QUESTION:

Did our language (English)

come from the Tower of
Babel only?
(A Historical Study)
LANGUAGE:

 “A system of words or signs that

people (humans) use to express
thoughts and feelings to each other”
(Mirriam-Webster Dictionary)
ENGLISH LANGUAGE:

 West Germanic language of the

Indo-European language family.
 Originated in England… with an
estimated 2 billion people using this
language.
(Britannica.com)
Did our language (English)
come from the Tower of Babel
only?
 No. English originated in the mid-5th
century AD and developed from a
Germanic language called “Anglo-
Saxon.”
(Quora.com)
Exegetical Section:

What did the Bible mean when it said,

all the earth in Genesis 11:1-9?”

Did the Bible mean “the whole world”

comprising of every human being at
that time?
Tower of
Babel
(Genesis 11:1-9)
Gen 11:8-9
8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from
there over the face of all the earth, and they
ceased building the city. 9 Therefore its name
is called Babel, because there the LORD
confused the language of all the earth…”
“all the earth”

Used 5 times in Gen. 11: 1-9

Translated from the Hebrew:
‫( כֹּ ל‬kōl) =“all”
 noun, common, “all”, collective, common,
construct
 Meaning:
1. all, every, any 2. any 3. completely 4. total
5. every kind of, every sort of 6. always
‫( אֶ ֶרץ‬ʾě∙rěṣ) = “the earth”
 common, singular, feminine, pausal,
definite with ‫ה‬
 Meaning:
1. world, earth 2. land, ground 3. soil, dirt, 4.
country, region, territory 5. people 6. space 7.
total creation, formally, heaven and earth,
3 key elements in
understanding Genesis 11:8-9

 Hebrew word for “from the east”

 The word Scattered

 Structure of Genesis 11:1-9

 (miqqedem)

 noun, common, singular, masculine,

normal
‫( קֶ דֶ ם‬qeḏem) – the east, earlier, formerly,
long ago
 Many Bible scholars attest that (miqqedem)
should be translated as “eastward,” “east,”
and not “from the east”
 “scattered”
 verb,
hifil, active, prefixed (imperfect)
sequential, singular, masculine, third person
‫(ּפּוץ‬pûṣ): scattered, i.e., pertaining to a
state in which a collection of objects in one
place are thrown or moved to multiple
places relatively far
Gen. 11:1-9 Structure
a. 11:1 (unity of language)
b. 11:2 (unity of place/location)
c. 11:3a (intensive communication)
d. 11:3b (make plans and inventions)
e. 11:4a (plans for building)
f. 11:4b (city and tower)
x. 11:5a “But the Lord came down”
F. 11:5b (God watches the buildings)
E. 11:5c (people materialize their plans)
D. 11:6 (God launches counter plan)
C. 11:7 (communication became impossible)
B. 11:8 (scattered)
A. 11:9 (confusion of language)
by: Fokkeman, 2006
Conclusion
1. (kōl-hā’āres)“all the world” is limited to a
particular geographical location since in
the following verse it says that “the men
moved eastward” and found the valley
where they built the city…
An alternative translation would be “the
whole land.”
Conclusion
2. The fact that they where scattered
supports the idea that “all the world” is a
particular geographical location
pertaining to that of the tower builders
east of Ararat.
Conclusion
3. It is important to note that the narrative
explicitly focuses on the tower builder’s
rebellious actions, moving eastward,
planning to make a name for themselves,
and building a tower to keep themselves
from being scattered, causing God to
make His counteractions against them…
Conclusion
3. … confusing their language, thus putting
their plans to a halt, and ironically
scattering them. This strongly suggests
that “the whole land” indeed refers to
the location of the tower builders.
Ellen G. White Comments
For a time the descendants of Noah continued to
dwell among the mountains where the ark had rested…
Those who desired to forget their Creator and to cast off
the restraint of His law felt a constant annoyance from
the teaching and example of their God-fearing
associates… journeyed to the plain of Shinar, on the
banks of the river Euphrates. They were attracted by the
beauty of the situation and the fertility of the soil, and
upon this plain they determined to make their home.
Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 119
Ellen G. White Comments
“The tower had reached a lofty height, and it was
impossible for the workmen at the top to communicate
directly with those at the base; therefore men were
stationed at different points, each to receive and report
to the one next below him the orders for needed
material or other directions concerning the work. As
messages were thus passing from one to another the
language was confounded, so that material was called
for which was not needed…”
Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 120