May 1996
Genesis Chapter 11
Following the landing of the Ark, the sons of Noah and their wives began the repopulation of the earth as God had instructed and blessed them to do in the 9th Chapter of Genesis.
We learn in Genesis Chapter 10 the "families" and descendants of each of Noah's three sons and the different directions each grouping of family headed to settle on the earth. We also learn the early "divisions" among ethnic groups started with each of the descendants of Noah's three sons. The historical divisions of nations detailed in Chapter 10 covered many years, apparently included the years involved with the story of the Tower of Babel, which resulted in the dividing of the people by language. The two chapters should be read together to correctly follow the dividing of the earth into nations.
Among the divisions of nationalities started again with Noah's sons we learn that Shem was the father of the Hebrew nations (eventually including Abraham). Chapter 10 of Genesis also details that Japheth's descendants were of the Gentile nations; and we learn that Ham's descendants were of the Canaans and Egyptians and founders of the cities of Babel, Nineveh and Sodom and Gomorrah.
A major part of the background Noah's sons and their eventual direction is provided in the ending of the 9th Chapter of Genesis, dealing with a drunken episode of Noah and the approach the three sons took in caring for their father. As a result we learn that Japheth and Shem received specific blessings, but that Ham was cursed.
The story of the Tower of Babel is relatively short in the 11th Chapter of Genesis, but is well known. The chapter starts with the notation that, after the great flood, the earth was of one language and one speech.
In the formation of a city on the plain of Shinar they discovered they could make brick out of the soil with baking, and slime could be used for mortar.
"And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." Gen. 11:4.
"And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do."
The Lord then confounded their speech, creating the different languages that we know today with different tongues and dialects. Because of the confusion created among the people, they could not understand each other and could not construct the great tower they desired to extend to heaven.
"So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city."
It is from this that we learn the city and the tower were named "Babel" because the Lord confused the language of all the earth.
We learn from secular history that Babel apparently eventually became known as Babylon located in what is now Iraq. From the story of Babel came the word "babble" meaning confusion and meaningless speech.