Genesis 11:1-2 One People, One Language.

"And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech."

It always amazes me why translators choose one word over another. When I first read this verse, I wondered why G-d chose to say the same thing twice in one verse. Here, he says that the people were one language and one speech. Isn’t that the same thing? It turns out that it is. Well, it also turns out that the translators got it wrong again. The word, “saw-faw”, translated here as language, should have been translated as people or nation. This is backed up by the Lord in verse 6 when G-d reiterates the same thing.

"And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language..."

Transliterated directly from the original Hebrew, verse one reads as,

“All Earth was united as one people, one language.”

One people directly descended from Noah and his sons. No way to misunderstand that.

"And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there."

This is interesting because the ark landed on the mountain of Ararat in northern Turkey, which is to the north of the land of Shinar, modern day Irag. Here, it says that these people came from the east to the land of Shinar, which would put them originally in modern day Iran. Is this a mistake? No. Once again, we have been taught incorrectly by most modern day teachers and translators. The Bible does not say the mountain of Ararat, but the mountains or hills of Ararat (Genesis 8:4).

The mountain of Ararat is in modern day Turkey. However, the mountains of Ararat stretch from Turkey to Eastern and Northern Iran and on into the Persian Gulf. Another peculiar point is the fact that the word, Ararat is not of Hebraic or Samaritan origin. It is Armenian for Armenia. Therefore, we should read Genesis 8:4 as the mountains or hills of Armenia which include the Ararat, Zagros and Elburz mountains. This puts the ark and the origin of these people in the area ranging from northern Turkey down through Iran to the Persian Gulf and possibly along the southern coastline of the Caspian Sea.

These two verses show why it is so important that we learn the language of the Kingdom, Hebrew. We need to learn the langage so we can understand G-d's Word and get a head start on the one language of the Kingdom because G-d will, again, unite us as a one people with one language in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Shalom

Genesis 10:1-32 What Family Branch Are You From?

Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city. And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim. And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth, And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite, And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad. And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha. These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations. Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born. The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram. And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash. And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber. And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan. And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah, And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba, And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan. And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east. These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations. These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

All people, of all races, shapes and sizes, are descendents from one family. Trace anyones family line and it leads back to Noah and his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Which of the sons are you from?

The following map, provided by the Moody Institute, depicts the descendants of Noah and his sons as mentioned in Genesis 10:1-32.



Following this map, we can trace the families to other nations. The following chart shows the family of Japheth and his descendents.

Gomer
People living in area of the Black Sea, Germany and Wales.
Magog
Reference to "Gog" referring to Georgia, a region near the Black Sea and Scythians.
Madai
Medes (Persia), Japheth through Madai father of India.
Javan
People of Greece and Cyprus.
Tubal
Russian, city of Tobolsk.
Meshech
Russian, (Name Muskovi) city of Moscow.
Tiras
Thracians, possibly the Etruscans of Italy.
Ashkenaz
Germany, Armenia, Scandinavia, Denmark, northern islands of Europe and European west coast.
Ripath
Generally Europe, Carpathians and Paphlagonians
Togarmah
Armenians, Germany and Turkey
Elishah
Greeks ("Hellas" is a form of word Elishah)
Tarshish
Spain, Carthage in North Africa
Kittim
Greeks, Cyprus, Macedonia, China, Japanese and Southeast Asia
Dodanium
Greeks, Rhodes, Dardanelles

The Descendants of Ham

Cush
Ethiopia
Mizraim
Egypt
Put
Libya
Canaan
Palestine
Heth
Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites

The Descendants of Shem

Elam
Iran
Asshur
Assyria
Arpachshad
Chaldea
Eber
Hebrew
Joktan
Arabia
Lud
Lydia
Aram
Syria

There we have it. So, where do you fit in?

Shalom
Your Brother