Towers and watchtowers in the Bible

• At Babel: a city with a tower that reaches to the heavensGen 11:4
  The verses

  Gen 11:4“Come,” they said, “let us build for ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens, that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of all the earth.”
• The LORD came down to see the city and the towerGen 11:5
  The verses

  Gen 11:5Then the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of men were building.
• They stopped building the city, and it was called BabelGen 11:8–9
  The verses

  Gen 11:8–9So the LORD scattered them from there over the face of all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it is called Babel, for there the LORD confused the language of the whole world, and from that place the LORD scattered them over the face of all the earth.
• Jacob pitched his tent beyond the Tower of EderGen 35:21
  The verses

  Gen 35:21Israel again set out and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of Eder.

Towers in war

• Gideon threatened the tower of Penuel, then pulled it downJudg 8:9, Judg 8:17
  The verses

  Judg 8:9So Gideon told the men of Penuel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower!”

  Judg 8:17He also pulled down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
• About a thousand died when Abimelech burned the tower of ShechemJudg 9:46, Judg 9:49
  The verses

  Judg 9:46On hearing of this, all the leaders in the tower of Shechem entered the inner chamber of the temple of El-berith.

  Judg 9:49So each man also cut his own branch and followed Abimelech. Then they piled the branches against the inner chamber and set it on fire above them, killing everyone in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women.
• At Thebez the people locked themselves in a strong towerJudg 9:50–52
  The verses

  Judg 9:50–52Then Abimelech went to Thebez, encamped against it, and captured it. But there was a strong tower inside the city, and all the men, women, and leaders of the city fled there. They locked themselves in and went up to the roof of the tower. When Abimelech came to attack the tower, he approached its entrance to set it on fire.
• From its roof a woman dropped a millstone on AbimelechJudg 9:53
  The verses

  Judg 9:53But a woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, crushing his skull.
• A watchman on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu's troops coming2 Kgs 9:17
  The verses

  2 Kgs 9:17Now the watchman standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu’s troops approaching, and he called out, “I see a company of troops!” “Choose a rider,” Joram commanded. “Send him out to meet them and ask, ‘Have you come in peace?’”
• 'From watchtower to fortified city'2 Kgs 17:9, 2 Kgs 18:8
  The verses

  2 Kgs 17:9The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city, they built high places in all their cities.

  2 Kgs 18:8He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its borders, from watchtower to fortified city.

Kings who built towers

• Asa: cities with walls and towers, doors and bars2 Chr 14:7
  The verses

  2 Chr 14:7So he said to the people of Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, with doors and bars. The land is still ours because we have sought the LORD our God. We have sought Him and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered.
• Uzziah built towers at Jerusalem's gates and in the desert2 Chr 26:9–10
  The verses

  2 Chr 26:9–10Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, the Valley Gate, and the angle in the wall, and he fortified them. Since he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain, he built towers in the desert and dug many cisterns. And since he was a lover of the soil, he had farmers and vinedressers in the hill country and in the fertile fields.
• Uzziah's devices shot arrows and hurled stones from the towers2 Chr 26:15
  The verses

  2 Chr 26:15And in Jerusalem he made skillfully designed devices to shoot arrows and catapult large stones from the towers and corners. So his fame spread far and wide, for he was helped tremendously so that he became powerful.
• Jotham built fortresses and towers in the forests2 Chr 27:4
  The verses

  2 Chr 27:4He also built cities in the hill country of Judah and fortresses and towers in the forests.
• Hezekiah rebuilt the broken wall and raised towers on it2 Chr 32:5
  The verses

  2 Chr 32:5Then Hezekiah worked resolutely to rebuild all the broken sections of the wall and to raise up towers on it. He also built an outer wall and reinforced the supporting terraces of the City of David, and he produced an abundance of weapons and shields.

Jerusalem's towers

• The Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of HananelNeh 3:1, Neh 12:39
  The verses

  Neh 3:1At the Sheep Gate, Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests began rebuilding. They dedicated it and installed its doors. After building as far as the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel, they dedicated the wall.

  Neh 12:39over the Gate of Ephraim, the Jeshanah Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate. And they stopped at the Gate of the Guard.
• The Tower of the OvensNeh 3:11, Neh 12:38
  The verses

  Neh 3:11Malchijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-moab repaired another section, as well as the Tower of the Ovens.

  Neh 12:38The second thanksgiving choir proceeded to the left, and I followed it with half the people along the top of the wall, past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall,
• The great tower that juts out, near the wall of OphelNeh 3:25–27
  The verses

  Neh 3:25–27and Palal son of Uzai made repairs opposite the angle and the tower that juts out from the upper palace of the king near the courtyard of the guard. Next to him, Pedaiah son of Parosh and the temple servants living on the hill of Ophel made repairs opposite the Water Gate toward the east and the tower that juts out. And next to them, the Tekoites repaired another section, from a point opposite the great tower that juts out to the wall of Ophel.
• Eighteen people were killed when the tower of Siloam fellLuke 13:4
  The verses

  Luke 13:4Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam collapsed on them: Do you think that they were more sinful than all the others living in Jerusalem?

Vineyards and sayings

• A vineyard owner builds a watchtower and digs a winepressIsa 5:2, Matt 21:33
  The verses

  Isa 5:2He dug it up and cleared the stones and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour!

  Matt 21:33Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.
• Jesus: count the cost before you build a towerLuke 14:28–30
  The verses

  Luke 14:28–30Which of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has the resources to complete it? Otherwise, if he lays the foundation and is unable to finish the work, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This man could not finish what he started to build.’
• A lookout: day after day I stand on the watchtowerIsa 21:8
  The verses

  Isa 21:8Then the lookout shouted: “Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower; night after night I stay at my post.
• Song of Songs: your neck is like the tower of DavidSong 4:4, Song 7:4
  The verses

  Song 4:4Your neck is like the tower of David, built with rows of stones; on it hang a thousand shields, all of them shields of warriors.

  Song 7:4Your neck is like a tower made of ivory; your eyes are like the pools of Heshbon by the gate of Bath-rabbim; your nose is like the tower of Lebanon, facing toward Damascus.