Ep. 6. Genesis 11 | Babel
EPISODE 6
BABEL
One of the more confusing parts of the story of the Tower of Babel is the first sentence of Genesis 11; "The whole earth had one language and the same words." That contradicts the words we find just two verses earlier; "These are the sons of Shem, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations." What gets overlooked by a casual reading is that chapter 10 deals with generations of people after the flood and covers hundreds of years. It is interesting to note that Shem, the son of Noah, lived another 500 years after he stepped off the ark. He outlives Abraham by about 35 years. So when 10:31 speaks of the languages of the descendants of Shem, it is looking far into the future. Genesis 11 takes us back to when there was still one language of man, as indeed, there would have been when Noah's family departed the ark. I think there is a clue for us as to when these things occurred. Genesis 10:25 tells us that the earth was divided in the days of Peleg. I do not think this means the shift of continents as some do; it seems to make more sense in the immediate context of Genesis. It has to do with division in relationship to people and nations. That would mean the peoples of the earth would have been divided about 130 years after the flood. Clearly, in the days of Abraham, there were already groups of people with different languages. Abraham is born 292 years after the flood. These specific times and dates don't change what we know and love about Jesus, but they are interesting to consider as we aim to understand the Bible's details better.
I have found this story to be humorous for many years. The unified people want to make a tower that reaches heaven, and God has to "come down" to see it. They didn't even get close. They also long to make a name for themselves to keep from being scattered through the entire earth. God brought that to an end when he divided their languages and scattered them abroad. But, as is often the case, there is a beautiful reversal of this through the work of Jesus. In the days before us, God will bring heaven down to earth, write his name on the foreheads of his people, and unite all tongues and nations into one people around his throne. Sin could not bring the people near to heaven, make a name for the sinners, or prevent them from being scattered. Grace will bring heaven to earth, magnify the name of God, and bring scattered people into one body.
ADDITIONAL READING: Genesis 10:25,31; Revelation 21:1-4; Revelation 22:3-4; Revelation 5:9; Revelation 7:9
