EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored ninety-two books. Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).
Genesis 11:5 Updated American Standard Version (UASV) 5 Jehovah came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of men had built.
Does not 2 Chronicles 6:18 (see, 1 Kings 8:27) tells us that “will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built!” Therefore, in what sense had Jehovah God come “down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built”?[1]
Should we think that it was necessary for Jehovah God truly to leave his heavenly throne to see the city and tower or take action? No! More reasonably, he took note; he turned his attention to the things on the earth. Therefore, when we read, “God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name,” it simply means that he turned his attention to the Gentiles. That is why we see a more dynamic translation rendering it, “God first showed an interest.” – Acts 15:14, (AT).
At other times, and whether this is the case here as well, it does not explicitly say, God sent representatives to stand in his place, angelic messengers. There is no reason for the Creator of heaven and earth, to leave his heavenly place, to deliver a message to humans. There are only three instances in the Bible where God’s voice was heard from heaven. (Matt. 3:17; 17:5; John 12:28) Otherwise, Jehovah God has either sent his Son in his pre-human existence or an angelic messenger. You will take note that not only was the Mosaic Law transmitted by angelic representatives, but they were viewed by Moses as though he were talking directly to God himself. “Why, then, the Law? It was added because of transgressions until the seed should arrive to whom the promise had been made; and it [the Law] was transmitted through angels by the hand of a mediator.” – Galatians 3:19.
To help us appreciate that Moses was actually speaking with an angelic representative, we look to Acts 7:38, “This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us.” That angelic representative was a personal spokesman for God and thus spoke to Moses as if God himself were there, which the human being spoken to viewed it this way as well.
You will also take note that the angel who delivered the message to Moses at the burning bush. Exodus 3:2 identifies him as “the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.” Please note what verse 4 adds to this, “When Jehovah saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush.” In verse 6, this angelic representative said, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.” We clearly see both the angelic representative and Moses, viewing the spokesperson as being none other than Jehovah God himself. We see this again in Exodus 4:10, “And Moses said unto Jehovah, Oh, Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”
We have yet another example chapter 6 of Judges. Herein we find yet another man speaking to God through another angelic representative. Judges 6:11 says, “And the angel of Jehovah came, and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.” Here again, we find this angelic representative being viewed as Jehovah God himself. Take not over verses 14-5, “And Jehovah looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian: have not I sent thee? And he said unto him, Oh, Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” Therefore, as is made clear here, the materialized angel that Gideon saw and spoke to, is viewed as Jehovah God himself in the biblical account.
Then too, we have Manoah and his wife, the parents of Samson. Here again, you have an account viewing the angel of Jehovah as Jehovah. The account says, “The angel of Jehovah appeared unto the woman.” (vs 3) The wife reports to Manoah, “Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of the angel of God.” (vs 6) “Then Manoah entreated Jehovah, and said, Oh, Lord, I pray thee, let the man of God whom thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.” (vs 8) “And God [listened] to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her.” The rest of the account up to verse 18 has a conversation between ‘the angel of Jehovah and Manoah.’ However, take a special note as to what Manoah says to his wife in verse 22, “We shall surely die because we have seen God.” We know from Scripture that no one has seen Jehovah God, but Manoah and his wife felt that way because he has come into contact with an angelic spokesperson for God.
REPEATING IN SHORT FOR EMPHASIS
Genesis 11:5 says, “And Jehovah came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.” This passage does not literally mean that God descended from heaven and physically went to the city of Babylon. Rather, it is a way of saying that God saw what was happening in the city and was aware of the actions of the people who were building the tower. In the Bible, the phrase “Jehovah came down” is often used to indicate God’s presence and involvement in a situation. In this case, it means that God was aware of what was happening in the city of Babylon and was present in a spiritual sense rather than in a physical sense.
[1] See Genesis 11:5-7; 18:21; Exodus 2:25; 3:8, 16; 4:3.
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You will also take note that the angel who delivered the message to Moses at the burning bush. Exodus 3:2 identifies him as “the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.” Please note what verse 4 adds to this, “When Jehovah saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush.” In verse 6, this angelic representative said, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.” We clearly see both the angelic representative and Moses, viewing the spokesperson as being none other than Jehovah God himself. We see this again in Exodus 4:10, “And Moses said unto Jehovah, Oh, Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”
