The Sons of Mizraim and the Prophet Eber Who Named Peleg

"And Mizraim begot the Ludim" and so forth (Genesis 10:13-14). The coinage of Egypt is nothing but counterfeit. "Pathrusim and Casluhim": they would set up the marriage-canopy, and these would steal the wives of those and those would steal the wives of these, and what came forth from them? The Philistines, who are mighty men; the Pathrusim, who are thieves; the Caphtorim, who are dwarfs. "And to Shem also children were born" (Genesis 10:21). We do not know whether Shem is the elder or Japheth is the elder; but from what is written, "These are the generations of Shem: Shem was a hundred years old and begot Arpachshad two years after the flood" (Genesis 11:10), it follows that Japheth is the elder. "The name of one was Peleg" (Genesis 10:25). Rabbi Yose says: The earlier generations, because they knew their genealogies, would name their children after the event; but we, who do not know our genealogies, name our children after our forefathers. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: The earlier generations, because they made use of the holy spirit, would name children after the event; but we, who do not make use of the holy spirit, name them after our forefathers, and so forth. Rabbi Yose said: Eber was a great prophet, for he named his son Peleg through the holy spirit, as it is said, "for in his days the earth was divided [niflegah]" (Genesis 10:25). If you should say it was at the beginning of his days, was not his brother Joktan younger than he, yet he begot many families and they were divided? And if you should say it was in the middle of his days, Scripture did not come to conceal but to explain; rather, it was at the end of his days. Abraham our father was forty-eight years old at the dispersion. "And the name of his brother was Joktan" (Genesis 10:25), because he made himself small [maktin] and his affairs small.