How many languages in Genesis 10?

Question: Genesis 10:5 says, "From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations."

Genesis 11:1 says, "Now the whole earth had one language and one speech."

Did everyone speak one language in Chapter 10? If they spoke different languages in Chapter 10, then why?

Answer: The best way to answer this question is to say that the people mentioned in chapter 10 all spoke one language, but they also spoke different languages as well. This is because chapter 10, commonly referred to as the “Table of Nations,” is a summary overview. It is not a chronological narrative of events, but rather an overview of the genealogical line of Noah continued on through his sons. Therefore, because the span of time covered by the lives of those mentioned in chapter 10 extends from before the Tower of Babel to well after, it is fair to say that the answer to both questions can be “yes.”

Looking at the passage it is evident that the people mentioned all lived after the Great Flood. This can be seen by the following summary statement: “Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood” (Genesis 10:1 NKJV). This post-flood lineage can also be seen as a summary overview because of two other reasons: 1) there is no historical markers mentioned within the genealogies; and 2) the chapter ends with the following bookend created by paralleling the beginning of the chapter: “These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood” (v. 32).

After reading chapter 10 it might seem obvious to ask, “How did the nations get ‘divided on the earth?’” This is where chapter 11 comes into play. Although the Scriptures do not give an exact date for the Tower of Babel, it is safe to place it somewhere in the middle of the genealogical lines presented in chapter 10. The Scriptures then revisit Shem’s line, but his only. One reason for this being the only line re-presented is because it is from Shem that Abram (Abraham), and eventually Jesus, come from. Reviewing the genealogy at this point also makes sense because it is followed by “the call of Abram” in chapter 12.

Now, the question as to why the Tower of Babel comes after an overview of the genealogy of Noah and his sons after the flood might still cause confusion. However, “There is no contradiction here; Moses merely put the effect before the cause.”¹ Again, it must be stated that Genesis 10-11 is not sequential historical narrative. Instead, it is a genealogical overview followed by the description of a historical event explaining how the nations were dispersed. Therefore, it is also not a contradiction to say that the people in chapter 10 spoke one language, but that they also spoke different languages. Unfortunately, when this change occurred is not expressly stated in the Scriptures. However, it is important to see that the Tower of Babel and the institution of many languages was God’s way of assisting humanity to follow His commands, which were given to Noah and his sons (see Genesis 9).