Peleg

Peleg is a son of Eber in the Shemite line, named for a division of the earth that occurred in his lifetime. He stands at a hinge in the postdiluvian genealogy: through Peleg the line continues toward Abraham, while his brother Joktan fathers a separate branch of nations.

Son of Eber, Brother of Joktan

The first naming of Peleg appears in the Table of Nations, with an explicit etymology tied to a worldwide division:

"And to Eber were born two sons: The name of the one was Peleg. For in his days was the earth divided. And his brother's name was Joktan." (Ge 10:25).

The Chronicler repeats the notice with the same etymological gloss:

"And to Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan." (1Ch 1:19).

Place in the Shemite Line

The genealogy of Genesis 11 fixes Peleg's chronology and his role as bearer of the line that continues toward Abraham:

"And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begot Peleg: and Eber lived after he begot Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters. And Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu: and Peleg lived after he begot Reu two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters." (Ge 11:16-19).

The Chronicler's compressed list places him at the same point in the sequence:

"Eber, Peleg, Reu," (1Ch 1:25).

The repeated detail across both genealogical streams — the dividing of the earth in his days, and the descent through Reu — gives Peleg his fixed place in the early postdiluvian record.