Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 11:10/אבן עזרא על בראשית י״א:י׳
אופי' שנתים. בפ' אחי יפת הגדול ויתכן שנקרא פלג בשם הזה ביום שנאסף כי שם חי ת"ק שנה אחר המבול, וארפכשד תל"ח שנה, ושלח בנו תל"ג ועבר בנו תס"ד, והנה כל ימי פלג רל"ט שנה, והנה הם חצי ימי אבותיו, גם רעו בנו חי אחריו כמספר שני פלג וגם שרוג קרוב מהם, וזה הכלל אין אחר פלג מי שהיה רל"ט שנה כמו פלג כי אם בנו לבדו, וי"א כי שבעים הי' נוני המגדל, ועל כן נפוצו לשבעים לשונות, וכשאתה סופר בני שם גם בני יפת, גם בני חם תמצאם שבעים וזה איננו נכון, כי פי' כפתורים ופתרוסים איננו שני אנשים ועוד שלא הביא במספר נח ובניו, ועל דעת סדר עולם יהיו לאלפים ולרבבות בוני המגדל:
1[TWO YEARS AFTER THE FLOOD.] I have already explained the meaning of this in the verse the elder brother of Japheth (Gen. 10:21).46 It is possible that Peleg was given this name on the day of his death, the reason for this being as follows: Shem lived for five hundred years following the flood, Arpachshad lived for four hundred and thirty-eight years, his son Shelah lived four hundred and thirty-three years, and his son Eber four hundred and sixty-four years. Now Peleg lived two hundred and thirty-nine years. Thus Peleg’s life span was half that of his ancestors. Reu, the son of Peleg, similarly lived to the same age as Peleg. Reu’s son Serug also lived about the same number of years as Peleg and Reu.47 This, then, is the general rule: no one after Peleg, aside from his son, ever lived to be two hundred and thirty-nine years.48 (10:25) to mean in his days was the life span of the earth’s inhabitants cut in half. Some say that those who built the tower numbered seventy and hence were divided into seventy languages upon their dispersion.49 If you count the sons of Shem, Japheth and Ham you will find them to be seventy.50 However, they are incorrect. First of all Pathrusim and Casluhim51 are not the names of two individuals.52 Furthermore, they neglect to include in the seventy Noah and his sons.53 According to the Seder Olam the builders of the tower numbered thousands and ten thousands.54 the dispersion took place when Abraham was 48 years old. By then the world’s population had grown to the number indicated by I.E. (Weiser).