19Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.
These chapter of the Scriptures can be hard to read. All those really difficult names. And we might be tempted to just skip over them, or read them so fast that we miss some important things. We tend to display ancestry with a family ‘tree’ that starts with the first known relative of importance and then builds from there to the present day. But Biblical genealogies are not concerned with everyone, but only certain lines of descendents, those that lead to Israel, and by extension to Jesus. The oldest have the least detail about their lives. The most recent, the most details. But I find this verse of particular intrigue. What did “the earth was divided” mean? To what event was this man named Peleg named? Could it be that Peleg got his name when the continental shelves made a significant shift and reports of that shift made it back to his parents? Could this be when Europe and Africa split from the Americas? Who knows! So much is contained in these genealogies and so much is left out. Remember, they only include the important things, the things that show the Lord’s plan for them, His story with His people. We know there are other people after the Flood, but we only get the first people in those lines of descendents, and then they drop out of these records. Those people are not as important to redemption history as those included. And this list does not include everyone that is listed in other places. They are not meant to be exhaustive and all inclusive.
The Arnold Journey 