בראשית, פרק י״א, פסוק י״ד

Tracing the family lines of the early generations reveals a hidden structure behind the ages of the patriarchs. When Shelah fathers his son Eber at the age of thirty, the number reflects a specific numerical pattern. This age serves as a foundational base number for these early figures when their firstborn sons are born. The total can be understood mathematically as six units of sixty months, or simply as half of a sixty-year cycle [קאסוטו].

Beyond these underlying mathematical structures, the account also serves a basic historical function. It straightforwardly documents the timeline of Shelah's life leading up to the birth of his son [ביאור שטיינזלץ].