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Biblical Hermeneutics

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  • Very nice answer. I was wondering though about the root of sapha, ie the termination - shore - lip. To me this is referencing some kind of boundary line, that is, lip as an edge of something. Could this mean that their singleness of language was a boundary or limitation in some way? Commented May 12, 2018 at 15:03
  • If you add that information about the Gift of the Stranger to your answer, i'll select it as the final answer. Commented May 12, 2018 at 16:14
  • @alb Moved from comments to answer and expanded. Commented May 12, 2018 at 16:34
  • Good answer. But the idea God intended linguistic diversity by spreading out does not necessarily follow. For example, the different tribes of Israel are spread out but there are two compensating factors: 1. 3 times a year everyone comes to a central location to worship the LORD. 2. Levites are scattered throughout the land and have the responsibility to teach people about the LORD. Arguably, God's system has elements designed to prevent the diversity which potentially results from separation. In that light Babel reflects the misuse of language, building to reach God vs teaching and worship. Commented May 12, 2018 at 17:13
  • @RevelationLad A fair point, and the authors do offer the caveat that "diversity is not good in itself". But I think the more reserved version of their argument - that it's not an inherent punishment to speak diverse languages, just a means of forcing them to spread out - is pretty strong. Commented May 12, 2018 at 17:23