30 | Genesis 11:10
GENESIS 11:4
Ziggurats
Though they may resemble pyramids in appearance , ziggurats are nothing like them in function . Ziggurats have no inside . The structure was framed in mud brick , and then the core was packed with fill dirt . The facade was then completed with kiln-fired brick . Ziggurats were dedicated to particular deities . Any given deity may have several ziggurats dedicated to him or her in different cities . Furthermore , a given city may have several ziggurats , though the main one was associated with the patron deity of the city . Archaeologists have discovered nearly 30 ziggurats in the general region , and texts mention several others . The main architectural feature is the stairway or ramp that leads to the top . There was a small room at the top where a bed was made and a table set for the deity . Ziggurats range in size from 60 feet ( 18 meters ) per side to almost 200 feet ( 60 meters ) per side .
Most important is the function of the ziggurat . The ziggurat did not play a role in any of the rituals known to us from Mesopotamia . If known literature were our only guide , we would conclude that common people did not use the ziggurat for anything . It was sacred space and was strictly off-limits to profane use . Though the structure at the top was designed to accommodate the god , it was not a temple where people would go to worship . In fact , the ziggurat was typically accompanied by an adjoining temple near its base , where the worship did take place .
The best indication of the function of zig-
Stele of Nebuchadnezzar looking at the design of Babylon ’ s ziggurat , Etemenanki , Babylon , 604 – 562 BC . Many also believe the Tower of Babel was a ziggurat .
The Schøyen Collection , Oslo and London , MS 2063 , www . schoyencollection . com
continued on next page there the Lord scat tered them over the face of the whole earth .
From Shem to Abram 11:10-27pp — Ge 10:21-31 ; 1Ch 1:17-27
10 This is the ac count of Shem ’ s fam i ly line .
Two years af ter the flood , when Shem was 100 years old , he be came the fa ther a of Ar phax ad . 11 And af ter he be came the fa ther of Ar phax ad , Shem lived 500 years and had oth er sons and daugh ters .
11:12 f Lk 3:35
12 When Ar phax ad had lived 35 years , he
be came the fa ther of She lah . f 13 And af ter he be came the fa ther of She lah , Ar phax ad lived 403 years and had oth er sons and daughters . b
a 10 Father may mean ancestor ; also in verses 11-25 . b 12,13 Hebrew ; Septuagint ( see also Luke 3:35 , 36 and
note at Gen . 10:24 ) 35 years , he became the father of Cainan . 13 And after he became the father of Cainan , Arphaxad lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters , and then he died . When Cainan had lived 130 years , he became the father of Shelah . And after he became the father of Shelah , Cainan lived 330 years and had other sons and daughters