Talk:Confusion of tongues

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The article mentioned that there was a contradiction between the Babel story and Genesis 10:5. There is no contradiction there, and I will tell you why. Genesis 10, or the "Table of Nations" lists the descendants of each son of Noah, but the basis of the alleged contradiction is that the text verbatim is written in chronological order, or so it seems.

That is not true. First of all, the text does not say that Javan's son's lived before Babel. Second, if you look closely you can see that Javan, whose sons were cast asunder by the splitting of the tongues, is removed from his ancestor by the same number of generations that Nimrod, the commissioner of the Tower of Babel, is from his ancestor. I am not sure that Javan and Nimrod were alive at the same time, (For all I know they may have been), but it certainly was not before the confusion of the tongues.

The text said "apparent contradiction". I have no doubt that there is any number of ways to find ways around it (otherwise, there couldn't be any Biblical literalists, could there?). You seem to claim that Babel must have been before Noah's grandsons had children. That's interesting, all of Babel was one big family enterprise then :) But the point is that the discussion of the question of this apparent or alleged contradiction is notable, and has bugged theologians through the ages. Feel free to suggest a better way of phrasing it, preferably adding more detail. If you have some literalist explanation you can quote, by all means add it, the more the merrier. dab (ᛏ) 20:43, 6 December 2005 (UTC)

Read this Biblical chapter - contradiction is ostensible, but not apparent. There are mentioned people both from before Babel and after Babel.

1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. 2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. 3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. 6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. 7 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of 76 Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. 8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said; Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, 12 And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city. 13 And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, 14 And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim. 15 And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth, 16 And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite, 17 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, 18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad. 19 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. 20 These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations. 21 Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born. 22 The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram. 23 And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash. 24 And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber. 25 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. 26 And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, 27 And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah, 28 And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba, 29 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan. 30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east. 31 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations. 32 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. 83.5.44.213 20:52, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Yes, if you like, ostensible. We have "apparent" since there is no explicit claim that the language at the time of confusion was undivided worldwide, hence the contradicition is not explicit either. You might argue that only the tongues of the Japhetites had changed, and no Japhetites were present in Babel. That's splitting hairs of course. dab (𒁳) 21:53, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Thus I agree with you, and finally I restored only full Biblical passage, and repaired missing dot error.83.19.52.107 07:21, 8 March 2007 (UTC)