, seeking to make a name for themselves and avoid scattering, collectively decided to build a great city and a tower.
c. 3000 BC
Divine intervention and scattering
God confounded their language, causing them to cease building and scattering them across the face of the earth.
c. 3000 BC
Founding of Babel (Babylon)
The city where the confusion of tongues occurred was named Babel, later known as Babylon, a symbol of human pride.
This verse highlights God's initial command for humanity to 'be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth,' which stands in stark contrast to the builders' desire at Babel to stay in one place and make a name for themselves.
Deuteronomy 8:17-18This passage warns against thinking 'my power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth,' echoing the pride and self-reliance of the Babel builders who sought to make a name for themselves apart from God's blessing.
Psalm 127:1This psalm declares that 'Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain,' a truth directly contradicted by the builders of Babel who labored diligently on their own terms, ignoring God's purposes.
Ecclesiastes 4:13-16This passage illustrates the fleeting nature of human ambition and the potential for even popular leaders to be quickly forgotten, serving as a profound counterpoint to the builders' desire to make an enduring name for themselves.
gillGenesis 11:3: "And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter."
And they said one to another, go to,.... Advising, exhorting, stirring up, and encouraging one another to the work proposed, of building a city and tower for their habitation and protection; saying: let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly; they knew the nature of bricks, and how to make them before: according to Sanchoniatho (h), the b…
calvinGenesis 11:1-32: "And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech."
And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
Et dixerunt quisqui ad proximum suum, Agite, laterificemus lateres, et coquamus ad coctionem: et fuit eis later pro lapide, et bitumen fuit eis pro caemento.
And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us…
The builders ingeniously compensated for the lack of stone and mortar by developing advanced brick-making and bitumen-cement technology. This highlights that their rebellion wasn't just about pride, but also about their innovative, self-reliant drive against divine design.
Following the great flood, humanity, united by a single language, settled in the plain of Shinar. Instead of spreading out and repopulating the earth as God commanded, they decided to build a massive city and a tower reaching the heavens, aiming to make a name for themselves and prevent their own scattering. This passage details their practical decision to use bricks and bitumen, readily available materials in their plain, to construct their ambitious, defiant project.
Following the great flood, humanity, united by a single language, settled in the plain of Shinar. Instead of spreading out and repopulating the earth as God commanded, they decided to build a massive city and a tower reaching the heavens, aiming to make a name for themselves and prevent their own scattering. This passage details their practical decision to use bricks and bitumen, readily available materials in their plain, to construct their ambitious, defiant project.
"And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar." — The builders ingeniously compensated for the lack of stone and mortar by developing advanced brick-making and bitumen-cement technology. This highlights that their rebellion wasn't just about pride,…
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Last reviewed October 2026