This [is] the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
1. This is the book, &c.] The word rendered “book” (Heb. spher) is used of any written document. Our word “book” gives rather too much the meaning of a piece of literature. The word is often used in a much more general sense, e.g. Isa 50:1, “where is the bill (Heb. spher) of your mother’s divorcement?” Jer 32:10, “and I subscribed the deed (Heb. spher), and sealed it”; 2Sa 11:14, “David wrote a letter (Heb. spher) to Joab.” Here it is equivalent to “a written list.”
the generations ] See note on Gen 2:4, “The generations of Adam,” i.e. the genealogy from Adam to Noah. LXX , Vulg. “generationis,” regarded the Hebrew word as singular.
Adam ] The proper name, Adam, not ha-adam = “the man” or “mankind.”
God created man ] The words “God” ( Elohim), “created” ( bara), “in the likeness,” reproduce the distinctive language of Gen 1:26-28.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
– Section V – The Line to Noah
– The Line of Sheth
1. sepher writing, a writing, a book.
9. qeynan, Qenan, possessor, or spearsman.
12. < mahelal’el, Mahalalel, praise of El.
15. yered, Jered, going down.
21. metushalach, Methushelach, man of the missile.
29. noach, Noach, rest, nacham sigh; repent; pity; comfort oneself; be revenged.
32. shem, Shem, name, fame; related: be high. cham Cham, hot. yapet, Japheth, spreading; related: spread out.
We now enter upon the third of the larger documents contained in Genesis. The first is a diary, the second is a history, the third a genealogy. The first employs the name ‘elohym exclusively; the second uses yehovah’elohym in the second and third chapters, and yehovah usually in the fourth; the third has ‘elohym in the first part, and yehovah in the second part. The name ‘elohym is employed in the beginning of the chapter with a manifest reference to the first document, which is here quoted and abridged.
This chapter contains the line from Adam to Noah, in which are stated some common particulars concerning all, and certain special details concerning three of them. The genealogy is traced to the tenth in descent from Adam, and terminates with the flood. The scope of the chapter is to mark out the line of faith and hope and holiness from Adam, the first head of the human race, to Noah, who became eventually the second natural head of it.
Gen 5:1-2
These verses are a recapitulation of the creation of man. The first sentence is the superscription of the new piece of composition now before us. The heading of the second document was more comprehensive. It embraced the generations, evolutions, or outworkings of the skies and the land, as soon as they were called into existence, and was accordingly dated from the third day. The present document confines itself to the generations of man, and commences, therefore, with the sixth day. The generations here are literal for the most part, though a few particulars of the individuals mentioned are recorded. But taken in a large sense this superscription will cover the whole of the history in the Old and New Testaments. It is only in the prophetic parts of these books that we reach again in the end of things to the wider compass of the heavens and the earth Isa 65:17; 2Pe 3:13; Rev 21:1. Then only does the sphere of history enlarge itself to the pristine dimensions in the proper and blessed sense, when the second Adam appears on earth, and re-connects heaven and earth in a new, holy, and everlasting covenant.
The present superscription differs from the former one in the introduction of the word sepher, book. There is here some ground in the text for supposing the insertion by Moses of an authentic document, handed down from the olden time, in the great work which he was directed to compose. The chapter before us could not have been completed, indeed, until after the birth of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. But if we except the last verse, there is no impossibility or improbability in its being composed before the deluge.
The invention of writing at that early period is favored by some other circumstances connected with these records. We cannot say that it is impossible for oral tradition to preserve the memory of minute transactions – sayings, songs, names, and numbers of years up to a thousand – especially in a period when mens lives exceeded nine hundred years. But we can easily see that these details could be much more easily handed down if there was any method of notation for the help of the memory. The minute records of this kind, therefore, which we find in these early chapters, though not very numerous, afford a certain presumption in favor of a very early knowledge of the art of writing.
Gen 5:2
And called their name man. – This name seems to connect man ‘adam with the soil from which he was taken ‘adamah Gen 2:7. It is evidently a generic or collective term, denoting the species. God, as the maker, names the race, and thereby marks its character and purpose.
Gen 5:3-5
In the compass of Gen 5:3-5 the course of Adams life is completed. And after the same model the lines of all his lineal descendants in this chapter are drawn up. The certain particulars stated are the years he lived before the birth of a certain son, the number of years he afterward lived during which sons and daughters were born to him, and his death. Two sons, and most probably several daughters, were born to Adam before the birth of Sheth. But these sons have been already noticed, and the line of Noah is here given. It is obvious, therefore, that the following individuals in the genealogy may, or may not, have been first-born sons. The stated formula, and he died, at the close of each life except that of Henok, is a standing demonstration of the effect of disobedience.
The writer, according to custom, completes the life of one patriarch before he commences that of the next; and so the first event of the following biography is long antecedent to the last event of the preceding one. This simply and clearly illustrates the law of Hebrew narrative.
The only peculiarity in the life of Adam is the statement that his son was in his likeness, after his image. This is no doubt intended to include that depravity which had become the characteristic of fallen man. It is contrasted with the preceding notice that Adam was originally created in the image of God. If it had been intended merely to indicate that the offspring was of the same species with the parent, the phrase, after his kind ( lemynah, would have been employed, as in the first chapter. This is one of the mysteries of the race, when the head of it is a moral being, and has fallen. His moral depravity, affecting the essential difference of his nature, descends to his offspring.
As this document alludes to the first in the words, in the day of Gods creating man, in the likeness of God made he him, quotes its very words in the sentence, male and female created he them, refers to the second in the words, and called their name man Gen 2:7, and also needs this second for the explication of the statement that the offspring of man bore his likeness, it presupposes the existence and knowledge of these documents at the time when it was written. If it had been intended for an independent work, it would have been more full and explanatory on these important topics.
Gen 5:21-24
The history of the Shethite Henok is distinguished in two respects: First, after the birth of Methushelah, he walked with the God. Here for the first time we have God ‘elohym with the definite article, with which it occurs more than four hundred times. By this he is emphatically distinguished as the God, now made known by his acts and manifestations, in opposition to atheism, the sole God in opposition to polytheism, and the true God in opposition to all false gods or notions of God. It is possible that in the time of Henok some had forsaken the true God, and fallen into various misconceptions concerning the Supreme Being. His walking with the God is a hint that others were walking without this God.
The phrase walked with God is rendered in the Septuagint euerestese to Theo, pleased God, and is adduced in the Epistle to the Hebrews Gen 2:5-6 as an evidence of Henoks faith. Walking with God implies community with him in thought, word, and deed, and is opposed in Scripture to walking contrary to him. We are not at liberty to infer that Henok was the only one in this line who feared God. But we are sure that he presented an eminent example of that faith which purifies the heart and pleases God.
He made a striking advance upon the attainment of the times of his ancestor Sheth. In those days they began to call upon the name of the Lord. Now the fellowship of the saints with God reaches its highest form, – that of walking with him, doing his will and enjoying his presence in all the business of life. Hence, this remarkable servant of God is accounted a prophet, and foretells the coming of the Lord to judgment Jud 1:14-15. It is further to be observed that this most eminent saint of God did not withdraw from the domestic circle, or the ordinary duties of social life. It is related of him as of the others, that during the three hundred years of his walking with God he begat sons and daughters.
Secondly, the second peculiarity of Henok was his teleportation. This is related in the simple language of the times. And he was not, for God took him; or, in the version of the Septuagint, and he was not found, for God translated him. Hence, in the New Testament it is said, Heb 11:5, By faith Enoch was translated, that he should not see death. This passage is important for the interpretation of the phrase ve’eynenu kai ouch heurisketo and he was not (found). It means, we perceive, not absolutely, he was not, but relatively, he was not extant in the sphere of sense. If this phrase do not denote annihilation, much less does the phrase and he died. The one denotes absence from the world of sense, and the other indicates the ordinary way in which the soul departs from this world. Here, then, we have another hint that points plainly to the immortality of the soul (see on Gen 3:22).
This glimpse into primeval life furnishes a new lesson to the men of early times and of all succeeding generations. An atonement was shadowed forth in the offering of Habel. A voice was given to the devout feelings of the heart in the times of Sheth. And now a walk becoming one reconciled to God, calling upon his name, and animated by the spirit of adoption, is exhibited. Faith has now returned to God, confessed his name, and learned to walk with him. At this point God appears and gives to the antediluvian race a new and conclusive token of the riches and power of mercy in counteracting the effects of sin in the case of the returning penitent. Henok does not die, but lives; and not only lives, but is advanced to a new stage of life, in which all the power and pain of sin are at an end forever. This crowns and signalizes the power of grace, and represents in brief the grand finale of a life of faith. This renewed man is received up into glory without going through the intermediate steps of death and resurrection. If we omit the violent end of Habel, the only death on record that precedes the translation of Henok is that of Adam. It would have been incongruous that he who brought sin and death into the world should not have died. But a little more than half a century after his death, Henok is wafted to heaven without leaving the body. This translation took place in the presence of a sufficient number of witnesses, and furnished a manifest proof of the presence and reality of the invisible powers. Thus, were life and immortality as fully brought to light as was necessary or possible at that early stage of the worlds history. Thus, was it demonstrated that the grace of God was triumphant in accomplishing the final and full salvation of all who returned to God. The process might be slow and gradual, but the end was now shown to be sure and satisfactory.
Gen 5:25-27
Methushelah is the oldest man on record. He lived to be within 31 years of a millenium, and died in the year of the flood.
Gen 5:28-31
In the biography of Lamek the name of his son is not only given, but the reason of it is assigned. The parents were cumbered with the toil of cultivating the ground. They looked forward with hope to the aid or relief which their son would give them in bearing the burden of life, and they express this hope in his name. In stating the reason of the name, they employ a word which is connected with it only by a second remove. nuach and nacham are stems not immediately connected; but they both point back to a common root (n–ch) signifying to sigh, to breathe, to rest, to lie down.
This is only another recorded instance of the habit of giving names indicative of the thoughts of the parents at the time of the childs birth. All names were originally significant, and have still to this day an import. Some were given at birth, others at later periods, from some remarkable circumstance in the individuals life. Hence, many characters of ancient times were distinguished by several names conferred at different times and for different reasons. The reason of the present name is put on record simply on account of the extraordinary destiny which awaited the bearer of it.
Which the Lord hath cursed. – Here is another incidental allusion to the second document, without which it would not be intelligible. If the present document had been intended to stand alone, this remark would have had its explanation in some previous part of the narrative.
Gen 5:32
And Noah was the son of five hundred years. – A man is the son of a certain year, in and up to the close of that year, but not beyond it. Thus, Noah was in his six hundredth year when he was the son of six hundred years Gen 7:11, Gen 7:6, and a child was circumcised on the eighth day, being then the son of eight days Lev 12:3; Gen 17:12.
When the phrase indicates a point of time, as in Lev. 27, it is the terminating point of the period in question. The first part only of the biography of Noah is given in this verse, and the remainder will be furnished in due time and place. Meanwhile, Noah is connected with the general history of the race, which is now to be taken up. His three sons are mentioned, because they are the ancestors of the postdiluvian race. This verse, therefore, prepares for a continuation of the narrative, and therefore implies a continuator or compiler who lived after the flood.
From the numbers in this chapter it appears that the length of human life in the period before the deluge was ten times its present average. This has seemed incredible to some, and hence they have imagined that the years must have consisted of one month, or at least of a smaller number than twelve. But the text will not admit of such amendment or interpretation. In the account of the deluge the tenth month is mentioned, and sixty-one days are afterward indicated before the beginning of the next year, whence we infer that the primeval year consisted of twelve lunar months at least. But the seemingly incredible in this statement concerning the longevity of the people before the flood, will be turned into the credible if we reflect that man was made to be immortal. His constitution was suited for a perpetuity of life, if only supplied with the proper nutriment. This nutriment was provided in the tree of life. But man abused his liberty, and forfeited the source of perpetual life. Nevertheless, the primeval vigor of an unimpaired constitution held out for a comparatively long period. After the deluge, however, through the deterioration of the climate and the soil, and perhaps much more the degeneracy of mans moral and physical being, arising from the abuse of his natural propensities, the average length of human life gradually dwindled down to its present limits. Human physiology, founded upon the present data of mans constitution, may pronounce upon the duration of his life so long as the data are the same; but it cannot fairly affirm that the data were never different from what they are at present. Meanwhile, the Bible narrative is in perfect keeping with its own data, and is therefore not to be disturbed by those who still accept these without challenge.
The following table presents the age of each member of this genealogy, when his son and successor was born and when he himself died, as they stand in the Hebrew text, the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Septuagint, and Josephus:
| Line of Noah | ||||||||||
| | Hebrew | Sam. Pent. | Septuagint | Josephus | Date | |||||
| | Sons Birth | Own Death | Sons Birth | Own Death | Sons Birth | Own Death | Sons Birth | Own Death | Of Birth | Of Death |
| 1. Adam | 130 | 930 | 130 | 930 | 230 | 930 | 230 | 930 | 0 | 930 |
| 2. Sheth | 105 | 912 | 105 | 912 | 205 | 912 | 205 | 912 | 130 | 1042 |
| 3. Enosh | 90 | 905 | 90 | 905 | 190 | 905 | 190 | 905 | 235 | 1140 |
| 4. Kenan | 70 | 910 | 70 | 910 | 170 | 910 | 170 | 910 | 325 | 1235 |
| 5. Mahalalel | 65 | 895 | 65 | 895 | 165 | 895 | 165 | 895 | 395 | 1290 |
| 6. Jared | 162 | 962 | 62 | 847 | 162 | 962 | 162 | 962 | 460 | 1422 |
| 7. Henok | 65 | 365 | 65 | 365 | 165 | 365 | 165 | 365 | 622 | 987 |
| 8. Methuselah | 187 | 969 | 67 | 720 | 187 | 969 | 187 | 969 | 687 | 1656 |
| 9. Lamek | 182 | 777 | 53 | 653 | 188 | 753 | 182 | 777 | 874 | 1651 |
| 10. Noah | 500 | 950 | 500 | 950 | 500 | 950 | 500 | 950 | 1056 | 2006 |
| | 100 | | 100 | | 100 | | 100 |
|
|
|
| Deluge | 1656 | | 1307 | | 2262 | | 2256 | | | |
On comparing the series of numbers in the Hebrew with those in the Samaritan, the Septuagint, and Josephus, it is remarkable that we have the main body of the original figures in all. In the total ages of the first five and the seventh, and in that of Noah at the flood, they all agree. In those of the sixth and eighth, the Hebrew, Septuagint, and Josephus agree. In that of the ninth, the Hebrew and Josephus agree, while the Samaritan and Septuagint differ from them and from each other. On examining the figures of the Samaritan, it appears that the sixth, eighth, and ninth total ages would have reached beyond the flood, if the numbers found in the other authorities had been retained. And they are so shortened as to terminate all in the year of the flood. This alteration betrays design. The totals in the Hebrew, then, have by far the preponderating authority.
Of the numbers before the birth of a successor, which are chiefly important for the chronology, the units agree in all but Lamek, in regard to whom the Hebrew and Josephus agree, while the Samaritan and the Septuagint differ from them and from each other. The tens agree in all but two, Methushelah and Lamek, where the Hebrew, the Septuagint, at least in the Codex Alexandrinus, and Josephus agree, while the Samaritan differs from them all. In the hundreds a systematic and designed variation occurs. Still they agree in Noah. In Jared, Methushelah, and Lamek, the Hebrew, Septuagint, and Josephus agree in a number greater by a hundred than the Samaritan. In the remaining six the Hebrew and Samaritan agree; while the Septuagint and Josephus agree in having a number greater by a hundred. On the whole, then, it is evident that the balance of probability is decidedly in favor of the Hebrew. To this advantage of concurring testimonies are to be added those of being the original, and of having been guarded with great care.
These grounds of textual superiority may be supported by several considerations of less weight. The Samaritan and the Septuagint follow a uniform plan; the Hebrew does not, and therefore has the mark of originality. Josephus gives the sum total to the deluge as two thousand six hundred and fifty-six years, agreeing with the total of the Hebrew in three figures, with that of the Septuagint only in two, and with that of the Samaritan in none. Some MSS. even give one thousand six hundred and fifty-six, which is the exact sum of the Hebrew numbers. Both these readings, moreover, differ from the sum of his own numbers, which itself agrees with the Hebrew in two figures and with the Septuagint in the other two. This looks like a studied conformation of the figures to those of the Septuagint, in which the operator forgot to alter the sum total. We do not at present enter into the external arguments for or against the Hebrew text. Suffice it to observe, that the internal evidence is at present clearly in its favor, so far as the antediluvian figures go.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Gen 5:1-32
This is the book of the generations of Adam
Distinguished men
I.
SOME MEN ARE RENDERED DISTINGUISHED BY THE PECULIARITY OF THE TIMES IN WHICH THEY LIVE. Adam; the first human being to
(1) inhabit the earth,
(2) hold communion with God,
(3) be led astray.
II. SOME MEN ARE RENDERED DISTINGUISHED BY THEIR MARVELLOUS LONGEVITY. Methuselah.
III. SOME MEN ARE RENDERED DISTINGUISHED BY THE VILLAINY OF THEIR MORAL CONDUCT.
IV. SOME MEN ARE RENDERED DISTINGUISHED BY THEIR ANCESTRAL LINE OF DESCENT. Feeble lights in a grand constellation.
V. SOME MEN ARE RENDERED DISTINGUISHED BY THEIR TRUE AND EXALTED PIETY. Enoch. This is a distinction of the very truest kind; it arises from the moral purity of the soul. Lessons:
1. That a good old age is often the heritage of man.
2. That noble lineage is the heritage of others.
3. That true piety may be the heritage of all.
4. That true piety has a substantial reward as well as a permanent record. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)
Thoughts
I. THE LONGEVITY OF THE ANTEDILUVIAN RACE.
1. Their longevity might be explained on natural principles.
2. Their longevity was for special ends.
3. Their longevity contributed to their depravity.
II. THE POVERTY OF HUMAN HISTORY. The record of a thousand is in these few verses.
III. THE MATERIALIZING TENDENCIES OF SIN. All that is recorded here of these great men, except Enoch, is that they begat sons and daughters. They thought only of material things.
IV. THE INEVITABLENESS OF MANS MORTALITY. It is said of each, He died. No money can bribe Death, no power avert his blow.
V. THE BLESSEDNESS OF PRACTICAL GODLINESS. Enoch walked with God. (Homilist.)
The genealogy
1. It is a very honourable one. The Son of God Himself descended from it.
2. Neither Cain nor Abel have any place in it. Abel was slain before he had any children, and could not; and Cain, by his sin, had covered his name with infamy, and should not. Adams posterity, therefore, after a lapse of one hundred and thirty years, must begin anew.
3. The honour done to Seth and his posterity was of grace; for he is said to have been born in Adams likeness, and after his image. Man was made after the image of God; but this being lost, they are born corrupt, the children of a corrupt father. What is true of all mankind is here noted of Seth, because he was reckoned as Adams firstborn. He, therefore, like all others, was by nature a child of wrath; and what he or any of his posterity were different from this, they were by grace.
4. Though many of the names in this genealogy are passed over without anything being said of their piety, yet we are not from hence to infer that they were impious. Many might be included among them who called upon the name of the Lord, and who are denominated the sons of God, though nothing is personally related of them. (A. Fuller.)
The original vitality of men
Whether we are to think that the original vitality of the human frame faded only by slow degrees, or whether there was something salubrious in the air of the ages after Eden, has often been asked, but can never be answered. Some have fancied that the immense lives ascribed to the antediluvians imply that each name represents a tribe, the lives of whose leading members are added together; others have understood the years to mean only months; while others have sought to prove that from Adam to Abraham the year had no more than three months, from Abraham to Joseph eight, and from Josephs time twelve months, as at present. But such explanations have no sufficient warrant, and it is perhaps best, on the whole, to keep in mind what Bishop Harold Browne has pointed out, that numbers and dates are liable in the course of ages to become obscured and exaggerated. It is quite possible that some of the early Rabbis, desirous of emulating the fabled age ascribed by heathen nations to their heroes and demigods, may have added to the Bible figures, so as to secure the patriarchs an equal honour. Our present bodies certainly could not live more than two hundred years, at the very most, from the decay of one part after another, and hence we must either take Bishop Brownes solution of antediluvian longevity, or suppose that exceptional circumstances in the first ages produced exceptional results. (C. Geikie, D. D.)
The apostate and the godly seeds
I. IT IS ESPECIALLY IN THE LINE OF CAIN THAT WE FIND THE ARTS OF SOCIAL AND CIVILIZED LIFE CULTIVATED. They increased in power, in wealth, and in luxury. In almost all earthly advantages they attained to a superiority over the more simple and rural family of Seth. And they afford an instance of the high cultivation which a people may often possess who are altogether irreligious and ungodly, as well as of the progress which they may make in the arts and embellishments of life.
II. THE GODLY SEED WAS PERPETUATED IN THE FAMILY OF SETH, whose name signifies appointed, placed, or firmly founded. For on him now was to rest the hope of the promised Messiah. So God ordained, and so Eve devoutly believed. The posterity of Seth maintained the cause of religion in the midst of increasing degeneracy. It is true they did not always maintain it very successfully; perhaps they did not always maintain it very consistently. In the first place, in the days of Enos, the grandson of Adam, a signal revival took place among those who adhered to the true faith (Gen 4:26). Again, secondly, several generations later, contemporary with Lamech in the house of Cain, lived Enoch in the family of Seth, the seventh from Adam. He was raised up as a remarkable prophet, and the burden of his prophetic strains is preserved to us by the Apostle Jude (verses 14, 15). Once more, in the third place, still later in this melancholy period, the Lord raised up Noah, or Nee, as his name is often written. That name signifies comfort or consolation. Thus, in three successive eras, the Lord remarkably interposed to arrest the progress of the sad apostasy.
1. It is interesting in this view to consider the longevity of the patriarchs. The length of their days well fitted them for being the depositories of the revealed will of God, preserving and transmitting it from age to age; and so many of them surviving together to so late a period must have formed a holy and reverend company of teachers and witnesses in the world. So, at least, it should have been; since, at all events, this longevity of the fathers was a boon and privilege to the Church. It served the purpose of the written Word. It transmitted, not a treacherous and variable tradition passing quickly through many hands, such as some would fondly prefer even to the Bible, but a sure record of the truth of God. Hence it was fitted to rally with no uncertain sound, and not by the artifice of any dead and nominal uniformity, but on a trustworthy principle of living unity, the Church of the living God. If the effect was otherwise–if the testimony of the long-lived fathers then, like the teaching of the abiding Word now, failed to keep the sons of God at one among themselves, and separate from the world, their sin was on that account all the greater. Nor was the agency wanting which alone can give a spiritual discernment of the truth. The Spirit, who searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God, was, throughout these ages, continually striving with men, and by the Spirit Christ was ever preaching to the successive generations of that antediluvian world.
2. But it is not the length of their lives only that is to be taken into account when we would estimate the effect which the testimony of the godly patriarchs was fitted to have in stemming the torrent of ungodliness. Their deaths also must have been instructive and significant. That they all lived so long, witnessing for God, believing and showing forth His righteousness, was a standing reproof to the wicked. That, long as they might live, they all died at last, gave a warning more affecting still. The death of each, coming surely in the end, though long delayed, must have rung emphatically the knell of judgment. (R. S. Candlish, D. D.)
