Author : William Stewart, via lookinguntojesus.net
How Did They Know?
It is obvious that the ancient Chinese had a great deal of knowledge about the pre-Babel history of mankind. Not just a few tidbits of information, but a wealth of information. The originators of the written Chinese language were privy to precise details about the creation; Adam & Eve, and their sin in the garden; their children, Cain & Abel; Noah & the flood; the tower of Babel and the migration of nations which took place from there. How did they know? How did a culture which was basically cut off from the rest of the world, which had no connection with the Hebrews, codify these amazing details in their language hundreds of years before the same was recorded by Moses in the book of Genesis?
The ancient Chinese reveal to us how they knew. A Chinese word for TELL, SPEAK or SAY (shuō, 說) identifies the source of these details among the Chinese people. The etymology shows the WORDS (yán, 言) of EIGHT (bā, 八) ELDERS (xiōng, 兄). Who are these eight elders who spoke? I would suggest that they are Noah and his wife, his three sons and their wives. After the flood, they were the oldest (elder) people on the earth. But, there’s more.
If we are not convinced by the eight elders speaking, a related word, yàn (沿), gives us even further detail. Here we see EIGHT (bā, 八) WATER (bīng, 冫) PEOPLE (kǒu, 口). It would seem these water people and the elders are the same eight people.
Recall when we looked at Noah’s name previously, Nuòyà (諾亞), we noted that he was the SECOND PROMISE or SECOND APPROVED (see Part #9). The Genesis account does not tell us what came of Noah after the flood. We know that he lived another 350 years after the flood (Genesis 9:28-29). The tower of Babel took place 100 years after the flood, so he still lived upon the earth for another 250 years following the dispersion at the tower of Babel. Where did he go?
There is a second way to write Noah’s name in the Chinese language. In this second form, Nuóyà (挪亞), the ancient Chinese syntax reveals the whereabouts of Noah after the dispersion of nations from Babel. Nuóyà literally means MOVE TO (Nuó, 挪) ASIA (yà, 亞). Combined with the two words above, both identifying Noah’s family as the source of their information, this confirms the close connection the early Chinese writers had with Noah’s family. In fact, if it is true that Noah went to Asia (as the character suggests), it may be that those who constructed the written code knew Noah personally! May I suggest, it is even possible that Noah participated in fashioning the language – recording and preserving the pre-Babel history.
Other Resources:
Nelson, Ethel R. & C.H. Kang. The Discovery of Genesis: How the Truths of Genesis Were Found Hidden in the Chinese Language, St. Louis, MO : Concordia Publishing House, 1979.
Nelson, Ethel R., Richard E. Broadberry, & Ginger Tong Chock. God’s Promise to the Chinese, Dunlap, TN : Read Books Publishers, 1997.
MDBG Chinese-English Dictionary, mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php
