Expert: Brenda Martin - 1/26/2011

Question
Hi Brenda,

I think the subject has been discussed before, but I can't find an exact answer to my question. It goes as follows:

Gen. 10 speaks about Noah's sons being seperated each, "according to their languages", implying that more than one language was then spoken. Now, Gen. 11 states that only one language existed prior to the Tower of Babel. It seems to me that there is a chronological issue there. I would like to know what you think about this.

Thank you very much,

Charles

Answer
The Bible record does not say that all languages descended, or branched off, from Hebrew. In Genesis 10 the descendants of Noah’s sons (Shem, Ham, and Japheth) are listed and in each case are grouped ‘according to their families, according to their tongues, in their lands, by their nations.’ (Ge 10:5, 20, 31, 32)

It appears, therefore, that, when miraculously confusing human language, Jehovah God produced, not dialects of Hebrew, but a number of completely new languages, each capable of expressing the full range of human feeling and thought.

all the best
Brenda