Lessons
1. Providence hath made a sufficient register of the Churchs rise and growth and state, for faith, not for curiosity.
2. Gods will is made out, that His Church was to be propagated by generation, not creation.
3. The generations of the Church were ordered to be from Adam fallen, that grace might appear.
4. Gods blessing makes man only fruitful to propagate His Church. (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Nobodyism
You must have already noticed that this chapter is as true as any chapter in human history, especially as it shows so clearly, what we ourselves have found out, that the most of people are extremely uninteresting. They are names, and nothing more. They are producers and consumers, tenants and taxpayers, and that is all; they are without wit, music, piquancy, enterprise, or keenness of sympathy. Such people were Seth and Enos, Mahalaleel and Jared; respectable, quiet, plodding; said good night to one another regularly, and remarked briefly upon the weather, and died. Just what many nowadays seem to do. Now, I want to show you that such people are often unjustly estimated, and to remind you that if all stars were of the same size the sky would look very odd–much like a vast chessboard with circles instead of squares. I want to remind you also that really the best part of human history is never written at all. Family life, patient service, quiet endurance, the training of children, the resistance of temptation–these things are never mentioned by the historian. Because we admire brilliance we need not despise usefulness. When your little child is ill, he needs kindness more than genius, and it will be of small service to him if his mother is good at epigrams but bad at wringing out a wet cloth for his burning brow. I am, then, quite willing to admit that Seth and Enos, Mahalaleel and Jared, are not one-thousandth part so well known by name as the man in the moon, but I believe they did more real good than that famous character ever attempted. You should remember, too, that a long fiat road may be leading up to a great mountain. There are some very plain and uninteresting miles out of Geneva, but everyone of them brings you nearer Merit Blanc. Oh, so dull that long road from Seth to Jared, but round the corner you find Enoch, the Mont Blanc of his day! Many a child who never heard the name of Jared knows well the name of Enoch. So you do not know to what high hill your life may be quietly leading up. Even if you yourself are nobody, your son may be a man of renown, or his son may be a valiant and mighty man. Enoch reaches the point of renown in godliness; he walked with God three hundred years at least; his walk was on the high hills–so high that he simply stepped into the next world without troubling Death to go through his long, dark process. He was not, for God took As if he had walked so near that God opened the window and took him in; and we, too, might pass in as easily if we walked on the same sunny heights. But we are in valleys and pits, and God must needs send Death to dig us out and send us to heaven by a longer road. After Enoch, we come to Methuselah. He, too, is well known, although for nothing but length of days apparently; yet as a matter of fact he ought to be known for something much more highly distinguished. He was the grandfather of Noah; that is his glory, not his mere age! You cannot tell what your boy may be, or his boy; so keep yourself up to the mark in all mental health and moral integrity, lest you transmit a plague to posterity. It may be that Nature is only resting in you; presently she will produce a man! Precisely the same thing we have in this chapter we find in the catalogue of the names of the early disciples of our Lord. We know Peter and James and John. But how little as compared with them do we know of Thomas and Bartholomew and Philip, of Lebbaeus, and Simon the Canaanite? Yet they were all members of one company, and servants of the same Lord. We speak of men of renown, forgetting that their renown is principally derived from men who have no renown themselves! Unknown people make other people known. The hills rest upon the plain ground. Besides, there is a bad repute as well as a fair fame: Judas Iscariot is known as widely as the Apostle John! Be not envious of those who have high place and name; could we know them better, perhaps we should find that they long for the quietness of home, and sigh for release from the noise and strain of popular applause. Happily, too, we should remember that a deed may be immortal, when the mere name of the doer may be lost in uncertainty. (J. Parker, D. D.)
The Divine image in man hidden
A researcher of art in Italy, who, reading in some book that there was a portrait of Dante painted by Giotto, was led to suspect where it had been placed. There was an apartment used as an outhouse for the storing of wood, hay, and the like. He besought and obtained permission to examine it. Clearing out the rubbish and experimenting upon the whitewashed wall, he soon detected the signs of the long-hidden portrait. Little by little, with loving skill, he opened up the sad, thoughtful, stern face of the old Tuscan poet. Sin has done for man what the whitewash did for the painting. It has covered over the likeness of God upon the soul; and it is only by the Spirit of God Himself that the long-hidden likeness can be manifested again.
Long life and death of the patriarchs
From the 4th verse to the 22nd two things chiefly are noted, the long life of these fathers and their assured death. Many years they continued, yea, many hundreds; but at last they died. Death was long ere it came, but at last it came.
1. And touching their long life, some questions are moved: First, why it was so long; secondly, whence or how it came to be so. Of the first, two causes are alleged, one for the propagation of mankind so much the faster and more speedily, the other for continuance of remembrance of matters, and deducing of them to posterity the better. The indifferent mixture, equal temperature, and good disposition of the chief and first qualities, heat, cold, moisture, dryness, is in nature the ground of life, and by all probability in that beginning this was so more than now; their diet better, and temperance more from surfeiting and fleshly pleasures than is now; their minds quieter from eating and gnawing cares, the shortness of mans life, since, iniquity then being not so strong, many woes and vexations were unfound; and lastly, the fruits of the earth, in their purity, strength, and virtue, not corrupted, as after the flood, and ever since still more and more, might be to them a true cause, and a most forcible cause, of good health, greater strength, and longer life than ever since by nature could be.
2. Their certain death is noted, to show the truth of Gods Word, ever infallible and unmovable. The Lord said, if they did eat they should die: they did eat, then death must follow; for He will be true, do what we can, and we shall find it so. Adam lived nine hundred and thirty years, but he died; Sheth nine hundred and twelve, and he died; Methuselah nine hundred threescore and nine, and yet he died. Died, died, is the end of all, that God might be true, how long soever they lived. The same word of the Lord is no falser now than then, but the same forever. Would God this repetition of death, death, to all these fathers might make us as duly to remember it as we are sure truly to find it–to find it, I say; and God knoweth, not we, how soon. Today I, tomorrow thou, saith the wise man. His conceit was not unprofitable that imagined mans life to be as a tree, at the root whereof two mice lay gnawing and nibbling without ceasing, a white mouse and a black. The white mouse he conceived to be the day, and the black mouse the night, by which day and night mans life, as a tree, by continual gnawing, at last is ended. Who can now tell how far these two mice have eaten upon him? Haply the tree that seemeth yet strong ere night may shake, and ere day again fall flat down. Oh, let us think of this uncertainty! But you see the snow, how blind it makes a man by his great whiteness; so doth this world, by his manifold pleasures, baits, and allurements, dazzle our eyes, and blind us so, that we forget to die; we dream of life when there is no hope, and we cannot hear of it to go away. O death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man that liveth at rest in his possessions, unto the man that hath nothing to vex him, and that hath prosperity in all things, yea, unto him that is yet able to receive meat. (Bishop Babington.)
Lessons from the longevity of the antediluvians
1. Now, here is a lesson in human experience which one would think would silence forever the advocates of the theory of human perfectibility. The race of antediluvians were blessed with all possible capacities and facilities for indefinite improvement in knowledge and happiness. They were not called to die when they had just began to live, nor to quit their investigations forever when they had just learned how to study. Mens minds might have been formed and disciplined in the revolution of nine hundred years under an accumulation of influences and circumstances in the highest degree powerful and favourable. A ladder was let down to them from heaven; but instead of rising thither, they employed every endowment of being, and every capability of life, for growth in unkindness, and corrupted themselves to such a height before God, that their sufferance on earth was no longer possible. So much for human perfectibility.
2. Only one event is recorded alike of them all, no matter what may have been their situation in life–whether princes of the earth or beggars in rags. Their life is reduced down to the bald, unvaried epitaph–He died! The only thing of absolute value is that which connects us with God. Crowns are playthings; dukedoms and dominions of no more importance than the grains of sand that go to make up an ant-hill.
3. The consideration of the great age of the antediluvians, and its effect upon their state on earth, might lead to some faint conception of what an apostle calls the power of an endless life.
(1) The power of such a life for the increase of holiness.
(2) In the progressive accumulation of depravity.
4. We are all naturally as wicked as the race of mankind destroyed by the deluge. And doubtless it will be less tolerable for us than the antediluvians in the Day of Judgment.
5. The mere duration of years does not constitute a long life, but the fulfilment of lifes purposes.
6. There was a time in the life of every ungodly antediluvian in which his wickedness had reached such a point, his long habits of sin had gained such strength, that all hope of his salvation departed. At such a moment, though long before the close of his mortal career, it might have been said with awful emphasis–He died! (Christian Age.)
Gods way of writing history
Bible history is written on the principle of abridgment and selection. God Himself is the abridger and selector. He has written the story of His own world in His own way, and according to His own plan, keeping such things as these in view–
1. What would most glorify Himself.
2. What would most benefit the Church upon the whole.
3. What would mark distinctly the stages leading on to the incarnation of His Son.
4. What would prove the true humanity of Messiah as the seed of the woman, and so the embodiment of the grace and truth wrapt up in the first promise to man.
The first verse carries us back to the earlier chapters, and repeats the statement already given as to mans creation in the Divine image. It is plain from it that God desires us to look at and ponder such things as these–
1. Mans creation by God.
2. His creation in the likeness of God.
3. His creation, male and female.
4. His being blessed by God, and that he enters this world as a blessed being, not under the curse at all.
5. His receiving the name of Adam, or man, from God Himself, as if God specially claimed the right of nomenclature to Himself.
How much importance must God attach to these things when He thus repeats them at so brief an interval! He does not repeat in vain. Every word of God is pure, and it is full of meaning, even though we may not now see it all. It is not a mere grain or atom; it is a seed, a root. (H. Bonar, D. D.)
Ten biographies in one chapter
A single chapter contains ten biographies. Such is Gods estimate of man, and mans importance! How unlike mans estimate of himself! How unlike are the biographies contained in this chapter to those volumes of biography over which are spread the story of a single life! Is not this man worship, hero worship? And was it not to prevent this that God has hid from us the details of primitive history–everything that would magnify man and mans doings? Just as He has taken pains to prevent the grosser idolatries of sun worship and star worship by exhibiting these orbs in the first chapter as His own handiwork, so in this fifth chapter He has sought to anticipate and prevent the more refined idolatry, not only of past ages, when man openly and grossly deified man, but of these last days, when man is worshipping man in the most subtle of all ways, and multiplying the stories of mans wisdom, or prowess, or goodness, so as to hide God from our eyes, and give to man an independent position and importance, from which God has been so careful to exclude him. We might say, too, that this chapter is Gods protest against that special development of hero worship which is to be exhibited in the last Antichrist, when God shall be set aside and man be set up as all. The importance attached to these recorded names is just this, that they belong to the line of the womans seed. It was this that made them worthy of memory. The chain to which some precious jewel is attached is chiefly noticeable because of the gem that it suspends. The steps which led up to the temple were mainly important because of the temple to which they led. So it was the connection of these ten worthies of the worlds first age with the great Coming One that gave them their importance. Standing where we now do, far down the ages, and looking back on the men of early days, we are like one tracing some great river back to its distant source amid the lonely hills. The varied beauties of its banks, however great, yet derive their chief attraction and interest from the mighty city reared upon its margin, at some turn of its far downward course, and from the mighty ones which that city has given birth to. It is Bethlehem that gives all its interest to the river whose beginnings this chapter traces; or rather, it is He who was there born of a woman–Jesus the son of Abraham, the son of Adam. Save in their bearing upon Him, how unmeaning do these names appear! (H. Bonar, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
CHAPTER V
A recapitulation of the account of the creation of man, 1, 2;
and of the birth of Seth, 3.
Genealogy of the ten antediluvian patriarchs, 3-31.
Enoch’s extraordinary piety, 22;
his translation to heaven without seeing death, 24.
The birth of Noah, and the reason of his name, 29;
his age at the birth of Japheth, 32.
NOTES ON CHAP. V
Verse 1. The book of the generations] sepher, in Hebrew, which we generally translate book, signifies a register, an account, any kind of writing, even a letter, such as the bill of divorce. Here It means the account or register of the generations of Adam or his descendants to the five hundredth year of the life of Noah.
In the likeness of God made he him] This account is again introduced to keep man in remembrance of the heights of glory whence he bad fallen; and to prove to him that the miseries and death consequent on his present state were produced by his transgression, and did not flow from his original state. For, as he was created in the image of God, he was created free from natural and moral evil. As the deaths of the patriarchs are now to be mentioned, it was necessary to introduce them by this observation, in order to justify the ways of God to man.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
This is the book, i.e. the list or catalogue, as this word is taken, Neh 7:5; Mat 1:1, as it is also put for any short writing, as for a bill of divorce, as Deu 24:1-2.
The generations of Adam, i.e. his posterity begotten by him; the word being passively used. But he doth not here give a complete list of all Adam’s children, but only of his godly seed, which preserved true religion and the worship of God from Adam to the Flood, and from whose loins Christ came, Luk 3:1-38.
God created man. This is here repeated to note the different way of the production of Adam, and of his posterity; his was by creation from God, theirs by generation from their parents. See Gen 1:26.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
1. book of the generations(SeeGe 11:4).
Adamused here eitheras the name of the first man, or of the human race generally.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
This is the book of the generations of Adam,…. An account of persons born of him, or who descended from him by generation in the line of Seth, down to Noah, consisting of ten generations; for a genealogy of all his descendants is not here given, not of those in the line of Cain, nor of the collateral branches in the line of Seth, only of those that descended one from another in a direct line to Noah:
in the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; this is repeated from Ge 1:27 to put in mind that man is a creature of God; that God made him, and not he himself; that the first man was not begotten or produced in like manner as his sons are, but was immediately created; that his creation was in time, when there were days, and it was not on the first of these, but on the sixth; and that he was made in the likeness of God, which chiefly lay in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, and in dominion over the creatures.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The heading in Gen 5:1 runs thus: “This is the book ( sepher) of the generations ( tholedoth ) of Adam.” On tholedoth , see Gen 2:4. Sepher is a writing complete in itself, whether it consist of one sheet or several, as for instance the “bill of divorcement” in Deu 24:1, Deu 24:3. The addition of the clause, “ in the day that God created man,” etc., is analogous to Gen 2:4; the creation being mentioned again as the starting point, because all the development and history of humanity was rooted there.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Genealogies. | B. C. 3852. |
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; 2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. 3 And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: 4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: 5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
The first words of the chapter are the title or argument of the whole chapter: it is the book of the generations of Adam; it is the list or catalogue of the posterity of Adam, not of all, but only of the holy seed who were the substance thereof (Isa. vi. 13), and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came (Rom. ix. 5), the names, ages, and deaths, of those that were the successors of the first Adam in the custody of the promise, and the ancestors of the second Adam. The genealogy begins with Adam himself. Here is,
I. His creation, Gen 5:1; Gen 5:2, where we have a brief rehearsal of what was before at large related concerning the creation of man. This is what we have need frequently to hear of and carefully to acquaint ourselves with. Observe here, 1. That God created man. Man is not his own maker, therefore he must not be his own master; but the Author of his being must be the director of his motions and the centre of them. 2. That there was a day in which God created man. He was not from eternity, but of yesterday; he was not the first-born, but the junior of the creation. 3. That God made him in his own likeness, righteous and holy, and therefore, undoubtedly, happy. Man’s nature resembled the divine nature more than that of any of the creatures of this lower world. 4. That God created them male and female (v. 2), for their mutual comfort as well as for the preservation and increase of their kind. Adam and Eve were both made immediately by the hand of God, both made in God’s likeness; and therefore between the sexes there is not that great distance and inequality which some imagine. 5. That God blessed them. It is usual for parents to bless their children; so God, the common Father, blessed his. But earthly parents can only beg a blessing; it is God’s prerogative to command it. It refers chiefly to the blessing of increase, not excluding other blessings. 6. That he called their name Adam. Adam signifies earth, red earth. Now, (1.) God gave him this name. Adam had himself named the rest of the creatures, but he must not choose his own name, lest he should assume some glorious pompous title. But God gave him a name which would be a continual memorandum to him of the meanness of his original, and oblige him to look unto the rock whence he was hewn and the hole of the pit whence he was digged, Isa. li. 1. Those have little reason to be proud who are so near akin to dust. (2.) He gave this name both to the man and to the woman. Being at first one by nature, and afterwards one by marriage, it was fit they should both have the same name, in token of their union. The woman is of the earth earthy as well as the man.
II. The birth of his son Seth, v. 3. He was born in the hundred and thirtieth year of Adam’s life; and probably the murder of Abel was not long before. Many other sons and daughters were born to Adam, besides Cain and Abel, before this; but no notice is taken of them, because an honourable mention must be made of his name only in whose loins Christ and the church were. But that which is most observable here concerning Seth is that Adam begat him in his own likeness, after his image. Adam was made in the image of God; but, when he was fallen and corrupt, he begat a son in his own image, sinful and defiled, frail, mortal, and miserable, like himself; not only a man like himself, consisting of body and soul, but a sinner like himself, guilty and obnoxious, degenerate and corrupt. Even the man after God’s own heart owns himself conceived and born in sin, Ps. li. 5. This was Adam’s own likeness, the reverse of that divine likeness in which Adam was made; but, having lost it himself, he could not convey it to his seed. Note, Grace does not run in the blood, but corruption does. A sinner begets a sinner, but a saint does not beget a saint.
III. His age and death. He lived, in all, nine hundred and thirty years, and then he died, according to the sentence passed upon him, To dust thou shalt return. Though he did not die in the day he ate forbidden fruit, yet in that very day he became mortal. Then he began to die; his whole life afterwards was but a reprieve, a forfeited condemned life; nay, it was a wasting dying life: he was not only like a criminal sentenced, but as one already crucified, that dies slowly and by degrees.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
GENESIS – CHAPTER FIVE
Verses 1-8:
“Book,” sepher, denotes a register or complete writing, as of a record. This register lists ten generations, from Adam to Noah. The existence of this written record confirms the high state of civilization from the very beginning of human history. Men were not ignorant, near-savage beings. They were highly skilled in arts and sciences and trades and crafts.
The listing of genealogies begins with Adam. He was humanity’s only special act of Divine creation, 1Co 15:45. All others came from him, by process of natural generation. Verses 1 and 2 re-affirm the original creation, Ge 1:26-28.
Adam and Eve had other sons and daughters beside the three mentioned in the sacred text. There is no way to know how many children they had. The ravages of sin had not become so pronounced during their lifetime. This means that they maintained youthful vigor and health far longer than people of later times. The earth and its atmosphere were not poisoned by the noxious chemicals and pollutants that reek havoc with human health. It is quite possible that Adam and Eve had literally scores or perhaps hundreds of children.
The life-span of pre-flood men was very long. Adam lived to be 930 years of age. Some interpreters suggest that these “.’years” were shorter periods of time than the ordinary “years” of 365 days, thus implying that Adam was in reality only about one hundred, or at the most two hundred years old, at the time of his death. If this same formula is applied to Seth, it would mean that Enos was born to him even before Seth’s birth! Also, it would place the birth of later patriarchs in this genealogical table at impossible times.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
1. This is the book of the generations of Adam. In this chapter Moses briefly recites the length of time which had intervened between the creation of the world and the deluge; and also slightly touches on some portion of the history of that period. And although we do not comprehend the design of the Spirit, in leaving unrecorded great and memorable events, it is, nevertheless, our business to reflect on many things which are passed over in silence. I entirely disapprove of those speculations which every one frames for himself from light conjectures; nor will I furnish readers with the occasion of indulging themselves in this respect; yet it may, in some degree, be gathered from a naked and apparently dry narration, what was the state of those times, as we shall see in the proper places. The book, according to the Hebrew phrase, is taken for a catalogue. The generations signify a continuous succession of a race, or a continuous progeny. Further, the design with which this catalogue was made, was, to inform us, that in the great, or rather, we might say, prodigious multitude of men, there was always a number, though small, who worshipped God; and that this number was wonderfully preserved by celestial guardianship, lest the name of God should be entirely obliterated, and the seed of the Church should fail.
In the day that God created. He does not restrict these “generations” to the day of the creation, but only points out their commencement; and, at the same time, he distinguishes between our first parents and the rest of mankind, because God had brought them into life by a singular method, whereas others had sprung from a previous stock, and had been born of parents. (253) Moreover, Moses again repeats what he had before stated that Adam was formed according to the image of God, because the excellency and dignity of this favor could not be sufficiently celebrated. It was already a great thing, that the principal place among the creatures was given to man; but it is a nobility far more exalted, that he should bear resemblance to his Creator, as a son does to his father. It was not indeed possible for God to act more liberally towards man, than by impressing his own glory upon him, thus making him, as it were, a living image of the Divine wisdom and justice. This also is of force in repelling the calumnies of the wicked who would gladly transfer the blame of their wickedness to their Maker, had it not been expressly declared, that man was formed by nature a different being from that which he has now become, through the fault of his own defection from God.
(253) “ Il discerne les premiers hommes d’avec les autres, aus quels Dieu a prolonge la vie eu une facon singuliere: combien qu’ils ne fussent de si haute ne si noble race.” — French Trans. It will be perceived that this translation differs materially in sense from that given above; but, after the fullest consideration, the Editor adheres to his own, as a more literal rendering of the original Latin, and as being more in accordance with the reasoning of the Author. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
THE DAWN OF HISTORY
Gen 1:1 to Gen 11:9.
IN beginning this Bible of the Expositor and Evangelist, I am keenly sensible of the seriousness of my task. The book to be treated is the Book of Books, the one and only volume that has both survived and increasingly conquered the centuries, and that now, in a hoary old age, shows no sign of weakness, holds no hint of decay or even decrepitude; in fact, the Book is more robust at this moment than at any time since it came to completion, and it gives promise of dominating the future in a measure far surpassing its influence upon the past.
The method of studying the Bible, to be illustrated in these pages, is, we are convinced, a sane and safe one, if not the most efficient one. Years since, certain statements from the pen of Dr. James M. Gray, superintendent of the Moody Bible Institute, fell under our eyes, and those statements have profoundly influenced our methods of study.
Five simple rules he suggested for mastering the English Bible:
First, Read the Book.
Second: Read it consecutively.
Third: Read it repeatedly.
Fourth: Read it independently.
Fifth: Read it prayerfully.
Applying these suggestions to each volume in turn, if ones life be long continued, he may not hope to master his English Bible, but he will certainly discover its riches increasingly, and possess himself more and more of its marvelous treasures,
It was on the first Sunday of July, 1922, that I placed before myself and my people the program of study that produced these volumes. To be sure, much of the work had been done back of that date, but the determination to utilize it in this exact manner was fully adopted there and then. It was and is my thought that the greatest single weakness of the present-day pulpit exists in the circumstance that we have departed from the custom of our best fathers in the ministry, namely, Scriptural exposition. If, therefore, these volumes shall lead a large number of my brethren in the ministry, particularly the young men among them, to become expository preachers, and yet to combine exposition with evangelism, my reward will be my eternal riches.
Stimulated by that high hope, I turn your attention to the study itself, and begin where the Book begins and where all true students should begin, with Gen 1:1, but in thought, an eternity beyond the hour of its phrasing, for by the opening sentence we are pushed back to God. In the beginning
GOD.
That is the starting point of all true studies. The scientist is compelled to start there, or else he never understands where he is, nor yet with what he deals. God, the One of infinite wisdom, infinite power, infinite justice and of infinite goodnessIn the beginning God.
Having heard that name and having understood the One to whom it is applied, we are prepared for what follows,created the heavens and the earth marvelous first verse of the Bible!
All in this first chapter is wrapped up in that first sentence; that is the explanation of all things; what follows is simply the setting forth of details.
I agree with Joseph Parker that the explanation is simple. No attempt at learned analysis; that the explanation is sublime because it sweeps in all of time, all of material suggestions, all of power and illustrates all of wisdomthe heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth His handiwork; day unto day uttereth speech and night unto night showeth knowledge, and it is a sufficient explanation, the only one that satisfies the mind of man.
Infidel evolutionists cannot account for the beginnings. The geologist who does not believe, digs down to a point where he says, Who started all of this? and waits in sadness while the dumb rocks are silent; but for the Christian student no such mystery makes his work an enigma.
Everywhere he sees the touch of God; in the plants, the animals, the birds and in man,God. Where the unbeliever wonders and questions to get no reply, the believer admires, saying, This is my Fathers hand, the work of my Fathers word. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear (Heb 11:3), and he joins with the Psalmist, Let all nations praise the name of the Lord for He commanded and they were created (Psa 108:5).
Competent scholars have called attention to the careful use of words in the Bible, a use so painstaking and perfect as to give a scientific demonstration of the verbal inspiration theory. When it is said that God created the heavens and the earth, the Hebrew verb bara is employed, and it means to create something from nothing, so that God gave the death blow to the evolution theory some thousands of years before that unprovable hypothesis was born! The same word bara is also used in the 21st verse (Gen 1:21) concerning the creation of mammals, and three times in the 27th verse (Gen 1:27) concerning the creation of man, while a kindred word asah (neither of which convey any such thought as growth or evolution) is employed concerning His making man in His own image in Gen 1:26.
God, then, is not a mechanic; He is a Creator. He did not come upon the scenes of the universe to fashion what existed independent and apart from Him, but to create and complete according to His own pleasure.
In later chapters we shall show how these creative acts are confirmed by science itself, and argue the utter folly of trying to find incompatibility between Gods Work and Gods Word.
So for the present we may pass from God the Creator, as revealed in the first chapter, to
ADAM THE MAN
of the second chapter. An infinite decline, somebody says. But let us be reminded that it is not so great as appears at this present hour. The only man God ever made outright was not what you and I see now. The man He made was in His own image, after His own likeness, only as far below
Him as the finite is below the infinite; as the best creation is below the best Creator.
