The Tower of Babel is another Bible story I read as a child. It's actually a pretty short story. The entire story is found in Genesis 11:1-8.

The Tower of Babel

The story begins after Noah's sons populated the earth after the flood. At that time, the whole world spoke one language (Genesis 11:1). In Genesis, chapter 11, we learn that some of Noah's descendants moved eastward and settled in the plain of Shinar. I wanted to find out where the Shinar of the Bible would be located on a modern map. Ken Ham who is widely known, famous actually, for his research on the book of Genesis has an article posted on his website about the location of Shinar. It is written by Anne Habermehl. You will find that article here on his Answers in Genesis website. At the top of the article, you can download a free PDF version of the article to keep for your own reference as you study the Bible.

According to the article which ends with an impressive list of references, Shinar is believed to be located in a triangular area of Northern Syria, south of the Turkish border. The article explains in detail how scholars have come to this conclusion. You'll also find maps and a photo of the area in the article. Be sure to go there at the link above to check out the article.

Now back to the story of the Tower of Babel. The people who settled in the plain of Shinar decided to build a great city with a tower that reaches to the heavens. This massive project doesn't seem so bad. The problem was their reason for building it. They wanted to make a name for themselves.

The Bible says that the Lord came down to see the city (Genesis 11:5). Then, 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. - Genesis 11:6

God knew the hearts of the people. They wanted to build the city and tower to make a name for themselves. What else would they have done for the purpose of elevating themselves if they had been allowed to continue? So God confused their language and scattered the people.

Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth. - Genesis 11:7-9

Earlier I mentioned Ken Ham and his extensive research on the book of Genesis. He has several resources for further study on the Tower of Babel on his Answers in Genesis website.

The Tower of Babel Pocket Guide

This pocket guide addresses many questions as experts show the implications the Tower of Babel had after the flood in areas such as geography, language, and culture. Only when we study Scripture do we begin to see the global consequences this event had.

The Tower of Babel - DVD

This video answers the most important questions about the Tower of Babel and the intriguing topics related to it. What happened at Babel is key to understanding evangelism and the lands and people of the world today!

The Tower of Babel - The Cultural History of Our Ancestors

Discover the truth of the people groups and the civilizations that spread across the earth. All trace their roots back to Babel as well as to the sons and grandsons of Noah.

Genesis, Babel, and the Chinese Language

If the Tower of Babel really took place, do we have any evidence today? Dr. McIntosh reveals some astonishing evidence that biblical events are recorded within the written language of ancient China!

Here is a series of videos on the subject of Genesis, Babel, and the Chinese Language.

Tower of Babel Pop Up Book

Full-color with entertaining pop-up design, this book explains how the different languages and “races” came about. A great way to teach biblical history!

Teach your children about the Tower of Babel

In addition to the resources listed above, follow my Tower of Babel Pinterest board here for lots of games, crafts, and other learning activities for teaching your children about the Tower of Babel.

Right click and then save this image to your computer. Print it out for your child to color.

Image Credit: CCXpistiavos - CCO Public Domain Image via Pixabay

This post is part of my Coloring Through Genesis series using my Beautiful Word Coloring Bible. I absolutely love it. Here is a photo of a page from today's session on the Tower of Babel.