feels uneasy at the thought of breaking open the vault of heaven ( 4 ). Standing at the base of the tower even Hillalum ’ s senses rebel , “ insisting that nothing should stand so high ” ( 6 ). He and the others continually wait for a sign from God “ to let men know that their venture was approved ,” yet God is silent ( 14 ). When the star mentioned above first hit the tower , “ everyone descended . . ., waiting for retribution from Yahweh for disturbing the workings of Creation . They waited for months , but no sign came ” ( 16 ). God never acknowledges their efforts , either blessing or damning them for their attempts . Their overwhelming desire for knowledge of God ’ s workings cause them to give “ thanks that they [ are ] permitted to see so much ” while at the same time they “ beg forgiveness for their desire to see more ” ( 18 ). Their reactions show lack of surety regarding their purpose as Yahweh fails to respond .
The inhabitants debate how God may perceive their attempts to reach Him . Qurdusa , one of the tower ’ s bricklayers argues that “ if the tower were sacrilege , Yahweh would have destroyed it earlier ” causing one of the Elamites to counter : “ If Yahweh looked upon this venture with such favor there would already be a stairway ready-made for us to use in the vault ” ( 19 ). Hillalum , however , takes a more Deistic viewpoint , saying , “ Yahweh may not punish us , but Yahweh may allow us to bring our judgment upon ourselves ” ( 19 ). The God in this story creates the world but does not actively intervene . When Hillalum and the others hit a reservoir , he believes “ his fate had come at last . Yahweh had not asked men to build the tower or to pierce the vault ; the decision to build it belonged to men alone , and they would die in this endeavor just as they did in any of their earthbound tasks . Their righteousness could not save them from the consequences of their actions ” ( 24 ). In this world , the
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