Christianity
Genesis 5From Adam to Noah
Summary
Genesis 5 is a genealogy of ten generations from Adam through Seth to Noah. Each entry follows a set pattern: age at a son's birth, years lived after, and total lifespan, ending with the words and he died. The pattern breaks for Enoch, who walked with God and was taken at 365 years. Methuselah lives 969 years, the longest in the Bible. The chapter closes with Noah, at 500, fathering Shem, Ham and Japheth.
Key verse
“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”
Genesis 5:24
Themes
- Genealogy
- Mortality
- Walking with God
- Long Lifespans
Text
This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:
And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos:
And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.
And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan:
And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.
And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel:
And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.
And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared:
And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:
And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:
And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.
And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:
And 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.
And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.
And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.
Across traditions
Judaism
Pirkei Avot 5: Ten GenerationsMishnah Avot 5:2 notes there were ten generations from Adam to Noah, showing how patient God was, since every generation provoked Him until the flood came.
Islam
Surah Maryam (19): Idris Raised HighQuran 19:56 to 57 praises Idris as a truthful prophet whom God raised to a high station. Many Muslim commentators identify Idris with Enoch, though the Quran itself does not make the link.
Christianity
Hebrews 11: Enoch TranslatedHebrews 11:5 says Enoch was taken so that he should not see death, because he pleased God, and lists him among the heroes of faith.
Questions about Genesis 5
Who lived the longest in the Bible?
Methuselah, son of Enoch and grandfather of Noah. Genesis 5:27 says he lived 969 years.
What happened to Enoch in Genesis?
Genesis 5:24 says Enoch walked with God and was not, for God took him. Christian tradition, following Hebrews 11:5, reads this as Enoch being taken without dying. The later Book of Enoch is canonical only in the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox churches.