There are over seven billion of us on this planet, living in 200 nations, speaking 6,000 languages. What does the Bible say about human origins and how all of this diversity came about?
“Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth…and from these the whole earth was populated.” - Genesis 9:18-19
The Bible says we are each descended from Noah and his three sons. But is that really possible—seven billion humans descending from the family of one man? Think of all the people who have lived and died, all the countries, all the cultures, and all the civilizations that have existed. Did these really come from a single family? Secular and creation scientists offer different answers about our origins and our development. How did humans come to spread across the planet, speaking different languages and living different lives?
Answers From Archaeology
In the mid-1800s, expeditions by John G. Taylor near the Iraqi city of Baghdad excavated the famous Ziggurat of Ur. Among the ruins, Taylor found cuneiform cylinders that identified the site by its biblical name “Ur of the Chaldeans”—the birthplace of Abraham. Until that time, Ur had been considered a mythical city, but now there is no denying that the historical evidence confirmed what was written in the Bible.
Another groundbreaking discovery happened in 1974 when an Italian archaeologist uncovered the Tablets of Ebla in Tell Mardikh, an ancient city in modern Syria. These clay tablets were covered with writings in ancient Sumerian, as well as in a local language of Ebla. There were 1,800 complete tablets and about 4,700 fragments determined to date from between 2500 and 2250 B.C. The tablets likewise make reference to people and places we find in the Bible, like Sodom and Gomorrah.
Many cultures found in the Bible have been verified by archaeologists within the last 150 years. Nineveh and Babylon have also been located and excavated. Cities like Damascus, Jerusalem, and Jericho have thrived continuously for over 4,000 years.
Think Tank
Who was the first person to apply evolution to people, and how did he do this? After Darwin presented his evolutionary theory, Thomas Huxley applied it to people by writing a book that showed what he thought were the similarities between humans and apes.
How does the secular perspective explain the details of human evolution? Secular scientists believe that humans and chimps share a common ancestor. In this scenario, roughly eight million years ago in Africa, humans began to evolve and diverge from their apelike ancestors. Over six million years ago, humans began to walk upright, use tools, migrate out of Africa, and develop language. Within the past 100,000 years or so, those advanced apes became modern humans.
How do secular scientists describe the male and female progeniters of the human race? How is this different from the Bible’s account of Adam and Eve? The secular scientists call them mitochondrial Eve and Y-chromosome Adam. These supposed progenitors of the human race were part of a larger population rather than two specific individuals. This is different from the Bible’s account that says the progenitors of the human race (the real Adam and Eve) were the only ones of their kind.
Secularists claim humans and apes have common ancestors from Africa. How do they explain humans spreading across the continents and forming different races? They say that ancient humans migrated around the globe, in part due to changes in climate and food supply. As humans dispersed, different races began to appear as we became more genetically diverse—for example, darker coloration in warmer climates and lighter coloration in the north.
What, supposedly, was the “Great Leap Forward”? The secular “Great Leap Forward” was the supposed development of symbolic and written language some 40,000 to 50,000 years ago.
List some evidence that has been found supporting the Bible as an accurate historical record. What does this indicate about how we should interpret human origins theories? Many evidences of places mentioned in the Bible have been found and excavated, such as the famous Ziggurat of Ur, the Tablets Ebla (which mention Sodom and Gomorrah), Nineveh, and Babylon. These discoveries support the Bible’s history as an accurate record.
How do biblical creationists explain the origin of different languages and the reason why humans spread across the continents? God’s confusion of speech at the Tower of Babel led to the different languages. God then scattered humanity abroad over the earth.
How do biblical creationists explain the physical diversity in humans? Variation was created in humans from the beginning. The founder principle in genetics suggests that the segregation of mankind into small, inbreeding family units would have rapidly generated distinctive physical characteristics associated with each tribe. The genetic and geographic isolation would also lead to each tribe developing its own culture, tools, and way of life.
Where does the emphasis on differences within the human race come from? How has this become a negative thing in our world today? The emphasis on differences comes from man, not the Bible. The theory of evolution leads dangerously to the idea that some races are more advanced than others.
Back to the Bible
Read Genesis 9:18-19; 10:5,32; 11:1-9; Psalm 139:14; Acts 17:26.
What does the Bible say about man’s origin and God’s role in our lives here on Earth? Acts 17:26 says God made us all from one blood and determined our times and geographic locations. He is involved and has a plan.
What was the ultimate cause of the events at the Tower of Babel? The ultimate cause was man’s arrogance.
From whom does the Bible say everyone descended? What facts outside of the Bible can give us confidence to believe this? What results do we find when we use a realistic growth rate and trace the population growth from Noah up through today? The Bible says we all descended from Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. In many people groups, we find oral traditions and written memories of pre-Babel events—evidence that all of humanity shared those experiences and were subsequently scattered. Beginning with Noah’s sons, if you use a modest growth rate, then you can arrive at a number that is even greater than today’s population. It’s realistic that all humanity came from Noah’s family.
Have you experienced or seen others experience judgment or negative treatment because of their physical appearance or their culture—how they live? Based on what you know the Bible says about our Creator, our origins, and our worth, how should you view that kind of prejudice? We should view that kind of prejudice as sinful because God has made everyone in His image with great worth and value (Psalm 139:14).
Fun Facts
The people scattering from Babel probably represented about 70 language groups, based on the Table of Nations in Genesis 10. Today, secular linguists have identified about 70 major language groups around the world, just as recorded in the Bible.
As for the Tower of Babel—it’s not just referenced in the Bible. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus wrote about it in 440 B.C.
Takeaways
Understanding the scientific evidence that supports the biblical account builds confidence in our faith. God saved Noah and also scattered people across the earth because He has a plan for mankind. God has a plan for all of us—and in it all, He has given us ultimate worth by creating us in His image and sending His Son to die so that we can obtain salvation.
Next Week: Origin of the Universe