“‘For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,’ says the LORD, who has compassion on you.”

—ISAIAH 54:10

Ever Wondered How it All Started?

The Origins of the Israel Defense Forces

You know the names of our wars, our tanks, our tech… You read about our operational capabilities and our different units. But a military isn’t born overnight. These are the IDF’s origins:

IDF Editorial Team

1887 – Zionism

The end of the 19th century marked the start of a new movement––Zionism. Theodor Herzl, the founder of the Zionist movement, called for Jews across the globe to come together and form a national home for the Jewish people.

Back then, the Land of Israel was part of the Ottoman Empire. It was populated mainly by Arabs from throughout the Middle East and Jewish communities in holy cities such as Jerusalem and Safed that had existed for centuries.

Inspired by Zionism and facing violent pogroms in eastern Europe, more and more Jews felt the need to escape to a place they could call their own. They came to Israel and established the first “Moshavot”––Jewish agricultural communities and towns.

As Jewish communities bloomed throughout the Land of Israel, the concept of “Hebrew Labor” became the cornerstone of Israel’s national revival process. By shaping a new society and building a country with their own hands, the Zionist movement was brought to life. At the time, the Jewish communities in the country would hire local Arabs to guard their homes, fields and plantations. However, Jewish pioneers aspired to take their security into their own hands.

1907 – Bar Giora and HaShomer

A secret order called Bar Giora was formed in order to lead Hebrew Labor, train Jews in combat, build Jewish communities and secure Jewish towns. The ultimate goal was to create a defensive Jewish force. Bar Giora set up a farm in Sejera (modern-day Ilaniya) and then spread out to guard the entire town as well as their neighboring town, Mas’ha (Modern day Kfar Tavor). Following their success in Sejera and Mas’ha, the demand for Jewish security increased. The members of Bar Giora decided to focus their efforts solely on securing Jewish communities. Therefore, they founded a legal organization––as opposed to Bar Giora, which was underground––called HaShomer. Soon, HaShomer guarded Jewish communities all throughout the Land of Israel.

Members of HaShomer, 1909

World War I

In 1917, in the midst of World War I, Jews volunteered to join the British Army to fight against the Ottoman Empire. They formed the Jewish Legion––the 38th to 42nd Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers in the British Army––and hoped that in exchange for their contribution, they would be credited in favor of establishing the State of Israel as the country of the Jewish people once a new world order was set at the end of the war. The Jewish Legion was the first Jewish military force of the modern era, with Jewish symbols and names and Hebrew as its spoken language. The existence of the five Jewish battalions gave proof of the potential power of the Jews as a nation. The military experience its soldiers gained, as well as their spirit, became the foundation of the Jewish underground resistances which would later operate across the Land of Israel.

Once World War I came to an end, the British gained control over the Land of Israel as part of the Sykes–Picot Agreement, which divided the Middle East between the British and French.

In 1917, The British Government published the Balfour Declaration, solidifying its support and recognizing the Land of Israel as the national home of the Jewish people. The number of Jews immigrating to the British Mandate of Palestine continued to grow. These new Jewish immigrants formed a new way of living––the Kibbutz.

Triggered by the fall of the Ottoman Empire, in 1919, Arabs increased their attacks on Jewish communities in the Galilee region. The most well-known event is the Battle of Tel Hai, when a Small Arab squad attacked the small Jewish community living there, resulting in the death of eight Jews. One of the fallen was Joseph Trumpeldor, a Zionist role model and national hero.

1920 – Haganah

Meanwhile, HaShomer had been gaining members, including Eliyahu Golomb, David Ben-Gurion and Yitzhak Tabenkin, who argued that the guard should become a countrywide body. This caused controversy amongst HaShomer veterans, who aspired to maintain the selective and elitist tradition of the organization.

This led to HaShomer voluntarily disbanding, and the Haganah, a defensive organization open to all, was established. Based upon the principles of HaShomer and under the authority of the World Zionist Organization, the Haganah’s mission was to protect the Hebrew Yeshuv (the Jews who lived in the Land of Israel) from Arab attacks.

