Interesting Facts

• Peleg’s name, meaning “division,” is directly attributed to the significant event of the earth being divided in his days.
• He was one of the two sons born to Eber.
• According to the Book of Jubilees, the division of the earth amongst the sons of Noah began in the days when Peleg was born.
• Peleg took a wife named Lomna, the daughter of Sina’ar.
• He fathered a son named Reu.

Genealogy

• Peleg was the son of Eber.
• His mother was Azurâd, the daughter of Nebrod.
• His grandfather was Shelah (also called Salah).
• His great-grandfather was Arphaxad, the son of Shem.
• His great-great-grandfather was Shem, a son of Noah.
• He married Lomna, the daughter of Sina’ar.
• He fathered a son named Reu. The Book of Jubilees specifies that Reu was born in the fourth year after Peleg’s marriage.
• According to Jasher, Peleg also begat a brother named Yen.

Historical Context

The life of Peleg is explicitly linked to a pivotal moment in the post-flood narrative: the division of the earth amongst the descendants of Noah. The Book of Jubilees provides a detailed account of this division, stating that it commenced in the days when Peleg was born. This event occurred in the beginning of the thirty-third jubilee [1569 A.M.]. Prior to this, Noah had already given instructions to his sons regarding righteousness and the avoidance of the sins that led to the deluge. The building of cities was also underway. The division itself was a significant undertaking, with Shem, Ham, and Japheth receiving distinct portions of the earth by lot. The sons of Noah then further divided their inheritances amongst their own sons. Peleg’s lifetime, therefore, marks a transition from a more unified post-flood humanity to a dispersed and regionally distinct population, a shift so significant that it defined his very name. Following this division, the narrative progresses towards the construction of the Tower of Babel in the land of Shinar, suggesting that Peleg lived in the early stages of this renewed human endeavor and potential rebellion against divine will.

Narrative

Peleg’s personal narrative within the selected sources is primarily centered on the circumstances of his birth and its connection to the division of the earth. Genesis states that one of the two sons born to Eber was named Peleg, “for in his days was the earth divided“. The Book of Jubilees elaborates on this, specifying that in the sixth year of the seventh week of the thirty-second jubilee [1567 A.M.], Eber’s wife, Azurâd, bore him a son and he called his name Peleg, because in the days of his birth, the children of Noah began to divide the earth amongst themselves. This naming convention underscores the singular importance of this event during his lifetime. Jasher corroborates this, stating that to Eber were born two children, one named Peleg, “for in his days the sons of men were divided, and in the latter days, the earth was divided“. While the sources provide limited details about Peleg’s actions or personal life beyond his marriage to Lomna and the birth of his son Reu, his existence serves as a chronological marker, indelibly linked to the geographical and demographic reorganization of humanity following the initial post-flood generations. His legacy is thus primarily historical, his name serving as a lasting testament to the pivotal era of the earth’s division.