The chronology of Genesis in relation to language
score:2
Genesis 10, called the Table of Nations, gives a long list of the various descendants of Noah and his sons. Christians debate whether we are to understand the various nations as actually being named after Noah's grandsons and great-grandsons or whether they're just representative, but as a whole that's what it indicates. Chapter 10 is not a narrative, it is a genealogy, like chapter 5 before it, and chapter 11:10-32 after it, and more after that.
Chapter 11:1-9, the story of the tower of Babel, is a narrative explaining how the languages were confused and the descendants of Noah dispersed.
Each genealogical section in Genesis is in order, as are all its narrative sections, however these different genres overlap in what they cover. Whether you want to call that "non-chronological" is up to you.
Upvote:1
That the identification of any group of peoples by their dispersion occurs before the description of Babel, and the fact that at Babel the people had a common language; has no bearing on chronology. It only indicates that Genesis was written after the description of the Tower of Babel incident.
Referring to a particular ethnic group by its general locality is not unusual either in the Bible of in everyday life throughout the ages. Consider the following Scriptures and compare those to exerpts from other writings.
Genesis 36:37 And Samlah died, and Saul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his stead.
The designation Saul of Rehoboth is only added to seperate this Saul from other individuals named Saul.
Joshua 5:4 And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.
Just as in Genesis 36:37 Joshua refers to all the people who came out of Egypt in an effort to distinguish that particular group as different from those born after leaving Egypt.
in Genesis 10:5 it is simply a designation of certain maritime tribes from other maratime peoples.
Even today we hear people being referred to as African Americans, or Chinese, or any of another group of peoples, by their ethnic origins, instead of given names. Being an African American in no way indicates that that individual ever lived in Africa as distinguished from the ancestory which did.
Hope this helps.
More post
- 📝 What is the simplest, clearest interpretation of the English text of the Authorized Version on Romans 9:5?
- 📝 Are there any traditions that believe in the complete cessation of miracles?
- 📝 Jehovah's Witnesses claim Jerusalem was destroyed in 607 BCE. What is the evidence?
- 📝 Can the belief of Jesus' listeners be considered belief unto salvation?
- 📝 Laurentian Litany - How pray it?
- 📝 What is the basis for why certain musical beats are deemed by some to be unchristian or immoral?
- 📝 How much did the Cross of Jesus weigh?
- 📝 Noun for a person who believes in ordinances?
- 📝 Are animals under the curse?
- 📝 What status does the Roman Cathechism have nowadays?
- 📝 How did Reformed Theologians view works-based "Heavenly Rewards"?
- 📝 According to the doctrine of the LDS Church what is man's relationship with God
- 📝 Does spiritual death mean loss of faith or doing a deadly sin (or sins) or separation from God?
- 📝 What are the expected results of sexual sin?
- 📝 According to Calvinism, if Catholicism might lead to salvation, why to remain a Calvinist? (Henry IV story)
- 📝 Why did the Old Testament command to kill?
- 📝 For since the creation... men are without excuse
- 📝 If the dinosaurs and man co existed, why did the dinosaurs perish?
- 📝 Why has God never spoken to me?
- 📝 Why do some Catholics avoid communion at Novus Ordo masses?
- 📝 Do any major Christian traditions have documented ways of dealing with religious doubt?
- 📝 What Biblical support for praying to the saints is usually cited by those Christians who practice that?
- 📝 Is August 15th a day of obligation for all Roman Catholics?
- 📝 How do Aquinas and Hooker differ in their doctrine on communion?
- 📝 Did Jesus know how to read and write?
- 📝 What explanations are there for God's lack of culpability for the sin that was a part of the plan of salvation?
- 📝 When did Jesus preach from inside a building?
- 📝 What is the difference between a ”promise”and a “vow” of celibacy?
- 📝 Is there Biblical justification for asserting that Satan directly causes natural evil?
- 📝 Have any real people been de-canonized?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 The chronology of Genesis in relation to language
- 📝 What is an overview of the main interpretations of "day" in Genesis 1?
- 📝 How do Christians understand the omniscience of God in relation to the Uncertainty Principle?
- 📝 How much variation is in the Hebrew language of the Old Testament?
- 📝 In Theistic Evolution when do the genealogies in Genesis become real?
- 📝 What is the specific meaning of "die" in Genesis 2?
- 📝 What is the case for interpreting the Genesis creation account literally?
- 📝 What is the support for saying Jesus believed Genesis was a literal account of creation?
- 📝 In what language was the Book of Matthew written?
- 📝 Is Latin considered a holy language in the Catholic Church?
- 📝 What evidence is there that the Chinese script reflects a knowledge of Genesis 1-11?
- 📝 What is the reasoning for Latin being the official language of Catholic Mass?
- 📝 To a YEC, how does a metaphorical interpretation of Genesis 1-3 distort the gospel?
- 📝 Should Genesis 1:2 be translated "And the earth became without form..."?
- 📝 Is there any manuscript or historical evidence to support the final 13 verses of Genesis 50 that appear in the Joseph Smith Translation?
- 📝 Why do some translations render Genesis 3:8 with "the voice of the Lord" while others don't? Is it a reference to Jesus?
- 📝 What is the purpose of Genesis 1-9 according to non-YEC Trinitarians?
- 📝 If Genesis is not to be taken literally by the Roman Catholics, what is the basis of the original sin?
- 📝 Who is the "Seed of the Serpent" spoken of in Genesis 3?
- 📝 What is the relation between the Logos of Greek Philosophy and the Logos in Christianity?
- 📝 Can a priest give a Mass in American Sign Language (ASL)? What does he do when he is supposed to lift up the Eucharist while speaking in ASL?
- 📝 How do Christians understand the existence of God in relation to the scientific concept of energy?
- 📝 Is there any holy language for Christians according to words of Jesus Christ and the apostles?
- 📝 Why are the men of Genesis so old? Were the dating systems just different? Are all of these old ages supposed to have symbolic meaning?
- 📝 Is there Biblical support for the concept that 'Whenever a man lies with a woman...a transcendental relation is set up between them'?
- 📝 Is Genesis 18 regarded as a Theophany of the Trinity by any denomination?
- 📝 What evidence is there that the genealogies in the early part of Genesis refer to tribes instead of individuals?
- 📝 What arguments do KJV-only proponents give to support that the 1611 translation is better than say, Greek language Bibles?
- 📝 What is the understanding between the Genesis account and the book of Abraham account of creation? (LDS)
- 📝 How well supported is the generic interpretation Rublev's Icon as being a depiction of the Holy Trinity as portrayed in Genesis 18?