Why Are There So Many Different Languages?

At a point in time, we have all asked: “why are there so many different languages?”.There is only one source that can give us a satisfactory answer. Science and linguists haven’t got enough facts to help us understand, but the Bible does.

why there are so many different languages
There are so many different languages in the world today

Sometimes people wonder why there are so many languages available. The biggest question is “why are there so many different languages?.” Some are recognised as international languages. Others are native languages. Some native languages are only available in spoken form but not written.

Are there any good reasons or answers to the question. Yes of course.

In the first place, I want to remind you that the bible has an answer to this very question. Linguists find it difficult to answer it to our satisfaction. However, they claim there are more than 7,000 languages in the world today.

What language do you speak? how many languages do you speak?. I would like to read your answer in the comment box at the end of this article. The chief translator for European parliament Loannis Ikonomou fluently speaks 32 languages. That sounds unbelievable.

The Biblical Answer To The Biggest Question, “Why Are There So Many Different Languages?.”

Science and linguists couldn’t answer why so many languages, but the Bible has it all.

You can find the major reason from the Bible:  Genesis 11:1 – 32.

For about 2,000 years, people in this world used to speak one language. And as they inhabited a plain land called Shinar — They said to themselves;

Let us make bricks, let us burn them well“.

They(Cushite rebels) made the bricks out of clay, burned them to become hard, cemented them with bitumen to construct the tower.

In verse 4, they said, “Let us build a city for ourselves. Let us build a very tall building. Its top will reach heaven. We will make ourselves famous. And we will not scatter over the whole surface of the earth.’’

Hold and behold, these men started making a tall building. In verse 5, the Bible accounts that the Lord came down from heaven to see the city and the tall building.

Verse 6, and the Lord said, ‘Look! They are one nation. They have one language. This is only the beginning of the things that they will do. Whatever they propose to do, they will be able to do it. Verse 7, “Let us go down to the earth. We will confuse their language so that they will not understand each other’s words.’

In verses 8 and 9 says, “So the Lord made the people stop building the city. He made them scatter from there. And they scattered over the whole surface of the earth. Therefore it was called Babel because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And the Lord scattered them over the whole surface of the earth.

Lesson From The Construction Of The Tower Of Babel

Nimrod(Rebellion Grandson of Ham) is supposed to have begun the tower of Babel; and his name is still preserved by a vast ruinous mound, on the site of ancient Babylon.

These people were descendants of Noah. About 1,00 years after the flood, they decided to build a city and make a strong nation. They were proud of themselves.

What the people did displease God. Building a city wasn’t wrong but to fail to give honor to God is an insult to God. They wanted to show that they were important but God did not allow them to complete their city and tall building.

Tower of Babel
Pieter Bruegel the Elder – The Tower of Babel [1563]
Their intention was to live together in that city but they failed. Simply because their purpose was not the purpose of God.

But God had not told people to live together. He told them to move across the world (Genesis 9:1) so that the whole world would have inhabitants. God confused their language so they could not talk to each other.

Those who found people who understood their sayings migrated to settle for a new life. With this, the purpose of God got fulfilled. He never wanted mankind to stay at one place of the earth.

It is God’s purpose that should be done not mankind. So there was the beginning of the emergence of so many different languages. The people called the city “Babel“, which means “confusion.”  Most at times, we hear this statement, “Babylon has fallen”. Yes, that great city fell.

The Bottom-line Of Why There Are So Many Different Languages.

The original language was not the growth of mere faculty of man as some people assert. It is a creation of God. The oldest records that are known to exist are composed in the Hebrew language. The Bible we know today was first written in Hebrew.

Many languages have been known to exist centuries ago. They are still recognized, eg. Arabic, Greek, Aramaean, etc. which are different from European languages.

It is amazing how this world is made up of so many different languages. Like I said earlier, science and linguists can’t explain why these many languages. It is only the bible that has answers to the biggest question ” why are there so many different languages”.God created that.

Did you find this article helpful?. If so, don’t forget to share with friends. I welcome your comments, contributions, and feedback.

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