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Babel

Babel

A Dictionary of the Bible | 1997 | | Copyright

Babel Hebrew for Babylon. According to local tradition the city was founded by the god Marduk; in the OT it is the archetypal place of confused languages (Gen. 11: 1 ff.). Linguistic diversity was imposed by God, according to the aetiological myth, as a punishment for human arrogance in building a lofty tower—possibly a ziggurat, as developed by the Babylonians and the assyrians. Such a building had several platforms at various heights and the whole was crowned by a temple as much as 70 feet (approx. 20 m.) above ground level.

When the crowd on the day of Pentecost understood the apostles because they suddenly began to use a variety of foreign languages (Acts 2: 5–13), the story is probably intended by the author to be the reversal of the chaos at Babel: diversity and confusion are replaced through the Spirit by unity and understanding in a common humanity. ‘In our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power’ (Acts 2: 11).
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Babel." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Babel

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2008 | Copyright

Babel [Heb.,=confused], in the Bible, place where Noah's descendants (who spoke one language) tried to build a tower reaching up to heaven to make a name for themselves. For this presumption the speech of the builders was confused, thus ending the project. The story was perhaps originally an etiological tale explaining the diversity of languages and cultures, but, due to Israel's experience of the exile, now contains significant polemic against the presumption of Babylon, which is Babel in Hebrew.

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Babel, Tower of

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Copyright

Babel, Tower of in the Bible, a tower built in an attempt to reach heaven, which God frustrated by confusing the languages of its builders so that they could not understand one another (Genesis 11:1–9). The story was probably inspired by the Babylonian ziggurat, and may be an attempt to explain the existence of different languages.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Babel, Tower of." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Babel, Tower of." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-BabelTowerof.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Babel, Tower of." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-BabelTowerof.html

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Babel

Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms | 1985 | Copyright

Babel

a confused mixture of sounds, voices, or languages; a confused assembly. See also charivari, hubbub, pandemonium.

Examples: babel of follies, 1529; of past idle objurgations, 1884; of sectaries, 1731; babel towers of chimney, 1848.
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babel

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

ba·bel / ˈbabəl; ˈbā-/ • n. [in sing.] a confused noise, typically that made by a number of voices: the babel of voices on the road.

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babel

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Copyright

babel XIV (see Gen. 11:9). — Heb. bābhel Babylon.
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T. F. HOAD. "babel." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "babel." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-babel.html

T. F. HOAD. "babel." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-babel.html

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Babel

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

Babel •babble, bedabble, dabble, drabble, gabble, grabble, rabble, scrabble •amble, bramble, Campbell, gamble, gambol, ramble, scramble, shamble •psychobabble • technobabble •barbel, garble, marble •pebble, rebel, treble •assemble, dissemble, Kemble, resemble, tremble •Abel, able, Babel, cable, enable, fable, gable, label, Mabel, sable, stable, table •enfeeble, feeble, Keble •dibble, dribble, fribble, Gribble, kibble, nibble, quibble, scribble •Abu Simbel, cymbal, gimbal, nimble, symbol, thimble, timbal •mandible •credible, edible •descendible, extendible, vendible •audible •frangible, tangible •illegible, legible •eligible, intelligible •negligible • dirigible • corrigible •submergible • fallible • indelible •gullible •cannibal, Hannibal •discernible • terrible • horrible •thurible •irascible, passible •expansible • collapsible • impassible •accessible, compressible, impressible, inexpressible, irrepressible, repressible •flexible •apprehensible, comprehensible, defensible, distensible, extensible, ostensible, reprehensible, sensible •indexible •admissible, dismissible, immiscible, impermissible, irremissible, miscible, omissible, permissible, remissible, transmissible •convincible, vincible •compossible, impossible, possible •irresponsible, responsible •forcible •adducible, crucible, deducible, inducible, irreducible, producible, reducible, seducible •coercible, irreversible, reversible, submersible •biocompatible, compatible •contractible • partible •indefectible, perfectible •contemptible •imperceptible, perceptible, susceptible •comestible, digestible, suggestible •irresistible, resistible •exhaustible •conductible, deductible, destructible, tax-deductible •corruptible, interruptible •combustible •controvertible, convertible, invertible •discerptible • persuasible • feasible •divisible, risible, visible •implausible, plausible •fusible •Bible, intertribal, libel, scribal, tribal •bobble, Chernobyl, cobble, gobble, hobble, knobble, nobble, squabble, wobble •ensemble •bauble, corbel, warble •coble, ennoble, Froebel, global, Grenoble, ignoble, noble •foible • rouble • Hasdrubal • chasuble •soluble, voluble •bubble, double, Hubble, nubble, rubble, stubble, trouble •bumble, crumble, fumble, grumble, humble, jumble, mumble, rough-and-tumble, rumble, scumble, stumble, tumble, umbel •payable, sayable •seeable, skiable •amiable •dyeable, flyable, friable, liable, pliable, triable, viable •towable •doable, suable, wooable •affable • effable • exigible • cascabel •takable • likable • salable • tenable •tunable • capable • dupable •arable, parable •curable, durable •taxable •fixable, mixable •actable • collectible •datable, hatable •eatable •notable, potable •mutable • savable • livable • movable •lovable • equable • sizable • usable •burble, herbal, verbal

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