Children of Eber
The Sons of Eber or Bnei Ever (בני-עבר) a synonym for the earliest cultural Hebrews, are first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in Genesis 10:21 (text). In orthodox circles the term is understood to refer to the wider family of Hebrew peoples from whom Abraham came. Each of the names of the children in question is understood to stand for the different Hebrew nations. In Protestant & Reform circles Hebrews are defined as descending from Abraham and the identification of the Bnei Ever of Genesis 10:21 remains obscure except for the eighth generation around whose descendants the biblical narratives are mainly concerned.
The first contemporary dynasties of Bnei Ever consists solely of Joktan & Peleg in whose time "the earth was divided" (Gen 10:25).
In the second generation there are thirteen children of Joktan – Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Havilah, Jobab and Ophir are mentioned while only Reu is recorded as being from Peleg.
Eber
Eber (עֵבֶר, ISO 259-3 ʕebr, Standard Hebrew Éver, Tiberian Hebrew ʻĒḇer) is an ancestor of the Israelites, according to the "Table of Nations" in Genesis 10-11 and 1 Chronicles 1. He was a great-grandson of Noah's son Shem and the father of Peleg born when Eber was 34 years old, and of Joktan. He was the son of Shelah a distant ancestor of Abraham. According to the Hebrew Bible, Shelah died at the age of 464 (Genesis 11:14-17) when Jacob was 20. The Hebrew Calendar synchronises this date with 1817 BCE, however numerous other dates have been proposed for the patriarchs in Genesis.
In the Septuagint and other Christian Bibles derived from it, Eber is called Heber and his father is called Sala. His son is called Phaleg, born when Heber was 134 years old, and he had other sons and daughters. Heber lived to an age of 404 years. (Septuagint Genesis 11:14-17)
In Jewish tradition, Eber, the great-grandson of Shem, refused to help with the building of the Tower of Babel, so his language was not confused when it was abandoned. He and his family alone retained the original human language, Hebrew, a language named after Eber (Heber), also called lingua humana in Latin. (There are different religious positions on this issue; see also Adamic language.)
Epstein–Barr virus-encoded small RNAs
The Epstein–Barr virus-encoded small RNAs (EBERs) are small non-coding RNAs localized in the nucleus of human cells infected with Epstein–Barr virus (EBV). First discovered in 1981, EBERs are the most abundant RNAs present in infected cells. EBERs interact with several host proteins to form ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes. Although a precise function for EBERs remains elusive, roles in transformation and oncogenesis are proposed.
Background
EBER1 and EBER2 are short, 167 and 172 nucleotides in length respectively, nuclear-enriched non-coding RNAs. These two RNAs are transcribed by the host's RNA polymerase III during latent infection of EBV.
EBERs 1 and 2 can be deleted from the viral genome without noticeable phenotypic changes, though this has never been found deleted in nature. EBER expression alone can induce tumours in severe combined immunodificient mice.
EBER1
EBER1 associates with human ribosomal protein L22 and causes this protein to move from the nucleolus to the nucleoplasm. EBER1 also specifically interacts with at least three host hnRNPs (A1, A2/B1 and D/AUF1).
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