LANGUAGES

Prior to the incident at Babel (Gen. 11:1ff), the people of the earth spoke one language. Because of ancient man's ambition to "make a name" for himself, and due to his resistance to dispersing and filling the earth (Gen. 1:28), God "confounded" the human tongue and men began to speak languages that were not understood by one another. There are now more than 3,000 languages world-wide. While some consider the biblical account to be nothing more than myth, the evidence indicates otherwise. According to the late Max Muller of Oxford University, language studies reveal that the tongues of man have a common origin. Modern computer comparisons appear to confirm this conclusion. Ancient historical traditions among several nations, and archaeological discovery, also have suggested that there are genuine historical roots to the "Babel" account.

Related Articles

The Tower of Babel: Legend or History?

The book of Genesis is a narrative dealing with “beginnings,” as the title of the document indicates. One of the beginnings in Genesis is the record of how human beings came to speak different languages.

Is the Bible True?

The October 25th edition of U. S. News & World Report carried a sensational cover story titled “Is The Bible True?” The most significant thing about Jeffrey Sheler’s article, perhaps, is this: it reveals the telling concessions that even the most left-leaning thinkers are forced to make.

Steve Allen’s Attack upon the Bible

This article, originally published in 1993, addresses the book written by popular songwriter-comedian, Steve Allen (1921-2000), Steve Allen on the Bible, Religion, and Morality.

Reports of Evidence for the Genesis Flood

This article addresses recent reports of possible evidence in the Black Sea for the Genesis flood.

Destructive Criticism and the Old Testament

The investigations of “higher critics” have proceeded along lines buttressed with biased presuppositions that are grossly inaccurate, and which have been repeatedly and thoroughly discredited by reputable scholars.

Adapted from the book "Bible Words and Theological Terms Made Easy" by Wayne Jackson