ONE LANGUAGE: WHY WE CANNOT DECODE MODERN LANGUAGES BACK TO THE TIME AFTER THE TOWER OF BABEL
At the time of the Tower of Babel, the “whole earth” spoke the same words. (Gn. 11:1, KJV) It was the global, dominant language, there were no minor languages.
We can trace many things scientifically, geographically and historically but we cannot decode modern languages to the time after the Tower of Babel. Before that time, the people, “the whole earth”, (Gn. 11:1, KJV) spoke the same words: “שָׂפָ֣ה אֶחָ֑ת וּדְבָרִ֖ים אֲחָדִֽים” (BHS/WHM 4.2, Gn. 11:1), according to reading the Hebrew from right to left and then giving my transliteration to English from left to right, “safa' ehat' oudevarim' ahadim'” (BHS/WHM 4.2, Gn. 11:1), meaning according to my paraphrastic translation, “one language and same set of words”. The Greek Septuagint says, “χεῖλος ἕν, καὶ φωνὴ μία πᾶσιν” (LXX, Gn. 11:1), according to my transliterating left to right, “kei'los hen kai phonay' mi'a pa'sin” (LXX, Gn. 11:1), meaning according to my paraphrastic translation, “one lip, and one voice among all”. (LXX, Gn. 11:1)
In v. 7, “הָ֚בָה נֵֽרְדָ֔ה וְנָבְלָ֥ה שָׁ֖ם שְׂפָתָ֑ם אֲשֶׁר֙ לֹ֣א יִשְׁמְע֔וּ אִ֖ישׁ שְׂפַ֥ת רֵעֵֽהוּ” (BHS/WHM 4.2, Gn. 11:7), God said to his host, “נָבְלָ֥ה” (BHS/WHM 4.2, Gn. 11:7), according to reading the Hebrew from right to left and then giving my transliteration to English from left to right, “navelah'” (BHS/WHM 4.2, Gn. 11:7), meaning according to my paraphrastic translation, “let us mix” or “let us make senseless” (BHS/WHM 4.2, Gn. 11:7) their languages so as they would not “יִשְׁמְע֔וּ” (BHS/WHM 4.2, Gn. 11:7), according to reading the Hebrew from right to left and then giving my transliteration to English from left to right, “yish me ou'” (BHS/WHM 4.2, Gn. 11:7), meaning according to my paraphrastic translation, “hear (understand)” one another. (BHS/WHM 4.2, Gn. 11:7)
Whatever the case, after the confounding, the people could no longer entertain the ease of the same words of one language. A fool can’t understand the things a wise person can, they were confounded. (Gn. 11:7, KJV) How the languages began to differ from that point until today can be understood by all the different languages people speak from different parts of the world. Did God have a phonetic neuron algorithm unknown to us to make the peoples speak so differently today? Could we decipher the secondary languages if we had a computer and knowledge how to trace back each language to the point of the confounding of languages (Gn. 11:7, KJV) after the original one language of the whole earth (Gn. 11:1, KJV)? I don't think we have that ability, but we can see that many languages are similar even they though are very different today.
The language of Adam and Eve evolved until the time of Babel (about 1,500 years) according to my rough counting of the generations (KJV). We only have to trace history back to 4,500 years ago or so to get an idea of how different peoples from different lands spoke of the same person or event. We can only recognize some early expressions of the different languages, not the early syntax of languages since the secondary stage of language.
Nevertheless, we can recognize relatively early languages.
As to reversing the confounding of languages, God has also given instant ability for men to speak a different language that others can understand. This happened at Pentecost, mentioned in the NT Scriptures (Acts 2:11, KJV). Seemingly, God can even reset a phonetic neuron path. The Lord also gives another gift of languages that He understands, and perhaps his host (I Corinthians 13:1, KJV), not men (I Corinthians 14:2, KJV). Verse 27 (1 Cor. 14, KJV) gives orderly instruction as to how the gift of interpretation of a tongue/language is to be applied by those speakers within the assembly.
Logically, all of these events and changes of speaking and hearing were determined within the six days of creation.
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Works Cited
Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: With Westminster Hebrew Morphology. Electronic ed., German
Bible Society; Westminster Seminary, 1996, p. Ge 11:1.
Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: With Westminster Hebrew Morphology. Electronic ed., German
Bible Society; Westminster Seminary, 1996, p. Ge 11:7.
Septuaginta: With Morphology. Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1996, p. Ge 11:1.