The man God made was good. The man God made was great. The man God made was wise. The man God made was holy. The men we see now are not His children, but the children of the fallen Adam instead, for Eve, fallen, brought forth after her kind; and what a fall was that!
When man disobeyed, he brought on himself and all succeeding ages sin, and its wretched results. There are those who blame God for the fall of man and say, He had no business to make him so he could fall. But everything that is upright can fall, and the difference between a man who could not fall and a man who could fall is simply the difference between a machine and a sentient, intelligent, upright, capable being.
There was but a single point at which this man could oppose Providence. Situated and environed as Adam was, the great social sins that have crushed the race could make no appeal to him. It is commonly conceded that the Decalogue sweeps the gamut of social, ethical and even religious conduct. Adam had no occasion to bow down before another God, for Jehovah, his Creator, was his counsellor and friend, and of other gods he knew nothing nor had he need of such. There was no provocation that could tempt him to take the name of that God in vain. There was no Sabbath day, for all days were holy, and the condemnation to labor was not yet passed. There was no father and mother to be honored. To have committed murder was unthinkable; first because there was no provocation, and second, such an act would have left him in the world alone, his heart craving, unsatisfied, and his very kind to perish. The seventh commandment meant nothing to the man whose wife was in the image of God, and the only woman known. Theft was impossible, since all things belonged to him. False witness and covetousness against a neighborhe had no neighbor.
But when God selected for Himself a single tree, leaving the rest of the earth to Adam, and he proved himself unwilling to let the least of earthly possessions be wholly the Lords, he gave an illustration to the unborn millenniums that man, in his almost infinite greatness, would not abide content that God Himself should be over and above him; and from that moment until this, that very thing has been the crux of every contention between the Divine and the human. If we may believe the Prophets, it was that very temptation that caused Lucifers fall and gave us the devil and hell!
All talk of shallow minds that God condemned the race because one man happened to bite into an apple, is utterly wide of the mark. Condemnation rests upon the race because every man born of the flesh has revealed the same spirit of rebellion shown by our first parentswe will not have God rule over us even to the extent of keeping anything from us. The wealth of His gifts should shame and restrain against His few prohibitions.
But, alas for mans guilt and godlessness! Equally wide of the mark is that other superficial reasoning that it is unjust of God to condemn me because some one of my forefathers misbehaved! Why charge God with injustice concerning something He has never done and will never do? Why not let
Him speak for Himself in such matters, and listen when he declares, The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him (Eze 18:20).
If, therefore, Adam with a body, mind and spirit unsullied, never having been weakened by an evil act or habit, did not stand, what hope for any man in his own merit. Are we better than they? No, in no wise, for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles that we are all under sin. As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way. They are altogether become unprofitable (Rom 3:9-12).
You say that the temptation was a subtle one. I answer, Yes, that is Satans way to this hour. You say, The desire was for wisdom. I answer, Yes, that is still Satans appeal; you need to see and to know more than you do, hence you had better try this sin.
Over one of the most palatial but wicked doorways of all Paris there used to be an inscription, Come in; nothing to pay, and so far as mere entrance to that place was concerned, that was true. But those who entered found when they had come out that they had visited the place at the cost of character, not to speak of that meaner thing money.
In passing, we call your attention to the justice of Gods judgment upon this sin. Its heaviest sentence fell upon the serpent, Satans direct agent; that wisest of all beasts of the field. He was accursed above all cattle, and brought down from his upright, manly-appearing position to go upon his belly and to eat dust all his days, and to be hated and killed by the seed of the woman with whom he had had such influence.
The second sentence in weight fell upon the woman who listened to this deception and led the way in disobedience. The man did not escape. The associate in sin never does. His love for the principal may in some measure mitigate Gods judgment, but the justice of God would be called in question, and even His goodness, if He permitted any sin to be unpunished.
EVE, THE PRINCIPAL PERSON
in this third chapter must have been in her unfallen state Adams equal, mentally and morally. We have had great women, beautiful women, women worthy the admiration of the world, but I have an idea that the worlds greatest woman was not Cleopatra, the beautiful but selfish; nor Paula, that firmest of all friends; nor Heloise, the very embodiment of affection; nor Joan or Arc, heroism incarnate; nor Elizabeth, the wonderful queen; nor Madam De Stael of letters; nor Hannah Moore of education; but Eve, our first mother.
When I think on her and look at the frail, feeble, sickly, sinful sister of the streets, I feel like weeping over the fact that our first mother fell; and today among her daughters are those so far removed from Gods ideal.
THE FAMILY
of the fourth chapter had its beginning in sin, and it is a dreadfully dark picture that is here presented. Envy, murder and lust appear at once. Abel is murdered, Cain made a criminal, polygamy introduced and all social vices which curse the sons of God. The picture would incite despair, but for the circumstance that in the third chapter God had made a promise which put Grace instead of Law.
There was need, for unless the womans seed should bruise the serpents head, that serpents venom will not only strike the heel of every son, but send its poison coursing to his heart and head; without God, without hopedead indeed!
Truly, as one writer has said, We lose our life when we lose our innocence; we are dead when we are guilty; we are in hell when we are in shame.
Death does not take a long time to come upon us; it comes on the very day of our sin. In the day when thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Before that sentence there is no hope, except in these words spoken of the seed of woman against that old serpent, Satan; It shall bruise thy head the first prophecy of the wonderful gift of Gods Son.
Of
CAIN AND ABEL
we appreciate the contrast! The self-righteousness on the part of one; self-abasement on the part of the other. Cains saying, The fruit of mine own hands shall suffice for my justification before God; Abel saying, Without the shedding of blood there is no remission, and that spirit of Cain dominates the early society, as we have already seen; for while the population grew rapidly, sin kept pace, and even seemed swifter still. From self-righteousness they rushed to envy, to murder, and to lust.
The Pharisee may thank God that he is not as other men are, but history is likely to demonstrate the want of occasion for his boasting, for pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
The most dangerous man is the man who recognizes no dependence upon another than himself; and the man most likely to be an extortioner, to be unjust, the man most apt to be an adulterer, yea, even a murderer, is this same Cain who says, See the fruit of my hands. The youthful Chicago murderers thought their fine family connections and their university educations would save them from suspicion and condemnation! I tell you, it is the humble man who is justified in Gods sight!
The man who cries, God be merciful to me a sinnerrather than the man who wipes his lips and says, I am clean, and is offended when you talk to him of the necessity of purifying Blood in which to baptize his soulhe is the man who is justified in Gods sight.
THE FIFTH CHAPTER
covers a period of about 1,500 years, and contains but one great name, not introduced in the other chapters, and this is the name of Enoch. Note that his greatness consisted in the single fact that he walked with God.
Dr. Dixon said, He did not try to induce God to walk with him. He simply fell in with Gods ways and work.
Some one asked Abraham Lincoln to appoint a day of fasting and prayer that God might be on the side of the Northern Army. To this that noble President replied, Dont bother about what side God is on. He is on the right side. You simply get with Him.
Enoch was an every-day hero! Walking patiently, persistently, continuously is harder than flying. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Like Enoch of old, they shall not see death, for God shall take them, and before their translation they shall have this testimony that they please God.
We have said that this fifth chapter covers 1,500 years. I call you to note the fact that it contains a multitude of names; names that even the best of Bible students do not, and cannot call. Nobody has ever committed them to memory; nobody cares to. They are not worth it. They were given to no noble deeds; they lived and died. The only wonder we have about them is that God let some of them live so long, unless it be that we also wonder how they managed to live so long and accomplish so little. Yet these nonentities have a part in Gods plan. They were bringing forth children; grandchildren came, and great grandchildren, and the children of great-grandchildren until Enoch was born, and by and by Noah; then the whole line was noble from Seth, Adams better of the living sons, down to these great names. It is worth while for a family to be continued for a thousand years, if, at the end of that time, one son can be born into the house who shall bring things to pass; one Enoch who shall walk with God; one Noah who shall save the race! There are people who are greatly distressed because their parents were neither lords, dukes nor even millionaires. They seem to think that the child who is to come to much must descend from a father of superior reputation at least. History testifies to the contrary, and shows us that the noblest are often born into unknown houses. The most gifted sons, the most wonderful daughters have been bred by parents of whom the great world never heard until these children, by their fame, called attention to their humble fathers.
The multiplied concessions that advocates of the evolution theory are obliged to make by facts they face at every turn, excite almost tender pity for them. Professor Conklin, in his volume The Direction of Human Evolution puts forth an endeavor in splendid defense of this hypothesis worthy of a better cause, and yet again and again he is compelled to say the things that disprove his main proposition. Consider these words. Think of the great men of unknown lineage, and the unknown men of great lineage; think of the close relationship of all persons of the same race; of the wide distribution of good and bad traits in the whole population; of incompetence and even feeble-mindedness in great families, and of genius and greatness in unknown families, and say whether natural inheritance supports the claims of aristocracy or of democracy.
When we remember that most of the great leaders of mankind came of humble parents; that many of the greatest geniuses had the most lowly origin; that Shakespeare was the son of a bankrupt butcher and an ignorant woman who could not write her name, that as a youth he is said to have been known more for poaching than for scholarship, and that his acquaintance with the London theatres began by his holding horses for their patrons; that Beethovens mother was a consumptive, the daughter of a cook, and his father a confirmed drunkard; that Schuberts father was a peasant by birth and his mother a domestic servant; that Faraday, perhaps the greatest scientific discoverer of any age, was born over a stable, his father a poor sick black-smither, his mother an ignorant drudge, and his only education obtained in selling newspapers on the streets of London and later in working as apprentice to a book-binder; that the great Pasteur was the son of a tanner; that Lincolns parents were accounted poor white trash and his early surroundings and education most unpromising; and so on through the long list of names in which democracy glories when we remember these we may well ask whether aristocracy can show a better record. The law of entail is aristocratic, but the law of Mendel is democratic.
Quaint old Thomas Fuller wrote many years ago in his Scripture Observations,
I find, Lord, the genealogy of my Saviour strangely checkered with four remarkable changes in four immediate generations:
1. Roboam begat Abia, that is a bad father and a bad son.
2. Abia begat Asa, that is a bad father a good son.
3. Asa begat Josaphat, that is a good father a good son.
4. Josaphat begat Joram, that is a good father a bad son.
I can see, Lord, from hence that my fathers piety cannot be entailed; that is bad news for me. But I see also that actual impiety is not always hereditary; that is good news for my son.
It is not so much a question as to your birth, or to the line in which you are, as to the nobleness of the family tree, as it is what sort of a branch you are; what sort of a branch you may become.
The Duke of Modena flung a taunt at a Cardinal in a controversy, reminding him that his father was only a swineherd of the Dukes father. The Cardinal calmly replied, If your father had been my fathers swineherd, you would have been a swineherd still.
In the race of life it does not make so much difference where we start as how we end.
I do not mean to despise the laws of heredity. They are somewhat fixed, wise and wonderful. The child of a good father has the better chance in this world, beyond doubt. But our plea is that no matter who the fathers are, we may so live that our offspring shall be named by all succeeding generations. I call attention to Enoch in illustration.
About
NOAH
four chapters or more enwrap themselves. Gods man has a large place in history. It is hard enough for Him to find one who is faithful, but when found He always has an important commission for him.
The most important commission ever given to any man was given to this man; namely, that of saving the race. Noah did his best, but when he saw that he was not succeeding with the outside world, he turned his hope to himself as the last resort; to his family as his possible associates. That is always the last resort. Man must save himself, or he can save no one else. The man who saves himself by letting God save him, stands a good chance of being accepted by his own family, and his faith will doubtless find its answer in their salvation as well. Even if it fail with the outside world, that world will be compelled to remember, when Gods judgment comes, that this commissioned one did what he could for them.
In Hebrews we read, By faith Noah moved with fear prepared an ark to the saving of his house. The fear of man bringeth a snare. The fear of God effects salvation. The fear of man makes a coward; the fear of God incites courage. The fear of man means defeat; the fear of God accomplishes success. Be careful whom you fear! I like the man who can tremble before the Father of all. I pity the man who trembles before the face of every earthly foe.
The story is told that two men were commissioned by Wellington to go on a dangerous errand. As they galloped along, one looked at the other, saying, You are scared. Yes, replied his comrade, I am, but I am still more afraid not to do what the commander said. The first turned his horse and galloped back to the Generals tent and said, Sir, you have sent me with a coward. When I looked at him last his face was livid with fear and his form trembled like a leaf. Well, said Wellington, you had better hurry back to him, or he will have the mission performed before you get there to aid. As the man started back he met his comrade, who said, You need not go. I have performed the mission already.
It was through Noah that the Lord gave to humanity a fresh start. God is always doing that. It is the meaning of every revolutionGod overrules it for a fresh start. That is the meaning of wars they may be Satanic in origin, but God steps in often and uses for a fresh start. That is the meaning of the wiping out of nationsa fresh start, and man is always doing what he did at the firstfalling again.
Noah was a righteous man; with his family he made up the whole company of those who had been loyal to God, and one might vainly imagine that from such a family only deeds of honor, of valor, acts of righteousness would be known to earth. Alas for our hope in the best of men!
He has scarcely set foot upon dry ground when we read, (Gen 9:20-21), Noah began to be a husbandman and he planted a vineyard, and he drank of the wine, and was drunken, and he was uncovered in his tent, and down the race went again! Man has fallen, and his nakedness is uncovered before God, and the shame of it is seen by his own blood and bone. Truly, by the deeds of the law no flesh shall be justified in His sight, because our deeds are not worthy of it. Faith becomes the only foundation of righteousness. That is what the eleventh chapter of Hebrews was written to teach us. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he, and when once a man has fixed his faith in the living God, and keeps it there, the God in whom he trusts keeps him, and that is his only hope. For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast (Eph 2:8-9).
NIMROD
the principal personage in the tenth chapter has his offices given. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord, and he was a king. The beginning of his kingdom by Babel and Erich, and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
Our attention has been called to the fact that before this chapter, nations are unknown, but now established government appears. Chapter 9:6 is the basis of it, and in Rom 13:2-4 we see that God set the seal of His approval upon it. Nimrod comes forth as the first autocrat and conqueror. One can almost hear the marches to and fro of the people in this chapter; cities are going up and civilization doubtless thought it was making advance, but how far it advances we shall speedily see.
The things in its favor were dexterously employed. Some wise men suddenly remembered that they all had one speech and said, We ought to make the most of it. True, as Joseph Parker says, Wise men are always getting up schemes that God has to bring to naught. Worldly wise men have been responsible for the most of the confusion our civilization has seen. Men who get together in the places of Shinar and embark in real estate, and lay out great projects and pull in unsuspecting associates, and start up tremendous enterprises, and say, under their breath, in their secret meetings, We will get unto ourselves a great name. We will exalt ourselves to heaven, and after the world has done obeisance to us, we will walk among the angels and witness them bow down; but God still lives and reigns. The men who count themselves greatest are, in His judgment, the least; and those that reckon themselves most farseeing, He reckons the most foolish; and those who propose to get into Heaven by ways of their own appointment, He shuts out altogether and drives them from His presence, and they become wandering stars, reserved for the blackness of darkness; for we must learn that self-exaltation brings Gods abasement. He that exalteth himself shall be humbled, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. God is willing that man shall come to Heaven but, as some one has said, If we ever get to Heaven at all, it will not be by the dark and rickety staircases of our own invention, but on the ladder of Gods love in Christ Jesus.
God is willing that we should have a mansion, but the mansion of His desire is not the wooden or brick structure that would totter and fall, but the building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. God is willing that we should dwell in towers, but not the towers of pride and pomp, but those of righteousness wrought out for us in Christ Jesus.
Fuente: The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist by Riley
CRITICAL NOTES.Notwithstanding the measure of difficulty standing in the way of ascertaining the meaning of the proper names of Scripture, the subject cannot be wisely neglected: what we do know is every now and then most striking and suggestive; and what we do not know, and with existing appliances cannot learn, occasionally possesses an interest almost amounting to fascination. We know enough to feel intensely curious to know more. In fact, these old names have the charm of fossilsthey were once living, and had a place in a living sphere of human hopes and fears, and passions and disappointments; and by them we seem every now and then to get a glimpse into a now buried world. These glimpses come like snatches of reality, and may be of considerable indirect service, even where we most feel that positive knowledge eludes our grasp. In the following summary of the meanings (certain or probable) of the proper names of this chapter, the reader will understand the appended initials to signify as follows:G, Gesenius; F, Frst; D, Davies; M, Murphy. Where the meaning has had to be gleaned inferentially from the author, it is enclosed in parenthetical marks ( ): where the author expressly intimates a doubt as to the signification of a name, it is followed by the sign of interrogation ?
Gen. 5:1. Adam] Red? G.; made of dust or earth, F.; ruddy? but prob. earth born, D.; red (from red soil), M.
Gen. 5:3. Seth] Placing, setting, G.; compensation, F.; prob. substitute, D.; placed, put, M.
Gen. 5:6. Enos] Mortal, decaying man, F.; man, D.; man, sickly, M.
Gen. 5:9. Cainan] Possession? G.; a child, one begotten, F.; smith, or lancer, D.; possessor or spearsman, M.
Gen. 5:12. Mahalaleel] Praise of God, G., D., M.; praise or splendour of El, F.
Gen. 5:15. Jared] Descent, G., D.; low ground, water, or marching down, F.; going down, M.
Gen. 5:18. Enoch] Initiated, or initiating, G.; teacher, initiator, F.; teaching, or initiation? D.; initiation, instruction, M.
Gen. 5:21. Methuselah] Man of a dart, G.; man of military arms, F.; missile man, D.; man of the missile, M.
Gen. 5:25. Lamech] Strong, or young man, G.; overthrower (of enemies), wild-man, F.; destroyer, D.; man of prayer, youth, M.
Gen. 5:29. Noah] (Rest), G.; consolation, or rest, F.; rest, or comfort, D.; rest, M.
Gen. 5:32. Shem] (Name), G.; name, renown, height, F.; celebrity, D.; name, fame, M. Ham] Hot, G., M.; dark-coloured, black, F.; swarthy, D.Japhet] Widely-extending, G.; extender, or spreader; or beautiful? (of white races), F.; extension, D.; spreading, M.
In general little reliance can be placed upon the etymological significance of these early names as given by the lexicographers, whether we regard them as purely Hebrew, or as having been transferred from some older Shemitic tongue. In a few of them, however, there appear contrasts that can hardly be mistaken. Thus, for example, between Seth, the established, the firm, and Enosh, the weak, the frail (, mortalis, homo), the contrast is similar to that between Cain and Abel (gain, as the promised seed, and vanity or disappointment), as though the hopes of men, from generation to generation, were alternately rising and falling.Prof. T. Lewis, in Langes Genesis.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Gen. 5:1-32
DISTINGUISHED MEN
History is full of distinguished men, and it is interesting to study how they became so. There are many methods of becoming a distinguished man, and we shall notice a few as suggested by the names contained in this immortal chapter of early history.
I. Some men are rendered distinguished by the peculiarity of the times in which they live. Adam was thus distinguished. He was the first human being to inhabit the earth, to look out upon its bright glories, and to care for its produce. He was the first human being to hold sweet communion with God, and to feel the rapture of holy prayer. He was also, with his wife, the first human being to be led astray, into the woful experiences of sin, by the devil. Hence Adam as the first man is invested with a most wonderful and interesting history, from the time of his coming into the world, over which he had no control. God made him, and he entered into life under these unexceptionable circumstances. Hence his fame. Had Adam lived in these days the probabilities are that his name would have been unknown to the crowd, and unspoken by the multitude. He was not by any means a man of great genius. We are not aware that he had any extraordinary mental or moral gifts, he was commonplace in the measure of his soul. We do not read that like Cain he built a city, or that like Jabal he was the father of such as dwelt in tents, or that like Jubal he was efficient in musical arts and accomplishments, or that like Tubal Cain he was capable of numerous mechanical artifices. He was simply an ordinary man, who in different times, under less extraordinary circumstances, would not have attracted the slightest public attention, and in this respect Adam is a type of multitudes whose lives are chronicled in the worlds history. They were not intrinsically great men, either in their intellectual abilities or moral sentiments. They never once in their lives had a thought so sublime that they were under the necessity of calling for pen and ink to pursue an angel clad in such bright clothing. They were never capable of moral passion. Their lives were a stagnation, there were no great billows of impulse rolling in as from a great heart, indicative of the wild music of the soul. They were men, and that was all. You could see all they were. You could hear all they had. They were possessed of no unknown quality of being. Yet they rise to fame. Yes! But there was nothing meritorious in their notoriety. They were renowned because they could not help it. Some men are fortunate in the accidents of their lives. They happen to be born in a certain family, at a certain time, and as a consequence they become the worlds rulers and favourites. Such men should learn that a true and worthy fame is not the outcome of time or circumstance, but of earnest personal effort and achievement. It is not unlikely that the man who is born a hero may die a fool. He will be greater at his birth than at his death. At his birth wise men may come to pay him homage, but at his death there may be none to attend his funeral. Thus we find that some are distinguished men from the mere circumstances of their advent into the world.
II. That some men are rendered distinguished by their marvellous longevity.We find that the men whose names are given in this list were remarkable for the length of their lives, Methuselah living to the age of nine hundred and sixty-nine years. There are multitudes of men who are remarkable for nothing else but their longevity. They had a good physical manhood, and consequently they were enabled to endure the storm of life for many years. They were men of bone and muscle rather than of thought and moral energy. They would be more useful in the army than in the church; better soldiers than Christian workers. But we gauge mens lives by a wrong estimate. We cannot measure a mans life by the number of years he has passed in the burden and battle of the world. A long life may be lived in a very short space of time, and a number of years may be the chronicle of a brief life. Mans truest life is spent in and measured by deeds, thoughts, sympathies, and heroic activities. A man may live a long life in one day. He has during the day been instrumental in the salvation of one soul, then in that day he has lived a short eternity. A man who writes in a year a thoughtful book, which shall instruct and culture the minds of men, lives a century in that brief space of time. The schoolmaster who teaches a boy to think, the minister who helps men to be pure and good, the gentle spirits who aid by visitation and prayer the sorrowful and the sick, these are the worlds longest lives, these are the worlds true Methuselahs. Hence we should endeavour to live well if we would live long. Immortality will consist in moral goodness rather than in the flight of ages. But society is hardly awake to this measurement of time and this computation of the years, and hence it still continues to laud the man of three score years and ten, and to reckon him amongst its curiosities. Society gives fame to many men because it regards them in this light. We cannot say that such a fame is worthy of envy. Grey hairs, when found in the paths of rectitude, are worthy of all honour and respect, but he who can find no other claim upon the worlds admiration is destitute of that which can alone win the truest homage of mankind.
III. That some men are rendered distinguished by the villainy of their moral conduct. There are many in this list whose lives are characterized by utter degeneracy. In the first verse we are told that God created man in his own pure image, and then by way of contrast, and of shewing the extent of the fall of man, we have given several names by way of illustration. The image of God and the life of man is in terrible contrast. But it is well that sin is not always made known in its full extent in human history. These verses do not contain a record of the sins of which some of the men named were guilty. They sum up the life in a name. History cannot write the wickedness of men. It is too dark for the pen to sketch. It would be too awful for the world to read and contemplate. When men die it is well that the remembrance of their sins should be buried with them. Their villainies are best forgotten. But history will not altogether permit the sins of men to pass from remembrance. The annals of crime soon allow their heroes to banish from the worlds memory. But monarchs who have been despots, place-seekers who have been murderers, and the outbreaks of popular rage, are retained on the pages of history. And these men owe their historic distinction to their crimes. Crime soon brings men into unenviable fame; a fame they had better be without.
IV. That some men are rendered distinguished by their ancestral line of descent. This chapter contains the line from Adam to Noah, in which are stated some common particulars concerning all, and certain special details concerning three of them. The genealogy is traced to the tenth in descent from Adam and terminates with the flood. The scope of the chapter is to mark out the line of faith, and hope, and holiness from Adam, the first head of the human race to Noah, who became eventually the second natural head of it. And so it is, some men are only known in the line of their ancestral relationships. They are slight links in a great chain. They are feeble lights in a grand constellation. Their greatness is reflected from the toils or achievements of others who have lived before them. They catch a borrowed lustre. Such lives are the relief of history. They subdue its grandeur. They contrast with its pageantry. They make it approachable. If the pages of history were filled with the exploits and records of men essentially and intrinsically great, they would be unapproachable by the ordinary reader. Hence we gladly welcome, now and then in its annals, the little manhood of great ancestry, but destitute of moral force.
