Bible Strands
Genesis 11:16
When Eber was 34 years old, he became the father of Peleg.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The passage functions as a chronological marker within the genealogy of Shem, recording the exact age at which Eber fathered Peleg amid a series of patriarchal lifespans.
The words — The phrase אַרְבַּע וְשָׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה ('ar.ba ve'shaloshim sha.nah) literally places the unit before the tens, rendering "four and thirty years." The verb וַיּוֹלֶד (va.yo.le.d) straightforwardly denotes "and he fathered" without implying biological mechanism or spiritual status.
The thread — This chronological entry anchors the lineage cited in Genesis 10:21, which identifies Shem as the forefather of all sons of Eber, and Genesis 10:25, which records Peleg alongside his brother Joktan. The ancestral name Eber reappears in Numbers 24:24 as a reference to a people or territory rather than a direct genealogical link.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to track the precise, unbroken succession of names that preserve a specific line through generations. It asks for faithful attention to the recorded chronology without inserting explanatory commentary on how the line functions beyond what is written.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:
Cross-references
- Genesis 10:21 And sons were also born to Shem, the older brother of Japheth; Shem was the forefather of all the sons of Eber.
- Genesis 10:25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his days the earth was divided, and his brother was named Joktan.
- Numbers 24:24 Ships will come from the coasts of Cyprus; they will subdue Asshur and Eber, but they too will perish forever.”
- 1 Chronicles 1:19 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his days the earth was divided, and his brother was named Joktan.
- Luke 3:35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,