H6385 H6385
to divide, split; to separate into parts, cleave a channel, or create division
A verb meaning to divide, split, or separate into parts. Genesis 10:25 and 1 Chronicles 1:19 explain Peleg's name: 'in his days the earth was divided'—possibly referring to the division of languages at Babel or geographical dispersion of peoples. Job 38:25 asks who 'has cleft a channel for the rain,' describing God's providential ordering of storm waters. Psalm 55:9 calls on God to 'divide their speech'—confuse the counsels of enemies, perhaps alluding to Babel. The verb captures both physical splitting (channels, land) and conceptual division (languages, peoples, plans). The fundamental sense is separation into distinct parts.
Senses
1. sense 1 — To divide or split, whether physically or conceptually. Genesis 10:25 and 1 Chronicles 1:19 use the Niphal: 'the earth was divided' in Peleg's time (linguistic/ethnic dispersion). Job 38:25 describes God cleaving channels for rainwater (physical). Psalm 55:9 calls for dividing (confusing) enemies' speech (conceptual). The verb spans from geographic/hydraulic division to linguistic confusion, unified by the concept of separation into parts. 4×
AR["انْقَسَمَتِ", "شَقَّ", "فَرِّق"]·ben["বিভক্ত-কর", "বিভক্ত-করল", "বিভক্ত-হয়েছে", "বিভক্ত-হল"]·DE["[נפלגה]", "[פלג]", "teilen", "wurde-geteilt"]·EN["divide", "has-cleft", "was-divided"]·FR["[נפלגה]", "diviser", "était-divisa", "פלג"]·heb["נפלגה", "פילג", "פלג"]·HI["बनाया", "बन्ती", "बाँटी-गई"]·ID["membelah", "terbagi"]·IT["[נפלגה]", "[פלג]", "fu-divise", "has-cleft"]·jav["kaperang", "kapérang", "kula", "mbukak"]·KO["나누소서", "나누어졌기", "나뉘어졌다", "쪼개였느냐"]·PT["divide", "dividiu", "foi-dividida"]·RU["проложил", "раздели", "разделилась"]·ES["cavó", "divide", "fue-dividida"]·SW["aligawanya", "gawanya", "iligawanyika", "iligawanywa"]·TR["böl", "bölündü", "yarark"]·urd["بٹ-گئی", "تقسیم-ہوئی", "تَقسیم-کَر", "کاٹی"]
Related Senses
H3605 1. all, every, whole (5352×)H0259 1. one (cardinal numeral) (940×)H8147 1. cardinal number two (666×)G3956 1. all (collective plural) (616×)H3967 1. cardinal numeral hundred (550×)H1419a 1. great, large (general quality) (486×)H7969 1. cardinal number three (431×)H0505 1. cardinal number thousand (427×)H7651 1. seven (cardinal number) (393×)G1520 1. cardinal number one (339×)H6240 1. ten (cardinal number) (334×)H6242 1. twenty (cardinal number) (315×)H2568 1. cardinal number five (309×)H0702 1. four (cardinal number) (277×)G3956 2. every, each (distributive) (227×)H8337 1. six (cardinal number) (215×)G3956 3. all things, everything (substantive) (211×)G3956 4. (187×)H6235 1. ten (177×)G3173 1. great in size or extent (176×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [פָּלַג] vb. split, divide (NH chiefly in secondary meanings and deriv.; Arabic فَلَجَ divide, split; Aramaic פְּלֵיג, ܦܠܰܓ divide; Ethiopic ፈለግ ravine, stream; Assyrian palgu, canal);— Niph. Pf. 3 fs. נִפְלְגָה Gn 10:25; 1 Ch 1:19 was divided (earth). Pi. 1. Pf. 3 ms. פִּלַּג Jb 38:25 cleave a channel for rain. 2. Imv. ms. פַּלַּג (Ges§ 52 n) ψ 55:10 divide their speech (their counsels).