Genesis 11:4

11:4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens ¹  so that ²  we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise ³  we will be scattered ⁴  across the face of the entire earth.”

Isaiah 14:13-14

14:13 You said to yourself, ⁵ 

“I will climb up to the sky.

Above the stars of El ⁶ 

I will set up my throne.

I will rule on the mountain of assembly

on the remote slopes of Zaphon. ⁷ 

14:14 I will climb up to the tops ⁸  of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High!” ⁹ 

Daniel 4:11

4:11 The tree grew large and strong.

Its top reached far into the sky;

it could be seen ¹⁰  from the borders of all the land. ¹¹ 

Daniel 4:22

4:22 it is you, ¹²  O king! For you have become great and strong. Your greatness is such that it reaches to heaven, and your authority to the ends of the earth.

Amos 9:2

9:2 Even if they could dig down into the netherworld, ¹³ 

my hand would pull them up from there.

Even if they could climb up to heaven,

I would drag them down from there.

Obadiah 1:3-4

1:3 Your presumptuous heart ¹⁴  has deceived you –

you who reside in the safety of the rocky cliffs, ¹⁵ 

whose home is high in the mountains. ¹⁶ 

You think to yourself, ¹⁷ 

‘No one can ¹⁸  bring me down to the ground!’ ¹⁹ 

1:4 Even if you were to soar high like an eagle, ²⁰ 

even if you ²¹  were to make your nest among the stars,

I can bring you down even from there!” says the Lord.

Matthew 11:23

11:23 And you, Capernaum, ²²  will you be exalted to heaven? ²³  No, you will be thrown down to Hades! ²⁴  For if the miracles done among you had been done in Sodom, it would have continued to this day.

¹ tn A translation of “heavens” for שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) fits this context because the Babylonian ziggurats had temples at the top, suggesting they reached to the heavens, the dwelling place of the gods.

² tn The form וְנַעֲשֶׂה (vÿna’aseh, from the verb עשׂה, “do, make”) could be either the imperfect or the cohortative with a vav (ו) conjunction (“and let us make…”). Coming after the previous cohortative, this form expresses purpose.

³ tn The Hebrew particle פֶּן (pen) expresses a negative purpose; it means “that we be not scattered.”

⁴ sn The Hebrew verb פָּוָץ (pavats, translated “scatter”) is a key term in this passage. The focal point of the account is the dispersion (“scattering”) of the nations rather than the Tower of Babel. But the passage also forms a polemic against Babylon, the pride of the east and a cosmopolitan center with a huge ziggurat. To the Hebrews it was a monument to the judgment of God on pride.

⁵ tn Heb “you, you said in your heart.”

⁶ sn In Canaanite mythology the stars of El were astral deities under the authority of the high god El.

⁷ sn Zaphon, the Canaanite version of Olympus, was the “mountain of assembly” where the gods met.

⁸ tn Heb “the high places.” This word often refers to the high places where pagan worship was conducted, but here it probably refers to the “backs” or tops of the clouds. See HALOT 136 s.v. בָּמָה.

⁹ sn Normally in the OT the title “Most High” belongs to the God of Israel, but in this context, where the mythological overtones are so strong, it probably refers to the Canaanite high god El.

¹⁰ tn Aram “its sight.” So also v. 17.

¹¹ tn Or “to the end of all the earth” (so KJV, ASV); NCV, CEV “from anywhere on earth.”

¹² sn Much of modern scholarship views this chapter as a distortion of traditions that were originally associated with Nabonidus rather than with Nebuchadnezzar. A Qumran text, the Prayer of Nabonidus, is often cited for parallels to these events.

¹³ tn Heb “into Sheol” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV), that is, the land of the dead localized in Hebrew thought in the earth’s core or the grave. Cf. KJV “hell”; NCV, NLT “the place of the dead”; NIV “the depths of the grave.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “the presumption of your heart”; NAB, NIV “the pride of your heart”; NASB “arrogance of your heart.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “in the concealed places of the rock”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “in the clefts of the rock”; NCV “the hollow places of the cliff”; CEV “a mountain fortress.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “on high (is) his dwelling”; NASB “in the loftiness of your dwelling place”; NRSV “whose dwelling (abode NAB) is in the heights.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “the one who says in his heart.”

¹⁸ tn The Hebrew imperfect verb used here is best understood in a modal sense (“Who can bring me down?”) rather than in the sense of a simple future (“Who will bring me down?”). So also in v. 4 (“I can bring you down”). The question is not so much whether this will happen at some time in the future, but whether it even lies in the realm of possible events. In their hubris the Edomites were boasting that no one had the capability of breaching their impregnable defenses. However, their pride caused them to fail to consider the vast capabilities of Yahweh as warrior.

¹⁹ tn Heb “Who can bring me down?” This rhetorical question implies a negative answer: “No one!”

²⁰ sn The eagle was often used in the ancient Near East as a symbol of strength and swiftness.

²¹ tc The present translation follows the reading תָּשִׂים (tasim; active) rather than שִׁים (sim; passive) of the MT (“and your nest be set among the stars,” NAB). Cf. LXX, Syriac, Vg.

²² sn Capernaum was a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region.

²³ tn The interrogative particle introducing this question expects a negative reply.

²⁴ sn In the OT, Hades was known as Sheol. It is the place where the unrighteous will reside (Luke 10:15; 16:23; Rev 20:13-14).