3 Adam had been living for a hundred and thirty years when he had a son like himself, after his image, and gave him the name of Seth:
4 And after the birth of Seth, Adam went on living for eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters:
5 And all the years of Adam's life were nine hundred and thirty: and he came to his end.
6 And Seth was a hundred and five years old when he became the father of Enosh:
7 And he went on living after the birth of Enosh for eight hundred and seven years, and had sons and daughters:
8 And all the years of Seth's life were nine hundred and twelve: and he came to his end.
9 And Enosh was ninety years old when he became the father of Kenan:
10 And after the birth of Kenan, Enosh went on living for eight hundred and fifteen years, and had sons and daughters:
11 And all the years of Enosh were nine hundred and five: and he came to his end.
12 And Kenan was seventy years old when he became the father of Mahalalel:
13 And after the birth of Mahalalel, Kenan went on living for eight hundred and forty years, and had sons and daughters:
14 And all the years of Kenan's life were nine hundred and ten; and he came to his end.
15 And Mahalalel was sixty-five years old when he became the father of Jared:
16 And after the birth of Jared, Mahalalel went on living for eight hundred and thirty years, and had sons and daughters:
17 And all the years of Mahalalel's life were eight hundred and ninety-five: and he came to his end.
18 And Jared was a hundred and sixty-two years old when he became the father of Enoch:
19 And Jared went on living after the birth of Enoch for eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters:
20 And all the years of Jared's life were nine hundred and sixty-two: and he came to his end.
21 And Enoch was sixty-five years old when he became the father of Methuselah:
22 And after the birth of Methuselah, Enoch went on in God's ways for three hundred years, and had sons and daughters:
23 And all the years of Enoch's life were three hundred and sixty-five:
24 And Enoch went on in God's ways: and he was not seen again, for God took him.
25 And Methuselah was a hundred and eighty-seven years old when he became the father of Lamech:
26 And after the birth of Lamech, Methuselah went on living for seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters:
27 And all the years of Methuselah's life were nine hundred and sixty-nine: and he came to his end.
28 And Lamech was a hundred and eighty-two years old when he had a son:
29 And he gave him the name of Noah, saying, Truly, he will give us rest from our trouble and the hard work of our hands, because of the earth which was cursed by God.
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Commentary on Genesis 5 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 5
Ge 5:1-32. Genealogy of the Patriarchs.
1. book of the generations—(See Ge 11:4).
Adam—used here either as the name of the first man, or of the human race generally.
5. all the days … Adam lived—The most striking feature in this catalogue is the longevity of Adam and his immediate descendants. Ten are enumerated (Ge 5:5-32) in direct succession whose lives far exceed the ordinary limits with which we are familiar—the shortest being three hundred sixty-five, [Ge 5:23] and the longest nine hundred sixty-nine years [Ge 5:27]. It is useless to inquire whether and what secondary causes may have contributed to this protracted longevity—vigorous constitutions, the nature of their diet, the temperature and salubrity of the climate; or, finally—as this list comprises only the true worshippers of God—whether their great age might be owing to the better government of their passions and the quiet, even tenor of their lives. Since we cannot obtain satisfactory evidence on these points, it is wise to resolve the fact into the sovereign will of God. We can, however, trace some of the important uses to which, in the early economy of Providence, it was subservient. It was the chief means of reserving a knowledge of God, of the great truths of religion, as well as the influence of genuine piety. So that, as their knowledge was obtained by tradition, they would be in a condition to preserve it in the greatest purity.
21. Enoch … begat Methuselah—This name signifies, "He dieth, and the sending forth," so that Enoch gave it as prophetical of the flood. It is computed that Methuselah died in the year of that catastrophe.
24. And Enoch walked with God—a common phrase in Eastern countries denoting constant and familiar intercourse.
was not; for God took him—In Heb 11:5, we are informed that he was translated to heaven—a mighty miracle, designed to effect what ordinary means of instruction had failed to accomplish, gave a palpable proof to an age of almost universal unbelief that the doctrines which he had taught (Jude 14, 15) were true and that his devotedness to the cause of God and righteousness in the midst of opposition was highly pleasing to the mind of God.
26. Lamech—a different person from the one mentioned in the preceding chapter [Ge 4:18]. Like his namesake, however, he also spoke in numbers on occasion of the birth of Noah—that is, "rest" or "comfort" [Ge 5:29, Margin]. "The allusion is, undoubtedly, to the penal consequences of the fall in earthly toils and sufferings, and to the hope of a Deliverer, excited by the promise made to Eve. That this expectation was founded on a divine communication we infer from the importance attached to it and the confidence of its expression" [Peter Smith].
32. Noah was five hundred years old: and … begat—That he and the other patriarchs were advanced in life before children were born to them is a difficulty accounted for probably from the circumstance that Moses does not here record their first-born sons, but only the succession from Adam through Seth to Abraham.