Peleg | |
|---|---|
 Peleg imagined in the 1553Promptuarium Iconum Insigniorum | |
| Born | 2249/2248 BCE (the time when the earth was divided)[citation needed] |
| Died | 2010 BCE (aged 239)[citation needed] |
| Children | Reu and others |
| Parent | Eber |
Peleg (Hebrew:פֶּלֶג,romanized: Péleḡ, inpausaHebrew:פָּלֶג,romanized: Pā́leḡ, "division";Biblical Greek:Φάλεκ,romanized: Phálek) is mentioned in theHebrew Bible as one of the two sons ofEber, an ancestor of theIshmaelites and theIsraelites, according to theGenerations of Noah inGenesis 10–11 and1 Chronicles 1.
Peleg's son wasReu, 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) (up to whenTerah was 118).
In theSeptuagint and some Christian Bibles derived from it, Peleg is calledPhaleg and his father is calledHeber. His son is calledRagau, 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 theMasoretic Hebrew text. (compareGenesis 11:16–19)
According toGenesis 10:25 and1 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 theTower of Babel, whose construction was traditionally attributed toNimrod. The meaning of the Earth being divided is usually taken to refer to a patriarchal division of the world, or possibly just theEastern Hemisphere, into allotted portions among the threesons of Noah for future occupation, as specifically described in theBook of Jubilees,Biblical Antiquities of Philo,Kitab al-Magall,Flavius Josephus,[1] and numerous other antiquarian and mediaeval sources, even as late asArchbishop Ussher, in hisAnnals of the World.[2] One account, theConflict of Adam and Eve with Satan, states that "In the days of Phalek (Peleg), the earth was divideda second time among the three sons of Noah; Shem, Ham and Japheth" – it had been divided once previously among the three sons byNoah himself.[3]
SomeCreationists interpret this verse to refer to the continent ofPangaea being split into the modern continents.[4]
Peleg is a common first name and surname inIsrael, also being the root lettering for sailing (lehafligלהפליג) and a military half-bivouac tent (peleg-ohelפלג אוהל). The meaning of Peleg in English is "brook", a little river.
Peleg is the name of one of the principal owners of the fictional whaling shipPequod inHerman Melville'sMoby-Dick (1851). The following actors have portrayed this character in film adaptations:
Peleg Peterson (played byFred Paul) is a character in thesilent filmInfelice (1915). This film is an adaptation of the 1875 novel of the same name byAugusta J. Evans.
Dan Peleg (played byNoah Emmerich) is aMossad trainer in the miniseriesThe Spy (2019).