![]() An explicit example of this is found in Daniel 1, after the capture of Judah, when Daniel and his friends are brought to the Babylonian king’s court to “be taught the literature and the language of the Chaldeans” (Daniel 1:4). Babel (read: Babylon) is reported throughout scripture to be Israel’s oppressor, (see 2 Kings 25:1-22 for a detailed account of their violent subjugation), enforcing Babylonian customs, education, and language on the Jews held captive. So, what was that common content? It seems impossible to say with absolute certainty, but I find myself agreeing with David Smith’s analysis of Christoph Uehlinger’s research, which explores the possibility of the one language as representative of subjugation, oppression, and forced assimilation. ![]() Rather, this is intended to mean not that the words were necessarily identical but that the subject matter was the people all had common content in their speech. The text states in verse 1 that all the earth had one language, though André LaCocque rightly cautions against understanding this to mean that the entire population of the world spoke the same common tongue. The People’s Plan to Make a Name For Themselves (11:1-4) God’s original mandate was diversity, but the people of Shinar rejected it, so he intervened to return humanity to that diverse state. This is a deliberate and thematic arrangement to show what Arnold conveys as the “larger creation-uncreation-recreation theme of the Pentateuch.” These nine verses, though brief, follow that pattern. Thus, their arrangement in scripture is not chronological but thematic, an interpretation that is shared by Bill Arnold, who notes that the multi-ethnicity depicted in the Table of Nations seems to most naturally be a follow-up of the Babel narrative. Ross points out, this story actually occurs before the diversification of nations and languages in Genesis 10 chapter 11 is the cause and chapter 10 the effect. These few verses about Babel may at first seem awkwardly placed within the larger text. Following Genesis 11:1-9, the narrative shifts to Ancestral History, introducing Abram as a descendant of Shem in Genesis 11:10-26, thereby setting the stage for the tale of Israel’s ancestor in the faith-their origin story. The story of the Tower of Babel is the final account of Primeval History in the Old Testament scriptures. ![]() Diversity: God’s Gift and the People of Shinar Who Rejected It
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |