א וַֽיְהִ֥י כָל־הָאָ֖רֶץ שָׂפָ֣ה אֶחָ֑ת וּדְבָרִ֖ים אֲחָדִֽים׃

The entire earth was of one language and of common words, similar discourse. People could talk to each other about any topic, as they knew each other and came from comparable backgrounds. They were all descendants of Noah. There were still no major linguistic or cultural differences that could create divisions among the peoples. All of the world’s inhabitants constituted a single unit.

ב וַֽיְהִ֖י בְּנָסְעָ֣ם מִקֶּ֑דֶם וַֽיִּמְצְא֥וּ בִקְעָ֛ה בְּאֶ֥רֶץ שִׁנְעָ֖ר וַיֵּ֥שְׁבוּ שָֽׁם׃

It was as they traveled from some place in the east. This is not referring to all humanity, but to a certain large group of people. And they found a plain. Unlike in modern Hebrew, the word bik’a does not mean a valley, but a plain, a low, level expanse of land. The plain was in the land of Shinar, which lies between the rivers of Babylonia, and is indeed a flat expanse suitable for the events described below; and they settled there.