Eber was the great-grandson of Shem and an ancestor of Abraham. Eber was the son of Shelah and the father of Peleg (at age 34) and Joktan. Eber lived to be 464, and outlived Abraham by 30 years. Eber was still alive when Isaac and Jacob, and possibly Jacob's older sons, were born.
The term "Hebrew" originally referred to all the descendants of Eber (cf. Genesis 10:21). Thus, Abraham is referred to as a Hebrew in Genesis 14:13, while the Egyptians refer to Joseph as a Hebrew in Genesis 39-43.
The Earth was divided in the time of Eber's son Peleg (Genesis 10:25; 1 Chronicles 1:19), which may refer to the Tower of Babel (Genesis 10:32-11:9). Tradition states that Eber and his descendants refused to help with the building the Tower of Babel, and thus preserved the original human language (Hebrew).
References[]
- Genesis 10:21, 11:14-17, 24-25
- 1 Chronicles 1:18-19, 24
- Luke 3:35