The Dividing of the Earth

Genesis 11:10-19

While no dates are given, the confounding of the languages could have happened within about sixty years after the flood, since Cush was born just after the flood and Nimrod was his son. As a result of the breakdown in communication man was scattered around the world, fulfilling God’s command.

“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)

We do know it had to have happened before Peleg’s death however, from Genesis 10:24. “And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber. And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided;” (Genesis 10:24)

In Navajo, one would use a different verb form in asking for a piece of paper than in asking for a cup of coffee, and still a different form when asking for an apple. Hebrew seems to use a similar structure in their verbs. The name Peleg means division, but it is specific to division by waterways, such as lakes, rivers and canals. Geologists tell us that at one time all the land mass was a single continent. At some point in time it broke up into the continents we know today. Genesis 10:24 appears to refer to this separation of the continents. It occurred during Peleg’s life.

“These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah: And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.

And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu: And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.” (Genesis 11:10-19)

According to this passage, Peleg was born a hundred and one years after the flood and lived two hundred and thirty nine years, making the separation of the continents between a hundred and three hundred forty years after the flood. Working backward from the present this would indicate it occurred around two thousand four hundred BC.

Geologists tell us that about the same time the continents separated there was a shift in the axis of rotation with respect to the sun to close to the present angle. It is possible that the breaking up of the continents and tectonic plate movement changed the earth’s center of gravity enough to shift the axis of rotation. It is also possible, and geologists think it more probable that a meteor or asteroid collided with the earth, knocking it out of alignment. Such a collision might well have cracked the earth’s crust into the present day tectonic plates and started the separation of the continents. If it occurred in the Pacific Ocean it may well have gone unnoticed and undetected in our day, but could explain the very deep Marianas trench.

The angle of the axis of rotation and the subsequent variations of solar incidence is the cause of our present polar icecaps and the extremes of weather we now experience. Both archaeologists and geologists tell us the Sahara became desert around that time, which fits well with the biblical account of the separation of the continents. Early paintings in caves from the region depict it as a vast rich plain. The drastic weather changes also explain the finding of tropical plants and animals under the Glaciers in northern Europe. A rapid change in weather may well have trapped both animals and plants.

Changing the angle of rotation of a body causes it to wobble for a while, as anyone who has ever spun a top has observed. Scientists tell us that the world’s axis of rotation wobbles very slowly, confirming that something caused a shift in the angle of rotation after it was in motion. Some scientists believe it is the wobble which causes periodic warming and cooling cycles on the earth, with accompanying expansion or contraction of the polar ice caps. There are indications that we have been in gradual warming trend since the mid 1800‘s. If so, the global warming effects are just the culmination of a hundred fifty years warming and should begin to reverse in the near future, making global warming a natural occurrence and not something to panic about. Efforts to prevent it are similar to the panic and efforts to reverse a solar eclipse by various groups. The Chinese, for example, would fire fireworks to drive away the dragon that was eating the sun. When the sun re-emerged they convinced themselves it was a result of their efforts and it became a tradition they repeated during every eclipse. Today they know the truth but some still practice the ritual as part of their tradition.

The separation of the continents after the scattering of people from Babel also explains the similar religious and architectural cultures between the ancient peoples of central and south America to those of Egypt, and Mesopotamia. Once the various groups settled somewhat, the separation of the continents would simply separate them from others who had similar architectural, cultural, and religious practices. While some of the American Indian tribes have legends of having crossed the land bridge into the Americas, others do not and studies of genetic relationships indicate that it is improbable that all came that way. The land bridge may have remained long after the continents separated.

Isolation would have resulted in limited gene pools of both animals and plants, with the result that only certain varieties would be found on a particular continent. Natural selection would then tend to emphasize differences in the various populations. Plants that required more water would die as some areas became dryer, and animals who required specific foods would die as well. Such processes are well documented.