10/21/14 - Babel Translations

Prior to going through the assigned readings regarding the story of Babel, I had a very rudimentary understanding of what it discussed. I did not know the background information that is necessary to develop a strong understanding of this Biblical story, so I did some research and learned that it was set after the Great Flood and that it is important to take into account that humanity was united at that point, speaking the same language. I found it interesting how the different translations allowed me to have a different perspective of the story, but at times it was confusing because I did not know which one was "the best" or the most thorough. When I was reading the different translations, the phrase "And the whole earth was of one language and one speech". This phrase struck me because of the fact that it emphasizes the idea how before humans were "scattered" around the Earth by God, they (according to the myth) were unified by one language. It is interesting to note that today languages are barriers and are often the reasons why people from different countries have a hard time understanding each other's cultures. However, the story demonstrates how our world became so diverse and why people from different areas of the Earth are so unique.