Peleg

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Peleg (Hebrew: פֶּלֶג / פָּלֶג, Standard Péleg / Páleg Tiberian Péleḡ / Pāleḡ ; "Division") is one of the two sons of Eber, the ancestor of the Hebrews according to the so-called "Table of Nations" in Genesis x, xi and 1 Chronicles i. According to Genesis 10:25, 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 Jewish Seder Olam Rabbah (Creation 3761 BC, Flood 2105 BC) places THE YEAR OF CONFUSION OF LANGUAGES in 1996 AM (1765 BC) when Peleg died at the age of 239 in the year 340 (339 after the Flood). This is from the Hebrew text. Peleg's son was Reu, born when he was thirty. He is said to have lived to the age of 239. But the Greek text has two alternate claims, that of Alexandrian Egypt claiming a Cainan (Chaldea as Arpaxad's wayward son) of 130 years so that he dies in year 768 at 239, and the favored choice of dying in year 740 at the age of 339. In 740 years Sothis has 185 leap days compared to 85 leap days in 340 years. The difference places the 177 years of Ur's kings as after Peleg's death instead of during his life. It also takes away Peleg's generation from all dying before Noah and all other parent generations do.

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.

A separate theory is advocated by some supporters of young-earth creationism [1]. They claim that the division is the break up of Pangea into the current continents in some great cataclysm. This answers a number of important questions: how the animals got all over the Earth after the flood (all the Earth's land was one continent, so they just walked).

The metaphysical interpretation is that Eber ("one who/that passes thru" presumed anger) is the germination of the seed of spirituality in consciousness. From this, the seed (Eber) is divided in to Peleg and Joktan. Peleg is the division of the soul in to the higher, spiritual Self, who becomes progenitor to generations that lead to Christ. Joktan remains as the lower, carnal Self that encompasses the process of conscious integration. Heber (Eber) is the father of Heberews (who all pass thru or are sons of the one who passed thru) of which no study of whether these included Jokton or not has ever been made. Eber was young and lived 191 years after his son Peleg died aged as an old man. Youth was being taken away with no distinction to people being good or bad. They had no concept of what the sin would be to age us, or what the fruit would be to make us young again. In the Hebrew chronology this would be reason to send king Gilgamesh of Ereck to find 940 year old Noah and ask for the fruit (knowledge of life) who replies he doesnt know because times have changed. But in the Greek chronology Noah is dead and so the question becomes not how to live forever in flesh 940 like Noah instead of near 240 like Peleg, but rather a question of how do i get to heaven like you Noah. It becomes converted the same way respectful Bishop sainted Nicolaus in his red robes becomes Santa Claus as fun fantasy.

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

[edit] External links

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

v • d • e Hebrew Bible Genealogy from Adam to David
Creation to Flood	Adam · Seth · Enos · Kenan · Mahalalel · Jared · Enoch · Methuselah · Lamech · Noah · Shem
Origin of the Patriarchs	Arpachshad · Shelah · Eber · Peleg · Reu · Serug · Nahor · Terah · Abraham · Isaac · Jacob
Nationhood to Kingship	Judah · Pharez · Hezron · Ram/Aram · Amminadab · Nahshon · Salmon · Boaz · Obed · Jesse · David