Genesis 11:18 (KJV)

What does Genesis 11:18 mean?

Genesis 11:18 records that Peleg lived for thirty years and then became the father of Reu. This verse is part of a genealogy, listing the descendants after the flood and showing the line from Shem toward Abraham.

Genesis 11:18 is a short entry in a longer family record, where the focus is simply on the age of Peleg when his son Reu was born. The book of Genesis is recounting the generations that came after Noah, and this verse helps trace the ancestry leading to important figures later in the Bible.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 11:18

• פֶּלֶג (Peleg, "Peleg"): This is the personal name of the ancestor, which means "division" in Hebrew, possibly hinting at events during his lifetime (see Genesis 10:25).
• חָיָה (ḥayah, "lived"): This word means "to live" or "to be alive," used here to mark the age at which Peleg fathered Reu, emphasizing the timeline.
• שְׁלֹשִׁים (sheloshim, "thirty"): This is the Hebrew word for "thirty," specifying Peleg's age at the birth of Reu.
• יָלַד (yalad, "begat"): This verb means "to beget" or "to father," showing the direct parent-child relationship in the genealogy.
• רְעוּ (Reu, "Reu"): This is the name of Peleg's son, continuing the family line.

Why Genesis 11:18 matters

• Genesis 11:18 helps readers follow the specific family line from Shem to Abraham, which is important for understanding the origins of the Israelite people.
• The verse shows the careful record-keeping of generations, which was significant in ancient cultures for tracing heritage and identity.
• By noting the ages and sequence of births, Genesis 11:18 contributes to the timeline that connects the events after the flood to the later stories of the patriarchs.