Peleg

Biblical Record

Peleg was a descendant of Shem, the son of Noah, and was the son of Eber. Genesis 10:25 records: "And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan." Genesis 10:26–29 then lists the thirteen descendants of his brother Joktan. Peleg's descendants are not treated in this passage; the account takes them up in chapter 11.

According to the genealogy of Shem in Genesis 11:16–19, Eber was thirty-four years old when Peleg was born. Peleg was thirty when he fathered Reu, and he lived another 209 years afterward, fathering other children. By the figures of the Masoretic Text, he lived 239 years in all. Ancient versions such as the Septuagint give different ages at which the sons were fathered. Peleg's line continues through Reu, Serug, and Nahor to Terah and Abraham. His name also appears in 1 Chronicles 1:19 and 1:25.

Significance Within Scripture

The Hebrew name Peleg is related to a word meaning "division." A word from the same root is also used for watercourses, as in "rivers of water" in Psalms 1:3. Genesis 10:25 explains the name by connecting it with a "division" that took place in his time.

In the genealogy, Peleg and Joktan are brothers, but their lines diverge. Joktan's descendants end within the Table of Nations, while Peleg's descendants lead to Abraham and form the foundation of Israel's story. In the New Testament, Luke 3:35 mentions Peleg (spelled "Phalec" in the KJV) as it traces the genealogy of Jesus Christ back to Adam. His name does not appear elsewhere in the New Testament.

Interpretations and Debates

The text does not explain what "the earth was divided" means, and several interpretations have been proposed.

• The dispersion of languages and peoples: This view connects the phrase with the Tower of Babel episode in Genesis 11. It has been widely accepted, from ancient Jewish interpretation to many modern commentaries.
• The apportionment of land: This view reads the phrase as referring to the distribution of land among the descendants of Noah. The Book of Jubilees, a Jewish apocryphal work, is known to contain an account of the land being apportioned in Peleg's time.
• Watercourses or canals: On the basis of the name's meaning, some hold that the phrase refers to dividing the land by digging irrigation channels.
• Continental drift: Some in creationist circles read the verse as describing the splitting of the continents. Opponents of this reading reject it, noting that "earth" can also refer to people, as in "the whole earth" in Genesis 11:1. Some creationists are also critical of this claim. Related discussion can be found in the article Creation and Evolution.

Some interpretations focus on the genealogical figures. Whereas Eber lived 464 years, Peleg lived 239, a sharp decline in lifespan. Some explain this as one stage in the gradual shortening of human lifespans after the Flood. Scholars and traditions differ, however, on whether these figures can be used directly for chronological calculation.

In the Korean Church

Peleg is rarely the subject of a sermon in his own right. He is usually discussed when the genealogy of Shem is read during Bible read-through programs or in expository studies of Genesis. In such settings, the phrase "for in his days was the earth divided" is often linked to the Tower of Babel, with the explanation that the line leading to Abraham continued amid a scattered humanity.