In the days of Peleg

To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan. Gen 10:25


To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg (for in his days the earth was divided), and the name of his brother Joktan.
1 Chronicles 1:19

What is your understanding of the world divided??

My understanding:

Before the 'days of Peleg', all of the continents were connected by land bridges - allowing humans and animals to land-travel to anywhere on earth.

After the 'days of Peleg', the ocean water level had risen high enough to cover most-or-all of the land bridges.

It’s referencing this when God divided the nations apart because of tbier United rebellion after the flood

“Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭10:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭11:1, 6-9‬ ‭KJV‬‬

He divided men on language and also location

notice the earth began as one people and after we come to Christ we return back to one people and all languages are brought back together by the gift of tongues

Great Answer

While I "like" this answer, its validity depends on the Hebrew word used for "earth" in Genesis 10:25. If "people" is a better synonym than "land", then it's likely the right answer.

I found this translation of the Hebrew.

THE RASHI CHUMASH BY RABBI SHRAGA SILVERSTEIN (Torah/Tanakh translation)

And to Ever was born two sons; the name of the first, Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided (niflegah) [Languages were confounded and men "divided themselves" throughout the earth], and the name of his brother was Yaktan. [(Because he "humbled" (hiktin) himself, he merited the many families (which follow).]


The Rabbi seems to be showing 2 types of divisions going on.
1. Language
2. Men Divided Themselves

It's both.

So the interpretation of the passage depends on the interpretation of the word? How does that help?

It is speaking of the land, but in separating the land you separate the people. This is all coming to building a tower and God separating by language. God is using the occasion of man's sin to accomplish the mandate given man earlier to be fruitful and fill the earth.
God does a similar thing in the cross and on Pentecost and afterwards. The sin of man is used to build the church as the gospel fills the earth due to the destruction of Israel and the persecution that follows. The difference in the 2 is in the first language was confused. In the latter, all understand in their own language.

Agreed and a wonderful addition and thought

a I can’t remember when but at some point it clicked that all of us now descended from either Shem ham or japeth and all the nations came from those three men

Later on i noticed God dividing men by thirds in regards to judgment then at some point haooened to read the three blessings on Shem ham and japeth and how for instance a third of the angels fell or how osraels judgements would come in thirds

“And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.

And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭9:18-19, 22-23‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“And he said, ( ham who transgressed son ) Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; ( Abraham’s line ) And Canaan shall be his servant.

God shall enlarge Japheth, And he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; ( gentiles inclusion with Abraham’s children ) And Canaan shall be his servant.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭9:25-27‬ ‭KJV‬‬

If you separate the people (by language only) but the literal land is unaffected, then it’s misleading to state that the land was divided. In contrast, geological or geographical separation of land will necessarily result in separation of peoples.

I'm just saying the theme here is separation, and it's for a larger purpose. So, the various separations all play into the passage.

The approximate timing of confusion of the languages and the division of the land may be two separate occurrences or may be at same time. Peleg could have been living at the time of the confusion of the languages.

But I also see the land mass being all connected. Maybe this is the reason we have fault lines, ring of fire, and volcanoes.

The fault lines and so on would be a legacy of the immediate causes of the flood. That doesn’t preclude God using the occasional “natural disaster “ to accomplish His purposes.

It says "earth" not "world". The earth was "divided" or broken up into continents at some time, and this could well be that time. When you fit all the continents together, there is one land mass. That was true at creation but changed later.