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