Women in the Haganah, 1924

Almost immediately after the establishment of the Haganah began the Nabi Musa riots. Jewish homes were raided and attacked by Arabs. As the British Army stood to the side, the Haganah managed to evacuate around 300 Jews from the Old City of Jerusalem. The violence continued for four days. Once the situation deescalated, the British accused the Haganah of causing the riots and sent the Jewish soldiers to the Acre Prison.

Just a few months later, in May, 1921, the Jaffa riots occurred. Arabs attacked Jewish communities in Jaffa and throughout central Israel, killing 47 Jews. In 1929, a series of violent Arab massacres of Jewish communities took place. 133 Jews were brutally murdered as Arab mobs targeted ancient Jewish communities in holy cities such as Jerusalem, Safed, Hebron, and Nablus. Jewish families who had lived there for centuries were wiped out while British forces stood idly by.

1931 – Etzel

Following these horrific events, a group of Haganah commanders split and formed an organization called the Etzel. The Etzel abandoned the Haganah’s defensive approach and advocated for a more offensive and deterrent one, demanding decisive action against Arab aggression and British indifference.

1936 – The Arab Revolt

Meanwhile, in Europe, the Nazi party was rising to power. More and more Jews frantically fled Europe and immigrated to the British Mandate of Palestine. This resulted in the Arab revolt in Mandatory Palestine, during which Arabs committed acts of terror against British forces and their representatives as well as attacks on Jews and their property. These events were more brutal than the previous riots both in scope and intensity.

The Haganah’s policy was “Havlagah – Restraint”. 
“Havlagah means our weapon will be pure. We learn the weapon, we carry the weapon, we resist those who come to attack us, but we do not want our weapon to be stained with the blood of innocents… If we were not loyal to ourselves and adopted a different strategy, we would have lost the fight a long time ago”, wrote Berl Katznelson, a prominent Zionist leader.

The Haganah headquarters received real-time reports from various agents in the Yeshuv, using an underground radio system and Morse code in order to gather intelligence and thwart Arab attacks. However, as the attacks increased, the Haganah decided to expand their fighting front. They established POSH (Field Companies), the elite commando unit of the Haganah. Its commander, Yitzhak Sadeh, developed offensive combat techniques: not to “stay behind the fence” but to operate at nighttime, conduct squad ambushes, all the while familiarizing themselves with the terrain.

Concurrently, the Haganah began to collaborate with the British Mandate and formed the PALAM, the “Special Night Squads”, an elite unit under the command of Cpt. Orde Wingate, a British officer. Cpt. Wingate selected his recruits personally. He developed a unique combat method for the unit, specializing in guerrilla warfare, memorizing the land’s topography while forming small, mobile striking units capable of taking down Arab terror squads. 

When the Arab revolt ended in 1939, the Yeshuv and the Haganah had only grown stronger. With new, fortified Jewish communities and kibbutzim, the organizations were able to expand their combat capabilities via their special units, PALAM and POSH. The POSH was later turned into HISH (Field Corps), a young guard who trained to protect the Yeshuv and its people, and HIM (Guard Corps) a guard who defended Jewish communities and towns.

World War II, Lehi and Palmach

Several months later, the British government issued the White Paper of 1939, limiting Jewish immigration to the Land of Israel almost entirely. The Holocaust was just beginning, and more than ever, the Jewish people needed a safe place to go.  Thousands of Jews who managed to escape the Nazis came by boat to Mandatory Palestine for survival––only to be turned back at its shores. While the Jewish people supported British efforts to fight against the Nazis, they could not stand by while desperate Jewish refugees were denied entry into the country.

“We will fight the White Paper as if there is no war against Hitler,”declared David Ben Gurion, prominent Haganah leader and Israel’s first prime minister, “and we will fight Hitler as if there is no White Paper.”

