1299. The fact that tar they had in place of mortar means that they had the evil they craved, instead of goodness, can be seen from the symbolism of tar and the symbolism of mortar, or clay, in the Word. 1
Since the theme here is the building of the Babylonian tower, building materials are used to express the message. Tar is sulfurous and flammable, and in the Word sulfur and fire symbolize cravings, especially those that come of self-love. So tar here symbolizes the evil they craved, as well as the resulting falsity, which is also an evil. These went into the construction of the tower described in the next verses. It can be seen in Isaiah that this is the symbolism:
A day of vengeance for Jehovah! [Zion's] watercourses will turn into pitch, and its dirt into sulfur, and its land will become burning pitch. (Isaiah 34:8-9)
The pitch and sulfur stand for the falsity and evil associated with our cravings. There are other instances elsewhere. 2
Footnotes:
1. On the symbolism of tar, see §§1666, 1688, 6724; on that of clay, see §§1300, 6669. [SS]
2. For Scripture passages mentioning tar, pitch, and sulfur, see Genesis 14:10; Exodus 2:3; and the quotations in §2446. [LHC]
