to the gods of Babylonia.

The specific purpose of this tower is difficult to determine. Josephus
says the object was to save the people in case of another flood. The
scripture record (11:4) indicates that they were moved by an unholy
pride and selfish desire to make for themselves a great name. It also
was intended to become a sort of rallying-point which would keep the
people together and prevent the destruction of their glory which they
thought would result from their separation. In 11:6 God says "nothing
will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do." In this
there is an implication that they are at cross purposes with God. It
was an act that defied God and showed the need of punishment. It is
not unlikely that idolatry had begun to prevail and that the tower was
built in honor of those false Gods whom men were disposed to trust.

The incompleteness of the tower is attributed to divine intervention.
Hitherto all the descendants of Noah had spoken the same language, but
now by a direct divine interposition they are caused to speak several,
and then separated so they can no longer cooperate with each other in
carrying out their plans which had so displeased God. The different
languages then are regarded as a punishment of the race which had
rebelled against God.

Traditions of such a tower may be found in many forms and in many
countries. _In Babylonia_ there was a tradition that not long after
the flood men were tall and strong and became so puffed up that they
defied the gods and tried to erect a tower called Babylon by means of
which they could scale heaven. But when it reached the sky the gods
sent a mighty wind and turned over the tower. They said that hitherto
all men had used the same language, but that at this time there was
sent on them a confusion of many tongues, from which confusion the
tower was named Babel. _In Greece_, there was a legend in which we
trace the story of the tower of Babel. According to this legend a race
of giants tried to reach Mount Olympus, which was supposed to be the
residence of the gods, by piling Mount Ossa upon Pelion. But the gods
interfered with their plan and scattered the impious conspirators.
This effort of the Titans to mount up to heaven corresponds so well to
the motive of the builders of the tower as to indicate that there was
a common origin for both stories.

There is also a Greek tradition that Helen had three sons: Aeolus,
Dorus, and Ion, who wer