V. That some men are rendered distinguished by their true and exalted piety.We are told in this chapter, that Enoch walked with God and was not, for God took him. This is a distinction of the very truest kind, it arises from the moral purity of the soul. It is not always that the men who walk the most intimately with God are the most famous on earth. Sometimes they are persecuted. They are often rejected by the common multitude. Some envy the beauty of their moral characters. Others mock them. But the favour of national crowds is very fickle and transient, and is not worth having. But the favour of all worthy spirits will ever be the heritage of the good. Heaven will also take notice of them, and cause its benediction to rest upon them. Good men are the true kings of the world, the true prophets, the great victors, and the only ones worthy of permanent fame and celebration. And when the great ones of the earth, whose praise has been from men, shall be forgotten, then the good shall shine as stars in the Kingdom of God for ever and ever. Then let all young men seek the distinction which cometh from above, that only is worthy their search, and alone will repay the energies of their immortal souls. LESSONS:
1. That a good old age is often the heritage of man.
2. That noble lineage is the heritage of others.
3. That true piety may be the heritage of all.
4. That true piety has a substantial reward as well as a permanent record.
I. The longevity of the antediluvian race. Here are men who lived through periods varying from eight hundred to almost a thousand years. This longevity might be explained on natural principles. These men inherited good constitutions; they were of stalwart frames, with pure blood coursing through their veins, and every part of their organization well strung together. The varying temperatures, the fogs and malaria belonging to these western regions, so inimical to health, had no place in their land. Their diet was simple; those intoxicating beverages and unwholesome confectionaries which come to our tables were probably unknown to them. They knew not the anxieties and competitions of the merchant. Who but God can tell how long the human body organically strong, and thus guarded, would live? Their longevity was for special ends. It served to populate the world. It supplied the want of a written revelation. From the death of Adam to the call of Abraham was a period of about eleven hundred years. During that period a large population grew, discoveries were made, great deeds were wrought, great communications received from God; but there was no historian to hand down to the children the experiences of their sires. Thus the longevity of man supplied the place of books. Their longevity contributed to their depravity. The fear of death somewhat restrains evil even in the worst men. Death is a useful minister. Were the Herods, the Neros, the Napoleons to live nine hundred years, would society be better than hell? As long as depravity is in the world, it is necessary there should be mortality.
II. The poverty of human history. All that we have of the human race for upwards of a thousand years is to be found in these verses. The myriads who lived during this period sustained the same relation to each other, to God, and to the universe as we do; and the ideas, feelings and habits common to the race were theirs. Each had a history of his own, but there is no record, the pale of oblivion is over them. They are only mentioned. There is an awful sadness in this. To leave the world in which we have lived and laboured, enjoyed and suffered, and to be forgotten for ever, is humbling to our vanity, and sickening to our very heart. The millions are forgotten as a dream, a few years after their death. A few by literature and art are kept in memory a little longer; but the hour comes with them, when the last letter in their names is washed out from the sands of life by the tidal wave of time.
III. The materializing tendencies of sin. All that is recorded here of these great men, except Enoch, is that they begat sons and daughters. There is no harm in this, but there is no virtue in it. There is in it that which indicates their alliance with the lower creation, nothing to indicate their alliance with the spiritual universe and with God. There is no spiritual act here recorded of them. It is not said that they read the meaning of some page in the volume of nature, or that they reared altars to the God of heaven. Why are these things not recorded? Because not accomplished? Why? Had they not souls? Had they not a God to worship? Their souls were materialized. The material pleasures are the pleasures taught by the million.
IV. The inevitableness of mans mortality. These men lived hundreds of years, yet it is said of each, he died. Death may delay his work, but does not forget his mission. No money can bribe death, no power can avert his blow.
All that tread
The globe, are but a handful to the tribes
That slumber in its bosom.
V. The blessedness of practical Godliness. Enoch walked with God. This expression implies an abiding consciousness of Gods presence. He saw Him who is invisible. The Divine presence was not with him a mere dogma; it was a living conscious fact. He felt God nearer to him than nature, nearer than any other being, the constant companion of his spirit. The language implies cordial fellowship. To walk with another implies a mutual sympathy and agreement of soul. Spiritual progress. He walks, every step bearing him onward into higher truths and richer experiences.(Homilist.)
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES
Gen. 5:1-2. Providence has made a sufficient register of the rise, growth, and state of the Church to satisfy faith rather than curiosity.
The genealogy of the Church revealed by God ought to be known and believed by men.
Gods will is that His Church should be propagated by generation, not by creation.
The generations of the Church were ordered to be from Adam fallen, that grace might appear.
The record of mans creation in Gods image is necessary to be studied by man in his fall.
Gods blessing only makes man fruitful to propagate His Church.
One name and nature has God given to both sexes of man, that they may learn their union in conjugal estate.
Gen. 5:3-5. The Spirit of God hath taken care to give a sufficient chronology unto the Church from the first.
Some distance of time may be in delaying the reforming seed of the Church, but it shall come.
Sinful Adam begets his seed in his full image, sinful as himself.
Grace can make a sinful seed of man to be a settled Church reformer.
Providence gave large progenies, and long time, to the first fathers.
The Spirit has willingly silenced the history of all the first times but of the Church.
Gods pleasure has been to give the world a full witness of his creation.
ENOCH, ONE OF THE WORLDS GREAT TEACHERS
Gen. 5:22-24. (Compare Gen. 5:22-24; Heb. 11:5; and Jud. 1:14-15.) There are three very strange things that strike us in connection with the history of Enoch. It is strange that so little is said about him. The verses we have read comprehend all our reliable knowledge of him. It is true that there is a book called by his namea book which, although perhaps as ancient as the Epistles, is evidently apocryphal, and therefore not to be trusted. Reference is also made to him in Ecclesiasticus, a book which, although bound up in some of our Bibles, has no right to a place in canonical writings. One might have expected that a man who lived so many years as he did, lived a life so divine and useful, would have had an ampler history in the Book of God. Another thing that strikes us as strange in this mans history is the comparative shortness of his stay on earth. It is true that he was here three hundred and sixty-five years, a period which, although commanding a space equal to ten of our generations, was not so much as half of the age of many of his contemporaries. We should have thought that he would have lived longer than the wicked around him. Another thing that strikes us as strange in this mans history is the manifest singularity of the life he lived.
I. He taught the world by his life.
1. He walked with God.
2. He had the testimony that he pleased God. How this testimony came to him we are not told. It is not necessary to suppose that it came in any miraculous way. It was the testimony of his conscience. How blessed such consciousness. Such a life as his was indeed a teaching life. As the load-star seems to beam more brilliantly in the firmament, the darker grows the clouds that float about it, so Enochs life must have been a luminous power in his age of black depravity. There is no teaching like life teaching. All mere verbal and professional teaching is as the tinkling cymbal to this true trump of God. It is the most intelligible teaching. Men reason against your Paleys, but they cant reason against a good life. It is the most constant teaching. Letter and logic teaching is only occasional. But life teaching is constant. Its light streams through all the acts and events of every day life. It is not the brooklet that rattles after the shower, and is silent in the drought, but it is the perennial river rolling in all seasons, skirting its pathway with life and beauty, and reflecting on its bosom the heavens of God.
II. He taught the world by his translation. He was not. The expression, was not found, suggests that he was missed and sought for. Such a man would be missed. No doubt his age knew him well. How he was taken to heaven we know not. We learn
1. That death is not a necessity of human nature. He did not see death. There are those who say that men are made to die; that, like all organized bodies, their dissolution is inevitable; that death with them, as with all animal existence, is a law of nature. Hence they say that the doctrine that men die because of sin is a mere theological fiction. It is also said that God intended men to die, otherwise He would not have allowed them to multiply so rapidly without giving them a world immeasurably larger than this. The translation of Enoch is an answer to all this. It shows that if death is the law of mans nature, God is stronger than law, and can annul it at His pleasure. If the earth can only support a limited number of men, God could have taken a thousand generations in the same way.
2. That there is a sphere of human existence beyond this. Perhaps the men in those antediluvian times had lost all ideas of a future state of being. The translation of Enoch would reveal another sphere of life to them.
3. That there is a God in the universe who approves of goodness.
4. That the mastering of sin is the way to a grand destiny. Just as a man overcomes sin, and walks closely with his Maker, he gets translated.
III. He taught the world by His preaching. Jude gives a specimen of his preaching, and it includes three things:
1. The advent of the Judges
2. The gathering of the saints.
3. The conversion of sinners.(Homilist.)
THE HEAVENLY WALK
I. That it may be pursued notwithstanding the prevalency of sin around. The age in which Enoch lived was, probably, the darkest the world has ever known. It had wandered from God in thought, in purpose, in worship, and in life. It was altogether degenerate. We have a Divine description of it.
1. Lust was made the basis of marriage. And the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
2. The longevity of man was productive of sin. And the Lord said, my spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.
3. Violence was prevalent amongst men. There were giants in the earth in those days. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. This is Gods description of the age in which Enoch was called to live. He was one star amid the darkness. He was one ray of light in the terrible storm of evil. He was one flower in that neglected garden. He was an oasis in the desert of wickedness. His life was in sublime contrast to all around him. He was the prophet of the age. He was the guide of the age. He was the benefactor of the age. This shows the intrinsic force of a godly spirit, in that it can repel the sin by which it is surrounded, and keep its own conscience from defilement. This shows three things:
(1.) That man can be good notwithstanding the natural depravity of his heart.
(2.) Notwithstanding the wickedness of his companions. Man is not the creature of circumstances. He need not commit sin because he is surrounded by it. He can repel it in the homein the workshopwhatever may be the disadvantages of his condition His surroundings are no excuse for evil doing. The soul can rise above them into the heavenly path of fellowship with God.
(3.) That man can be good notwithstanding the difficulty of the Christian life. It is not an easy thing to be a Christian. It is not natural for man to be good. Goodness is a conflict. Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads into the paths of moral rectitude. But this need not impede the spiritual progress of the soul in the ways of God, even in the most degenerate times. The darkness calls for light, and wickedness needs piety in its midst, if only to keep it from utter ruin, and to pray for its reformation.
II. That it may be pursued in the very prime of busy manhood. The life of Enoch was a comparatively busy one; he died in the prime of manhood. And yet at this period he was celebrated for his moral goodness. Some people have an idea that piety is all very well for little children, for women who are comparatively unoccupied, and for the aged; but they intimate that for men in the prime of life, in the midst of business, and who are thus in severe competition with the world, that it is an absurdity and an impossibility. These men hope soon to amass a fortune and retire from active life, and then they will commence the period of devotion. Who can estimate the folly and the moral wrong of such an idea? Piety is good for the most active business man. It will enrich his soul. It will sooth his care. It will quiet his anxiety. It will refresh his soul. It will give him the guidance of a Divine Father. Men can be honest in business. Multitudes are. They prosper the best. If the age is sinful, it likes to do business with a reliable man. Let the business men of England seek to enter upon the heavenly walk so gladly enjoyed by Enoch.
III. That it may be pursued in the very midst of domestic anxiety and care. And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. He was not the mere creature of passion. He was not materialistic in his ideas. He walked with God amidst his family enjoyments, duties, and anxieties. Many people have lost their religion through the increase of domestic cares. But a godly soul can walk with God in family life, and take all its offspring in the same holy path. Enoch would instruct his children in the right way. He would pray for them. He would commend them to his Divine Friend. Happy the home where such a godly parent is at its head.
IV. That it may be pursued into the very portals of heaven and eternal bliss. Enoch walked with God, and one day walked right into heaven with Him. Heaven is but the continuation of the holy walk of earth. Going to heaven does not imply a cessation in the walk of moral goodness. With the good man life on earth naturally breaks into the glory of the skies. Some people imagine that heaven will consist in a miraculous change wrought upon the soul whereby it will enter into some grand, inexplicable sphere of being. No: Heaven is the souls walk with God on earth, rendered closer and more spiritual by the conditions of the new life above. The souls walk with God is a progress to eternal light. Let our prayer be
O for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heavenly frame;
A light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb!
ENOCH: ACCOUNTING FOR MENS DISAPPEARANCE FROM THE EARTH
God took him.
I. We should take an interest in the destiny of men.
II. We should recognize the hand of God in the removal of men
III. We should believe in the particularity of Gods oversight of men. When God takes a good man
(1.) He takes that man to a higher blessing.
(2.) He will fill that mans place as a Christian worker upon earth.
(3.) He trains survivors towards self-reliance and emulous work. Or, thus:
1. God took himthe assertion of a sovereign right.
2. God took himan illustration of Divine regard.
3. God took himan assurance of eternal blessedness.
4. God took hima pledge that all like him will be associated. (City Temple.)
God of his own will hath chosen some eminent witness to bear out His name to all agesEnoch, Elijah.
Eminent piety becomes those who are Gods chosen witnesses in a dark age.
Men who walk with God must discover Him to others.
God will take and crown those souls that walk with Him.
The advantages of walking with God:
1. The best security.
2. The purest happiness.
3. It will secure eternal life.
Gen. 5:25-27. The longest life on earth:It will not give perfection.
2. It will yield to change.
3. It may yield to sin.
4. It must die.
Gen. 5:28-31. Outward names may be the same to the righteous and the wicked. Chapter Gen. 4:18. Compare Gen. 5:28.
God has set times for eminent refreshing to His church.
The first times before the flood had real and typical discoveries of Gods rest in Christ.
God makes the names of his seed prophetical of the peace of His church.
Gen. 5:32. A stated and full time of warning does God vouchsafe to men of His requirements.
It is a blessing upon the holiest to have families.
ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 5
BY THE
REV. WM. ADAMSON
Adam! Gen. 5:1. The Apocalypse of Moses is a mythical narrative of the sickness and death of Adam and Eve. In it Adam is represented on his expulsion as petitioning the seraphim to allow him to carry away some of the perfume of Paradise. The boon is granted, and Adam takes that aroma of Eden which afterwards became the sacrificial incense. It also narrates how Adam sent his son Seth to go and fetch the oil of consolation, which flows from, the Tree of Life in Paradiseand how this favour was refused him because he was appointed unto death.
Yes, I must dieI feel that I must die;
And though to me has life been dark and dreary,
Yet do I feel my soul recoil within me
As I contemplate the dim gulf of death.White.
Adams Death! Gen. 5:5. Tradition has invented an account of the last scene. Scarcely had he breathed his last than his soul was carried away by angels, and his body borne into Edenthere to await the resurrection. The death of him, who was created for eternal life, and was not to die, produces a deep tremor of awe throughout the universe. The earth refuses to receive his bodythe sun and moon cover themselves with a veiland wonders are wrought far and wide; all of which accounts are no doubt as deserving of Christian credence as are the startling phantoms of heathen prodigy or Roman calendar. Seth is represented as stating that Adam was buried by him in the Cave of Treasuresalong with the incense and myrrh from Paradiseto which cave came in after times the magi to obtain the frankincense and myrrh which were brought to the Infant Saviour.
Godless Grey-hairs! Gen. 5:9. There is not a more repulsive spectacle than an old man who will not forsake the world, which has already forsaken him. As Spurgeon so wittily and weightily says, of all fools, a fool with a grey head is the worst fool anywhere. With one foot in the grave, and another foot on a sandy foundation, of him it may be asked: A few more nights, and where art thou?
What folly can be ranker? Like our shadows
Our wishes lengthen as our sun declines:
No wish should loiter then this side the grave.Young.
Despots! Gen. 5:9. In pictured stone we see traces which speak of perfectly-organized, strong and beautiful life, and a record there also of imperfection and deformity; as in the records of the Bible are traces not only of those who excel in virtue, but of those who made a strong impression on their age through the magnitude of their vileness. Among such are those mentioned in this chapter. But
Thinkst thou there is no tyranny but that
Of blood and chains? The despotism of vice,
The weakness and the wickedness of luxury.Byron.
Adam to Noah! Gen. 5:9. The golden age was the first period of history in which truthrightinnocence and happiness universally prevailed. There were no instruments of war, and the earth brought forth her fruits spontaneously. Spring was perpetualflowers grew up spontaneouslythe rivers flowed with milk and wine, and honey dropped from the boughs of the oak. Then came the silver agethen the savage brazen agethen the murderous iron age, followed by the flood of Deucalionwhile
Faith fled, and piety in exile mourned:
And Justice, here opprest, to heaven returned.Dryden.
Ancestry! Gen. 5:10. King James I., in his progress in England, was entertained at Lumley Castle, the seat of the Earl of Scarborough. A relative of the noble earl was very proud in showing and explaining to his Majesty an immensely large genealogical line of the family. The pedigree he carried back rather farther than the greatest strength of credulity would allow, whereupon the witty Monarch quietly remarked that he did not know before that Adams name was Lumley.
Of all the wonders which the eventful life
Of man presents
Not one so strange appears as this alone,
That man is proud of what is not his own.More.
Memorials! Gen. 5:14. When we explore the caverns of Egypt we come upon the sculptured forms of ape and ibis. These serve to illustrate the shapes and idolatries of human conceits. They speak to us in language more powerful than the most minute details of history. And so, when we examine the vaults of pre-Noachic man, we come upon the names of successive generations which suffice to exemplify to us life-history of that era. They testify with more power and fulness than if there were a thousand rolls inscribed with their deeds and thoughts.
Those strong records,
Those deathless monuments alone shall show
What, and how great, the Roman Empire was.May.
Rivers! Gen. 5:17. Life bears us on like the stream of a mighty river. Our boat glides down the narrow channel, through the playful murmuring of the little brook, and the winding of its grassy borders. The trees shake their blossoms over our young heads, and the flowers on the brink seem to offer themselves to our young hands; we are happy in the hope, and grasp eagerly at the beauties around usbut the stream hurries on, and still our hands are empty. Our course in youth and manhood is along a wider flood, amid objects more striking and magnificent. We are animated at the moving pictures of enjoyment and industry passing uswe are excited at some short-lived disappointment.
It may be that the breath of love,
Some leaves on its swift tide driven,
Which, passing from the shores above,
Have floated down from heaven.Bell.
The stream bears us on, and our joys and grief are alike left behind us. We may be shipwrecked; we cannot be delayed. Whether rough or smooth, the river hastens to its home, till the tossing of the waves is beneath our feet, and the land lessens from our eyes, and floods are lifted around us, and we take our leave of earth and its inhabitants until of our further voyage there is no witness but the Infinite and Eternal.(Heber.)
Antiquity! Gen. 5:20. Wandering during a bright autumnal afternoon over one of the loftiest chalk cliffdowns in our island, and often looking out over the great far-stretching ocean that rolled up in monotonous murmurs to the foot of the precipitous white rock walls, on the top of which he then stood, Mr. Leifchild was deeply impressed with a feeling of the limitations of all human knowledge. Down below, some 800 feet under him, and for many miles before him was the vast unsounded sea. High up above that was the lofty, inaccessible sky. Immediately beneath his feet were solid layers upon layers of accumulated and piled-up chalk. He beheld the sea and sky under a full sunshine, but he knew nothing absolutely of what was in themof what was below themof what was above them. Even of the visible and sea-derived rock underneath, he knew little more than that it was the white sepulchre of countless centuriesthe mighty monument of historic agesthe dead deposit of once boundlessly swarming life. So may we stand in regard to the generations of men recorded in Genesis 5. We see around and above them; but we cannot see what is in them. Full blazing light is over all, but light is not in all.
When fain to learn we lean into the dark,
And grope to feel the floor of the abyss.Ingelow.
Faith-vision! Gen. 5:24. Birds have an extraordinary power of changing the focus of the lens of their eye, at will and instantly. By this means they are enabled to perceive distant objects invisible to human gaze, as if just under their beaks. The optician cannot give you an eye-glass to distinguish with equal clearness near objects and remote. Yet birds possess this power. And so the Christian possesses this twofold spiritual vision. The prophet Enochwithout increasing or diminishingwas able to cause the faith of his soul to change instantly the globular form of the crystalline lens, and thus augment the power of refraction. Looking at will and instantly, he could see the sins near at hand, and yet behold the grand solemnities of the last assize far off.
From Adam to his youngest heir,
Not one shall scape that muster-roll;
Each, as if he alone were there,
Shall stand, and win or lose his soul.Montgomery.
Immortality! Gen. 5:24. All heathen nations have believed in the immortality of the soul. The Greeks and Romans had their Hadestheir Elysian fieldstheir infernal regions; but these, as Macmillan remarks, were only ghost worlds, inhabited by the shades of the departed. They felt that the dust could not be the end of him who has been privileged to walk with God among the trees of the garden, and to hold communion with the Divine in the thoughts that breathe and words that burn in all the magnificence of Natures creation.
Thus man
Was made upright, immortal made, and crowned
The king of all.Pollok.
Wickedness! Gen. 5:22. There was never a ray of starlight in the Mammoth Cave of Kentuckyonly the red glare of torches ever lights its walls. So there were many men in the era from Adam to Noah whose minds were all underground, and unlighted save by the torches of selfishness and passion.
Meanwhile the earth increased in wickedness,
And hasted daily to fill up her cup.Pollok.
Family! Gen. 5:22. The religious father may be regarded in his family as the keystone to the arch of a building which binds and holds all the parts of the edifice together. If this keystone be removed, the fabric will tumble to the ground, and all its parts be separated from each other. Or, he is to his family as the good shepherd, under whose protection and care the flock may go in and out, and find pasture; but when the shepherd is smitten, the sheep will be scattered. Yet
His hand who rent shall bind again,
With firmer links, thy broken chain,
To be complete for ever.Fitzarthur.
Holy Walk! Gen. 5:24. The Emperor of Germany was one day visiting one of the public schools of Prussia; and, being desirous of personally testing the intelligence of the children, he held up a stone, and enquired to what kingdom it belonged. Having received the reply that it was a member of the mineral kingdom, he held up a little flower, and repeated the question to what kingdom it rightly belonged. The prompt response was given that it was classed in the vegetable kingdom; whereupon the veteran monarch, drawing himself up to his full stature, enquired: To what kingdom do I belong? To his pleased surprise, a voice immediately shouted: To the kingdom of heaven. True indeed of the aged champion of the Kingdom of Christ on earth; would that it could be said of every child of man: To the kingdom of heaven! This is secured by walking with God; and
Though small the seedling, from it grows
Heavens boundless bliss.Judson.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
3. The Generations of Adam from Seth to Enoch (Gen. 5:1-20).
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. 2 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. 3 And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: 4 and the days of Adam after he begat Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters. 5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty yean: and he died.
6 And Seth lived a hundred and five years, and begat Enosh: 7 and Seth lived after he begat Enosh eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: 8 and all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.
9 And Enosh lived ninety years, and begat Kenan: 10 and Enosh lived after he begat Kenan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters: 11 and all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.
12 And Kenan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalalel: 13 and Kenan lived after he begat Mahalalel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters: 14 and all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.
15 And Mehalalel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: 16 and Mahalalel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters: 17 and all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
18 And fared lived a hundred sixty and two years, and begat Enoch: 19 and Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 20 and all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
(1) Note the format in which this genealogy is presented, consisting of three parts: (a) the age of each patriarch at the birth of his first-born, (b) the length of his remaining life (with the statement that he begat other children), and (c) his age at death (Skinner, ICCG, 128). (The exceptions, for obvious reasons, are in the cases of Adam (Gen. 5:3) and Enoch (22, 24). The section on Noah is, of course, incomplete). Butis it necessary to assume that the son first mentioned in each case was the first-born? Certainly Seth was not Adams first-born. Moreover, each patriarch is said to have begat sons and daughters: might not some of these have been born (and even been deceased) prior to the birth of the son who is mentioned specifically? We must remember that the Author is giving us the Messianic Genealogy, and nothing more or less (cf. Luk. 3:36-38), (2) Gen. 5:3Note again that Adam is said to have begotten a son in his own likeness, after his image, not strictly the Divine image in which he had been created, but the image of God now modified and corrupted by sinthough not totally depravedtransmissible by ordinary generation. (Traducianism is the view that both the interior and exterior man [in soul and body, or, as we prefer, spirit and body] are passed on by natural generation: obviously, every human being is begotten and born a psychosomatic unity. Creationism is the theory that each human soul is immediately created by God and joined to the body, either at conception or at birth or at some time between these two events. The theory of the Preexistence of the human soul was held by Plato, Philo Judaeus, and Origen. [See A. H. Strong, ST, 488497]. Obviously, Traducianism is the only view that is in accord with both human experience and scientific thought.) Probably in most instances the son named in Genesis 5 was the first-born: this raises the problem of the lateness of paternity in such cases. Was this due to some physical cause handed down by heredity and in proportion to the growing degeneracy of the race? Or was paternity delayed in order that the father might acquire maturity of faith before producing a son to be the one who should carry on the Messianic Line? It may be that the one named in the record was chosen because his piety was foreknown by God, as in the case of Jacob (it will be recalled that Esau was rejected because of his profanity: cf. Heb. 12:16). It must be remembered that these genealogies are pointed toward the identification of those persons who figured in the Messianic Development. Other genealogical tables are interspersed only to indicate what relationships these other lines may have had, favorable or hostile, with the main Lineage of which the Bible is the historical record. (3) Note that God called their name Adam, that is, Man. Here we have, obviously, the generic name, which includes both male and female. God, as the maker, names the race, and thereby marks its character and purpose (Murphy, MG, 170).
(4) Murphy again: The writer, according to custom, completes the life of one patriarch before he commences that of the next; and so the first event of the following biography is long antecedent to the last event of the preceding one. This simply and clearly illustrates the law of Hebrew narrative (p. 170). (5) There is some difference of opinion about the interpretation (meaning) of the various names which appear in this table. The following interpretations seem to be fairly accurate: Seth (substitute, compensation), Enosh (weak man, mortal), Kenan, or Cainan (possession, artificer), Mahalalel (praise of God), Jared (descent), Enoch (dedicated), Methuselah (man of a dart), Lamech (strong man, man of prayer?), Noah (comfort, rest). (6) Someone has cynically described the personages named in the lines of Cain and Seth as religious nobodies. This, however, is begging the question: it is assuming that because nothing especially startling is said about those in the Line of Seth (excepting, of course, Enoch and Noah) that they were splendidly nil. But this notion is not supported by the interpretation of the names of the Sethites. Nor is it supported by the moral contrast between those in the Line of Cain and those in the Line of Seth. It is too obvious to be questioned that the Sethites were not characterized by the self-pride, restlessness, lust, and violence that is depicted in the story of the Cainites. It is significant too that the Sethites include two great men, two men who were remarkable for their faith and pietyEnoch and Noah. And it is even more significant (as we shall see later) that Enoch and Noah played certain definite roles in the unfolding of Gods Cosmic Plan, There seems to have been no occasion, therefore, for the inspired author to have gone into irrelevant details about the other Sethites who are named. The law of parsimony is a prime characteristic of Divine revelation.
4. And he died. The fifth chapter of Genesis reveals the tragic record of mans subjection to the rule of physical death. No matter that there were giants in the earth in those days; no matter that there were mighty men, men of renown on the earth; no matter that they built cities, wrote poetry, invented instruments of music and war; no matter that they lived to be nearly a thousand years old and begat sons and daughters; still and all it is recorded of each of them, and he died. Rom. 5:14Death reigned from Adam until Moses. Rom. 5:12through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin. Man cannot escape death. Neither by invention, culture, science, philosophy, or anything within the range of his genius, can he disarm death of its awesome sting. Heb. 9:27it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgment (cf. Act. 17:30-31). And he diedthe solemn toll of the funeral bell (Bonar); a standing demonstration of the effect of disobedience (Murphy). Eight times in this chapter the words and he died occur. . . . There is a double element in human nature which makes the fact of death so tragic. Man is akin to all animal existence in that every individual dies. He is different from the animal in that he is conscious of dying, foresees it, and feels its contradiction of his insatiable hunger for life. Nor does the universality of death dull its poignancy (IBG, 528). Think how men have tried to deal with death in their desperate efforts to overcome it, and how, realizing their failure to do so, they have resorted to wishful thinking in various cults of agnosticism, atheism, humanism, positivism, skepticism, etc., all of which are but varieties of whistling in the dark. Butdoes not the other side of the coin present an equally forbidding face? An eminent scientist, writing in Saturday Review some months ago, declared it to be within the realm of possibility that human science could prolong the average life-span of the human being to five hundred years or more. Then he concluded, But who would want to live that long in the kind of society in which man lives today on this earth? Yes, death is inevitable because it is a Divine appointment, but, let it never be forgotten, a benevolent appointment.
5. The Generations of Adam from Enoch to Noah and His Sons (Gen. 5:21-32).
21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22 and Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23 and all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24 and Enoch walked with God: and he was not: for God took him.
And Methuselah lived a hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech: 26 and Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: 27 and all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years, and he died.
28 And Lamech lived a hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: 29 and he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us in our work and in the toil of our hands, which cometh because of the ground which Jehovah hath cursed. 30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters. 31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.
32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
6. The Translation of Enoch
(1) Lange (CDHCG, 272): The unceasing refrain, and he died, denotes here also the limit of the long and elevated line of life that seems to be ever mounting towards heaven, but ever breaks off in the endwith the exception of Enoch, Still, on this dark background of a conquering death shows still more clearly the power of life. . . . And so we get a clear view of the battle of life with death. (2) Cf. Jud. 1:14Enoch, the seventh from Adam; and Heb. 11:5By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death, etc. Literally, he was not, for God took him. Or, according to the LXX, he was not found, for God translated him. Murphy (MG, 172): This passage is important for the interpretation of the phrase, and he was not (found). It means, we perceive, not absolutely, he was not, but relatively, he was not extant in the sphere of sense. If this phrase does not denote annihilation, much less does the phrase, and he died. The one denotes absence from the world of sense, and the other indicates the ordinary way in which the soul departs from this world. Here, then, we have another hint that points plainly to the immortality of the soul. . . . If we omit the violent end of Habel, the only death on record that precedes the translation of Henok is that of Adam. It would have been incongruous that he who brought sin and death into the world should not have died. But a little more than half a century after his death, Henok is wafted to heaven without leaving the body. This translation took place in the presence of a sufficient number of witnesses, and furnished a manifest proof of the presence and reality of the invisible powers. Thus were life and immortality as fully brought to light as was necessary or possible at that early stage of the worlds history. Thus was it demonstrated that the grace of God was triumphant in accomplishing the final and full salvation of all who returned to God. The process might be slow and gradual, but the end was now shown to be sure and satisfactory. Enoch is distinguished from the other patriarchs in several ways: his life is shorter but his years number those of the days in a solar year, he therefore attains a perfect age; he walks with God as Noah did, Gen. 6:9; like Elijah, he vanishes mysteriously, taken by God. Enoch has a prominent place in subsequent Jewish tradition: he is held up as a model of piety, Si. Gen. 44:16, Gen. 49:14, and certain apocryphal books (one of which is cited in Jud. 1:14-15) bear his name (JB, 21, n.). (3) In the pagan classical writings there are accounts of such translations to heaven, as, e.g., those of Hercules, Ganymede, and Romulus. (The tradition is reported even among primitive peoples of the Americas.) But translation was awarded to these for their valor or for their physical beauty, and not, as in the translation of Enoch, for a pious and religious life. (PCG, 96). (4) Heb. 9:27It is appointed unto men once to dietrue! But Divine appointments (cf. Gen. 3:19) are always subject to exceptions, ordered by the Divine Will for His own specific ends: hence, miracles (Act. 2:22). Obviously, the translation of Enoch (in the Patriarchal Dispensation) and that of Elijah (in the Jewish Dispensation) were both designed to be prototypic of the Translation of the Church (or at least of the living saints) at our Lords Second Coming. The first universal judgment was executed by means of water; the second and last, we are told, will take the form of fire (2Th. 1:7-10, Rev. 20:11-15). Enoch was not left to see the rise of the worlds corruption to its height; in like manner, we are told, the Bride of Christ, the Church, will not be permitted to suffer the Great Tribulation (Mat. 24:21, Rev. 7:14); the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1Th. 4:13-18). Enoch became the prototype of all those who shall not sleep, but shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump (1Co. 15:50-58). Enoch and Elijah are the only Biblical personages who never tasted of (experienced) death (Joh. 8:51-52; Joh. 11:24-27): each was translated directly to the Throne of God and thus became an heir of immortality by translation (transfiguration, cf. Mat. 17:1-8). Note the following interesting comment by Kaufmann (RI, 77): That a mortal should become God is inconceivable; but that he should join the company of celestial creatures is possible, as in the cases of Enoch and Elijah. This is the limit of Biblical apotheosis.
(5) Concerning the Translation of Enoch, Lange writes (CDHCG, 273): According to Knobel the motive for the translation was probably to rescue Enoch from the age in which he livedwith relation to ch. Gen. 4:10. Beyond a doubt, however, the main reason was the fact that he had become personally ripe for transformation, and that through his faith there might be introduced into this world faith in a new life in the world beyond (Heb. 11:5-6). If we would seek farther, we must compare the translations that follow in sacred history. Elijah is translated because his consistent legalism must become a judgment of fire, and a last Day for the apostate Israel: Christ is translated, because His staying longer in this world must have come to a sudden conflict of life and death with the old world, that is, must have had for its consequence the Last Day; the believers at the end of the world are translated, because now the Last Day has actually appeared. Judging from these analogies, we may conjecture that the translation of Enoch denoted a decided turning-point in the life of the old world. At all events, he had not in vain announced the day of judgment before his departure. At this time, it is probable, there was the beginning of corrupt alliances between the Sethites and the Cainites. It is the probable middle time between Adam and the Flood. (Cf. Jud. 1:14-15; cf. Deu. 33:2, Mat. 16:27, Dan. 7:10, Heb. 12:22). (6) It should be noted especially that Enoch walked with God. Originally, writes Skinner (ICCG, 131), this included the idea of initiation into divine mysteries. He adds: In the OT such an expression (used also of Noah, Gen. 6:9), signifies intimate companionship (1Sa. 25:15), and here denotes a fellowship with God morally and religiously perfect (Mic. 6:8, Mal. 2:6). (How different the motivation to translation here from that of the translation of Ganymede by the supreme god of the Greek pantheon, Zeus, with its overtones of homosexuality!) (7) What a haunting phrase it is: He was not; for God took him! There is no effort to elaborate upon the mystery of death or to presume in human terms to define what lies beyond it. Only the one great conception: when the good man dies God takes him and he goes to be with God. He goes to be with God because he has learned to be with God already. See what limitless suggestions there are in the brief and simple words, he walked with God. Herbert L. Simpson (Altars of Earth, p. 136) has a lovely paragraph concerning Enoch: One day Enochs place on earth was empty, and the people who had known him drew their own conclusions. He had been known as the intimate of God; and what more natural than that, when night fell, he should have gone home with his Friend? A little girl was telling the story of Enoch in her own way. Enoch and God, she said, used to take long walks together. And one day they walked farther than usual; and God said, Enoch, you must be tired; come into My house and rest (quoted, IB, 531). (However, there needs be a sequel here to complete the Biblical story. It probably should go something like this: Enoch was so happy in Gods house, and God was so glad to have him there, that they kept on living together for ever.) In Scripture, to walk with God is to walk by faith, to do Gods will to the full (Mat. 24:37-42, Luk. 17:28-35; Heb. 11:5-6; Mat. 3:15; Mat. 7:24-27; Gal. 5:25).
7. Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah
(1) It has been said that Methuselahs only claim to distinction is the fact that of all the antediluvian patriarchs, he lived the longest, 969 years; that is, his life lacked only thirty-one years of extending through a millennium (provided, of course, that the years numbered in this chapter of Genesis were years as we know them today). This would mean, of course, that he died in the year of the Flood, (It is worthy of note also, that the shortest life in this line of descent, that of Enoch, was followed by the longest, that of Methuselah.) (2) In the few verses about Lamech, it should be noted that not only is his sons name given (Noah), but the reason for this name is assigned (comfort). Murphy (MG, 173): The parents were cumbered with the toil of cultivating the ground. They looked forward with hope to the aid or relief which their son would give them in bearing the burden of life, and they express this hope in his name. . . . This is only another recorded instance of the habit of giving names indicative of the thoughts of the parents at the time of the childs birth. All names were originally significant, and have still to this day an import. Some were given at birth, others at later periods, from some remarkable circumstance in the individuals life. Hence many characters of ancient times were distinguished by several names conferred at different times for different reasons. The reason for the present name is put on record simply on account of the extraordinary destiny which awaited the bearer of it. (3) Note the names of the three sons of Noah in the order given in Gen. 5:32Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The language of Gen. 9:18-19 forbids our assuming that Noah sired any other sons, even after he came forth from the ark: nor is there any statement made that Noah begat sons and daughters as is made in the case of each of the patriarchs who preceded him. Moreover, there is controversy among various authorities as to the import of the sequence of these names. There is reason to believe that Japheth was the eldest and Ham the youngest of the three sons: this seems to be corroborated by the language of Gen. 10:21. Those who hold this view explain that Shem is placed first in the narrative as being spiritually, rather than physically, the firstborn. (See PCG, 97). (4) It should be noted too that the name of Noahs wife is not given, despite her very great importance to the continuance of the race. It is significant, is it not, that the inspired writer goes out of his way, so to speak, to give us the names of Lamechs wives, in the Line of Cain, names indicating sheer worldliness, but does not find it necessary to name the women in the Line of Seth, contenting himself with the terse statement in the case of each Sethite patriarch (Noah alone excepted) that he begat sons and daughters? There can be but one reasonable explanation of this fact, namely, that he directs his narrative to the one point he seeks to emphasize above all others, namely, that it was through the intermingling of the pious Sethites and the profane Cainites that universal wickedness became widespread by the time of Noah.
8. The Longevity of the Antediluvian Patriarchs
This has ever been a problem of some concern to Bible students; indeed, the time element throughout the entire Biblical story is hedged about with questions, some of which apparently defy solution. This is bound to occur because, as we have stated heretofore, the realm of Gods activity is one of timelessness, and this norm is reflected in the inspired writers apparent lack of concern for chronological preciseness, especially in his dealing with that phase of religious history which had to do with the beginnings of the Messianic Development.
Several theories have been put forward by different authorities for the unusual length of life attributed in Genesis to the antediluvian patriarchs. Josephus, for example, accounts for it on the basis of the superior piety of the early fathers of the race (Antiquities I, 3, 9). By some it has been attributed to the immunity to mortality which early man was privileged to enjoy by virtue of Adams original access to the fruit of the Tree of Life. Still others have explained it on the basis of a distinct manifestation of Divine grace to man, to the end that religious instincts might be awakened and transmitted to posterity by ordinary generation (cf. Gen. 4:26). White-law writes (PCG, 94): We prefer to ascribe the longevity of these antediluvian men to a distinct exercise of grace on the part of God who designed it to be (1) a proof of the Divine clemency in suspending the penalty of sin; (2) a symbol of that immortality which had been recovered for men by the promise of the womans seed; and (3) a medium of transmission for the faith, for the benefit of both the Church and the world. It seems to this writer, however, that the unusual longevity of the antediluvians, granting the accuracy of the chronology that is recorded about them, is most simply explained by the fact that they were near the fountainhead of the race and hence their physical constitutions had not been weakened by sin and its consequences, as occurred in the later history of mankind. Surely it is significant that subsequent to the Flood, Abraham lived to be only 175 years old, Moses only 120 years (Gen. 25:7, Deu. 34:5), David only some 70 years, and that the average human life-span had dwindled to some thirty-five or forty years by the beginning of the Christian era. One might well wonder if the old candle will not finally flicker out! However, this trend has been reversed in recent decades; the human life-span has been raised to an average of some 70 years as a result of current advancements in preventive medicine, the control of epidemics, and the amazing reduction in infant mortality.
Dr. Jauncey states the two most reasonable explanations of the longevity of the antediluvian patriarchs as follows (SRG, 73, 74): The first is that their concept of a year was radically different from ours. That there was some confusion on this point is seen from the ancient records other than the Bible which also emphasized this longevity. A list of ancient Babylonian kings gives spans of life extending in some cases to 1200 years. The Berossos list of antediluvian kings indicates length of reign for a single person to be 100 times as much, extending in one case to 64,800 years! Apparently their year unit was not only different from ours but also varied among themselves. If we could find out exactly what the Genesis antediluvian year was, the problem would be simplified enormously. Another point of view is that it isnt their longevity which was abnormal but our brevity! In those early days sin would not have brought about the ravages that came later. The human body is built and designed for much longer life than we enjoy. It becomes prematurely aged by adverse conditions that God never intended. There is a lot of truth in this. (See George A. Barton, Archaeology and the Bible, ch. V).
It can hardly be doubted that primeval chronology was not characterized by any notable degree of preciseness. Cornfeld (AtD, 25) writes: The genealogy [in ch. 5] is noted for the phenomenally long life-spans of its characters. . . . But all are much younger than their Babylonian colleagues, the ten antediluvian kings who are listed on a Mesopotamian clay prism: Babylonian tradition ascribes to them life-spans of thousands of years. In comparison Biblical longevity appears quite brief. This suggests that the recorded life-spans of Genesis cannot be considered in isolation, but are related to the Mesopotamian traditions. One of these has been handed down in a later version by Berossus, a Babylonian historian of the Hellenic period, who names ten kings who ruled before the Flood, whose aggregate life-spans total 432,000 years! Archer (SOTI, 187) discusses the problem as follows: The Westminster Dictionary of the Bible (1944) lists three possibilities for the genealogies of Genesis 5, 10. (1) If they represent literal generations without any gaps, the total from Adam to the Flood comes out to 1656 years, and the total from the Flood to the birth of Abraham about 290 years. This makes up a grand total of 1946 years from Adam to Abraham. This interpretation is dubious, however, since no such grand total (or long date) is given in the text itself, and since the grouping into ten pre-Deluge and ten post-Deluge generations is suspiciously similar to the schematized 14, 14, 14 of Matthew 1 (where demonstrably there are six or seven links missing). Moreover, Luk. 3:36 indicates that a Cainan, son of Arphaxad, is missing in Gen. 10:24 (which states that Arphaxad was the father of Shelach, the son of Cainan according to Luke 3). (2) The genealogies record only the most prominent members of the ancestry of Abraham, omitting an undetermined number of links (although presumably not as many links as actually are named in the lists concerned). A variation of this view would construe the formula A begat B as meaning either B himself or some unnamed ancestor of B (perfectly allowable in Hebrew parlance, since grandfathers are occasionally said to have begotten their grandsons; at least Bilhahs grandsons are spoken of as her sons in 1Ch. 7:13). The ages of the patriarchs who lived several centuries (even 900 years or more) would be understood as the actual lifetime of the individuals named. This view would allow for a time span of possibly five or six thousand years between Adam and Abrahamdepending upon how many links are omitted.
. . . (3) Or else the names listed in Genesis 5 represent an individual and his direct line by primogeniturean interpretation which makes possible adding the entire lifetime figure almost end to end, thus coming out to a grand total of 8,227 years between the birth of Adam and the Flood. For example, when Adam is said to have lived 930 years, this really means that Adam and his direct line were at the head of affairs for 930 years. At the end of this time they were superseded by the family of Seth, which remained in control through Seths main line for 912 years (Gen. 5:8). Thus it would not have been until 1842 years after Adams birth that the family of Enosh took over the leadershipand so on. One difficulty with this theory, however, is that Seth is the oldest surviving son of Adam to be mentioned, apart from the exiled Cain, and it is difficult to imagine by what other son Adams direct line would have descended before the allegedly collateral line of Seth took over. On the whole, then, the second interpretation seems the most to be preferred of the three. The first interpretation, of course, leaves insufficient room to account even for the attested history of Egypt, which doubtless goes back to at least 3500 years B.C., and that, too, necessarily after the Flood. (It should be noted, in this connection, that whereas the text of Genesis 5 in our versions represents man as having been in existence at the time of the Deluge exactly 1656 years, the Septuagint (which Josephus follows with but three minor differences) represents the age of man at the date of that catastrophe as 2262 years. Other tables such as the Samaritan Pentateuch vary even from these figures. See PCG, 97.)
Green (UBG, 49, 50): It should be remarked here that no computation of time is ever built in the Bible upon this or any other genealogy. There is no summation of the years from Adam to Noah, or from Noah to Abraham, as there is of the abode in Egypt (Exo. 12:40), or of the period from the exodus to the building of the temple (1Ki. 6:1). And as the received chronologies and the generally accepted date of the flood and of the creation of the world are derived from computations based on these genealogies, it ought to be remembered that this is a very precarious mode of reckoning. This genealogy could only afford a safe estimate of time on the assumption that no links are missing and that every name in the line of descent has been recorded. But this we have no right to take for granted. The analogy of other biblical genealogies is decidedly against it. Very commonly unimportant names are omitted; sometimes several consecutive names are dropped together. No one has a right, therefore, to denominate a primeval chronology so constructed the biblical chronology and set it in opposition to the deductions of science, and thence conclude that there is a conflict between the Bible and science. (The student is urged to read, in this connection, Part I of John W. Haleys great book, Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible. As far as we have been able to determine the book is now out of print, but probably it can be purchased from a book store dealing in secondhand and out-of-print books.)
Let us always keep in mind that with God it is always now: the space-time continuum in which man has his being is but a single Divine thought. God does not foreknowrather, He knows. Hence the time element has not too much to do with the fulfilment of the Eternal Purpose. It is the Messianic Line that is emphasized throughout Scripture, not the precise chronology of events and records used to authenticate the Messianic Development. In the words of one of the great hymns of the faith, with reference to Eternity, Life Everlasting:
When weve been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun,
Weve no less days to sing Thy praise
Than when weve first begun!
* * * * *
FOR MEDITATION AND SERMONIZING
The Messianic Ministry
2Co. 5:21Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him. The word Atonement means Covering. Gods Covering of Grace is the Vicarious Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross (Joh. 1:29).
1. Christ made sin for us: (1) made a divine-human person, yet possessing fully our human nature (Joh. 1:14; Mat. 1:23; Luk. 1:35; Php. 2:5-8; Heb. 2:14-18; Heb. 4:14-16); (2) made a condemned person (Heb. 12:1-3; Heb. 2:9); (3) put under guilt, or obligation to suffer (Joh. 3:16; Luk. 24:7; Luk. 24:46; Act. 3:18; 1Pe. 3:18; 1Pe. 2:21-25; Isa. 53:1-12); (4) by natural union with the race (Heb. 2:14-15, Mat. 1:23).
2. The saints are made righteous (justified) in Him: (1) made righteous persons (Rom. 10:1-10; 1Jn. 3:7; 2Co. 5:21); (2) made justified persons (Rom. 3:21-26; Rom. 5:1-2; Tit. 3:4-7); (3) freed from the guilt of sin (Act. 2:38; Act. 10:43; Rom. 6:17-18; 1Co. 12:13; Gal. 5:1; 2Co. 3:17); (4) by spiritual union with Christ (Gal. 3:27-28; Rom. 6:1-7; Rom. 8:1-2; Eph. 2:11-18; 2Pe. 1:4; 2Pe. 3:18).
Joh. 17:20-21that they may all be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, etc.
* * * * *
REVIEW QUESTIONS ON PART NINETEEN
1.
According to ch. 5, how many generations were there from Adam to Noah?
2.
What is the over-all design of these two genealogies?
3.
What is the basic theme of the entire Bible?
4.
Why is the Line of Cain carried forward only through Lamech and his family?
5.
Why does the Bible mention only three sons of Adam and Eve?
6.
What are the objections to the view that we have here a mingling of two genealogies or one common primitive legend in two forms?
7.
What kind of image did Adam hand down to his offspring?
8.
Explain what the last statement in Gen. 4:26 means.
9.
What does the name Seth mean, and what does this signify?
10.
Summarize the interpretations of this passage as given by each of the following: Skinner, Murphy, M. Henry, Whitelaw, Lange.
11.
What was the special significance of names among ancient peoples?
12.
Define traducianism, creationism, and pre-existence as theories of the origin of the soul.
13.
How explain the apparent lateness of paternity in the Line of Seth?
14.
Why was it necessary to bring Seth into the story?
15.
Explain what is meant by the generic name given in Gen. 5:1. What does generic mean?
16.
What is made clear in these genealogies about the relative piety of those in the two Lines?
17.
What is the significance of the phrase, and he died, as repeated eight times in ch. 5?
18.
Explain what is meant by the law of parsimony as related to Divine revelation.
19.
Explain what is meant by the statement, he was not, in the story of Enoch.
20.
What is the great difference between the mythological translations in classic pagan literature and the translation of Enoch?
21.
Define translation, transfiguration.
22.
What is the prototypic import of the translation of Enoch and Elijah? What is the explanation of Jud. 1:14?
23.
How harmonize these instances of translation with Heb. 9:27?
24.
Explain what is meant in Scripture by the phrase, walking with God.
25.
For what is Methuselah particularly noted?
26.
What did Lamech name his son and what is the significance of the name?
27.
For what reason, obviously, are Lamechs wives named in the Line of Cain, and their names interpreted, whereas no women are named in the Line of Seth?
28.
What do we know about Noahs wife?
29.
What, according to Jauncey, are the two most reasonable explanations of the longevity of the men in the Line of Seth?
30.
Summarize Whitelaws explanation of this problem.
31.
Summarize Archers conclusions regarding the problem.
32.
State the facts about primeval chronology as given by Green.
33.
How is the problem related (1) to that of time in general, (2) to the record of the Messianic Line?
34.
How does the chronology of the Septuagint differ from that of the Hebrew Scriptures?
35.
What, generally, was the religious condition of the race in the antediluvian period?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
V.
PATRIARCHAL GENEALOGY FROM ADAM TO NOAH.
(1) This is the book of the generations of Adam.See on Gen. 2:4, and Excursus on the Books of Generations.
In the likeness of God.Man is now a fallen being, but these words are repeated to show that the Divine likeness was not therefore lost, nor the primval blessing bestowed at his creation revoked. As mans likeness to God does not mainly consist in moral innocence (see on Gen. 1:26), it was not affected by the entrance into the world of sin, except so far as sin corrupted the vessel in which this great gift was deposited. (Comp. 2Co. 4:7.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
1. This is the book , translated book, is not necessarily an extended treatise; it is simply a writing complete in itself, long or short . The “bill of divorcement” (Deu 24:1; Deu 24:3) is . In this passage the word is applied to an ancient genealogical register, perhaps of the age of Noah, which the inspired author incorporates in his work.
In the likeness of God Repeated from chapter 1:26, setting forth, in a single phrase, man’s original nature and character.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Book of the Generations of Adam, Gen 5:1 to Gen 6:8.
Here begins another of the main divisions of our volume. As observed in the Introduction, (p. 50,) it is not an account of the origin or creation of Adam, nor even of his oldest progeny, but of his posterity through the line of Seth, who is treated as having taken the place of Abel. Gen 4:25. It is our author’s habit to unfold a series of events connected as in a chain of causes and effects, and then to return and take up one or another for further development and detail . So in the following genealogy, the age, offspring, and death of each patriarch are given, and then the record returns in every case to narrate events in the lives of his descendants which transpired before his death.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘This is the book of the history of Adam.’
This would fit most suitably as a colophon towards what has gone before, a record connected with Adam. But it could signify the history of Adam which was to follow.
This colophon (see article, ” “) could well have been at the bottom of the tablet indicating what the tablet was about. Notice the specific reference in this case to the fact that it refers to ‘a book’ (written record).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The History of and Genealogy of Noah ( Gen 5:1 a – Gen 6:9 ) (TABLET III)
This section commences with a list of ten patriarchs from Adam to Noah, and is followed by a passage where God makes a covenant with man after a particularly devastating example of man’s downward slide. As always in Genesis this covenant is the central point around which the passage is built. The passage ends with the colophon ‘these are the histories of Noah’. This mixture of genealogy and history is a commonplace in ancient Near Eastern literature.
The list of ten patriarchs can be compared with the Sumerian king lists (see article, ” “) which delineate ‘kingship’ in Sumer, and it is especially interesting that the latter lists the kings ‘before the Flood’. Thus this list in Genesis may well be patterned on similar ideas. Among other things it underlines the importance the compiler of the Genesis list placed on the patriarchs.
It is probable that the Genesis list has selected ten patriarchs to represent the whole line and is not all-inclusive. Notice that there are also ten patriarchs listed from Noah to Abraham after the flood. Other ancient Near Eastern lists also have ten kings named before the flood, and in some cases the seventh in line is seen as having heavenly connections, so that this is a recognised ancient pattern. The deliberate omission of names from genealogies is witnessed to throughout the Bible, with ‘begat’ simply portraying descent. We notice, for example, that Matthew deliberately does this with the genealogy of Jesus to make a series of fourteen (twice seven) generations. The number ten suggests a complete series (thus Jacob could say ‘your father has changed my wages ten times’ (Gen 31:7) meaning many times).
The Sumerian King Lists
The reigns (and therefore the ages) of the Sumerian kings before the flood were excessively large, even by patriarchal standards (e.g. ten sars = 36,000 years for a sar was 60 x 60 = 3,600). This may be due to an ancient memory of long-lived kings, with the numbers invented because no actual numbers were known.
However it is an interesting possibility that this has arisen because when the number system was being developed the sexagessimal system, which finally prevailed, was in competition with decimal systems (to put the matter simply). Thus if a sar at the time when these numbers were first postulated represented 10 x 10 to the compiler, rather than 60 x 60, the 36,000 years becomes 1,000 years which is more in line with the patriarchal ages.
Then we could suggest that in the course of time these sars became interpreted as meaning 3,600, the system which finally prevailed, producing these excessively larger numbers. However, either way, the ages suggest extraordinarily long lives and it would seem that the purpose was to show recognition that long periods of time, disappearing into the distant past, had occurred before the flood. Unlike the patriarchs these periods are consecutive in total thus numbering either 241,200 years or at minimum 6,700 years.
The numbers for these earlier kings were all round numbers, in contrast with later reigns of the kings, which in itself indicates they are not to be taken literally.
The Ages of the Patriarchs
In the same way it is doubtful if we should take the ages given for the patriarchs as literal, although they are clearly intended to convey the fact of longevity, and the passage of a long period of time. Let us tabulate them.
Patriarchs Begets at Remainder Dies at
Adam 130 800 930
Seth 105 807 912
Enos 90 815 905
Cainan 70 840 910
Mahaleel 65 830 895
Jared 162 800 962
Enoch 65 300 365
Methuselah 187 782 969
Lamech 182 595 777
Noah 500 450 950
There were a hundred years from the birth of Noah’s sons to the Flood. Thus if the numbers are taken literally and it is accepted that no names are omitted Methuselah died in the year of the flood, Lamech five years before, and Noah lived until the time of Abraham, while his son Shem actually outlived Abraham and would still be the head of the family when Isaac took over. This must seem unlikely in view of the silence of the narratives.
The Ages of the Later Patriarchs
We can compare these with ages in the remainder of Genesis.
Isaac is born when Abraham is one hundred
Abraham dies at one hundred and seventy five
The promise of Isaac comes when he is ninety nine, but this is
clearly due to being one year before the birth at 100
Abraham is eighty six when Hagar bears Ishmael. This is ten years after entry into the promised land at seventy five plus the year required for birth
Sara dies at one hundred and twenty seven
Ishmael dies at one hundred and thirty seven
Isaac marries at forty and has his first child at sixty
Isaac dies at one hundred and eighty
Esau marries at forty
Jacob meets Pharaoh when one hundred and thirty
Jacob is seventeen years in Egypt
Jacob dies at one hundred and forty seven
Joseph is seventeen when sold into captivity
Joseph is thirty when released from prison
Joseph dies at one hundred and ten
The only one that does not end in nought or seven is at the birth of Ishmael and that Isaiah 14 years (7 + 7) short of the birth of the son of promise, and is ten years, plus one for birth, after entry into Canaan (see Gen 16:3).
Are The Numbers Intended To Be Taken Literally?
Notice how many of the numbers in all cases end in nought or five, which were probably both seen as ‘round numbers’, and how many of the remainder end in seven. This is hardly likely on genuine ages (even if, in the days before numbers were invented or prominent, men could have kept such records, or even wanted to). The account has all the signs of being an ancient record, and while God could no doubt have revealed the ages, (although this would be unlike His usual method of inspiration), the above fact tends to nullify the idea that He did so.
In the first list only three in the first list, two in the second and four in the third do not end in nought or five. Thirteen of the thirty end in nought and eight end in five, that is over two thirds. Of the nine that end in another number, three end in seven, the divine number, and another three arise because of the seven endings. Two of the three remaining arise in Jared’s age, and therefore count as one (the one causes the other), the other is in the age of Methuselah who cannot be alive when the flood comes, yet, as the son of Enoch, needs to live as long as possible to demonstrate God’s blessing on Enoch in view of Enoch’s own ‘short’ life. This would appear conclusive evidence that the numbers are not intended literally.
Furthermore the age of Methuselah may intend to show him as falling short of 1000 less thirty years (compare Adam 1000 less seventy) directly because of the flood.
What Significance Could They Have?
Let us, however consider another fact. Adam is depicted as dying at 930, seventy short of one thousand. Certainly in later times a thousand years depicts the perfect time span. Thus Adam is shown to die seventy years (seven x ten = a divine period) short of the perfect life span. This can be seen as demonstrating that his death is God’s punishment for his sin.
Enoch is ‘taken’ at 365. This was at that time the recognised number of days in a year, and the year was connected with the heavenly bodies. 365 was thus the heavenly number, and his age thus reveals him as the heavenly man. He is the seventh in the list, the ‘perfect’ man. Significantly in the lists of other nations the seventh man is also often seen as especially connected with the heavens.
Lamech dies at 777. If ‘seventy and seven’ previously intensified the figure seven for the Lamech of the line of Cain (Gen 4:24), how much more ‘seven hundred and seventy and seven’ demonstrates the godliness of the Lamech of the line of Seth. The two are clearly seen in contrast. One uses the divine number for his own benefit, the other is benefited by God to an even greater extent. He is of the chosen line.
As suggested above Methuselah’s age may have been based on one thousand less thirty falling short by one.
With regard to the remaining names there is uniformity as regards the ages after begetting. Following Adam’s 800 the next five are 800 or 800 plus a number which is significant elsewhere – seven, fifteen, forty and thirty. Note also that Noah has 500 years before he begets, in total contrast with the others. If we take the numbers literally it would mean that Noah is still alive when Abraham is born and Shem outlives Abraham and is alive when Jacob and Esau are born! Would God really have called Abraham to leave such worthy company?
I will not pretend to be able to solve the riddle of the numbers which have exercised the minds of many. Suffice to say that they are lost in the mists of time, (and the Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint have different numbers), but certainly we can see the high numbers, signifying longevity, as intended to get over the message that the line of Seth was blessed with long life. When we consider the mystical value put on numbers in those days, it is not surprising that they should be utilised to give divine messages. (The time of Abraham was the period when mathematics reached its highest point among the Sumerians and Old Babylonians, only to rapidly decline and not revive again for a thousand years).
What is interesting, however, is the fact that the message was put over by adding and taking away, and not by multiplying. This again is an indication of the age of the narrative.
Thus it seems to us that the list is intended to convey longevity, and that is also intended, through a representative selection of ten which deliberately makes Enoch the seventh in line, to cover all generations who lived before the flood. This is sufficient for the writers purpose in accordance with ancient methodology. The overall impression intended is to convey the idea of a very long period of time.
We will now consider the narrative (see theWord verse comments).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Descendants of Adam In Gen 5:1-32 we find the genealogy of Adam, which covers a period of 1,556 years (from Adam to the birth of Noah’s sons). The manner in which this genealogy is given reveals how God preserved a righteous seed in each generation in order to preserve the coming of the promised “seed of woman” (Gen 3:15) while the rest of mankind grows exceeding wicked (Gen 6:1-8). This genealogy says that each man lived a certain amount of years and bore a son. Then he lived so many more years before he died. Thus, the emphasis on this genealogy is different from any other genealogy in the Scriptures in that it reveals the destiny of each of these men, which was to produce a righteous seed. There were many events that took place during each of the lives of these individuals, but the event that is recorded in the Scriptures is the birth of a righteous son, and this event reveals the destiny of each of these fathers. Their destiny was to keep a seed of righteousness upon this world. Each one fulfilled this destiny. All other events were secondary to this issue and so were not recorded in Scripture.
The Age of Man Before the Flood – Note that the average age of the patriarchs prior to the Flood was nine hundred years. After the flood, man’s lifespan was greatly reduced by the Lord to one hundred twenty years (Gen 6:3).
Gen 6:3, “And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.”
The Patriarchs Begin Each Millennium – F rom Adam to the birth of Noah was 1056 years. This means that Adam began the first millennium; Noah began the second millennium; Abraham began the third millennium; David began the fourth millennium; Jesus began the fifth millennium. It can be observed that the greatest men of the Bible each began a new millennium.
The Meaning of the Names in the Genealogy of Adam – Some Bible teachers have placed an important significance upon the meanings of these ten names listed in the genealogy of Adam. I have heard one teacher interpret the following meaning of these names as a progression of prophetic redemptive events that God would bring upon the earth. The name Adam means “man,” for God placed man in the Garden of Eden to fulfill His plan for this earth. When man failed, God had to find a substitute (Seth), a second Adam, in the form of His Son Jesus Christ. His Son would come as a mortal man (Enos). He would come as Emmanuel and make his dwelling on earth (Cainan) with mankind. He would be born of the tribe of Judah, and become the praise of God (Mahalaleel). He would descend from heaven to earth (Jared), a sacrifice that God initiated (Enoch) and not man. He will be pierced on the Cross (Methuselah) and be made low (Lamech). With His resurrection, Jesus will then lead God’s people into eternal rest (Noah).
Another proposed sequence of the meanings of these names is as follows: Adam (man); Seth (appointed); Enos (mortal); Cainan (sorrow); Mehalaleel (blessed of God); Jared (shall come down); Enoch (teaching); Methuselah (his death shall bring); Lamech (the despairing); Noah (rest). Thus, the prophetic message is derived that says, “A man is appointed, a mortal man of sorrow, and the blessed of God shall come down teaching that his death shall bring the despairing rest and comfort.” [112]
[112] Darryl Woodson, “Genesis 4-5: An Acceptable Sacrifice,” Victory City Church Ntinda, Kampala, Uganda, 13 June 2010.
A Comparison of Variant Readings of the Hebrew, Samaritan and LXX Texts A. Dillmann provides a chart that compares the variant readings of the Hebrew, Samaritan, and LXX texts. He acknowledges the difficulty in reconciling these variant readings. [113]
[113] A. Dillmann, Genesis Critically and Exegetically Expounded, vol. 1, trans. Wm. B. Stevenson (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clarke, 1897), 217.
Gen 5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
Gen 5:1
Luk 3:36-38, “Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech, Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam , which was the son of God.”
Gen 5:2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
Gen 5:2
Comments – This is an interesting phrase where God calls both Adam and Eve by the one name of “Adam.” Oral Roberts reads Gen 2:24 as a key verse that God used in his marriage because it talks about them leaving their parent’s house and clinging to one another. He said that the Lord spoke to him and said, “When I see you and Evelyn, I do not see you as two people, but as one person.” [114] Thus, God could call them “Adam” because He saw them as one.
[114] Oral Roberts, interviewed by Benny Hinn, This is Your Day, on Trinity Broadcasting Network (Santa Ana, California), television program.
Gen 2:24, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
In Mar 10:6 Jesus says, “But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.” He did not say God made men and women; rather, He said that God made this couple as a male and a female, stressing the single bond of marriage.
Old Testament Quotes in the New Testament – A reference to Gen 5:2 and Gen 1:27 is found in the following New Testament passages.
Gen 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
Mat 19:4, “And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,”
Mar 10:6, “But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.”
Gen 5:3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
Gen 5:3
Comments – There is only one individual in the Scriptures by this name. Eve gave Seth this name because she saw that God had appointed her with, or compensated her with, another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.
Gen 4:25, “And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.”
Gen 5:4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:4
Gen 5:5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
Gen 5:5
“And at the close of the nineteenth jubilee, in the seventh week in the sixth year [930 A.M.] thereof, Adam died, and all his sons buried him in the land of his creation, and he was the first to be buried in the earth. He lacked seventy years of one thousand years; for one thousand years are as one day in the testimony of the heavens and therefore was it written concerning the tree of knowledge: ‘On the day that ye eat thereof ye shall die.’ For this reason he did not complete the years of this day; for he died during it.” ( The Book of Jubilees 4.29-31)
Gen 5:6 And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos:
Gen 5:6
Gen 5:7 And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:8 Gen 5:9 Gen 5:9
Comments Wenham tells us that the name “Qenan” is usually understood as “a variant form of ‘Cain.’” [115]
[115] Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 16-50, in Word Biblical Commentary: 58 Volumes on CD-Rom, vol. 2, eds. Bruce M. Metzger, David A. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker (Dallas: Word Inc., 2002), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), comments on Genesis 5:12-14.
Gen 5:10 And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:11 Gen 5:12 Gen 5:12
[116] A. Dillmann, Genesis Critically and Exegetically Expounded, vol. 1, trans. Wm. B. Stevenson (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clarke, 1897), 215.
Gen 5:13 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:14 Gen 5:15 Gen 5:15
[117] A. Dillmann, Genesis Critically and Exegetically Expounded, vol. 1, trans. Wm. B. Stevenson (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clarke, 1897), 215.
Comments – The Book of Jubilees (4.15-16) tells us that the name was given to him because in his days the angels of the Lord descended upon the earth, which were called “watchers.” There duty was to instruct men in the ways of righteousness. The watchers are also mentioned in the book of 1 Enoch.
Gen 5:16 And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:17 Gen 5:18 Gen 5:18
Gen 5:19 And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:20 Gen 5:21 Gen 5:21
[118] A. Dillmann, Genesis Critically and Exegetically Expounded, vol. 1, trans. Wm. B. Stevenson (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clarke, 1897), 215.
Gen 5:22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:23 Gen 5:23
Gen 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
Gen 5:24
Gen 42:13, “And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not .”
Gen 42:32, “We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not , and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.”
Jacob could have just as easily used the phrase, “his brother is dead,” as in Gen 42:38, but he did not.
Gen 42:38, “And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead , and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.”
This phrase is also used to mean that someone is no longer present. In Gen 42:36, it means “Simeon was not present with him.”
Gen 42:36, “And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not , and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.”
Thus, this verse in Gen 5:24 means that Enoch was no longer with the people on earth.
Gen 5:24 Comments – Irenaeus (A.D. 130 to 200) tells us that the translations of Enoch and Elijah were in anticipation of the coming rapture of the saints spoken of in 1Th 4:13-18. [119]
[119] Irenaeus writes, “For Enoch, when he pleased God, was translated in the same body in which he did please Him, thus pointing out by anticipation the translation of the just. Elijah, too, was caught up [when he was yet] in the substance of the [natural] form; thus exhibiting in prophecy the assumption of those who are spiritual, and that nothing stood in the way of their body being translated and caught up. For by means of the very same hands through which they were moulded at the beginning, did they receive this translation and assumption.” (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 5.5)
The concept of being rapture in the heavens is not unique to Hebrew literature. The Roman historian Livy (65 B.C. to A.D. 17) records the tradition of Romulus being caught up in a storm and taken to heaven. [120]
[120] Livy writes, “Having accomplished these works deserving of immortality, while he was holding an assembly of the people for reviewing his army, in the plain near the Goat’s pool, a storm suddenly came on, accompanied by loud thunder and lightning, and enveloped the king in so dense a mist, that it entirely hid him from the sight of the assembly. After this Romulus was never seen again upon earththough they readily believed the words of the fathers who had stood nearest him, that he had been carried up to heaven by the storm ( The History of Rome 1.16) See Titus Livius, Roman History, trans. John Henry Freese, Aldred John Church, and William Jackson Brodribb, in The World’s Greatest Books, ed. Rossiter Johnson (New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1898), 18-19.
If we are to partake of the first resurrection and meet Jesus in the sky, we are going to have to walk with God, according to His Word.
Gen 5:24 Old Testament Quotes in the New Testament – Note the New Testament reference to this event:
Heb 11:5-6, “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”
Gen 5:25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:
Gen 5:25
Gen 5:26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:27 Gen 5:27
Gen 5:28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:
Gen 5:29 Gen 5:29
Heb 4:9-10, “ There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God . For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.”
Mat 11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest . Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
In Gen 3:19 Noah’s father prophesied over him that he would bring comfort to the earth. How did this comfort come? God removed the curse from ground (Gen 8:21). Noah fulfilled this prophecy by giving man rest from the curse of the ground that God placed on them in Gen 3:17. Also, through Jesus, man’s curses are removed.
Gen 3:17, “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake ; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;”
Gen 8:21, “And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake ; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.”
Noah was an Old Testament type and figure of Jesus Christ, the captain of our salvation, who led us into the ark or (abode) which he went to prepare for us (Joh 14:2).
Joh 14:2, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
Gen 5:30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:31 Gen 5:31
Gen 5:32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Gen 5:32
Gen 5:32 Word Study on “Ham” Strong tells us that the Hebrew name “Ham” ( ) (H2526) means, “hot,” and that it is derived from the same Hebrew primitive root ( ) (H2525), which means, “hot, warm.”
Gen 5:32 Word Study on “Japheth” Strong tells us that the Hebrew name “Japheth” ( ) (H3315) means, “expansion,” and is derived from the primitive root ( ) (H6601), which means, “to be spacious, be open, be wide.”
Gen 5:32 Comments – The genealogy for the sons of Noah is given in Gen 10:1-32.
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Ten Genealogies (Calling) – The Genealogies of Righteous Men and their Divine Callings (To Be Fruitful and Multiply) – The ten genealogies found within the book of Genesis are structured in a way that traces the seed of righteousness from Adam to Noah to Shem to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob and the seventy souls that followed him down into Egypt. The book of Genesis closes with the story of the preservation of these seventy souls, leading us into the book of Exodus where we see the creation of the nation of Israel while in Egyptian bondage, which nation of righteousness God will use to be a witness to all nations on earth in His plan of redemption. Thus, we see how the book of Genesis concludes with the origin of the nation of Israel while its first eleven chapters reveal that the God of Israel is in fact that God of all nations and all creation.
The genealogies of the six righteous men in Genesis (Adam, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) are the emphasis in this first book of the Old Testament, with each of their narrative stories opening with a divine commission from God to these men, and closing with the fulfillment of prophetic words concerning the divine commissions. This structure suggests that the author of the book of Genesis wrote under the office of the prophet in that a prophecy is given and fulfilled within each of the genealogies of these six primary patriarchs. Furthermore, all the books of the Old Testament were written by men of God who moved in the office of the prophet, which includes the book of Genesis. We find a reference to the fulfillment of these divine commissions by the patriarchs in Heb 11:1-40. The underlying theme of the Holy Scriptures is God’s plan of redemption for mankind. Thus, the book of Genesis places emphasis upon these men of righteousness because of the role that they play in this divine plan as they fulfilled their divine commissions. This explains why the genealogies of Ishmael (Gen 25:12-18) and of Esau (Gen 36:1-43) are relatively brief, because God does not discuss the destinies of these two men in the book of Genesis. These two men were not men of righteousness, for they missed their destinies because of sin. Ishmael persecuted Isaac and Esau sold his birthright. However, it helps us to understand that God has blessed Ishmael and Esau because of Abraham although the seed of the Messiah and our redemption does not pass through their lineage. Prophecies were given to Ishmael and Esau by their fathers, and their genealogies testify to the fulfillment of these prophecies. There were six righteous men did fulfill their destinies in order to preserve a righteous seed so that God could create a righteous nation from the fruit of their loins. Illustration As a young schoolchild learning to read, I would check out biographies of famous men from the library, take them home and read them as a part of class assignments. The lives of these men stirred me up and placed a desire within me to accomplish something great for mankind as did these men. In like manner, the patriarchs of the genealogies in Genesis are designed to stir up our faith in God and encourage us to walk in their footsteps in obedience to God.
The first five genealogies in the book of Genesis bring redemptive history to the place of identifying seventy nations listed in the Table of Nations. The next five genealogies focus upon the origin of the nation of Israel and its patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
There is much more history and events that took place surrounding these individuals emphasized in the book of Genesis, which can be found in other ancient Jewish writings, such as The Book of Jubilees. However, the Holy Scriptures and the book of Genesis focus upon the particular events that shaped God’s plan of redemption through the procreation of men of righteousness. Thus, it was unnecessary to include many of these historical events that were irrelevant to God’s plan of redemption.
In addition, if we see that the ten genealogies contained within the book of Genesis show to us the seed of righteousness that God has preserved in order to fulfill His promise that the “seed of woman” would bruise the serpent’s head in Gen 3:15, then we must understand that each of these men of righteousness had a particular calling, destiny, and purpose for their lives. We can find within each of these genealogies the destiny of each of these men of God, for each one of them fulfilled their destiny. These individual destinies are mentioned at the beginning of each of their genealogies.
It is important for us to search these passages of Scripture and learn how each of these men fulfilled their destiny in order that we can better understand that God has a destiny and a purpose for each of His children as He continues to work out His divine plan of redemption among the children of men. This means that He has a destiny for you and me. Thus, these stories will show us how other men fulfilled their destinies and help us learn how to fulfill our destiny. The fact that there are ten callings in the book of Genesis, and since the number “10” represents the concept of countless, many, or numerous, we should understand that God calls out men in each subsequent generation until God’s plan of redemption is complete.