More than 40,000 Jews enlisted into the British Army during World War II to fight against the Nazis. Throughout the war, Jews served in various positions, including the famous Jewish Parachutists, made up of 37 brave men and women who volunteered to parachute into Nazi-occupied Europe in order to gather intelligence, rescue Allied forces who had fallen into enemy territory, and try to save Jews in Europe.

Meanwhile, the Etzel had internal disagreements over whether or not they should cease fire with the British and assist them during the war or continue to act in defiance of the White Paper. Eventually, those who opposed the British split and formed a new organization—the Lehi. It was a small organization, but it carried out daring missions against British rule.

Poster calling for Jews to enlist into the British Army

News of the Nazis’ plan to conquer the Middle East spread rapidly as France, which controlled Lebanon and Syria, came under pro-Nazi Vichy’s rule, and German Gen. Rommel made his way through north Africa’s shores to the Suez Canal.

This resulted in the establishment of the Palmach, the Haganah’s official military branch, to supplement the HISH and HIM. The Palmach was created as a force to protect and defend the Jewish people in Israel in the event of a Nazi invasion. It was an integral part of the Haganah. Every Palmach member was loyal to the Haganah as well. 

The British initially sponsored the Palmach and provided its members with weapons as well as military training. The Palmach operated using methods of guerrilla warfare, combat patrols, reconnaissance, strike and sabotage. They even had a “German Platoon”, in which German-speaking soldiers impersonated Nazi military officers, trained to operate German weapons, completed intensive exercises, and studied German military history and strategy.

However, after the British victory over Gen. Rommel in Africa in the Second Battle of El Alamein, the British no longer saw the need for the Palmach’s existence and cut off all funding and assistance.

The organization was forced to go underground and support itself through work in the kibbutzim—each Palmach platoon was assigned a kibbutz to live on, where they were provided with food, housing and other resources. In return, the platoons worked on the kibbutz for half of the month and trained for combat during the other half. This combination of agricultural work and training created a combat-ready, self-sufficient force.

The Palmach managed to establish the “Palyam” (naval companies) and the “Sha” (air force service), as well as special units such as the “Sachar”, known as the Arab Platoon, which trained Arabic-speaking Jews to gather intelligence and secret information in the Middle East. Known for conducting informal social activities apart from training, its free spirit and high morale was the Palmach’s essence and source of strength.

At the time, most Yeshuv members wanted to join the Allies in the fight against the Nazis and be a part of an established, respected military rather than a newly formed paramilitary with limited resources. In order to convince Jews to join the Palmach, Yitzhak Sadeh, the Palmach’s first commander, insisted: “The Russian gun is carried by the Russian soldier, the English gun is carried by the English soldier, but friends, who will carry the Hebrew gun?”

The Jews and the British had a common enemy: the Nazis. Therefore, as long as Europe was occupied by the Nazis, the World Zionist Organization decided to refrain from using weapons against the British. However, the Etzel dismissed this decision in the last few months of the war; as news about the horrors of the Holocaust made its way overseas, the White Paper’s policy still kept Jews seeking refuge from immigrating to Mandatory Palestine. The Etzel announced their resumption of the armed struggle against British rule with the aim of expelling the British from the country and establishing an independent Jewish state instead.

That started “The Saison”––The Haganah and the Palmach’s fight against the Etzel in order to stop them from operating against the British Mandate. The Haganah began to track Etzel members and gather information to pass on to the British, sometimes even handing over Etzel members themselves. Despite rising tensions, all three organizations remained careful not to spark infighting, for they all had the same mission––to establish the State of Israel.

1945 – Jewish Resistance Movement

Immediately after World War II, the Etzel, the Lehi, the Haganah and the Palmach all came together to form a united “Hebrew Resistance Movement”. Together, they organized wide-scale operations in order to bring Jewish immigrants safely to the Land of Israel. They broke into the Atlit internment camps and released all 200 Jewish immigrants and Holocaust survivors who were imprisoned there, and sabotaged British railways, ships, jets, airports and radar stations with which the British Army used to detect Jewish immigration ships.

