Genesis 10:24Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Eber, the ancestor of the Jews, named his son Taleq, meaning 'division', as a prophetic reflection of the division experienced in Babylon during his time.

After living for 130 years, Salah became the father of Eber, along with other sons and daughters. The name Eber is understood to signify 'passing over' or 'transition.' Why was Salah's son given this name? The account unfolds as follows. Arphaxad, the son of Shem and the father of Cainan, and grandfather to Salah, initially resided with his brothers in Armenia, where Noah's ark had come to rest on Mount Ararat. He then desired to journey to the land of the Chaldeans, a place that had remained uninhabited. Gathering his entire household, he separated from his brothers, crossed the Tigris River, and became the first to establish a home in Chaldea. It was during this crossing that a son was born to his grandson Salah. Arphaxad named this newborn, his great-grandson, Eber, reflecting the act of crossing, as he was born at that pivotal moment. This Eber became the ancestor of the Jewish people, as will be disclosed in due time.

Cainan. This name does not appear in the Hebrew scriptures within the lineage of Shem. However, it is mentioned in the earliest and most reliable Greek manuscripts of the Old Testament as well as in the Gospel of St. Luke (Luke 3:36) and in the historical works of Josephus Flavius.