The Peopling of the Earth

“These are the three sons of Noah; and of them was the whole earth overspread.” Genesis 9:19. POTE 247.1

The Bible gives us the origin of nations as well as the origin of the world, of man, of sin, and of salvation. In all these things the Bible record is absolutely correct, because it is the word of God. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” In the tenth chapter of Genesis there is given a catalogue of the sons and sons’ sons of Noah, and the catalogue and chapter close with these words; “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.” In this chapter there is given us the origin of nations; and from these have come all the races and nations of men. That this has been doubted or disputed, does not affect the fact. The record bears every fair and genuine test that is put upon it; and every such test, however searching, only serves more clearly to demonstrate the perfect truthfulness of the record made by Moses more than thirty-three hundred years ago, and that still stands in the book of Genesis. POTE 247.2

Professor George Rawlinson says:- POTE 248.1

“‘That precious document the ‘Toldoth Beni Noah’ or ‘Book of the Generations of the sons of Noah’ well deserves to be called ‘the most authentic record that we possess for the affiliation of nations.’”-Seven Great Monarchies, First Mon., chap. iii, paragraph 13. POTE 248.2

Again:- POTE 248.3

“The Mosaical narrative conveys the exact truth-a truth alike in accordance with the earliest classical traditions, and with the latest results of modern comparative philology.”-Id., par. 2. POTE 248.4

And again:- POTE 248.5

“The ‘Toldoth Beni Noah’ has extorted the admiration of modern ethnologists, who continually find in it anticipations of their greatest discoveries.... On the whole, the scheme of ethnic affiliation given in the tenth chapter of Genesis is pronounced ‘safer’ to follow than any other; and the ‘Toldoth Beni Noah’ commends itself to the ethnic inquire as ‘the most authentic record that we possess for the affiliation of nations,’ and as a document ‘of the very highest antiquity.’”-Historical Evidences, lecture ii. POTE 248.6

Says M. François Lenormant:- POTE 248.7

“In the tenth chapter of the book of Genesis, Moses gives us a table of the nations known in his time, as affiliated to these three great chiefs [Shem, Ham, and Japheth] of the new race of postdiluvian humanity. This is the most ancient, the most precious, the most complete document which we possess on the distribution of the ancient nations of the world.... This document furnishes an inestimably valuable basis for the researches of ethnography, that is, the science which investigates the relationships of nations with each other, and their origin. The attentive study of historical tradition, the comparison of languages, and the examination of the physiological characteristics of different nations, lead to results in complete accordance with the inspired volume.”-Manual of the Ancient History of the East, book i, chap. iv, sec. 3, par. 1, 2. POTE 248.8

“In the Bible, this subject [of the origin and affinities of races], like all other scientific questions, is rather touched upon incidentally as connected with the history of mankind, than in any formal and exact manner; yet the information thus afforded is of inestimable value, being, in fact, the only trustworthy clew to guide the investigator through the labyrinth in which later complications, and especially recent speculations, have involved the whole matter. Infidelity has striven hard to impugn the statements of Scripture on this ground especially; and it is therefore satisfactory to know that the most candid and general researches strongly tend to corroborate the positions of Holy Writ relative to all the main points involved in the discussion.”-McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopedia, article Ethnology. POTE 249.1

Until the building of the tower of Babel the descendants of Noah all dwelt together in the same relative region, “And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.” Genesis 11:1. Then at the building of the tower, God confounded their language so that they might not understand one another’s speech. “So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth; and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth; and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.” Genesis 11:8, 9. POTE 249.2

In an inscription of the great Nebuchadnezzar there is a curious and striking reference to this story of Babel and the confusion of tongues. He tells how he had repaired and embellished the tower in honor of one of his gods, saying:- POTE 250.1

“The first, which is the house of the earth’s base, the most ancient monument of Babylon, I built and finished it; I have highly exalted its head with bricks covered with copper. We say for the other, that is, this edifice, the house of the Seven Lights of the Earth, the most ancient monument of Borsippa: A former king built it (they reckon forty-two ages), but he did not complete its head. Since a remote time people had abandoned it, without order expressing their words. Since that time, the earthquake and the thunder had dispersed its sundried clay; the bricks of the casing had been split, and the earth of the interior had been scattered in heaps. Merodach, the great lord, excited my mind to repair this building. I did not change the site, nor did I take away the foundation-stone. In a fortunate month, an auspicious day, I undertook to build porticoes around the crude brick masses, and the casing of burnt bricks. I adapted the circuits. I put the inscription of my name in the Kitir of the porticoes. I set my hand to finish it, and to exalt its head. As it had been in former times, so I founded, I made it; as it had been in ancient days, so I exalted its summit.”-McClintock and Strong, art. Tongues, Confusion of. POTE 250.2

The confusion of tongues and consequent dispersion of men into nationalities occurred in the days of Peleg the great-great-grandson of Shem. “Unto Eber were born two sons; the name of one was Peleg [that is, Division]; for in his days was the earth divided.” Genesis 10:25. Peleg was born one hundred and one years after the flood. For Shem “begat Arphaxad two years after the flood;” Arphaxad was thirty-five years old when Salah was born; Salah was thirty years old when Eber was born; and Eber was thirty-four years old when Peleg was born. Genesis 11:10-16.” Thus we have 2+35+30+34=101 years after the flood, when Peleg was born, in whose days the families of the sons of Noah, in their nations, were divided in the earth. POTE 250.3