One of their most well-known operations is “Night of the Bridges”. On the night of June 16th, 1946, the Jewish Resistance Movement destroyed ten bridges linking Mandatory Palestine to its neighboring countries––Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt––in order to sever the British Army’s strategic and economic ties.

In response, on June 29, 1946, the British implemented their plan to eliminate the Jewish resistance: Operation Agatha, also known as the “Black Shabbat”. The British seized Jewish cities, kibbutzim and towns, confiscated important documents, arrested thousands of members, and raided homes to find guns and weapons. The “Black Shabbat” constituted a significant blow to the Yeshuv. They swiftly planned to retaliate.

At the time, the King David Hotel in Jerusalem was known to be the headquarters of the British government in Israel. The Jewish Resistance Movement’s original plan was to plant explosives and destroy the hotel as a warning sign to the British, but after consulting with the World Zionist Organization, they cancelled the mission. However, the Etzel carried on with the mission on their own. Even though they called for the hotel to be evacuated, the British dismissed their warning. 91 people died in the attack—Jews, Arabs and British. The disaster sent a massive shock through the Hebrew Resistance Movement and led to its dissolution.

The Haganah’s weapons, found by the British in Kibbutz Yagur during the “Black Shabbat”, 1947

1947 – The Fight for Israel’s Independence 

And so, each organization resumed their previous mission––the Etzel and the Lehi continued to openly fight against the British while the Haganah and the Palmach focused on rescuing Jewish refugees and bringing them to Mandatory Palestine.

A turning point in the Haganah’s effort to save Jewish immigrants was when the British seized the Exodus 1947 illegal immigration ship, forcing thousands of Holocaust survivors seeking refuge in the Land of Israel to go back to Europe. This incident was covered heavily in the media. Members of the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) who were visiting Israel at the time witnessed the event, influencing them to recognize the necessity of a state for the Jewish People.

Exodus 1947 in Haifa’s harbor, after it was seized by the British

On the 29th of November, 1947, the UN General Assembly approved Resolution 181, marking the end of the British Mandate of Palestine. This was a historic moment for the Jewish people. The Arab population within Mandatory Palestine immediately rejected the resolution and declared war on the Jews.

The Haganah, Etzel and Lehi joined together to fight for the existence of an independent Jewish state in their ancestral homeland.

The Haganah’s six brigades of HISH and three brigades of Palmach were the main entities acting as the backbone of the Yeshuv’s military force and played a key role in Israel’s War of Independence. Half of the fighting forces were also made up of “Gahal soldiers”––Jews recruited from Europe, most of them Holocaust survivors.

After six months of war, the Haganah decided to shift from their typical defensive approach to an increasingly offensive one that led them to a series of small victories, bringing the Yeshuv enough stability to arrive at this historic moment: On the 15th of May, 1948, David Ben Gurion declared Israel’s independence from the British Empire, based on Resolution 181 and the Partition Plan. Immediately after, Israel was attacked by six foreign Arab armies.

On the 26th of May, 1948, Ben Gurion ordered to disassemble all the underground resistance movements and form a new, united army called the Israel Defense Forces. 

Despite being drastically outnumbered, the newly-formed IDF worked together to win the war. Israel emerged victorious, and, once and for all, the Jewish people began to build their nation, the State of Israel.

Since then, the IDF has transformed from a small, newly-formed army to one of the most respected and powerful militaries in the world. For over 73 years, the IDF has protected the Israeli people, and this was made possible because of the Haganah, the Palmach, and all the resistance movements who built the foundation for the IDF we know today. We owe it to them to continue their legacy and fight for Israel’s future.

Romans 6:12-14

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

The Swift Digression of Humankind in the Godless City of Babel

February 01, 2025by: T. Desmond Alexander

The Godless City

With remarkable conciseness the opening chapters of Genesis introduce a story that looks forward to the creation of an exceptional city where God and humanity will live in harmony. Specific references to the city are muted, but the garden of Eden narrative sets the scene for what is to follow. Unexpectedly, however, the garden is invaded by a wily predator that deceives the human couple into disobeying their Creator. By submitting to the seductive prompting of the mysterious Serpent, Adam and Eve fail to fulfill their duty as God’s vice-regents. Their authority to rule over the earth, delegated to them by God, passes to the Serpent (cf. Eph. 2:2). Consequently, they become subservient to it. 

In view of God’s aspirations for humanity, it is noteworthy that one of the activities associated with Cain is the building of a city. Genesis 4:17 states briefly: “Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.” The Hebrew text does not say explicitly that Cain “built a city.” Rather, it implies that he was building a city (cf. NIV). City building was in his DNA, a fact that is no surprise when we consider God’s design for humanity. However, it is noteworthy that Cain names the city after his son, Enoch. By doing so he glorifies his own offspring rather than the One who has equipped him to be a city builder. Cain’s actions anticipate the creation of further cities, but, as we shall see, this does not necessarily bode well for humanity. 

References to city building do not figure prominently in Genesis 5–10. Rather, attention is given to how people fill the earth with violence (Gen. 6:13), resulting in God’s punishing them by sending a flood. When Noah and his family emerge from the safety of the ark, God reaffirms to them the creation mandate to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Gen. 9:1; cf. Gen. 9:7). This marks a new beginning for the earth, but, unfortunately, people continue to live in opposition to God.

The City of God and the Goal of Creation

T. Desmond Alexander

Linking the garden of Eden to the New Jerusalem, this volume traces the theme of city throughout Scripture—revealing God’s plan for his people in the great city to come.

Babel, the City of Pride

If God’s intention in making the earth is the creation of a city, Genesis 11 introduces a short account that is highly ironic.

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth. (Gen. 11:1–9)

This brief episode describes how humans set about building a city with a tower that will reach up to the heavens. They do this intentionally so that they will not be dispersed throughout the whole earth. This reverses the divine plan, for God is interested in making the whole earth his residence by filling it with holy people. In marked contrast, the people of Babel attempt to access heaven and avoid populating the earth. Babel epitomizes the antithesis of what God desires. 

Although the Genesis 11 report of the building of Babel is exceptionally brief, nine verses in all, this city casts a long shadow over the whole of the Bible. It does so for a number of reasons. At the outset, Babel has to be viewed as the prototypical Godless city. In Babel we see people uniting as one to make a name for themselves by building a tower that reaches up to heaven itself. Their ambition is clearly motivated by pride in their ability to achieve great things. While in Genesis 3 Adam and Eve aspired to become like God, the inhabitants of Babel now seek to establish themselves as supreme not only on earth but in heaven as well. With incredible arrogance they attempt to build a tower that will enable them to take control of heaven itself. The building of Babel typifies two different characteristics of humanity: (a) the capacity of people to achieve great things; (b) the arrogance of those who have turned away from God.

What a wealth of human meanings converge in the single image of Babel! It is an ambivalent image, evoking powerful feelings of a wide range. On one side we can see the human longings for community, achievement, civilization, culture, technology, safety, security, permanence and fame. But countering these aspirations we sense the moral judgment against idolatry, pride, self-reliance, the urge of material power and the human illusion of infinite achievement.¹

While in one sense the construction of Babel is a natural consequence of people using divinely given abilities, they do so without regard for the One who gifted them. Their aspirations are to replace God, not only on earth, but in heaven as well. Constructed by people for people alone, Babel is a mockery of what God intended when he created humans and commanded them to fill the earth. As we shall see, the phenomenon of Babel is not restricted to Genesis 11. Babel typifies every proud human enterprise that seeks to exalt the creature over the Creator.

