Genesis 11:1

Genesis 11:1

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

a. NLT: At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words.

b. NIV: Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.

c. YLT: And the whole earth is of one pronunciation, and of the same words,

d. Amplified Bible: And the whole earth was of one language and of one accent and mode of expression.

e. Septuagint: And all the earth was one lip, and there was one language to all.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: The whole earth was of one language and of common purpose.

1. “And the whole earth was of one language…”

a. And the whole earth [776 * ‘erets ] [Strong:  from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth, field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world.]

b. was of one [259 * echad] [Gesenius: one (number) one (number), each, every, a certain, an (indefinite article), only, once, once for all, one...another, the one...the other, one after another, one by one.] [Strong: properly, united, i.e. one; or (as an ordinal) first:--a, alike, alone, altogether, and, any(-thing), apiece, a certain, (dai-)ly, each (one), + eleven, every, few, first, + highway, a man, once, one, only, other, some, together.]

c. language [8193 * saphah] [Gesenius: lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding, lip (as body part), language.]

2. “…and of one speech.”

a. and of one  [259 * echad] [Gesenius: one (number) one (number), each, every, a certain, an (indefinite article), only, once, once for all, one...another, the one...the other, one after another, one by one.] [Strong: properly, united, i.e. one; or (as an ordinal) first:--a, alike, alone, altogether, and, any(-thing), apiece, a certain, (dai-)ly, each (one), + eleven, every, few, first, + highway, a man, once, one, only, other, some, together.]

b. speech [1697 * dabar] [Gesenius: speech, word, speaking, thing, speech, saying, utterance, word, words, business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner (by extension).]

1). The Scripture is trying to get across they not only had the same language but they were saying the same thing. They were united in their purpose, they were in agreement, just as the Jewish translation said.

a). In Genesis 11:3 “…they said one to another…” and in Genesis 11:6 “And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language…”

b). Genesis Record, pp. 282, 283. “Some may doubt that a single century would be long enough period of time for the population to grow from the eight survivours of the Flood to the substancial number of people that were involved in building Babel and its tower. However, there is no doubt that the population would have increased rapidly in the first century. It was to the advantage of all concerned (as well as in accordance with God’s command) for each family to attempt to have as many children as possible. Shem, Ham, and Japeth had a total of 16 listed sons (there may well have been other unnamed children after the Flood) and presumably at least as many daughters. Thus the first generation after the Flood had at least 32 people, an increase of 533 % over their original six parents. Assuming this proportion remaided the same (and this is a conservative assumption), then the second generation had 171 people and the third 912, making a total of at least 1,120 mature adults at the time of the dispersion at Babel…A growth rate of only 8% annually would produce a population of nine thousand in only 100 hundred years.”