Much of this debate centers on the translation and timeframe of Genesis 11:1-2, which states, "Now the
whole world had one language and a
common speech. As men moved
eastward [or "in the east"], they found a plain in Shinar [Babylonia] and settled there." Although
the Hebrew for the
translation "eastward" or "in the east" has been debated, it should be noted that the context and timeframe for this passage is actually 100-300 years
after the flood, assuming
that "the earth being divided during Peleg's time" is interpreted as the Tower of Babel
and the dividing of the nations
by language.