Genesis 5

This is the written record of Adam's family line. On the day God created human beings, he made them like himself.

1This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;

Note"The book of the generations" translates a Hebrew phrase (toledot) that recurs throughout Genesis as a section heading. It means something like "the account of what came from", a family record tracing descendants. Such lists were often selective rather than complete: a man could be said to "father" a descendant several generations down, so the totals are not necessarily an unbroken father-to-son chain.

2He created them male and female, and he blessed them. On the day they were created, he called them "man."

2Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

NoteThe Hebrew word here, adam, is both the ordinary word for "human being, humankind" and the personal name Adam. The verse says God named them, male and female together, "man," the same word the King James translates as a proper name in verse 3. English cannot show both senses at once.

3Adam lived 130 years, and then he had a son who was like him, in his own image. He named him Seth.

3And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:

Note"Likeness" and "image" are the same pair of Hebrew words used of God making humans in verse 1. The wording deliberately puts Adam fathering Seth in parallel with God making Adam.

4After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years more, and he had other sons and daughters.

4And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:

5Adam lived 930 years in all, and then he died.

5And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.

NoteThe very long lifespans in this chapter are given as plain numbers in the Hebrew, with no hint that they are figures of speech. The ancient manuscripts do not all agree on them: the Samaritan Pentateuch and the Greek Septuagint give different ages at fatherhood and different totals for several of these men. Comparable king lists from Mesopotamia assign their earliest rulers reigns far longer still, running to tens of thousands of years.

6Seth lived 105 years, and then he had a son named Enos.

6And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos:

NoteEnos (Enosh) is itself a Hebrew word for "man" or "mortal", a near-synonym of adam. Several names in this list are ordinary Hebrew words: Cainan, Mahalaleel ("praise of God"), Jared ("descent"), Lamech.

7After Enos was born, Seth lived 807 years more, and he had other sons and daughters.

7And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters:

8Seth lived 912 years in all, and then he died.

8And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.

9Enos lived 90 years, and then he had a son named Cainan.

9And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan:

10After Cainan was born, Enos lived 815 years more, and he had other sons and daughters.

10And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters:

11Enos lived 905 years in all, and then he died.

11And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.

12Cainan lived 70 years, and then he had a son named Mahalaleel.

12And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel:

13After Mahalaleel was born, Cainan lived 840 years more, and he had other sons and daughters.

13And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:

14Cainan lived 910 years in all, and then he died.

14And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.

15Mahalaleel lived 65 years, and then he had a son named Jared.

15And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared:

16After Jared was born, Mahalaleel lived 830 years more, and he had other sons and daughters.

16And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:

17Mahalaleel lived 895 years in all, and then he died.

17And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.

18Jared lived 162 years, and then he had a son named Enoch.

18And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:

19After Enoch was born, Jared lived 800 years more, and he had other sons and daughters.

19And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:

20Jared lived 962 years in all, and then he died.

20And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.

21Enoch lived 65 years, and then he had a son named Methuselah.

21And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:

22After Methuselah was born, Enoch walked with God for 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters.

22And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:

Note"Walked with God" is an idiom, not a description of movement. It means living one's whole life in company with God, habitual closeness and loyalty. The same phrase is used of Noah in Genesis 6:9. Note that for Enoch alone the chapter's fixed formula "and he lived" is replaced by "and he walked with God."

23Enoch lived 365 years in all.

23And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:

Note365 years is by far the shortest span in the chapter, less than half of any other. It also matches the number of days in a solar year, a coincidence ancient readers noticed.

24Enoch walked with God, and then he was gone, because God took him.

24And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

NoteEvery other entry in this chapter closes "and he died." Enoch's does not. The Hebrew is abrupt: literally "and he was not, for God took him." The verb "took" is the same one used later of Elijah being carried off (2 Kings 2). The text says no more than this, and does not explain where or into what he was taken.

25Methuselah lived 187 years, and then he had a son named Lamech.

25And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:

26After Lamech was born, Methuselah lived 782 years more, and he had other sons and daughters.

26And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:

27Methuselah lived 969 years in all, and then he died.

27And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.

28Lamech lived 182 years, and then he had a son.

28And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:

29He named him Noah, and he said, "This one will comfort us in our work and in the hard labor of our hands, which comes from the ground that the LORD has cursed."

29And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.

NoteThe name Noah (Hebrew Noach) is being linked by sound to the word for "comfort" or "relief" (nacham). It is a play on words rather than a strict derivation, the name more directly resembles nuach, "to rest." The curse Lamech refers to is the one laid on the ground in Genesis 3:17-19, which made farming a struggle. LORD printed in capitals stands for the personal name of God in Hebrew, four consonants usually written YHWH, which Jewish readers came not to pronounce aloud.

30After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years more, and he had other sons and daughters.

30And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:

31Lamech lived 777 years in all, and then he died.

31And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.

32Noah was 500 years old, and he had Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

32And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

NoteThe Hebrew idiom is "Noah was a son of five hundred years." The three sons are not triplets born in that year; the verse gives Noah's age when his family began, and Genesis elsewhere indicates the three were born over a span of time. The order Shem, Ham, Japheth reflects their importance to the story that follows rather than certain birth order (compare Genesis 10:21).