The question of whether Hebrew was the original language spoken by humanity before the development of Sumerian writing invites us to explore the origins of language and writing through the lens of Scripture, anchored in the conservative Evangelical Christian perspective. Edward D. Andrews asserts that Hebrew, as the tongue of Adam and the pre-flood patriarchs, holds primacy as the “one language” of Genesis 11:1, preserved through Shem after the Babel dispersion and distinct from the Sumerian language that emerged later. This article examines Andrews’ position, contrasting it with the rise of Sumerian writing post-flood, and affirms the biblical narrative as the sole reliable guide to linguistic origins, supported by historical-grammatical exegesis and Scripture itself.
The Biblical Foundation for Hebrew as the Original Language
Scripture declares in Genesis 11:1, “Now all the earth continued to be of one language and of one set of words,” a statement that establishes a unified tongue from Adam’s creation through the early post-flood era. Edward D. Andrews argues that this language, later identified as Hebrew, originated with Adam, whom Jehovah endowed with speech to name the animals: “So the man began calling the names of all the domestic animals and of the birds of the heavens and of every wild animal of the field” (Genesis 2:20). This capacity for language, a divine gift, distinguished Adam from the animals, reflecting Jehovah’s wisdom as affirmed in Exodus 4:11, “Who gave man a mouth or who makes him mute or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, Jehovah?”
Andrews contends that this original language persisted unbroken through the flood in 2348 B.C.E., carried by Noah and his sons. Genesis 9:26 records Noah’s blessing on Shem: “Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Shem,” suggesting that Shem’s line retained the pure tongue amidst the Babel confusion described in Genesis 11:7-9: “Let us go down and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s language.” Andrews posits that while Jehovah introduced new languages at Babel around 2300 B.C.E., Shem’s descendants, untainted by the rebellion, preserved the pre-flood speech, which evolved into Hebrew as spoken by Abraham, “Abram the Hebrew” (Genesis 14:13).
This view aligns with the longevity of pre-flood and early post-flood patriarchs, stabilizing linguistic continuity. Methuselah, born in 3317 B.C.E. and living 969 years until 2348 B.C.E. (Genesis 5:27), overlapped with Adam and Noah, bridging the pre-flood world. Shem, born in 2448 B.C.E. and living 600 years until 1848 B.C.E. (Genesis 11:10-11), connected Noah to Isaac, who died in 1738 B.C.E. Moses, born in 1593 B.C.E., emerged less than 150 years later (Exodus 2:2). Andrews emphasizes that these overlapping generations, spanning over 2,500 years from Adam to Moses, minimized linguistic drift, preserving Hebrew as the tongue of divine revelation.
The Rise of Sumerian Writing in Contrast
Sumerian writing, as explored previously, emerged in Mesopotamia post-flood, centered in cities like Uruk by 2300 B.C.E., following the Babel dispersion. Secular scholars claim it predates this, around 3100 B.C.E., but Andrews rejects such dates, citing the flood’s total destruction in 2348 B.C.E.: “All flesh that moved on the earth perished” (Genesis 7:21). Sumerian pictographs, evolving into cuneiform, recorded commerce, laws, and pagan hymns, reflecting a culture descended from Ham’s line through Cush (Genesis 10:6-8), distinct from Shem’s lineage.
Babylonia_0241-Sumerian Script
Andrews asserts that Sumerian, an isolate language unrelated to Semitic tongues like Hebrew, arose as a new creation at Babel, not a derivative of the original tongue. Genesis 10:5, 20, 31 notes the division of tongues “according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands,” indicating Jehovah’s direct intervention produced distinct languages, not dialects of Hebrew. Sumerian writing, while innovative, served a fallen society, as Romans 1:21-23 warns: “Their senseless hearts were darkened. … They exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image resembling corruptible man.” Thus, Andrews positions Sumerian as a post-Babel development, secondary to Hebrew’s preeminence.
Hebrew’s Role in Divine Revelation
The Hebrew Scriptures, comprising 39 books and three-quarters of the Bible’s content, underscore Hebrew’s primacy, per Andrews. Moses, beginning with the Pentateuch around 1446 B.C.E., wrote in Hebrew, a language stable from Adam’s day due to patriarchal longevity. Andrews highlights 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching,” affirming Hebrew as the vessel for Jehovah’s Word, unlike Sumerian, which lacks divine sanction.
Small Aramaic sections in Ezra, Daniel, and Esther (e.g., Ezra 4:8-6:18) reflect later foreign influence, but Andrews stresses Hebrew’s dominance. In the Christian Greek Scriptures, “Hebrew” denotes the Jews’ tongue (John 19:20; Acts 21:40), distinct from Aramaic, as seen in 2 Kings 18:26, where officials distinguish “the Jews’ language” from “the Syrian language.” Andrews rejects scholarly conflation of Hebrew with Aramaic, citing Josephus, who in Jewish Antiquities (X, 8) separates the two, reinforcing Hebrew’s continuity.