Babel/Babylon

The use of “Babel” as the city’s name in Genesis 11 is an anomaly. For centuries this city has been designated “Babel” in English. This name is derived from the Hebrew title for the city, babel. However, babel, which occurs over two hundred times in the Hebrew Bible, is almost always translated into English as “Babylon.” Remarkably, in the whole of the Old Testament there are generally only two exceptions to this rule. These are Genesis 10:10and Genesis 11:9, and even here a few English translations replace Babel in Genesis 10:10with Babylon (e.g., NIV; JPS). Babel should be called Babylon.²

When we name the city “Babylon,” a highly significant pattern begins to emerge. Babel is not only the antithesis of the holy city that God desires to build upon the earth, but it is also its great rival and opponent. This is an especially significant theme, appearing in both Testaments. More shall be said about this later.

Babel typifies every proud human enterprise that seeks to exalt the creature over the Creator.

Babel/Babylon: The Kingdom of Nimrod

Babel/Babylon takes on added significance when we observe that the city is also associated with aggressive human leadership or kingship. This link may not appear very obvious, for Genesis 11:1–9 contains no reference to any king. However, Babel/Babylon is first mentioned in Genesis 10:8–12 in association with the powerful hunter Nimrod:

Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.

Within Genesis 10 this passage stands apart. Genesis 10:8–10 focus on Nimrod, about whom a few selected details are recorded. In most English versions, Nimrod is taken to be the subject of Genesis 10:11. However, it is more likely that Genesis 10:11 refers to the activity of Asshur, who founds cities in northern Mesopotamia.³

Nimrod is designated a powerful or mighty man, a hunter in the sight of the Lord. This description ought to be viewed negatively. While the Hebrew text may legitimately be translated in this context “in the sight of the Lord,” it may also imply “against the Lord.”⁴This latter sense seems more appropriate in the context of all that is said in Genesis 1–11. Nimrod’s aggression as a person runs totally counter to what God intended when at creation he commissioned people to rule the earth on his behalf. His forceful nature recalls the violence of previous generations, who provoked God to anger. 

Through the use of force, Nimrod founded an extensive kingdom that includes Babel/Babylon. He is also a role model for Asshur. Undoubtedly, this tradition of kingdom building through aggression lived on in these cities. Later in history, the inhabitants of both Babylon and Nineveh descended in destructive power on the kingdoms of Israel and Judah; the Assyrians destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel, and, at a different time, the Babylonians decimated the southern kingdom of Judah. 

God intended humanity to rule over the earth in peace, but Nimrod uses power to establish a kingdom that is a distortion of the kingdom that God wants to create on the earth. By linking Nimrod to Babel/Babylon, the author of Genesis introduces the idea of two contrasting cities and kingdoms. Due to the rebellion of Adam and Eve, God’s desire to establish his kingdom on the earth through the construction of a city is thwarted. Instead of ruling as his viceregents, humans oppose God and establish alternative kingdoms.

​​Conclusion

When we grasp the true intention of the human city builders of Babel/Babylon, it is clear that their project is not as innocent as it may seem at first. On the contrary, what we have here is an account in which all the God-given abilities of humans are deliberately focused on creating a society that has no need of God. Confident in their own capacity to meet every challenge, the inhabitants of Babel/ Babylon view the Creator as irrelevant. In light of God’s initial creation project, the account of Genesis 11:1–9 is a stark reminder of how perverted human nature has become.

To hinder human aspiration to work together in opposition against the One who created them, God prevents people from understanding each other by introducing multiple languages. This leads to the creation of different ethnic groups and nations, who struggled to comprehend one another. Nevertheless, although God intervenes to halt the Babel/Babylon project by scattering the city’s inhabitants throughout the earth, the human ambition to construct alternative, godless cities remains. Babel typifies every social enterprise that seeks to exalt the creature over the Creator. From Genesis to Revelation, Babel/Babylon features prominently as the symbol of humanity’s attempt to govern themselves without reference to and in defiance of God. 

