It’s a question that’s led many a curious mind to explore texts outside the Torah itself.It offers us a glimpse into Abraham's early life and the world around him. Remember, the Book of Jasher isn't considered sacred scripture in mainstream Judaism, but it's a rich source of legend and lore, offering a unique perspective.
So, what was going on? According to Jasher, Haran, Abraham's older brother, was starting a family. Haran was 39 when he married, and his wife bore him Lot, and daughters Milca and Sarai (who, of course, would later become Sarah). Interestingly, Jasher tells us Sarai was born when Haran was 42, which was the tenth year of Abraham’s life.
And where was our young Abraham during all this? Well, after his little run-in with King Nimrod (as we read in the previous chapter), Abraham and his mother and nurse emerged from their cave hiding place. The king and his court, it seems, had forgotten all about him.
The Book of Jasher then tells us that Abraham went to live with Noah and his son Shem. Yes, that Noah! He remained there for 39 years, learning about God and His ways. Imagine being mentored by Noah himself! No one knew where Abraham was, says the text, and he served Noah and Shem faithfully. This period was crucial, shaping his understanding of the divine.
But the world outside was in a spiritual freefall. Jasher paints a picture of widespread idolatry. People had forgotten the Lord and were worshipping gods of wood and stone – gods that couldn't speak, hear, or deliver. Even Terah, Abraham's own father, was a major idol merchant, having twelve large idols representing the twelve months of the year, to which he'd bring offerings monthly. As we find in Jasher, "Terah with all his household were then the first of those that served gods of wood and stone."
In a world steeped in idol worship, Abraham stood apart. The text emphasizes that almost no one knew the Lord, except for Noah, his family, and those under his counsel. And young Abraham, growing in wisdom and understanding, realized the futility of idol worship. The Book of Jasher says, "The Lord gave Abram an understanding heart, and he knew all the works of that generation were vain, and that all their gods were vain and were of no avail."
There's a beautiful passage describing Abraham's initial, almost scientific, search for God. He observes the sun, thinking it might be God, but then realizes it sets. He then looks to the moon and stars, wondering if they hold the answer. Ultimately, he understands that these celestial bodies are servants of a greater power. This resonates with similar stories found in the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), highlighting Abraham's intellectual and spiritual journey toward monotheism.
But the narrative doesn't end with Abraham’s spiritual awakening. The Book of Jasher then shifts to another well-known story: the Tower of Babel. King Nimrod, secure in his reign, united the people, who were all of one language and purpose.
Nimrod's princes and great men, including Phut, Mitzraim, Cush, and Canaan, conspired to build a city and a tower that would reach heaven. Their motivations were threefold, according to Jasher: some wanted to wage war against God, others wanted to place their own gods in heaven, and still others wanted to attack God with bows and spears! Bold, arrogant, and ultimately, doomed.
They gathered a massive workforce, about six hundred thousand men, and found a suitable valley in the land of Shinar. The construction was a major undertaking. The text emphasizes the sheer scale of the project, noting that it took a full year for materials to reach the builders at the top!
But their hubris angered God. The Book of Jasher vividly describes how God confused their languages. Imagine the chaos! One minute you're asking for mortar, the next you're being pelted with bricks because no one understands you. "And from that day following, they forgot each man his neighbor's tongue…and when the builder took from the hands of his neighbor lime or stone which he did not order, the builder would cast it away and throw it upon his neighbor, that he would die."
God then punished the builders according to their intentions. Those who wanted to serve other gods were transformed into apes and elephants (a rather… creative punishment!). Those who wanted to attack heaven were killed by their neighbors. And those who wanted to fight God were scattered across the earth.
The city was named Babel, meaning "confusion," because there God confounded the language of the whole earth. And the tower? A third was swallowed by the earth, a third was consumed by fire, and the remaining third stood as a testament to their folly.
So, what does this all mean? Chapter 9 of the Book of Jasher gives us a richer, more detailed backdrop to the familiar stories of Abraham and the Tower of Babel. It highlights Abraham’s unique spiritual journey in a world consumed by idolatry and sets the stage for his pivotal role in the unfolding narrative of the Hebrew Bible. It also serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of human arrogance and the futility of trying to challenge the divine. It’s a reminder that true understanding comes not from building towers to the heavens, but from seeking the one God with an open heart.