We can even examine the meanings of each of their names in order to determine their destiny, which was determined for them from a child. Adam’s name means “ruddy, i.e. a human being” ( Strong), for it was his destiny to begin the human race. Noah’s name means, “rest” ( Strong). His destiny was to build the ark and save a remnant of mankind so that God could restore peace and rest to the fallen human race. God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, meaning, “father of a multitude” ( Strong), because his destiny was to live in the land of Canaan and believe God for a son of promise so that his seed would become fruitful and multiply and take dominion over the earth. Isaac’s name means, “laughter” ( Strong) because he was the child of promise. His destiny was to father two nations, believing that the elder would serve the younger. Isaac overcame the obstacles that hindered the possession of the land, such as barrenness and the threat of his enemies in order to father two nations, Israel and Esau. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, which means “he will rule as God” ( Strong), because of his ability to prevail over his brother Esau and receive his father’s blessings, and because he prevailed over the angel in order to preserve his posterity, which was the procreation of twelve sons who later multiplied into the twelve tribes of Israel. Thus, his ability to prevail against all odds and father twelve righteous seeds earned him his name as one who prevailed with God’s plan of being fruitful and multiplying seeds of righteousness.
In order for God’s plan to be fulfilled in each of the lives of these patriarchs, they were commanded to be fruitful and multiply. It was God’s plan that the fruit of each man was to be a godly seed, a seed of righteousness. It was because of the Fall that unrighteous seed was produced. This ungodly offspring was not then nor is it today God’s plan for mankind.
Outline Here is a proposed outline:
1. The Generation of the Heavens and the Earth Gen 2:4 to Gen 4:26
a) The Creation of Man Gen 2:4-25
b) The Fall Gen 3:1-24
c) Cain and Abel Gen 4:1-26
2. The Generation of Adam Gen 5:1 to Gen 6:8
3. The Generation of Noah Gen 6:9 to Gen 9:29
4. The Generation of the Sons of Noah Gen 10:1 to Gen 11:9
5. The Generation of Shem Gen 11:10-26
6. The Generation of Terah (& Abraham) Gen 11:27 to Gen 25:11
7. The Generation Ishmael Gen 25:12-18
8. The Generation of Isaac Gen 25:19 to Gen 35:29
9. The Generation of Esau Gen 36:1-43
10. The Generation of Jacob Gen 37:1 to Gen 50:26
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
The Genealogy of Adam The second genealogy found in the book of Genesis is entitled “The Genealogy of Adam” (Gen 5:1 to Gen 6:8), which emphasizes the fact that God preserved for Himself a righteous seed in Noah (Gen 5:1-32) while mankind in general became exceedingly wicked until God repented that He had made man as a part of His creation (Gen 6:1-8). Heb 11:5-6 reveals the central message of this genealogy that stirs our faith in God when it describes Enoch’s translation into Heaven and his acceptance by God. Adam’s destiny, whose name simply means “mankind,” was to begin the multiplication of mankind, which divine commission is seen in Gen 5:2, “Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.” Of course, God’s plan was for Adam to produce a godly offspring. Thus, we see in the genealogy of Adam this seed of righteous men whom he fathered (Gen 5:1-32), in which the author of Hebrews particularly Enoch as a fulfillment of this divine commission, who walked with God (Heb 11:5), and which list in Genesis closes with Noah, another blessed man (Gen 5:29-32). Adam’s genealogy also reveals that many other people were born during this time-period who became exceedingly wicked (Gen 6:1-8), particularly from the seed of Cain; however, this list emphasizes the fulfillment of God’s divine commission to bless Adam and his offspring, who were to father righteous offspring. Thus, the fulfillment of Adam’s genealogy is found in the man Noah, whom God would use to repopulate the earth after destroying all of mankind for their wickedness. In a sense, we have to look far down the generations to see how Adam fulfilled his destiny in the man Noah, so that Adam succeeded in populating the earth with a righteous seed.
Outline Here is a proposed outline:
1. The Descendants of Adam Gen 5:1-32
2. The Depravity of Mankind Gen 6:1-8
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
From Adam to Seth
v. 1. This is the book of the generations of Adam. v. 2. male and female created he them, and called their name Adam in the day when they were created. v. 3. And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth. v. 4. And the days of Adam, after he had begotten Seth, were eight hundred years; and he begat sons and daughters; v. 5. and all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died. v. 6. And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos.
v. 7. And Seth lived, after he begat Enos, eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.
v. 8. And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
3. THE GENERATIONS OF ADAM (CH. 5:1-6:8)
EXPOSITION
The present section carries forward the inspired narrative another stage, in which the onward progress or development of the human race is traced, in the holy line of Seth, from the day of Adam’s creation, through ten successive generations, till the point is reached when the first great experiment of attempting to save man by clemency rather than by punishment is brought to a termination, and Jehovah, whose mercy has been spurned and abused, determines to destroy the impenitent transgressors. First, in brief and somewhat monotonous outline, the lives of the ten patriarchs are sketched, scarcely more being recorded of them than simply that they were born, grew to manhood, married wives, begat children, and then died. In only two instances does the history diverge from this severely simple style of biographical narration, namely, in the cases of Enoch, who, as he eclipsed his predecessors, contemporaries, and successors in the elevation of his piety during life, was honored above them in the mode of his departure from the earth; and of Noah, whose birth was welcomed by his parents as a happy omen in a time of social degeneracy and religious declension, but who lived to see the hopes of reform which his pious parents cherished disappointed, and the world for its wickedness overwhelmed by a flood. Then, after sketching the uneventful lives of the patriarchs in a few bold strokes, the sacred penman sets before us a vividly arresting and profoundly impressive picture of the wickedness of the human race on the eve of that appalling catastrophe, at once indicating the cause of the earth’s degeneracy in morals, and representing that degeneracy as a sufficient justification for the threatened judgment. Throughout the genealogical register the name Elohim is employed to designate the Deity, the subject being the evolutions of the Adam who was created in the image of Elohim. In the paragraph depicting the growth of immorality among men, and recording the Divine resolution to destroy man, the name Jehovah is used, the reason being that in his sin and in his punishment man is viewed in his relations to the God of redemption and grace.
Gen 5:1, Gen 5:2
This is the book. Sepher, a register, a complete writing of any kind, a book, whether consisting of a pair of leaves or of only a single leaf (Deu 24:1, Deu 24:3; “a bill of divorcement;” LXX; ; cf. Mat 1:1; Luk 3:36, Luk 3:38). The expression presupposes the invention of the art of writing. If, therefore, we may conjecture that the original compiler of this ancient document was Noah, than whom no one would be more likely or better qualified than he to preserve some memorial of the lost race of which he and his family were the sole survivors, it affords an additional corroboration of the intelligence and culture of the antediluvian men. It is too frequently taken for granted that the people who could build cities, invent musical instruments, and make songs were unacquainted with the art of writing; and though certainly we cannot affirm that the transmission of such a family register as is here recorded was beyond the capabilities of oral tradition, it is obvious that its preservation would be much more readily secured by some kind of documentary notation. Of the generationsi.e. evolutions (tol’doth; cf. Gen 2:4)of Adam. In the preceding section the tol’doth of the heavens and the earth were exhibited, and accordingly the narrative commenced with the creative labors of the third day. Here the historian designs to trace the fortunes of the holy seed, and finds the point of his departure in the day that God (Elohim) created man (Adam), i.e. the sixth of the creative days. More particularly he calls attention to the great truths which had been previously included in his teaching concerning man; viz; the dignity of his nature, implied in the fact that in the likeness of Elohim made he him; his sexual distinctionmale and female created he them; their Divine benedictionand blessed them (cf. Gen 1:27, Gen 1:28); at the same time adding a fourth circumstance, which in the first document was not narrated, that their Maker gave to them a suitable and specific appellationand called their name Adam (vide Gen 1:26), in the day when they were created.
Gen 5:3-5
At the head of the Adamic race stands the first man, whose career is summarized in three short verses, which serve as a model for the subsequent biographies. And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years. Shanah, a repetition, a return of the sun’s circuit, or of similar natural phenomena; from shanah, to fold together, to repeat; hence a year (Gesenius, Furst). Cf. Latin, annus; Greek, ; Gothic, Jar, jar, jet; German, jahr; English, yearall of which “seem to carry the same thought, viz; that which comes again” (T. Lewis). “Shanah never means month” (Kalisch). And begat a son in his own likeness,damuth (cf. Gen 1:26)after his imagetselem (cf. GenesisGen 1:26); not the Divine image in which he was himself created (Kalisch, Knobel, Alford), but the image or likeness of his own fallen nature, i.e. the image of God modified and corrupted by sin (Keil, Murphy, Wordsworth). “A supernatural remedy does not prevent generation from participating in the corruption of sin. Therefore, according to the flesh Seth was born a sinner, though he was afterwards renewed by the Spirit of grace” (Calvin). The doctrine of inherited depravity or transmitted sin has been commonly held to favor the theory which accounts for the origin of the human soul per traducem (Tertullian, Luther, Delitzsch), in opposition to that which holds it to be due to the creative power of God. Kalisch thinks the statement “Adam begat Seth in his own image ‘ decisive in favor of Traducianism, while Hodge affirms “it only asserts that Seth was like his father, and sheds no light, on the mysterious process of generation (‘Syst. Theol.,’ Part I. Gen 3:1-24. 2). The truth is that Scripture seems to recognize both sides of this question. Vide Psa 51:5 in favor of Traducianism, and Psa 139:14-16; Jer 1:5 in support of Creationism, though there is much force in the words of Augustine “De re obscurissima disputatur, non adjuvantibus divinarum scripturarum certis clarisque documentis.” And called his nameprobably concurring in the name selected by Eve (Gen 4:25)SethAppointed, placed, substituted; hence compensation (Gen 4:25). And the days of Adam after he had begottenliterally, his begettingSeth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters. “In that primitive time the births did not rapidly follow each othera fact which had to indicate that his having a posterity at all was conditioned by the ripeness of his faith. At the same time the lateness of paternity among these primeval men may have been partly due to a physical cause as well, “since in exact accordance with the increasing degeneracy and rankness of human life is there, in a literal sense, the increase of a numerous and wretched offspring” (Lange). And all the days that Adamnot the whole tribe (Gatterer, vide Bohlen; cf. Balgarnie, ‘Expositor,’ vol. 8.), “as in this case Enoch must have been taken to heaven with his whole family” (Kalisch); but the individual bearing that namelived were nine hundred and thirty years. The remarkable longevity of the Macrobii has been explained
1. On the supposition of its non–authenticity.
(1) As a purely mythical conception (Knobel, Bauer, Hartmann, Bohlen); which, however, may be safely rejected as an altogether inadequate hypothesis.
(2) As due to an error in the traditional transmission of the genealogical registers, several names having fallen out, leaving their years to be reckoned to those that remained (Rosenmller); but against this conjecture stands the orderly succession of father and son through ten generations.
(3) As representing not the lifetimes of individuals, but dynastic epochs (vide supra); and
(4) as signifying lesser spaces of timee.g. three months (Hensler), or one month (Raske)than solar years; but even Knobel admits that “no shorter year have the Hebrews ever had than the period of a year’s time.”
2. On the basis of its historic credibility; as attributable to
(1) The original immortality with which man was endowed, and which was now being frayed away by the inroads of sin (Kalisch).
(2) The superior piety and intelligence of these early father’s of the race (Josephus, ‘Antiq.,’ I. Jer 3:9).
(3) The influence of the fruit of the tree of life which, while in the garden, Adam ate (Whately, ‘Ency. Brit.,’ eighth ed; Art. Christianity).
(4) The original vigor of their physical constitutions, and the greater excellence of the food on which they lived (Willet). But if the first and second opinions are correct, then the Cainites should have died earlier than the Sethites, which there is no reason to believe they did; while the third is a pure conjecture (vide Gen 2:9), and the fourth may contain some degree of truth.
We prefer to ascribe the longevity of these antediluvian men to a distinct exercise of grace on the part of God, who designed it to be
(1) a proof of the Divine clemency in suspending the penalty of sin;
(2) a symbol of that immortality which had been recovered for men by the promise of the woman’s seed; and
(3) a medium of transmission for the faith, for the benefit of both the Church and the world.
And he died. “The ,solemn toll of the patriarchal funeral bell (Bonar). Its constant recurrence at the close of each biography proves the dominion of death from Adam onward, as an immutable law (Rom 5:11; Baumgarten, Kefi, Lange); “warns us that death was not denounced in vain against men” (Calvin); “is a standing demonstration of the effect of disobedience” (Murphy); “was intended to show what the condition of all mankind was after Adam’s fall (Willet). The expression is not appended to the genealogical list of the Fathers after the Flood, doubtless as being then sufficiently understood; and it is not said of the descendants of Cain that they died, “as if the inheritance of the sons of God were not here on earth, but in death, as the days of the deaths of martyrs are held in honor by the Church as their birthdays” (Wordsworth).
Gen 5:6-20
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 (Gen 5:6; vide Gen 4:25); Enos (Gen 5:9; vide Gen 4:26); Cainan, possession (Gesenius); a child, one begotten (Furst); a created thing, a creature, a young man (Ewald); possessor, or spearsman (Murphy; Gen 5:12); Mahalaleel, praise of God (Gesenius, Furst, Murphy; Gen 5:15); Jared, descent (Gesenius); low ground, water, or marching down (Furst); going down (Murphy; Gen 5:18); Enoch, dedicated, initiated (Gen 5:19; cf. Gen 4:17).
Gen 5:21
The dedicated and initiated child grew up, like an Old Testament Timothy let us hope, to possess, illustrate, and proclaim the piety which was the distinguishing characteristic of the holy line. At the comparatively early age of sixty-five he begat Methuselah. Man of a dart (Gesenius), man of military arms (Furst), man of the missile (Murphy), man of the sending forthsc. of water (Wordsworth), man of growth (Delitzsch). And Enoch walked with God (Elohim). The phrase, used also of Noah, (Gen 6:9), and by Micah (Gen 6:8. Cf. the similar expressions, “to walk before God,” Gen 17:1; Psa 116:9, and “to walk after God,” Deu 13:4; Eph 5:1), portrays a life of singularly elevated piety; not merely a constant realization of the Divine presence, or even a perpetual effort at holy obedience, but also “a maintenance of the most confidential intercourse with the personal God (Keil). It implies a situation of nearness to God, if not in place at least in spirit; a character of likeness to God (Amo 3:3), and a life of converse with God. Following the LXX. ( ), the writer to the Hebrews describes it as a life that was “pleasing to God,” as springing from the root of faith (Heb 11:5). Yet though pre-eminently spiritual and contemplative, Jude tells us (Jud 1:14, Jud 1:15) the patriarch’s life had its active and aggressive outlook towards the evil times in which he lived. After he begat Methuselah. “Which intimates that he did not begin to be eminent for piety till about that time; at first he walked as other men’ (Henry). Procopius Gazeus goes beyond this, and thinks that before his son’s birth Enoch was “a wicked liver,” but then repented. The historian’s language, however, does not necessarily imply that his piety was so late in commencing and it is more pleasing to think that from his youth upwards he was “as a shining star for virtue and holiness (Willet). Three hundred years. As his piety began early, so likewise did it continue long; it was not intermittent and fluctuating, but steadfast and persevering (cf. Job 17:9; Pro 4:18; 1Co 15:58). And begat sons and daughters. “Hence it is undeniably evident that the stats and use of matrimony doth very well agree with the severest course of holiness, and with the office of a prophet or preacher” (Poole). And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. “A year of years” (Henry); “the same period as that of the revolution of the earth round the sun. After he had finished his course, revolving round him who is the true light, which is God, in the orbit of duty, he was approved by God, and taken to him” (Wordsworth). Modern critics have discovered in the age of Enoch traces of a mythical origin. They conclude the entire list of names to be not older than the time of the Babylonian Nabonassar, and believe it to be not improbable that “the Babylonians regulated the calendar with the assistance of an Indian astrologer or ganaka (arithmetician) of the town of Chanoge” (Von Bohlen). But “it would be strange indeed if just in the life of Enoch, which represents the purest and sublimest unity with God, a heathen and astrological element were intentionally introduced;” and, besides, “it is almost generally admitted that our list contains no astronomical numbers that the years which it specifies refer to the lives of individuals, not to periods of the world; and that none of all these figures is in any way reducible “to a chronological, system” (Kalisch). And Enoch walked with God. “Non otiosa ,” but an emphatic repetition, indicative of the ground of what follows. And he was not. Literally, and not he (cf. Gen 12:1-20 :36; Jer 31:15; LXX.). “Not absolutely he was not, but relatively he was not extant in the sphere of sense.” “Non amplius inter mortales apparuit” (Rosenmller). “If this phrase does not denote annihilation, much less does the phrase “and he died.” The one denotes absence from the world of sense, and the other indicates the ordinary way in which the soul departs from this world” (Murphy). For God (Elohim) took him. Cf. 2Ki 2:3, 2Ki 2:5, 2Ki 2:9, 2Ki 2:10, where the same word is used of Elijah’s translation; , LXX.). Though the writer to the Hebrews (Gen 11:5) adopts the paraphrase of the LXX; yet his language must be accepted as conveying the exact sense of the words of Moses. Analyzed, it teaches
(1) that the patriarch Enoch did not see death, as did all the other worthies in the catalogue; and
(2) that in some mysterious way “he was taken up from this temporal life and transfigured into life eternal, as those of the faithful will be who shall be alive at the coming of Christ to judgment” (Keil). The case of Elijah, who was also taken up, and who afterwards appeared in glory on the mount of transfiguration, appears to determine the locality into which Enoch was translated to be neither the terrestrial Eden (certain Popish writers) nor the heavenly paradise where the pious dead are now assembledsheol (Delitzsch and Lange), but the realm of celestial glory (Keil). That the departure of the good man was witnessed by his contemporaries we may infer from what occurred in the case of Elijah; and, indeed, unless it had been so it is difficult to see how it could have served the end for which apparently it was designed, which was not solely to reward Enoch’s piety, but to demonstrate the certainty and to stimulate the hope of immortality. That the memory of an event so remarkable should have survived not merely in Jewish (Ecclesiasticus 44:16) and Christian tradition (Jud 1:15), but also in heathen fable, is nothing marvelous. The Book of Enoch, compiled probably by a Jew in the days of Herod the Great, describes the patriarch as exhorting, his son Methuselah and all his contemporaries to reform their evil ways; as penetrating with his prophetic eye into the remote future, and exploring all mysteries in earth and heaven; as passing a retired life after the birth of his eldest son in intercourse with the angels and in meditation on Divine matters; and as at length being translated to heaven in order to reappear in the time of the Messiah, leaving behind him a number, of writings on religion and morality. The Book of Jubilees relates that he was carried into paradise, where he writes down the judgment of all men, their wickedness and eternal punishment” (Kalisch). Arabic legend declares him to have been the inventor of writing and arithmetic. The Phrygian sagsAnnacus (: “nomen detortum ab Chanoch”) is said by Stephanus Byzantinus, and Suidas, who corrupts the name into Nannacus, to have lived before the flood of Deucalion, to have attained an age of more than 300 years, to have foreseen the flood, gathered all the people into a temple and made supplication to God, and finally to have been translated into heaven. “Classical writers also mention such translations into heaven; they assign this distinction among others to Hercules, to Ganymede, and to Romutus (54: 2Ki 1:16 : “nec deinde in terris fuit“). But it was awarded to them either for their valor or their physical beauty, and not, as the translation of Enoch, for “a pious and religious life.” Nor is “the idea of a translation to heaven limited to the old world; it was familiar to the tribes of Central America; the chronicles of Guatemala record four progenitors of mankind who were suddenly raised to heaven; and the documents add that those first men came to Guatemala from the other side of the sea, from the East” (cf. Rosenmller and Kalisch, in loco).
Gen 5:25-32
The shortest life was followed by the longest, Methuselah begetting, at the advanced age of 187, Lamech,strong or young man (Gesenius); overthrower, wild man (Furst); man of, prayer (Murphy),continuing after his son’s birth 782 years, and at last succumbing to the stroke of death in the 969th year of his age, the year of the Flood. Lamech, by whom the line was carried forward, was similarly far advanced when he begat a son, at the age of 182, and called his name Noah,”rest,” from nuach, to rest (cf. Gen 8:4),not “The Sailor,” from the Latin no, and the Greek (Bohlen), but at the same time explaining it by saying, This same shall comfortnacham, to pant, groan, Piel to comfort. “Nuach and nacham are stems not immediately connected, but they both point back to a common root, nch, signifying to sigh, breathe, rest, lie down” (Murphy)us concerning our work and toil of our hands. To say that Lamech anticipated nothing more than that the youthful Noah would assist him in the cultivation of the soil (Murphy) is to put too little into, and to allege that” this prophecy his father uttered of him, as he that should be a figure of Christ in his building of the ark, and offering of sacrifice, whereby God smelled a sweet savor of rest, and said he would not curse the ground any more for man’s sake, Gen 8:21” (Ainsworth), is to extract too much from his language. Possibly he had nothing but a dim, vague expectation of some good thingthe destruction of sinners in the Flood (Chrysostom), the use of the plough (R. Solomon), the grant of animal food (Kalisch), the invention of the arts and implements of husbandry (Sherlock, Bush)that God was about to bestow upon his weary heritage; or at most a hope that the promise would be fulfilled in his son’s day (Bonar), if not in his son himself (Calovius). The fulfillment of that promise he connects with a recall of the penal curse which Jehovah had pronounced upon the soil. Because of the ground which the LordJehovah, by whom the curse had Been pronounced (Gen 3:17)hath cursed. The clause is not a Jehovistic interpolation (Bleek, Davidson, Colenso), but a proof “that the Elohistic theory is unfounded” (‘Speaker’s Commentary’).
Gen 5:32
And Noah was five hundred years old. Literally, a son of 500 years, i.e. going in his 500th year (cf. Gen 7:6; Gen 16:1). The son of a year (Exo 12:5) means “strictly within the first year of the life” (Ainsworth). And Noah begati.e. began to beget (cf. Gen 11:26)Shem,name (Gesenius), fame (Furst)Ham,cham; hot (Gesenius, Murphy), dark-colored (Furst)and Japhethspreading (Gesenius, Murphy); beautiful, denoting the white-colored race (Furst). That the sons are mentioned in the order of their ages (Knobel, Kalisch, Keil, Colenso) may seem to be deducible
(1) from the fact that they usually stand in this order (cf. Gen 6:10; Gen 7:13; Gen 9:18; Gen 10:1; 1Ch 1:4);
(2) from the circumstance that it is commonly the eldest son’s birth which is stated in the preceding list, though this is open to doubt;
(3) from Gen 10:21, which, according to Calvin, Knobel, Keil, and others, describes Shem as Japheth’s elder brother; and Gen 9:24, which, according to Keil, affirms Ham to be the younger son of Noah;
(4) from Gen 10:2-31, in which the order is reversed, but not otherwise altered.
But there is reason to believe that Japheth was the eldest and Ham the youngest of the patriarch’s children (Michaelis, Clarke, Murphy, Wordsworth, Quarry). According to Gen 11:10 Shem was born 97 years before the Flood, while (Gen 6:11) Noah was 600 years old at the time of the Flood. Hence, if Noah began to beget children in his 500th year, and Shem was born in Noah’s 503rd year, the probability is that the firstborn son was Japheth. In accordance with this Gen 10:21 is understood by LXX; Vulgate, Michaelis, Lange, Quarry, and others to assert the priority in respect of age of Japheth. In the narrative ahem is placed first as being spiritually, though not physically, the firstborn. Ranke perceives in the mention of the three sons an indication that each was subsequently “to lay the foundation of a new beginning.”
The Antiquity of Man
The chronology of the present chapter represents man as having been in existence at the time of the Deluge exactly 1656 years. According to the Septuagint, which Josephus follows except in one particular (the age of Lamech), and which proceeds, again with two exceptions (the age of Jared, which it leaves untouched, and that of Lamech, which it increases by six), upon the principle of adding 100 to the Hebrew numbers, the age of man at the date of that catastrophe was 2262 (vide Chronological Table, see below). The dates of the Samaritan Pentateuch, being manifestly incorrect, need not be considered. Adding to the above dates the subsequent chronological periods from the Deluge to the call of Abram, from the call of Abram to the exodus from Egypt, from the exodus to the birth of Christ, the antiquity of man, according to the Biblical account, is not less than 5652 and not more than 7536 years. The conclusion thus reached, however, is somewhat scornfully repudiated by modem science, as affording, on either alter. native, an altogether inadequate term of existence for the human race. 1. The evidence of geology is supposed irrefragably to attest that man must have been upon the earth at least 1000 centuries, and probably ten times as long. The data for this deduction, as stated by Sir Charles Lyell, are chiefly the discovery, in recent and post Pliocene formations of alleged great antiquity, of fossil human remains and flint implements along with bones of the mammoth and other animals long since extinct (‘Antiquity of Man,’ Genesis 1-19.). But
(1) “So far as research has been prosecuted in the different quarters of the globe, no remains of man or of his works have been discovered till we come to the lake-silts, the peat-mosses, the river-gravels, and the cave-earths of the post-tertiary period,” which seems at least an indirect confirmation of the Biblical record.