Linguistic Stability and the Patriarchal Era
Andrews argues that Hebrew’s stability refutes secular notions of gradual linguistic evolution. The 1,000-year span of the Hebrew Scriptures, from Moses (1446 B.C.E.) to Malachi (circa 443 B.C.E.), shows minimal change, as The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia notes: “The language of the oldest parts differs little from that of the latest.” This constancy, Andrews attributes to overlapping generations and divine preservation, contrasting with Sumerian’s rapid development into Akkadian-influenced cuneiform by 2100 B.C.E.
Genesis 31:47 illustrates early divergence, where Jacob’s Hebrew “Galeed” contrasts with Laban’s Aramaic “Jegar-sahadutha,” yet communication persisted, suggesting minor variation within Semitic tongues. By the eighth century B.C.E., Hebrew and Aramaic diverged significantly (2 Kings 18:26), but Andrews insists Hebrew retained its original form, as Moses’ tongue mirrored Adam’s, unmarred by Babel’s curse.
Sumerian Writing’s Secondary Emergence
Sumerian writing’s practical origins—tallying goods with pictographs—contrast with Hebrew’s sacred purpose. Andrews notes that Sumerian tablets, like those from Ur (Genesis 11:31), record idolatry, not divine truth. Proverbs 16:11, “A just balance and scales are Jehovah’s,” aligns with Hebrew’s ethical framework, absent in Sumerian paganism. Cuneiform’s complexity, with hundreds of signs by 2200 B.C.E., reflects human ingenuity post-Babel, but Andrews sees it as subordinate to Hebrew, which required no such evolution, being God-given.
Archaeological finds, like the Uruk tablets, confirm Sumerian writing’s post-flood rise, consistent with Genesis 11:9’s scattering. Andrews dismisses pre-2348 B.C.E. dates as secular conjecture, aligning Sumerian’s timeline with Shem’s descendants settling Shinar, yet speaking Hebrew, not Sumerian, until Babel’s disruption.
Hebrew’s Endurance Beyond Sumerian Influence
While Sumerian writing influenced Akkadian and later scripts, Hebrew endured as Jehovah’s chosen tongue. Andrews cites Nehemiah 13:23-24, where Nehemiah laments Jews’ children not speaking “Jewish” (Hebrew), reflecting its centrality to worship, as Nehemiah 8:8 explains the Law’s exposition in Hebrew. Sumerian, extinct by 2000 B.C.E. as a spoken language, left cuneiform to successors, but Hebrew persisted, as Acts 22:2 records Paul addressing Jerusalem in “the Hebrew language.”
Andrews contrasts Sumerian’s material focus with Hebrew’s spiritual depth. Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my foot and a light to my path,” exemplifies Hebrew’s role in guiding God’s people, a role Sumerian never fulfilled. The Dead Sea Scrolls and Mishnah, written in Hebrew centuries later, affirm its vitality, per William Chomsky’s Hebrew: The Eternal Language.
Jesus and the Legacy of Hebrew
Andrews posits that Jesus spoke a form of Hebrew, not merely Aramaic, as Luke records in Acts 26:14: “I heard a voice say to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’” Matthew’s Gospel, originally in Hebrew per Eusebius and Jerome, reinforces this, targeting Jewish believers. While Aramaic terms like “Eʹli, Eʹli, laʹma sa·bach·thaʹni?” (Matthew 27:46) appear, Andrews notes their Hebrew roots, suggesting a blended dialect, not Aramaic dominance.
Sumerian writing, by contrast, faded, its clay tablets silent by Jesus’ day, while Hebrew thrived in synagogues. Andrews sees this as Jehovah’s providence, fulfilling Hebrews 1:1-2: “God spoke to our forefathers by means of the prophets … and now … by means of a Son.”
Conclusion: Hebrew’s Primacy Affirmed
Edward D. Andrews’ assertion that Hebrew was the original language, preserved from Adam through Shem, stands against Sumerian writing’s later emergence post-Babel. Genesis 11:1’s “one language” finds its echo in Hebrew, not Sumerian, which arose as a distinct tongue in a dispersed world. Scripture, not secular speculation, reveals Hebrew as Jehovah’s gift, stable across millennia, while Sumerian writing, though significant, served a transient purpose. As Psalm 147:5 declares, “Great is our Lord and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure,” so Hebrew remains the eternal tongue of divine truth.
EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).
SCROLL THROUGH THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES BELOW
BIBLE TRANSLATION AND TEXTUAL CRITICISM
BIBLICAL STUDIES / BIBLE BACKGROUND / HISTORY OF THE BIBLE/ INTERPRETATION
