16 | Genesis 5:1
From Adam to Noah
5
This is the writ ten ac count of Adam’ s fam i ly line.
When God cre at ed man kind, he made them in the like ness of God. 2 He cre at ed them male and fe male and blessed them. And he named them“ Man kind” a when they were created.
3
When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own like ness, in his own im age; and he named him Seth. 4 Af ter Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had oth er sons and daughters. 5 Al to geth er, Adam lived a to tal of 930 years, and then he died.
6
When Seth had lived 105 years, he be came the fa ther b of Enosh. 7 Af ter he be came the fa ther of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had oth er sons and daugh ters. 8 Al to geth er, Seth lived a to tal of 912 years, and then he died.
9
When Enosh had lived 90 years, he be came the fa ther of Ke nan. 10 Af ter he be came the fa ther of Ke nan, Enosh lived 815 years and had oth er sons and daugh ters. 11 Al to geth er, Enosh lived a to tal of 905 years, and then he died.
12
When Ke nan had lived 70 years, he be came the fa ther of Ma ha la lel. 13 Af ter he be came the fa ther of Ma ha la lel, Ke nan lived 840 years and had oth er sons and daugh ters. 14 Al to geth er, Ke nan lived a to tal of 910 years, and then he died.
15
When Ma ha la lel had lived 65 years, he be came the fa ther of Ja red. 16 Af ter he be came the fa ther of Ja red, Ma ha la lel lived 830 years and had oth er sons and daugh ters. 17 Al to geth er, Ma ha la lel lived a to tal of 895 years, and then he died.
18
When Ja red had lived 162 years, he be came the fa ther of Enoch. 19 Af ter he be came the fa ther of Enoch, Ja red lived 800 years and had oth er sons and daugh ters. 20 Al to geth er, Ja red lived a to tal of 962 years, and then he died.
21
When Enoch had lived 65 years, he be came the fa ther of Me thu se lah. 22 Af ter he be came the fa ther of Me thu se lah, Enoch walked faith ful ly with God 300 years and had oth er sons and daughters. 23 Al to geth er, Enoch lived a to tal of 365 years.
24
Enoch walked faith ful ly with God; then he was no more, be cause God took him away.
25
When Me thu se lah had lived 187 years, he became the fa ther of La mech. 26 Af ter he be came the fa ther of La mech, Me thu se lah lived 782 years and had oth er sons and daugh ters. 27 Al to geth er, Me thu se lah lived a to tal of 969 years, and then he died.
28
When La mech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 29 He named him Noah c and said,“ He will com fort us in the la bor and pain ful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.”
30
Af ter Noah was born, La mech lived 595 years and had oth er sons and daugh ters. 31 Al to geth er, La mech lived a to tal of 777 years, and then he died.
32
Af ter Noah was 500 years old, he be came the fa ther of Shem, Ham and Ja pheth.
a
2 Hebrew adam b
6 Father may mean ancestor; also in verses 7-26. c
29 Noah sounds like the Hebrew for comfort.
5:1 – 32 The genealogy in Ge 5 moves the narrative from one major character( Adam) to the next( Noah). This list of generations traces the descent of Noah one generation at a time, naming one ancestor from each. One of the most striking features of this genealogy is the long lifespans. The notable exception is Enoch( 5:22 – 23), whose time on earth is a comparatively short 365 years. See the people diagram“ Adam’ s Family Tree” on p. 17.
5:1 family line The Hebrew word used here, toledoth, is used to mark family histories in Genesis( 6:9; 10:1; 11:10,27; 25:12,19; 36:1,9; 37:2). Generally speaking, there are two types of genealogies in the OT, linear and vertical. Linear genealogies focus on one person in each generation— they connect one individual to one specific ancestor in a previous generation. Vertical( segmented) genealogies treat more than one person per generation— they depict relationships within a generation and from one generation to another. in the likeness of God See 1:26.
5:3 – 31 The genealogy of vv. 3 – 31 is deliberately arranged to conclude with Noah and his sons in preparation for the flood narrative. The generations are described formulaically. Each person is given the same description: When A lived x years, he fathered B. After he fathered B, A lived y years and had other sons and daughters. And all the days of A were x + y years; then he died. The pattern is broken only twice. In vv. 22 – 23, the unusual case of Enoch requires a break in the formula. The birth of Noah in v. 29— the climax of the list— also interrupts the pattern, as Noah’ s father describes his son’ s special destiny.
5:3 his own likeness, in his own image This phrase echoes God’ s language about humanity being in his image( see 1:26 – 27; 5:1). 5:5 930 years It is unclear whether the ages of the individuals in this genealogy are meant to be taken literally or not. The long lifespans are paralleled( and far exceeded) in the Sumerian King List, an ancient Near Eastern document that describes a line of rulers before a great flood. 5:22 Enoch walked faithfully with God This phrase occurs twice, perhaps to demonstrate to readers that Enoch’ s short life span in this list is not due to negative judgment. The description is also used of Noah( 6:9). 5:23 Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years Enoch is the seventh generation from Adam in this genealogy( Jude 14). The number 365 corresponds to the number of days in a solar year, so Enoch became a central figure in later Jewish calendrical mysticism( as seen in the work 1 Enoch). 5:24 he was no more The writer omits the typical formulaic ending referring to the death of the individual( see note on Ge 5:3 – 31), suggesting that Enoch did not experience a normal death. The NT also asserts that Enoch did not die( Heb 11:5). took him away Similar language appears in the description of Elijah’ s departure from earth in God’ s fiery chariot( 2Ki 2:1,5,9 – 11).