Genesis 4:25 - 5:1-32
4:25
Begins the godly line that will ultimately:
This
account is clearly interested in the “seed” of 3:15. The seed is identified and traced from
generation to generation until it finally reaches to Jesus in Luke 3.
Eve
says, “God has granted me another child (Hb. “zera” or “seed”)
When Cain was born Eve said, “I have brought forth a man.”
The
heir of the line of the seed is not the oldest child, Cain, but was Abel who is
now replaced by Seth. The heir of the
promised seed is always chosen by God and not by man’s position. Other older sons who are not the heir:
Japheth (10:2-5), Ham (10:6-20), Nahor (11:29; 22:20-24), Ishmael (17:20), Lot
((19:19-38), Esau (ch. 36). Even
Solomon’s line is going to be rejected from David and another unknown son,
Nathan, will be chosen.
“Seth”
is Hebrew “set” and “granted” is “sat”. Seth name probably means “granted and
is referring to God giving or granting another son.
Eve
names the children. Adam named the
animals and his wife.
4:26
Seth
has a son named “Enosh” which is another word for “man” and is similar to the
word that means “to be weak, frail.”
At
that time men began to call on the name of the LORD (YHWH).
During
the days of Seth men began to:
Every
thing and everyone has been given a name.
Now,
God is identified as YHWH (LORD).
When
Moses meets YHWH (“I am that I am”) it is a return to the worship that came
from the Garden of Eden.
Cain’s
line gave us herds, music and tools.
These made life productive, pleasant and easier.
Seth’s
line gave us the name of YHWH. This gave
life purpose, direction and hope.
5:1
“This is the written account of Adam’s line.” This is the “toledot” formula.
The Hebrew says “seper toledot ‘adam” or literally “book of the generations of
Adam”.
The
word for “book” is “seper” and it does not mean “book” but it refers to
something that is inscribed. It does not
refer to what from the inscription goes on or what form it is packaged in. The original meaning of “seper” may come from
the verb “sapar” which means “to scrape” as when someone would scrape a surface
flat and clean so they could inscribe something on it.
The
book of Genesis is basically a listing of the genealogy of the promised seed
with narrative mixed in. The narrative
includes accounts of: Enoch’s being taken away, Lamech naming Noah, the sons of
God, Noah’s account, Nimrod the mighty hunter, the nations, great cities,
Abraham’s covenant, etc.
5:2
Refers
back to Genesis 1:26 when God created man.
This is now in comparison with man procreating man.
It says here and in Genesis 1:28 that God “blessed them” and named them “adam”
or “man”. Now we see that blessing
fulfilled as man began to produce man.
It
is important here to see God “name” man just as Eve and the fathers listed here
named their children. God is seen then
as the original father in this genealogy.
This
account tells us that God is the father of Adam, Seth, Enosh and on just like
Moses tells the children of the new nation of the Hebrews in Deuteronomy 32:6:
“Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you? Remember the days of old; consider the
generation long past. Ask your father
and he will tell you, your elders , and they will explain to you . . . “
This
fatherhood of God or YHWH will continue up through Abraham, through the Exodus
generation and on. Even in Luke 3 the
genealogy of the Messiah, the seed, ends with this: “. . . Kenan, the son of
Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.”
Then
through out this account and the book of Genesis the Father God returns to
bless his children. Thus, these 10
generations are a document listing the blessing of the Father God on the line
of the promised Seed. God originally
wanted to bless the entire human race, but human folly and sin prevents God’s
blessing. Through this line of the
promised seed all the earth and the human race will again be blessed by God. This was the purpose for calling Abram: “I
will bless you . . . .and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
(Gn. 12:2-3)
This
theme of sons, blessing and a family genealogy with an inheritance is the theme
of Paul’s epistles like Ephesians and Romans:
The Bibles first genealogy.
Two
types of genealogies:
Cain’s
Line 4:17-22 |
Seth’s
Line 5:1-31 |
Adam |
Adam |
Cain |
Seth |
Enoch |
Enosh |
Irad |
Kenan |
Mehujael |
Mahalalel |
Methushael |
Jared |
Lamech |
Enoch |
Jabal, Jubal, Tubal -cain, Naamah
|
Methuselah |
|
Lamech |
|
Noah |
|
Shem -
Ham - Japheth
|
Three Similarities
These
are two different lines of descendents.
It is not uncommon to find the same name used by people who live at the same
time in history.
The Sumerian King List
The
Sumerian king list is an ancient list of Sumerian kings and was composed around
2,000 BC.