There’s a possibility that Genesis 1–2 introduces a story that anticipates the creation of an extraordinary city where God will dwell in harmony with humanity. Against this background, it is noteworthy that the last episode in the primeval era (Genesis 1–11) concerns the construction of a city. This metropolis, however, is the antithesis of what God desires. In the light of this, the rest of Genesis starts a process that will result in the creation of an alternative city where God will dwell on earth in harmony with people.

Notes:

1. Anonymous, “Babel, Tower of,” in Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, ed. L. Ryken, J. C. Wilhoit, and T. Longman (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998), 67.
2. As in HCSB.
3. Cf. KJV; NJB; NJPS. If the Hebrew name ʾaššûr denotes a person, and not a place, then Asshur is responsible for building a number of important cities, including Nineveh, RehobothIr, Calah, and Resen.
4. Cf. Mary Katherine Hom, “‘ . . . A Mighty Hunter before YHWH’: Genesis 10:9 and the Moral-Theological Evaluation of Nimrod,” VT 60 (2010): 63–68.

This article is adapted from The City of God and the Goal of Creation by T. Desmond Alexander.

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T. Desmond Alexander (PhD, The Queen’s University of Belfast) is senior lecturer in biblical studies and director of postgraduate studies at Union Theological College in Belfast. Alexander is the chairman of the Tyndale Fellowship for Biblical and Theological Research, served as coeditor of The New Dictionary of Biblical Theology, and has written many volumes in the area of biblical theology. T. D. is married to Anne, and they have two adult children.

Meaning of Numbers: The Number 3

The English word “three” used for the number 3 is recorded 485 times in 426 King James Bible verses. It occurs 410 times in the Old Testament and has 75 occurrences in the New Testament. The Old Testament writings that use “three” the most are the book of 1Chronicles (35 times) then Numbers (33). The New Testament books that use the word the most are the book of Acts (17 times) followed by Matthew (12). The first use of the word is found in Genesis and its last is in Revelation.

Timeline of Peter’s Life and Ministry!

And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters (Genesis 5:22, KJV). 

On the east (of New Jerusalem) three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates (Revelation 21:13, KJV). 

The number 3 conveys the meaning of completeness, though to a lesser degree than 7. It derives its symbolism from the fact that it is the first of four spiritually perfect numerals (the others being 7, 10 and 12). 

The 3 righteous patriarchs before the flood were Abel, Enoch and Noah. After the deluge, there was the three righteous “fathers” of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (later renamed Israel).

There are 27 books in the New Testament, which is 3 cubed, or completeness to the third power.

Jesus prayed three times in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest. He was placed on the cross at the 3rd hour of the day (9 a.m.) and died at the 9th hour. There were 3 hours of darkness that covered the land while Jesus was suffering on the cross from the 6th hour to the 9th hour. Christ was dead for three full days and nights, a total of 72 hours, before being resurrected on Saturday, April 8, just before sunset.

Appearances of the Number Three

Jesus took only 3 of his disciples, James, Peter and John, up a large hill in order to view his transfiguration (Matthew 17:3 – 9). What the men saw, in a vision, were 3 people in their glorified form (Jesus, Moses and Elijah).

The apostle Paul was an exceptionally well-educated person. In three different occasions he quotes directly from Greek poets (Acts 17:28, 1Corinthians 15:33 and Titus 1:12). He also was privileged to visit the location of God’s throne, which is in the third heaven (2Corinthians 12:2 – 4).

The three words that appear only once in Scripture are “reverend” (Psalms 111:9), “eternity” (Isaiah 57:15) and “grandmother” (2Timothy 1:5).

Only 3 people were allowed to ask God anything. They were Solomon (1Kings 3:5), Ahaz (Isaiah 7:11) and, of course, Jesus Christ (Psalm 2:9). The gifts given to Israel by God were his law, the land of their inheritance, and their calling (the world to come).

The Bible only mentions the name of three angels (Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer).

Dying in a Foreign Land

Surprisingly, there were three rulers over the Kingdom of Judah who died in a foreign land. 

