NOTES for Gen 5:1-24
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; |
2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. |
3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: |
4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: |
5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. |
6 And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: |
7 And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: |
8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died. |
9 And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan: |
10 And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters: |
11 And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died. |
12 And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel: |
13 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters: |
14 And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died. |
15 And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: |
16 And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters: |
17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died. |
18 And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: |
19 And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: |
20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died. |
21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: |
22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: |
23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: |
24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. |
Hide
What are the genealogies in the first chapters of Genesis? Where are they from, and what are they for? Their origin remains unclear to this day. Only one thing is clear: the sacred writer borrowed them from some ancient source that has not reached us. They make no claim to any historical specificity or reliability.
Still, even if they were one hundred percent reliable, what would the names listed in these genealogical records tell us today? Of course, in general these genealogies reflect historical reality: the earth really was inhabited by clans and tribes. Peoples, cities, and states appeared later. But is this the only reason the sacred writer gives these long genealogies? Or is the point something else?
The genealogical tree of the Book of Genesis begins with the first human being, Adam. And the author of the book immediately emphasizes that Adam, created in the image of God, brought into the world offspring who were like not God, but himself. This is the essence of fallen humanity: after the fall, the human being, like all other animals, began to beget offspring not according to the image of God, but according to the image and likeness of himself, of his own fallen nature.
And this nature demanded what was its own, which was not very different from what is its own among the higher apes. And human society, as most sociologists acknowledge, began to resemble a pack of animals, and far from comparatively peaceful animals such as apes. The history of fallen humanity had begun.
Topics:
After registering, you can subscribe to any Bible reading plan. Personalized settings and other services for registered users are planned, so we recommend registering now. Registration is free. | ||
