Most of us writers majored in some type of language arts, communications, or just plain English. Even long after we attained our degrees and graduated, we are still attracted to different words, their definitions, and the ways we can construct sentences to convey their meaning. We are wordsmiths who love the written, verbal, and communicative word. We read and write in a variety of genres and languages.
Where language started can only be conjectured — whether it was a thought process between God and his first creations, Adam and Eve, or whether it was a grunt and a hoot from a neanderthal.
But thousands of years ago, after the great flood, those early generations communicated with one language and a common speech (Genesis 11:1). However, they decided to build a tower to ascend closer to God. It was a type of pride, of exhibiting their power and proving they could indeed design their own way to relate to God. So the divine Trinity introduced multiple languages which confused and scattered the people. The result was a babble of sound, so the city was called Babel.
A counter cultural event happened centuries later, after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Forty days after Jesus ascended to heaven, another language arts event occurred that again changed the world. We call it Pentecost, which literally means fiftieth in Greek. It commemorates the time when the Holy Spirit empowered Jesus’ followers so that they suddenly began speaking in a multitude of languages.
But the intention was the opposite of Babel. Instead of creating confusion, these languages allowed those early disciples — men and women — to communicate more clearly with the crowds who were celebrating the festival of Shavuot (the Festival of Weeks), 50 days after Passover.
The disciples shared about the life and mission of Jesus, the message of the Gospel, and how a relationship and communication with God Himself could change lives. Instead of scattering the people with confusion, this language arts lesson spread across the Middle East and Asia, literally scattering the message of God’s love all over the world. In the exact languages of the nations.
According to the United Bible Societies, we now have multiple translations of the holy Bible. Specifically, the full Bible is available in 733 languages, the New Testament in 1,622 languages, and smaller portions of Scripture in an additional 1,255 languages. And through the power of the internet, the languages about God’s love literally reach every corner of the globe.
Babel and Pentecost — two historical usages of language arts, illustrating the importance of clear communication that has the capacity to impact an entire society. This impact is what wordsmiths hope for — to spread their words, sentences, paragraphs, and books around the world. To make a difference. And to enjoy the pleasure of the creative process.
So it is important to keep writing. No matter which language you use, remember that your words matter.
©2025 RJ Thesman – All Rights Reserved
Image Attribution: geralt / Pixabay
One of the genres I like is the inspirational faith genre, such as my latest book: Sustain Us, Oh Lord: Finding Strength When Life is Hard.
My introduction to the value of words was within my family. Especially my mother who was greatly influenced by her father, my grandfather. A guy who loved to just read the dictionary. My interest increased because of Mr. Swain, my sixth grade teacher. He had us create a classroom monthly newspaper in which we could include our poetry and short stories. Young Mr. Swain was fired by the school board after just one year because he was not meeting expectations in terms of math and science teaching. Now, a new member of my family with a PhD in Philosophy, produces a The New Anima. It is an online subscription service for those who are interested in his chosen field. Philosophers use a language all their own, so my first task was to look up the meaning of anima. And then determine why it needs to be modernized in some fashion.
Those early teachers were an encouragement to many of us. Mine was Thelma VanBoskirk in our little 2-room school house. She spent time with me, played piano duets with me during recess, and was my first friend at the school after we moved to the country in the middle of my 2nd grade.
Great post, Rebecca. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the comment, Elaine!
Good lesson, Friend.I too love language and words.
Yes – you are a gifted wordsmith!
Much appreciated as always.
Thanks, Jerry.