Genesis 5, Adam to Noah

The introductory chapters of Genesis describe the creation and downfall of humankind. Now we have an accounting of the generations of Adam.  Chapter 4 ended with a short genealogy of Cain.  In this case we track Seth.

There are a variety of interpretations of these genealogies. Surely they skip individuals -- contrast this genealogy with others -- and it is possible that the long lengths of time deal more with tribal dynasties than with real individuals. Different ancient versions of Genesis 5 have slightly different numbers. (See the discussion of the Masoretic, Vulgate, Samaritan and Septuagint texts at this Wikipedia page.) The genealogies in 1 Chronicles 1 and 2 apparently condense some of the genealogies here. (I will try to have a future Sunday post on the genealogies and lengths of lives.)

Genesis 5:1-5, The life of Adam

This is the written account of Adam's line. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them "man."

When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.

The Hebrew word sepher (סֵפֶר), here translated "written account", is used for anything written down and often indicates a scroll. We are beginning a new section of the Genesis account.

The word translated "man" in verse 2 is the Hebrew word adam. 

Genesis 5:6-8, Seth

When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh. And after he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Seth lived 912 years, and then he died.

The word translated "father" in verse 6 is yalad (יָלַד), which means "to bring forth" and so that word would allow Seth to be an ancestor of Enosh, not necessarily the father.

Genesis 5:9-17, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel

When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. And after he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died.

When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. And after he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died.

When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. And after he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died.

It has been said that in ancient genealogies it was common to give honor to the seventh in the list.  In the previous chapter we saw the genealogy of Cain through to Lamech (Adam, Cain, Enoch, Irad, Mehujael, Methushael, Lamech, seven steps beginning at Adam.) Then we had a brief story about Lamech. In this chapter we follow the line of Seth in seven steps from Adam: Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, to Enoch. The story will pause to tell a story about Enoch, a story in complete contrast to that of Lamech.

It is interesting to notice the similarities of the ancient names in these two genealogies, the line of Cain and the line of Seth. A diagram from a Wikipedia page on Genesis genealogies makes this clear.

Genesis 5:18-27, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech

When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. And after he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, and then he died.

When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. And after he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died.

"Enoch walked with God; then he was no more..." implies that Enoch did not die, at least not in the usual way. This simple line has led to all sorts of stories and legends and even some ancient Jewish writings, including The Book of Enoch.

Genesis 5:28-32, Noah

When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. He named him Noah and said, "He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed."

After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Lamech lived 777 years, and then he died. After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

Now we see a second person named Lamech, in this case the son of Methuselah, not Methushael. 

In verse 29 the Hebrew name Noach (נֹחַ) is very close to the word nacham (נָחַם) for "comfort". Alter says that the Hebrew word translated "painful toil" in verse 29 is 'itsavon.  That word means "pain" and only appears three times in Scripture. The first two times are in Genesis 3:16-17 where it is part of the curse of the fall.

This chapter describes, in simple terms, life after leaving Eden. People are jealous and angry. The sin that entered humanity in chapter 3 of Genesis became violent in chapter 4 and has now spread throughout all mankind, whether one follows the line of Cain or Seth. 

We have been moved quickly from Adam to Noah. The next step in the history of God's covenantal relationship with mankind is the story of Noah.

Some Hebrew Vocabulary

Our Hebrew word for year is shanah, year, feminine noun

שָׁנֶה

Some Random Thoughts

There have been attempts to explain the long lives of these ancient men as some type of mathematical mistranslation (a base change, for example, from sexagesimal to decimal notation) but none of them are satisfactory; each raises its own problems. If a mathematical calculation shortens the life of Methusaleh, for example, it also reduces the age of Enoch at the birth of Methusaleh. (The length of Methusaleh's life is 15 times the age of Enoch at the birth of Methusaleh.) So a linear transformation will still have problems. Other creative attempts to explain these numbers as something different than extremely long lives rely on considerable creativity. I have read of some of these suggestions -- I am a mathematician after all -- but I am a bit skeptical. Here is one interesting idea which I provide (without endorsement.)

First published Jan 6, 2023; updated January 6 ,2026