Who Founded Babel?

Babel, later called Babylon, was founded by the great-grandson of Noah. His name was Nimrod, the son of Cush. Scripture tells us that “the beginning of his [Nimrod’s] kingdom was Babel” (Genesis 10:10). This was not limited to the Tower of Babel, or even the city of Babel, but Nimrod’s kingdom spread throughout the land of Shinar, including Erech, Accad, and Calneh. Nimrod was described as a “mighty hunter before the Lord,” and he became one of the first powerful rulers after the flood (Genesis 10:8). Babel was at the heart of his kingdom, and it was there that people began building the Tower of Babel in defiance of God’s command to spread out and fill the earth (Genesis 11:1–4). Babel’s beginning reminds us how quickly human pride can twist God’s blessings into rebellion. As a leader among the people, Nimrod had a duty to lead people in the ways of the Lord, but—as evidenced by the punishment God gave at the Tower of Babel—he did not. We must keep the Lord’s desires for us at the center of our lives, so that when we are called to lead others, we keep in-step with His Word.