7. Go to; let us go down, and there confound their lip, that they may not understand one another's lip, or pronunciation. 8. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence over the face of every region; and they left off to build the city. 9. Therefore is the name of it called Babel, because the Lord did there confound the lip of the whole land; and from thence did the Lord scatter them over the face of every region, or of the whole earth. This I take to be the true purport of the history from whence we may infer, that the confusion of language was a partial event: and that the whole of mankind are by no means to be included in the dispersion from Babel. It related chiefly to the sons of Chus; whose intention was to have founded a great, if not an universal, empire but by this judgment their purpose was defeated. That there was a migration first, and a dispersion afterwards, will appear more plainly, if we compare the different histories of these events. 75 In the days of Peleg the earth was divided: and 75 Genesis. c. 10. ν. 25. 31. 32. Εξ αυτε (Φαλεγ) και την των Χαλδαίων Βασιλειαν, ἧς ὁ πρωτος Ευτυχιος, ὁ και Νεμβρωδ, φαμεν zaragada. Syncellus. p. 79. the sons of Noah were distinguished in their generations, in their nations and by these were the nations divided in the earth AFTER THE FLOOD. We see here uniformity and method; and a particular distribution. And this is said to have happened, not after the building of the tower, or confusion of speech, but after the flood. In the other case, there is an irregular dissipation without any rule and order. 76 So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of every region; and they left off to build the city: and FROM THENCE (from the city and tower) did the Lord scatter them abroad. This is certainly a different event from the former. In short, the migration was general; and all the families among the sons of men were concerned in it. The dispersion at Babel, and the confusion, was partial, and related only to the house of Chus and their adherents. For they had many associates, probably out of every family; apostates from the truth; who had left the stock of their fathers, and the religion of the true God, that they might enlist under the rule of the Cuthites, and follow their rites and worship. For when Babel was deserted, we find among the Cuthites of Chaldea some of the line of 77 Shem, whom we could 76 Genesis. c. 11. v. 8. 9. scarcely have expected to have met in such a society. Here were Terah, and Nahor, and even Abraham, all upon forbidden ground; and separated from the family to which they belonged. This Joshua mentions in his exhortation to the children of Israel. 78 Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor, and they served other gods. And we may well imagine, that many of the branches of Ham were associated in the same manner, and in confede racy with the rebels; and some perhaps of every great division into which mankind was separated. To this Berosus bears witness, who says, that in the first age Babylon was inhabited by people of different families and nations, who resided there in great numbers. 79 Εν δε τη Βαβυλωνι πολυ πλήθος ανθρωπων γενεσθαι αλλοεθνων κατοικησαντων Χαλδαιαν. Τη those times Babylon was full of people of different nations and families, who resided in Chaldea. And as all these tribes are said to have been of one lip, and of the same words, that is, of the same uniform pronunciation, and the same express language, it seemed good to divine wisdom, to cause a confusion of the lip, and a change in pronun 78 Joshua. c. 24. v. 2. 79 Eusebii Chron. P. 6. 81 ciation, that these various tribes might no longer understand each other. 80 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their , lip; that they may not understand one another's speech. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth. Our version is certainly in this place faulty, as I have shewn for by saphet col haretz is not here meant the language of the whole earth, but of the whole region, or province; which language was not changed, but confounded, as we find it expressly mentioned by the sacred writer. This confusion of speech is by all uniformly limited to the country about Babel. 82 We must, therefore, instead of the language of all the earth, substitute the language of the whole country; for such is the purport of the terms. This was confounded by causing a 2 labial failure, so that the people could not articulate. It was not an aberration in words, or language, but a failure, and incapacity in labial utterance. By this their speech was confounded, but not altered; for, as soon as they separated, they re So Genesis. c. 11. v. 7. 81 C, 11. V. 9. By all the Grecian interpreters it is rendered onyxvoiss which can never denote a change, but only a confusion. 83 covered their true tenor of pronunciation; and the language of the earth continued for some ages nearly the same. This, I think, appears, from many interviews, taken notice of in Scripture, between the Hebrews and other nations; wherein they speak without an interpreter, and ̧ must therefore have nearly the same tongue. And even the languages which subsist at this day, various as they may be, yet retain sufficient relation to shew, that they were once dialects from the same matrix; and that their variety was the effect of time. If we may trust to an Ethnic writer, the evidence of Eupolemus is decisive; for he speaks of the dispersion as a partial judgment, inflicted upon those persons only who were confederate at Babel. His account is very particular, and seems to agree precisely with the purport of the Scriptures. He says, that the city 84 83 Upon this head, the person of all others to be consulted is the very learned Monsieur Court de Gebelin, in his work, entitled, Monde Primitif Analysé et Comparé; which is now printing at Paris, and is in part finished. The last published volume is particularly to be read, as it affords very copious and satisfactory evidences to this purpose; and is replete with the most curious erudition, concerning the history and origin both of writing and language. 84 Ευπόλεμος δε εν τῷ περὶ Ιεδαίων της Ασσυρίας φησι, πολιν Βαβυλωνα πρωτον μεν κτισθηναι ύπο των διασωθεντων εκ τα κατακλυσμε " |