Sacred-texts Apocrypha Index Previous Next Book of Jasher, Chapter 9 1 And Haran, the son of Terah, Abram's oldest brother, took a wife in those days. 2 Haran was thirty-nine years old when he took her; and the wife of Haran conceived and bare a son, and he called his name Lot. 3 And she conceived again and bare a daughter, and she called her name Milca; and she again conceived and bare a daughter, and she called her name Sarai. 4 Haran was forty-two years old when he begat Sarai, which was in the tenth year of the life of Abram; and in those days Abram and his mother and nurse went out from the cave, as the king and his subjects had forgotten the affair of Abram. 5 And when Abram came out from the cave, he went to Noah and his son Shem, and he remained with them to learn the instruction of the Lord and his ways, and no man knew where Abram was, and Abram served Noah and Shem his son for a long time. 6 And Abram was in Noah's house thirty-nine years, and Abram knew the Lord from three years old, and he went in the ways of the Lord until the day of his death, as Noah and his son Shem had taught him; and all the sons of the earth in those days greatly transgressed against the Lord, and they rebelled against him and they served other gods, and they forgot the Lord who had created them in the earth; and the inhabitants of the earth made unto themselves, at that time, every man his god; gods of wood and stone which could neither speak, hear, nor deliver, and the sons of men served them and they became their gods. 7 And the king and all his servants, and Terah with all his household were then the first of those that served gods of wood and stone. 20 8 And Terah had twelve gods of large size, made of wood and stone, after the twelve months of the year, and he served each one monthly, and every month Terah would bring his meat offering and drink offering to his gods; thus did Terah all the days. 9 And all that generation were wicked in the sight of the Lord, and they thus made every man his god, but they forsook the Lord who had created them. 10 And there was not a man found in those days in the whole earth, who knew the Lord (for they served each man his own God) except Noah and his household, and all those who were under his counsel knew the Lord in those days. 11 And Abram the son of Terah was waxing great in those days in the house of Noah, and no man knew it, and the Lord was with him. 12 And the Lord gave Abram an understanding heart, and he knew all the works of that generation were vain, and that all their gods were vain and were of no avail. 13 And Abram saw the sun shining upon the earth, and Abram said unto himself Surely now this sun that shines upon the earth is God, and him will I serve. 14 And Abram served the sun in that day and he prayed to him, and when evening came the sun set as usual, and Abram said within himself, Surely this cannot be God? 15 And Abram still continued to speak within himself, Who is he who made the heavens and the earth? who created upon earth? where is he? 16 And night darkened over him, and he lifted up his eyes toward the west, north, south, and east, and he saw that the sun had vanished from the earth, and the day became dark. 17 And Abram saw the stars and moon before him, and he said, Surely this is the God who created the whole earth as well as man, and behold these his servants are gods around him: and Abram served the moon and prayed to it all that night. 18 And in the morning when it was light and the sun shone upon the earth as usual, Abram saw all the things that the Lord God had made upon earth. 19 And Abram said unto himself Surely these are not gods that made the earth and all mankind, but these are the servants of God, and Abram remained in the house of Noah and there knew the Lord and his ways' and he served the Lord all the days of his life, and all that generation forgot the Lord, and served other gods of wood and stone, and rebelled all their days. 20 And king Nimrod reigned securely, and all the earth was under his control, and all the earth was of one tongue and words of union. 21 And all the princes of Nimrod and his great men took counsel together; Phut, Mitzraim, Cush and Canaan with their families, and they said to each other, Come let us build ourselves a city and in it a strong tower, and its top reaching heaven, and we will make ourselves famed, so that we may reign upon the whole world, in order that the evil of our enemies may cease from us, that we may reign mightily over them, and that we may not become scattered over the earth on account of their wars. 22 And they all went before the king, and they told the king these words, and the king agreed with them in this affair, and he did so. 23 And all the families assembled consisting of about six hundred thousand men, and they went to seek an extensive piece of ground to build the city and the tower, and they sought in the whole earth and they found none like one valley at the east of the land of Shinar, about two days' walk, and they journeyed there and they dwelt there. 24 And they began to make bricks and burn fires to build the city and the tower that they had imagined to complete. 25 And the building of the tower was unto them a transgression and a sin, and they began to build it, and whilst they were building against the Lord God of heaven, they imagined in their hearts to war against him and to ascend into heaven. 26 And all these people and all the families divided themselves in three parts; the first said We will ascend into heaven and fight against him; the second said, We will ascend to heaven and place our own gods there and serve them; and the third part said, We will ascend to heaven and smite him with bows and spears; and God knew all their works and all their evil thoughts, and he saw the city and the tower which they were building. 27 And when they were building they built themselves a great city and a very high and strong tower; and on account of its height the mortar and bricks did not reach the builders in their ascent to it, until those who went up had completed a full year, and after that, they reached to the builders and gave them the mortar and the bricks; thus was it done daily. 28 And behold these ascended and others descended the whole day; and if a brick should fall from their hands and get broken, they would all weep over it, and if a man fell and died, none of them would look at him. 29 And the Lord knew their thoughts, and it came to pass when they were building they cast the arrows toward the heavens, and all the arrows fell upon them filled with blood, and when they saw them they said to each other, Surely we have slain all those that are in heaven. 30 For this was from the Lord in order to cause them to err, and in order; to destroy them from off the face of the ground. 31 And they built the tower and the city, and they did this thing daily until many days and years were elapsed. 32 And God said to the seventy angels who stood foremost before him, to those who were near to him, saying, Come let us descend and confuse their tongues, that one man shall not understand the language of his neighbor, and they did so unto them. 33 And from that day following, they forgot each man his neighbor's tongue, and they could not understand to speak in one tongue, and when the builder took from the hands of his neighbor lime or stone which he did not order, the builder would cast it away and throw it upon his neighbor, that he would die. 34 And they did so many days, and they killed many of them in this manner. 35 And the Lord smote the three divisions that were there, and he punished them according to their works and designs; those who said, We will ascend to heaven and serve our gods, became like apes and elephants; and those who said, We will smite the heaven with arrows, the Lord killed them, one man through the hand of his neighbor; and the third division of those who said, We will ascend to heaven and fight against him, the Lord scattered them throughout the earth. 36 And those who were left amongst them, when they knew and understood the evil which was coming upon them, they forsook the building, and they also became scattered upon the face of the whole earth. 37 And they ceased building the city and the tower; therefore he called that place Babel, for there the Lord confounded the Language of the whole earth; behold it was at the east of the land of Shinar. 38 And as to the tower which the sons of men built, the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up one third part thereof, and a fire also descended from heaven and burned another third, and the other third is left to this day, and it is of that part which was aloft, and its circumference is three days' walk. 39 And many of the sons of men died in that tower, a people without number. 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