This was about the time a king named Utuhegal was king of Uruk and had also
liberated
This
list begins by saying the “kingship was lowered from heaven”. This introduction is followed by a list of
eight ancient kings:
King |
City |
Length of
Kings Reign (years) |
Alulim |
Eridu |
28,800 |
Alalgar |
Eridu |
36,000 |
Enmenlauanna |
Badtibira |
43,200 |
Enmengalanna |
Badtibira |
28,800 |
Dumuzi |
Badtibira |
36,000 |
Ensipazianna |
Larak |
28,800 |
Enmenduranna |
Sippai |
21,000 |
Ubartutu |
Shuruppak |
18,600 |
TOTAL: 8 kings |
5 cities |
241,200
years |
Then
the List of Kings says at this point after the list of 8 kings:
“These are five cities, eight kings ruled them for 241,000
years. Then the Flood swept over the
earth.”
After
the flood 39 kings reigned whose reigns are much shorter. The longest reign is by Etana who reigned for
1,560 years. He is number 13 on the list
of kings after the flood but other sources from this time list him as the first
king after the flood.
Here
is some of the text from the Sumerian’s Kings List:
“"After
kingship had descended from heaven, Eridu became the seat
of kingship. In Eridu Aululim reigned 28,800 years as king. Alalgar reigned
36,000 years. Two kings, reigned 64,800 years. Eridu was abandoned and its
kingship was carried off to Bad-tabira. . . .
"Total: Five Cities, eight kings, reigned 241,200 years.
"The FLOOD then swept over. After the Flood had swept over, and
kingship had descended from heaven,
"In Eanna, Meskiaggasher, the son of (the sun god) Utu reigned as En
(Priest) and Lugal (King) 324 years--Meskiaggasher entered the sea, ascended
the mountains. Enmerkar, the son of Meskiaggasher, the king of erech who had
built Erech, reigned 420 years as king. Lugalbanda, the shepherd, reigned 1,200
years. Dumuzi the fisherman, whose city was Kua, reigned 100 years. Gilgamesh,
whose father was a nomad (?) reigned 126 years. Urnungal, the son of Gilgamesh,
reigned 30 years. Labasher reigned 9 years. Ennundaranna reigned 8 years.
Meshede reigned 36 years. Melamanna reigned 6 years. Lugalkidul reigned 36
years. Total: twelve kings, reigned 2,130 years. Erech was defeated, its
kingship was carried off to
A Translation of the Sumerian’s Kings List can be found
here:
http://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr211.htm
or
http://www.livius.org/k/kinglist/sumerian.html
Answers in Genesis Website
http://www.answersingenesis.org/tj/v12/i3/sumerian.asp
“The Sumerian King List records the lengths of reigns of the
kings of
The lives of the biblical patriarchs, however, have a
precision of one year. If Adam and Noah are not included (as in the King List),
and the lives of the patriarchs are similarly rounded to two digits, the sum of
the lives has six 103 signs, six 102 signs and six 10
signs. In addition, if the number representing the sum of the ages was wrongly
assumed as having been written in the sexagesimal system, the two totals become
numerically equivalent.
It is suggested that the Sumerian scribe that composed the
original antediluvian list had available a document (possibly a clay tablet)
containing numerical information on the ages of eight of the patriarchs similar
to that of the Genesis record and that he mistakenly interpreted it as being
written in the sexagesimal system.
That the two documents are numerically related is strong
evidence for the historicity of the book of Genesis. The fact that the Sumerian
account shows up as a numerically rounded, incomplete version of the Genesis
description, lacking the latter’s moral and spiritual depth, is a strong
argument for the accuracy, superiority, and primacy of the biblical record. In
addition, the parallels between the Sumerian and biblical antediluvian data
open up the possibility of establishing chronological correlations between the
rest of the Kings List and the book of Genesis.”
-The above text is a small portion of text from the
Answers in Genesis Website
.
Genealogies
from this time were developed and recorded.
5:3
Now
begins the genealogy with this structure:
The Descending Life Spans in the Old
Testament
5:3-31, Adam to Lamech, it is said of each of them “then he
died”. This is written:
5:22
“walked with God” (“wayyithallek ‘et-ha
elohim”) is mentioned twice about Enoch.
“Noah
was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with
God.”
“I
am God Almighty (“el shaddai”); walk
before me and be blameless. I will
confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
The
idea of walking with God refers to keeping your part of the covenant
obligations.
But,
these men Enoch, Noah and Abraham are “walking with God” and fulfilling
covenant obligations with YHWH before the Law of Moses. This shows there is a better way to walk with
God than to follow a legalistic code.
It
was said of Abraham that he “believed the LORD (YHWH), and he credited it to
him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6)
Enoch is referred to in Hebrews 11:5,6
Enoch is quoted in Jude 14
The Book of Enoch can be found here:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/boe/
The Book of Enoch is a book written between the Old and New
Testaments. Probable date of writing was between 150-80 B.C. Copies of the Book
of Enoch have been found among the