The first was King Jehoahaz who, at age 23, was taken as prisoner by the Egyptian Pharaoh Neco in 609 B.C. Jehoahaz had only served as king for 3 months when he was captured and taken out of the land. He ultimately died in Egypt (2Kings 23:31 – 34). 

Jehoiachin, the second from last king over Judah, also reigned for only 3 months when he was taken out of the land. King Nebuchadnezzar captured him in 597 B.C. and took him back to Babylon (2Kings 24:12). In 561 he was released by Evil-Merodach (2Kings 25:27) and died in the country.

King Zedekiah assumed the throne as the last ruler over Judah when he was 21. In 586 B.C., eleven years later, he is captured by the Babylonians. They not only perform the gruesome acts of gouging out his eyes, they also bind him with fetters and take him to Babylon. He dies while in captivity (2Kings 25).

Number 3 and Sex Sins

There are 3 places in the New Testament where sex sins are specially referenced. The first is in Romans 1:20 – 32, where certain people who reject God are given over to defile themselves in a variety of ways that includes homosexuality (male and female) and overall sexual immorality.

The second mention of sex-related sins is in 1Corinthians 5:1 – 13, where the apostle Paul had to deal with the local church allowing open incest to be committed. The third sex issue dealt with in the New Testament is in Revelation 2:19 – 25. A female who considers herself a prophetess within the Thyatira church, in the spirit of Jezebel, was teaching believers to commit sexual immorality and spiritual adultery.

Prophecy

Next to seven, 3 is the most commonly used number in Revelation. An angel is charged to cry three woes to those who live on earth to warn them of more trials to come (Revelation 8:13). 

The Two Witnesses, after their end time ministry runs its course, will be murdered by the Beast power. Their bodies will then be left exposed to the elements for all the world to see. After 3 1/2 days they will be miraculously resurrected from the dead and will rise to meet God!

And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them (Revelation 11:11, KJV).

A triple threat of unclean spirits will be allowed to deceive the whole world to fight the returning Jesus Christ in what is called the battle of Armageddon. 

And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 

For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty (Revelation 16:13 – 14, KJV). 

God, when all prophecy has been fulfilled, will create a new Jerusalem which will be shaped like a square with 3 gates on each side (Revelation 21:13).

More Info on Biblical Meaning of 3

A triangle, which is a polygon with 3 sides and vertices, is considered the most stable physical shape. Its stability allows it to be widely used in construction and engineering.

The Greek word abba, Strong’s Concordance #G5, is found only three times in the Greek New Testament. Left untranslated in the King James, the word means Father and is only used in reference to God.

And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father (Galatians 4:6, KJV, see also Mark 14:36 and Romans 8:15).

The Greek word halizo, Strong’s #G233, appears only 3 times in 2 Greek New Testament verses. Halizo is translated as “salted” and is famously used in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount admonition for believers to make a difference in the world. 

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted (halizo)? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men (Matthew 5:13, KJV, see also Mark 9:49).

King David attracted to himself 3 men of war who would prove invaluable during the battles he fought. Known as the “three mighties” (1Chronicles 11:12), Jashobeam, Eleazar, and Shammah, they had exceptionally distinguished themselves in battle. They repeatedly showed they were fierce and fearless warriors willing to perform astonishing acts of courage and bravery.

The Apostle John is the only one of the New Testament writers to record three epistles (1John, 2John, 3John).

The Bible books of Joel, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, 2Thessalonians, Titus and 2Peter contain 3 chapters. The only chapters to number three verses are Psalm 131, 133, 134 and Esther 10.

God is described, in the very beginning of the book of Revelation, as a Being with the three-fold characteristic, “which is, and which was, and which is to come” (Revelation 1:4).

There are 3 great periods of God’s annual Feast days of worship. They are the spring festivals (Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread), the summer festival (Pentecost) and the fall festivals (Feast of Trumpets, Atonement and Feast of Tabernacles).