And Seth lived, after he begat Enos, eight hundred and seven years ,.... The Septuagint version makes the same mistake in the numbers of Seth as of Adam, giving him two hundred and five years before the birth of Enos, and but seven hundred and seven years after: and begat sons and daughters ; very probably both before and after Enos was born; but how many is not said. read more
The antediluvian saints. I. DESCENDANTS OF ADAM . AS such they were— 1. A sinful race. Adam's son Seth was begotten in his father's image. Though still retaining the Divine image ( 1 Corinthians 11:7 ) as to nature, in respect of purity man has lost it. Inexplicable as the mystery is of inherited corruption, it is still a fact that the moral deterioration of the head of the human family has transmitted itself to all the members. The doctrine of human depravity, however... read more
The lives of the succeeding patriarchs are framed upon the model of this Adamic biography, and do not call for separate notice. The names of the next six were Seth ( Genesis 5:6 ; vide Genesis 4:25 ); Enos ( Genesis 5:9 ; vide Genesis 4:26 ); Cainan , possession (Gesenius); a child, one begotten (Furst); a created thing, a creature, a young man (Ewald); possessor, or spearsman (Murphy; Genesis 5:12 ); Mahalaleel , praise of God (Gesenius, Furst, Murphy; Genesis 5:15 ); ... read more
- Section V - The Line to Noah- The Line of Sheth1. ספר sepher “writing, a writing, a book.”9. קינן qēynān, Qenan, “possessor, or spearsman.”12. <מהללאל mahelal'ēl, Mahalalel, “praise of ‘El.”15. ירד yerĕd, Jered, “going down.”21. מתוּשׁלה metûshālach, Methushelach, “man of the missile.”29. נה noach, Noach, “rest,” נחם nācham “sigh; repent; pity; comfort oneself; be revenged.”32. שׁם shēm, Shem, “name, fame; related: be high.” חם chām Cham, “hot.” יפת yāpet, Japheth, “spreading;... read more
Genesis 5:6-19 . We have here all that the Holy Ghost thought fit to leave upon record concerning five of the patriarchs before the flood, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, and Jared. There is nothing noticed concerning any of those particularly, though we have reason to think they were men of eminence, both for prudence and piety; but, in general, their generations are largely and expressly recorded. We are told how long they lived that lived in God’s fear, and when they died, that died in... read more
5:1-32 GENEALOGY FROM ADAM TO NOAHAs the human race expanded, the minority of people who remained faithful to God became smaller and smaller. The purpose of the genealogy recorded in this chapter is to trace from Adam to Noah that thin line of believers who kept alive the knowledge of God.The genealogy does not name every descendant in the line from Adam to Noah, but selects ten important people to form an overall framework. Selective genealogies such as this, being easy to remember, were... read more
C. What became of Adam 5:1-6:8The primary purpose of this second toledot section appears to be to link the generations of Adam and Noah. The cursed human race continued to multiply, and human beings continued to die. Yet the record of Enoch gives hope."Genealogies in this book of genealogies . . . serve several purposes, depending in part on the nature of the genealogy. Broad genealogies present only the first generation of descendants (e.g., "the sons of Leah . . . the sons of Rachel . . . "... read more
1. The effects of the curse on humanity ch. 5There are at least three purposes for the inclusion of this genealogy, which contains 10 paragraphs (Genesis 5:1-32).1. It shows the development of the human race from Adam to Noah and bridges the gap in time between these two major individuals. One writer argued that the ages of these patriarchs were inflated to glorify them. [Note: R. K. Harrison, "From Adam to Noah: A Reconsideration of the Antediluvian Patriarchs’ Ages," Journal of the... read more
The Descendants of Adam to NoahThe purpose of the historian in giving the names and ages of the antediluvian Patriarchs was, no doubt, to show the glorious ancestry of the chosen race, and to account for the period between the Creation and the Flood. This, according to the Hebrews, was 1656 years. (See on Genesis 10:32.) Various attempts have been made to explain the great ages attributed to these Patriarchs, but they are purely conjectural, and the view now generally held is that the Hebrews,... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 5:6-20
We have here all that the Holy Ghost thought fit to leave upon record concerning five of the patriarchs before the flood, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, and Jared. There is nothing observable concerning any of these particularly, though we have reason to think they were men of eminence, both for prudence and piety, in their day: but in general, I. Observe how largely and expressly their generations are recorded. This matter, one would think, might have been delivered in fewer words; but it is... read more