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The Origin of Languages



And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2 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.

3 And they said to one another, “Go! Let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and they had slime for mortar. 4 And they said, “Go! Let us build ourselves a city and a tower, whose top may reach to heaven; and let us make ourselves a name, so that we will not be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”

5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men had built. 6 And the Lord said,

“Behold, the people are one, and they have all one language, and this they began to do; and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7 Go! Let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.”

8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there upon the face of all the earth, and they left off to build the city. 9 Therefore, the name of it was called Babel, because there the Lord did confound the language of all the earth, and from there the Lord did scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

10 These are the generations of Shem:

Shem was a hundred (100) years old, and fathered Arphaxad two years after the flood. 11 And Shem lived, after he fathered Arphaxad, five hundred (500) years, and fathered other sons and daughters.

12 And Arphaxad lived five and thirty (35) years, and fathered Salah. 13 And Arphaxad lived, after he fathered Salah, four hundred and three (403) years, and fathered other sons and daughters.

14 And Salah lived thirty (30) years, and fathered Eber. 15 And Salah lived, after he fathered Eber, four hundred and three (403) years, and fathered other sons and daughters.

16 And Eber lived four and thirty (34) years, and fathered Peleg. 17 And Eber lived, after he fathered Peleg, four hundred and thirty (430) years, and fathered other sons and daughters.

18 And Peleg lived thirty (30) years, and fathered Reu. 19 And Peleg lived, after he fathered Reu, two hundred and nine (209) years, and fathered other sons and daughters.

20 And Reu lived two and thirty (32) years, and fathered Serug. 21 And Reu lived, after he fathered Serug, two hundred and seven (207) years, and fathered other sons and daughters.

22 And Serug lived thirty (30) years, and fathered Nahor. 23 And Serug lived, after he fathered Nahor, two hundred (200) years, and fathered other sons and daughters.

24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty (29) years, and fathered Terah. 25 And Nahor lived after he fathered Terah a hundred and nineteen (119) years, and fathered other sons and daughters.

26 And Terah lived seventy (70) years, and fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27 Now these are the generations of Terah:

Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot. 28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees. 29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. 30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran, and dwelt there.

32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five (205) years, and Terah died in Haran.

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Genesis 11 

The King Version (KING) 

Image by Peter H from Pixabay

*** 

Notes: 

1. v.3,4,7: Go to – yahab H3051 

*Yahab is used some thirty-three times, only in the Qal imperative. In Gen 11, yahab, in verb form, is used as an interjection: "Come! Come now!" (From: http://classic.net.bible.org/strong.php?id=03051) 

*The Qal imperative form expresses commands directed to another person(s) and therefore it always is expressed in the second person singular or plural. Examples would be "Be strong" (spoken to an individual) or "Remember the LORD your God" (spoken to a group). (https://www.hebrew4christians.com/Grammar/Unit_Ten/Qal_Imperatives/qal_imperatives.html) 

2. there vs. thence  

3. fathered vs. begot (see ngram) 

4. birth vs. nativity (see ngram) 

5. went out vs. went forth (see ngram) 

6. so that…we will not vs. lest

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