RE: Reading Genesis literally

 
One of the biggest problems I see is understanding the context, which
isn't always easy. I can say to you, "I'm sitting out in the cold."
You can take that literally. But if you see me scantily clad out doors
in sub-zero temperature, what I meant by that will be taken differently
then if I'm with you in a circle of knowledgeable people while you're
holding a conversation that's beyond my comprehension.
 
And that's the difficulty with Genesis. Apologists down through the
centuries had no awareness of the Mesopotamian background. Genesis 11:1
is a prime example.
 
Genesis 11:1: "And the whole earth was of one language, and of one
speech."
 
It is not difficult to see how Bible interpreters have been as baffled
as the tower builders. The true confusion of tongues, surpassing the
incident at Babel, is the translation of Hebrew into English. The
Hebrew, 'erets is translated "earth," although in the next verse the
same word is rendered as the "land" of Shinar.
 
If erets is translate "land" and the Hebrew saphah is translated
literally as "lip," rather than the broader word "language," the text
would read as follows: "And the whole land was of one lip and one
speech."
 
Since the Sumerians and Accadians spoke unrelated languages, and the
Accadian language is the precursor to Hebrew, then at least two
languages were spoken in the region of Shinar at the same time. So it
is unlikely the writer of Genesis wanted to convey that everyone spoke a
common language. Plainly, they did not.
 
After the flood, the mud brick platforms constructed in the Mesopotamian
cities began to grow and take on religious connotations. The ziggurats
became the dwelling places of the gods and temples were constructed as
places of worship.
 
It appears the builders at Babylon were caught up in a ziggurat building
competition with their neighbors. To show their faith and allegiance to
their one true God they tried to outbuild the other cities. Not
impressed with having a mound of mudbricks a few cubits higher than the
one dedicated to the moon-god Nanna, God confused their speech. And the
Semites in Babylon abruptly terminated construction and scattered, but
their basic language was unaltered.
 
Genesis 11:1 refers to the primary topic of conversation of the day
which was about building mud brick platforms, adorning them with temples
of worship, and devoting them to the various gods. The people in the
land were all talking about the same thing, they were of "one lip."
 
 
Dick Fischer
Dick Fischer, Genesis Proclaimed Association
Finding Harmony in Bible, Science, and History
www.genesisproclaimed.org <http://www.genesisproclaimed.org/>
 
Received on Sat Apr 29 18:12:29 2006