Peleg

Peleg , Son of Eber

Peleg (Hebrew: פֶּלֶג / פָּלֶג, Modern Péleg / Páleg Tiberian Péleḡ / Pāleḡ ; "division") is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as one of the two sons of Eber, an ancestor of the Israelites, according to the so-called "Table of Nations" in Genesis 10-11 and 1 Chronicles 1. Peleg's son was Reu, born when Peleg was thirty, and he had other sons and daughters. According to the Hebrew Bible, Peleg lived to the age of 239 years. (Genesis 11:16-19)

In the Septuagint and some Christian Bibles derived from it, Peleg is called Phaleg and his father is called Heber. His son is called Ragau, born when Phaleg was 130 years old, and he had other sons and daughters. According to the Septuagint, Phaleg lived to an age of 339 years. (Septuagint Genesis 11:16-19) Modern translations generally use the names and dating as in the Masoretic Hebrew text. (compare Genesis 11:16-19)

According to Genesis 10:25 and 1 Chronicles 1:19, it was during the time of Peleg that "the earth was divided" - traditionally, this is often assumed to be just before, during, or after the failure of Nimrod's Tower of Babel. The meaning of the earth being divided has been speculated to be a patriarchal division of the world (or possibly just the eastern hemisphere) among the three sons of Noah for future occupation, as specifically described in the Book of Jubilees. Flavius Josephus (among others) also affirms this interpretation in his Antiquities of the Jews, Book I, Chapter VI, Paragraph 4.

The novel The Days Of Peleg by Jon Saboe gives a fictional account of Peleg's life, along with the speculative meaning for his name.

Peleg is a common surname in Israel, also being the root lettering for sailing (lahaflig להפליג) and a military half-bivouac tent (peleg-ohel פלג אוהל).

Peleg is also the name of one of the owners of the Pequod in Herman Melville's fictional story, Moby-Dick.

The meaning of Peleg in English is Brook, a little river.

External links

• Jewish Encyclopedia: Peleg is briefly mentioned in the article "Eber"