Following the flood, the people were instructed, through Noah, to replenish the earth; but as they began to multiply, they rejected the Lord’s plan of ruling them. Nimrod established the kingdom of Babel (afterward called Babylon, the first of earthly governments). 10Genesis 9:1; 10:9, 10. A little later the people began the building of the tower of Babel, to make unto themselves a name, and to prevent their being scattered abroad, just contrary to what the Lord, through Noah, had taught them. Instead of patiently waiting for the Lord to accomplish his purposes, they took the matter into their own hands, when God confounded their language, and thus they were scattered. GSAM 41.1