(2) “The tree canoes, stone hatchets, flint implements, and occasional fragments of the human skeleton,” upon which so much is based, “have been chiefly discovered within the limited area of Southern and Western Europe,” while “we have scarcely any information from the corresponding deposits of other regions;” consequently, “till these other regions shall have been examinedand especially Asia, where man flourished long prior to his civilization in Europeit were premature to hazard any opinion as to man’s first appearance on the globe.”
(3) “It is true that the antiquity of some of the containing deposits, especially the river drifts, is open to question, and it is also quite possible that the remains of the extinct quadrupeds may in some instances have been reasserted from older accumulations.”
(4) “Historically we have no means of arriving at the age of these deposits; geologically we can only approximate the time by comparison with existing operations; while palaeontologicallythe differences between these extinct pachyderms and those still existing are not greater than that which appears between the several living species, and would therefore indicate no great palaeontological antiquitynothing that may not have taken place within a few thousand years of the ordinarily received chronology”. With these undesigned replies from a late eminent authority in geological science, the Bible student will do well to pause before displacing the currently-received age of man by the fabulous duration claimed for him by the first-named writers.
HEBREW
SAMARITAN
SEPTUAGINT
JOSEPHUS
Age at son’s birth
Age at death
Age at son’s birth
Age at death
Age at son’s birth
Age at death
Age at son’s birth
Age at death
ADAM
130
930
130
930
230
930
230
930
SETH
105
912
105
912
205
912
205
912
ENOS
90
905
90
905
190
905
190
905
CAINAN
70
910
70
910
170
910
170
910
MEHALALEEL
65
895
65
895
165
895
165
895
JARED
162
962
62
847
162
962
162
962
ENOCH
65
365
65
365
165
365
165
365
METHUSELAH
187
969
67
720
187
969
187
969
LAMECH
182
777
53
653
188
753
182
777
NOAH
500
950
500
950
500
950
500
950
SHEM
100
100
100
100
DELUGE
1656
1307
2262
2256
HOMILETICS
Gen 5:1-32
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 (1Co 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 unpleasant and humbling to carnal pride, is asserted in Scripture (Gen 6:5, Gen 6:12; Gen 8:21; Job 15:14; Job 25:4; Psa 14:2, Psa 14:3; Psa 51:5; Isa 53:6; Rom 3:28), implied in the universal prevalence of sin and death (Rom 5:12-21), assumed in the doctrines of regeneration, which is declared to be necessary absolutely and universally (Joh 3:3), and redemption, of which one part of the design was to deliver men from the power as well as guilt of sin (Eph 5:25-27; Tit 2:14; Heb 9:12-14; Heb 13:12), and abundantly confirmed by experience, which testifies that “the wicked are estranged from the womb, and go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies” (Psa 58:3).
2. A long-lived race. Whether their remarkable longevity was due to the original vigor of the primus homo, or to the influence of the tree of life, or to the eminency of the Sethites’ piety, it was
(1) A great privilege, affording to themselves ample opportunity for self-cultivation and family training; to the world enlarged facilities for advancement in intelligence and civilization; and to the Church the means of transmitting truth from age to age, and of drawing more closely together the bonds of religious communion.
(2) An unexpected privilege. Upon the mind and heart of Adam in particular it must have come with much surprise to find that life, which had been forfeited by sin, prolonged to well-nigh a millennium of years; and this impression, though perhaps it might become less as patriarch succeeded patriarch, would not, we think, entirely disappear. And so let us hope they came to recognize it as
(3) a gracious privilege, due not to any secondary cause whatsoever, but primarily and solely to the infinite mercy of God, who had given them the promise of a Woman’s seed to sustain their faith and hope. And as such also
(4) a suggestive privilege, emblematic of the immortality they had lost by sin, but received again through grace.
3. A dying race. Though a sinful, they were yet a pardoned race; but though a pardoned, they were yet a mortal race. A portion of the original penalty remains to remind man of his past history and present condition; and so although the Sethites “lived many hundred years, yet none of them filled up a thousand, lest they should have too much flattered themselves in long life; and seeing a thousand is a number of perfection, God would have none of them to attain to a thousand, that we might know that nothing is perfect here” (Willet).
II. MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH Or GOD. Great as was the former distinction, it is completely eclipsed by this. It is a great thing to be born, but a greater to be born again. To be in God’s world is much, to be in God’s Church is more. To be of the line of Adam by nature is questionable honor, to be of Adam’s line by grace is unquestionable glory. These ten names from Adam to Noah represent the leaders of the Church of God in the primeval age of the world. Whether distinguished by rare talent, great wealth, or high position, whether they invented arts, built cities and composed hymns like the Cainites, is not said. Their chief distinction lay in
1. Their possession of faith in God. Not perhaps all with the same tenacity, but all with the same reality, they clung to the promise of the woman’s seed. This it was which made them members of the antediluvian Church. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6).
2. Their observance of religious worship. From the beginning of the world the practice of sacrificial worship was maintained by believers. For two generations it appears to have been private rather than public in its character. In the days of Enos, according to one of the interpretations of Gen 4:26, the Sethites began to worship God in social assemblies, as a means at once of fostering their own piety and of defending themselves against the rising tide of ungodliness; and we cannot doubt the godly practice would continue till the number of believers became so small that Noah could discover no one of like heart and spirit with himself to participate in his devotions.
3. Their nonconformity to the world. According to another reading of Gen 4:26, in the third generation the holy seed began to make clearer and more distinct the lines of demarcation between themselves and the Cainites by calling themselves by the name of Jehovah, i.e. by adopting to themselves the appellation of the worshippers of the Lord. The fact that “the sons of God” are mentioned in Gen 6:1 lends a sanction to this view. If it was so, doubtless the assumption of this particular title was only a sign or symptom of a great religious movement that began to effect the age,a movement of separation in heart and life from the unbelievers of the time,and that with a greater or lesser intensity perpetuated itself through each successive generation, not even dying ‘away when there was only one man to be affected by it.
4. Their witness-bearing against the wickedness of the ungodly world. This comes out not indeed here, but in other Scriptures, in connection with two patriarchs, Enoch and Noah; the first of whom prophesied of the coming of the Lord (Jud Gen 1:14), and the second of whom was a preacher of righteousness to the men of his generation (2Pe 2:5); and what was true of them was doubtless characteristic in a measure of them all. They were unquestionably prophets, priests, and kings in their families and in relation to their contemporaries.
5. Their eminently godly lives. As much as this is implied in what has been already said. But of two of them it is distinctly stated that they walked with God: of Enoch, that before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God; and of Noah, that he was a perfect man and an upright; and though not perhaps entitled to say that all of them lived at the same spiritual elevation as did those two fathers, yet we are fairly warranted to conclude that all of them maintained a holy walk and conversation in a rapidly degenerating age.
III. PROGENITORS OF THE PROMISED SEED. This was the chief distinction of these saintly men, and the real reason why their names and ages have been so carefully preserved to the Church of God. They were all links in the chain leading on to the woman’s seed. So to speak, they were the ten first heralds sent out to proclaim the approach of the king; the ten first shadows or adumbrations of the great Prophet, Priest, and King to whom the faith of the Church was looking forward. True, it is not much that we know about them beyond their names, and certainly there is consider able vagueness and uncertainty about their import; but still, accepting those meanings which have the greatest probability in their favor, it is interesting to note how they all indicate points of character or features of history which met in Christ. Adam we know was a prophecy of Christ, the second Adam, in more than his name (1Co 15:45). Abel, the first martyr, prefigured him m dying by a brother’s hand. Seth, the Substituted One, was a shadow of him who took our room and stead (Rom 5:8); Enos, the Frail One, of him who, as to his human nature, was as “a tender plant, and a root out of a dry ground” (Isa 53:2); Cainan, Possession, of him who was the gift of God (2Co 9:15). Mahalaleel, Praise of God, of him who “was not ashamed to call us brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee” (Heb 2:11, Heb 2:12); Jared, Descent, of him who came down from heaven (Joh 6:38); Enoch, the dedicated and instructed child who walked with God, and was translated that he should not see death, of him who for his people “sanctified himself” (Joh 17:19), “in whom were hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ (Col 2:3), who with regard to his Father could say, “I do always those things that please him” (Joh 8:29), and who, after accomplishing his Divine mission on the earth, was received up into glory (Act 1:11); Methuselah, Man of the Dart, of him of whom the royal psalmist sang, “Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies” (Psa 45:5); Lamech, Strong Youth, of the strong One whom David saw in vision raised up for Israel’s help (Psa 89:19); Noah, Rest, of him in whose sacrifice God smelled a sweet savor of rest (Eph 5:2).
Lessons:
1. As descendants of Adam, let us remember we are sinners, and, repenting, believe the gospel; let us measure our days, and, observing their shortness, apply our hearts unto wisdom; let us think of our mortality, and prepare for the narrow house appointed for all the living.
2. As members of the Church of Christ, have we the marks that distinguished these antediluvian saints?
3. As the spiritual posterity of Jesus Christ, do we reflect him as his progenitors foreshadowed him?
Gen 5:22-24
Enoch.
I. The CHARACTER of his piety.
1. Walking with God.
2. Witnessing for God.
II. The EXCELLENCE of his piety.
1. It began in early boyhood.
2. It flourished in evil times.
3. It grew in spite of scanty privileges.
4. It continued to the close of life.
III. The REWARD of Enoch’s piety. He was translated that he should not see death.
1. A visible proof of immortality:
2. A solemn confirmation of the gospel.
3. A striking prophecy of Christ’s ascension.
HOMILIES BY J.F. MONTGOMERY
Gen 5:24
Walking with God.
Whole chapter a reproof of the restless ambitions of men. Of these long lives the only record is a name, and the fact, “he died.” Moral of the whole, “Dust thou art” (cf. 1Co 15:50). Yet a link between life here and life above. Enoch translated (Heb 11:5). The living man passed into the presence of God. How, we need not care to know. But we know why. He “walked with God.” Who would not covet this? Yet it may be ours. What then was that life? Of its outward form we know nothing. But same expression (Gen 6:9) tells us that Noah’s was such. Also Abraham’s, “the friend of God” (Gen 17:1); and St. Paul’s (Php 1:21); and St. John (1Jn 1:3) claims “fellowship with the Father” not for himself only (cf. Joh 14:23).
I. ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF A WALK WITH GOD. Not a life of austerity or of contemplation, removed from interests or cares of world. Noah’s was not; nor Abraham’s. Nor a life without fault. Elijah was “of like passions as we are;” and David; and St. John declares, 1Jn 1:8-10.
1. It is a life of faith, i.e. a life in which the word of God is a real power. Mark in Heb 11:1-40. how faith worked in different circumstances. To walk with God is to trust him as a child trusts; from belief of his fatherhood, and that he is true. With texts before us such as Joh 3:16; 1Jn 1:9; 1Jn 2:2, why are any not rejoicing? Or with such as Joh 4:10; Luk 11:13, why are any not asking and receiving to the full? God puts no hindrance (Rev 3:20). But
(1) too often men do not care. To walk with God is of less importance than to be admired of men.
(2) If they do care, they often will not take God’s way. The simple message (2Co 5:20; 1Jn 5:11) seems too simple. They look for feelings, instead of setting God’s message before them and grasping it.
2. To walk with God implies desire and effort for the good of men. In an ungodly world Enoch proclaimed the coming judgment (Jud Luk 1:14; cf. Act 24:25). Spiritual selfishness often a snare to those who have escaped the snare of the world. It is not the mind of Christ. It springs from weakness of faith. Knowing the gift so dearly purchased, so freely offered to all, our calling is to persuade men. Not necessarily as teachers (Jas 1:19), but by intercession and by loving influence.
III. ENOCH WAS TRANSLATED. But apostles and saints died. Yet think not that their walk with God was less blessed. Hear our Lord’s words (Joh 11:26), and St. Paul (2Ti 1:10). Hear the apostle’s desire (Php 1:23). Enoch walked with God on earth, and the communion was carried on above. Is not this our Savior’s promise? (Joh 14:21-23; Joh 17:24). Death is not the putting off that which is corruptible; it is separation from the Lord. Assured that we are his forever, we may say, “O death, where is thy sting?”M.
HOMILIES BY R.A. REDFORD
Gen 5:24
A great example and a great reward.
Notice the three distinctions in this patriarchal prophet.
I. HIS distinguished PIETYwalking with God; faith giving him knowledge, confidence in God, enjoyment of God.
II. HIS comparatively SHORT LIFE, and therefore speedy deliverance from the imperfection and suffering of this world, though his son lived the longest antediluvian life, and perhaps was a disciple of his father, teaching his doctrine. Those who “initiate“ (Enoch) great moral movements are seldom long-lived men.
III. His distinguished ENDtranslation. God took him because he loved him. The anticipation of the resurrection was itself a prophecy. The seventh from Adam is taken to heaven without death, though all the rest died, however long they lived, as though to vivify the promise of the redeeming seed. It seems better to supply the word “died” rather than “was.” “And he died not; for God took him“referring to the common formula of the patriarchal history, “and he died.” Walking with God is walking to God. Those who are like Enoch in their life will not be very different from him in their end; for the peace and triumph of a good man’s end is little short of translation. The first of the prophets is thus gloriously signalized. Was it not like a special blessing from the beginning of the world on the life of consecrated ministration to God? Walking with God may be the description of any kind of service, but especially of the prophets.”R.
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
Gen 5:1. The book of the generation See note on Gen 2:4, Sepher rendered book, signifies any particular relation, recital, or account; a register, catalogue, or epistle. Here, therefore, the book of the generations means, “an account, or recital, of the posterity of Adam.” So Mat 1:1. , the book of the generation, implies, “an account of those from whom Christ, the second Adam, came.” The succession is derived down only in a right line to Noah, because that alone concerned the sacred writer’s purpose, which, as has been observed, and should be remembered, is to trace the original promise through its several stages.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
THIRD SECTION
Adam and Seth.The Sethites or Macrobii (the long-lived).The living Worship and the Blessing of the Life-renewing in the Line of the Sons of God
Gen 5:1-32 (compare 1Ch 1:1-4)
1This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him. 2Male and female created he them; and blessed them and called their name Adam [man] in the day when they were created. 3And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image, and called his name Seth [fixed, compensation]. 4And the days of Adam after Hebrews 5 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. 6And Seth lived a hundred and five years, and begat Enosh1 [man, weak man]. 7And Seth lived after he begat Enosh eight hundred and seven years and begat sons and daughters.
8 9And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died. And 10Enosh lived ninety years and begat Cainan [gain, gainful, industrious]. And Enosh lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters. 11And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years; and he died. 12And Cainan lived seventy years and begat Mahalaleel2 [renown, praise of God]. 13And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters. 14And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years; and hedied. 15And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years and begat Jared [descent, one descending]. 16And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. 17And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years; and he died. 18And Jared lived a hundred and sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch3 [the devoted, mysterious]. 19And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 20And all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty and two years; and he died. 21And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah [Gesenius: man of the arrow; First: man of war; Delitzsch: man of growth]. 22And Enoch walked4 with God [lived in communion with God] after he begat Methuselah three hundred years and begat sons and daughters. 23And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty and five years. 24And Enoch walked with God and he was not 25[disappeared suddenly], for God took him. And Methuselah lived a hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech [the strong young man, or hero]. 26And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters. 27And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty and nine years; and he died. 28And Lamech lived a hundred eighty and two years and begat a son. 29And he called his name Noah [rest, rest-bringer], saying, This same shall comfort us5 concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed. 30And Lamech lived after he begat Noah, five hundred ninety and five years and begat sons and daughters. 31And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years; and he died. 32And Noah was five hundred years old; and Noah begat Shem [name, preserver of the name] and Ham [heat, from ] and Japheth [wide-spreading, room-making, from ].
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
1. The line of Seth, as the line of the pious worshippers of God, is carried on to Noah, with whom the first humanity from the stem of Seth, now purified in the flood, passes over to a new age: so that the name Seth, as in verification of Eves maternal prophecy, becomes established in contrast with Abel the mere breath of life, and the line of Cain drowned in the flood. The question may be asked, Why is not the superscription placed before the 25th verse of the fourth chapter? The documentary hypothesis answers: it is because here again the Elohim document takes up the history. We let that question rest, though here verse 29th, with its name Jehovah, does not have the look of an interpolation. It must be remarked, nevertheless, that in the preceding section it was necessary for Seth to appear as the representative of Abel. But here again begins the history of Seth as the history of Adam himself; since only through Seth does Adam live on beyond the flood, and even to the worlds end. In respect to its inner nature, therefore, is the section Elohistic; that is, it presents the universal grounding of the whole human race, not merely that of the line of Shem or of the theocracy of Abraham. Knobel represents the section according to the documentary hypothesis: The Elohist ranges the genealogical table of Adam immediately after the account of creation, Genesis 1 (?), and connects with it directly his history of the flood, Gen 6:9, etc.; it forms, consequently, an essential part of his work, without which it would have had a hiatus (rather with it, we may add). From the same author who concerned himself with the connected genealogies and chronologies, as being predominantly Elohistic, whilst the Jehovist took little notice of them, originated also the other genealogical tables and chronological series that are introduced in their order throughout the Pentateuch. The section before us, in its entire contents, evidently presupposes Genesis 2, 3. There is special proof of this in verses 3, 24, and 29, as also in the constant refrain: and he died.
2. Gen 5:1. The book of the generation of Adam.The genealogies of Adam become permanent and continuous alone through Seth.
3. Gen 5:2. In the likeness of God.This is expressed here by , not by , as in Genesis 1. It means, when He created him He made him in the likeness, etc.; that is, the divine ideal form was the model of his making,or of the finishing of his human form in distinction from its creation. The name man (Adam) is ascribed here in common to both man and woman. The creation in the divine image is repeated, because the line of Gods sons is grounded on its divine origin (see Luk 3:38).
4. Gen 5:3. Seth.For the significance of the name in relation to the names of the Cainitic line, see the preceding section. Of Seth it is said, He begat him in his own likeness, after his image. That is, as his image, Seth was similar to him, indeed, but not identically like; he was distinguished from him individually, he was like him in his Adamic nature. And this is said, doubtless, with a consciousness of Adams fallen state, although in the ground ideas of this fifth chapter the nature of Adam as made in the divine image, and its pious direction, are still made prominent. Even if the names further on denote, in the average probability, the first-born of the genealogies (although this does not always hold good, as is shown by the examples of Ishmael, Esau, Reuben, etc.), yet it does not follow that Seth also is to be regarded here as a first-born; just as little as the three sons of Noah, taken together, can be thus regarded. Seth has become the spiritual first-born of the Adamitic house; he is the continuance of the line of Adam in its pious direction, and in its historical duration.
5. Gen 5:4. The ages of the Patriarchs who lived before the flood are individually stated in the following manner: 1. Adam 930 years, 2. Seth 912 years, 3. Enosh 905 years, 4. Cainan 910 years, 5. Mahalaleel 895 years, 6. Jared 962 years, 7. Enoch 365 years, then translated, 8. Methuselah 969 years, 9. Lamech 777 years, 10. Noah, before the flood, 600 years (Gen 7:6), in the whole 950 years (Gen 9:29). In relation to the dates, the following things are to be remarked. Adam is 130 years old at the begetting of Seth, whom Cain and Abel naturally preceded. Seth begets Enosh when 105 years old. Enosh is presented to us as a father at the age of 90 years, Cainan 70 years, Mahalaleel 65 years, Jared 162 years, Enoch 65 years, Methuselah 187 years, Lamech 182 years, Noah even 500 years. Since, moreover, there is mentioned in each case the begetting if other sons and daughters, it becomes very questionable whether we are to understand all these genealogical heads as being first-born. The numbers, as given, do, indeed, indicate late marriages having proportion to the length of life. That, however, no ascetic idea is necessarily bound up in this, is shown by the case of Enoch, who with Mahalaleel had a son the earliest of all the patriarchs. Even between he repeated mention, moreover, that he walked with God, it is said that he begat sons and daughters. The age 65, as a year for begetting, is also worthy of note, as showing to be impossible every attempt to reduce these patriarchal years to shorter sections of time. This numbering of their years is of richest significance. It expresses clearly the blessing of longevity as emphatically exhibited through the Sethic piety; it is the history of the devout Macrobii, or long-livers of the primitive time. In Enoch the line reaches the highest point of its life-renovation; since in him the peculiar death-form falls away; he departs without dying, and by a divine translation. In Methuselah this grand march of life reaches its extreme longevity in this world. The line then sinks down in Lamech, as is indicated by his sighing over the labor and pain that comes from the curse-ladened earth. The whole line, in its apparent monotony, is a most lively expression of a powerful strife of life with death, of the blessing with the curse. They advance far in years, these pious sons of God; the numbers reach a high figure, but ever again there comes that tragic word : and he died. Once, and only once, is there reached the silver glance of the life-renewing, and of that life-transformation without death, which comes up to the original form. This is in the life of Enoch, the seventh patriarch. It must be observed, in accordance with what is implied in the following chapter, that the line of Seth, in its development, suffers a gradual disturbance, which does not permit it to reach the ideal aim,a fact which seems to be indicated by this name Methuselah, and the sighs of Lamech. When in respect to this long life-endurance, we add the consideration of the enormous breaking up that was suddenly occasioned by the flood, it must not be overlooked that Noah, although already six hundred years old when the flood took place, survived its storms three hundred and fifty years.
Two main difficulties are objected to the foregoing statement: 1. the length of life; 2. the authenticity of the chronology. The highest possible age, says Valentine (Compendium of Physiology, 2. p. 894), appears to be from about 150 to 160 years; and in fact, none of the highest ages which men are known to have reached attain the height of 200 years (Pritchards Natural History of the Human Race). It cannot be shown that men after the flood differed in any remarkable manner from those who lived before. In Gen 11:10, moreover, the narrator represents some as attaining, even after the flood, to the age of 40 or 600 years. Knobel. Special treatises on the preceding question are contained in the writing of De Lapasse: Essai sur la conservation de la vie, Paris, Masson, 1860. In general, there is no deciding this question by any appeal to strong constitutions, simple modes of life, uuweakened powers of life, &c. First of all, do both extremes of humanity need to be settled according to the Scriptures and the christological ideas; and, in fact, in correspondence with the middle point of humanity. The truth of Christs resurrection, not as a return out of death to the life of this world, but as a transition from the first form of human life into a second imperishable form, casts light as well upon the paradisaical beginning as upon the eschatological end of humanity. It testifies to an ideal capability for the preservation of life even to the point of a death-like, yet not deathly transformation into the incorruptible. To this testifies also, in symbolical form, the paradisaical tree of life, as well as, in its dogmatic acceptance, the words of Paul concerning the longing to be clothed upon (2Co 5:1-5) that lies in the depths of human nature (compare Langes Miscellaneous Writings, ii. p. 232). So also what he says of Christ as the life-giving spirit of man from heaven, and of the transformation that awaits those who live long at the worlds end (1Co 15:45; 1Co 15:51). The christological idea that lies at the foundation is this: As the historical death, the death of corruption, in its gradual course first breaks through from the spiritual sphere of sin into the province of the soul, and from the province of the soul into the corporeity, so also does the healing of the new life make its passage; first in renewing the spirit-life, then the life of the soul, and finally becoming visible in the restoration of a new corporeal capacity for transformation at the worlds end. Thus the decreasing longevity of the primitive time furnishes the contrast to the increasing longevity at the end of the world (see also Isaiah 65). But it was not only through the original power of a corporeity not yet wholly shattered that the death of the Sethites was retarded; it was also kept back through the progress of life in the Jehovah-faith of the Sethites, as it culminated in Enoch, and had, therefore, already, as its consequence, a typically prophetic pre-representation of the transformation and the resurrection in his mysterious taking. The difficulty which is found in the supposition of such long life in the Sethites, has given rise to various hypotheses. Some have supposed that along with the patriarchs named their races and peoples are meant to be included; Rosenmller, Friedreich, and others, think that from these orally transmitted genealogies, many names had fallen out; Hensler holds that the expression (year) denotes among the patriarchs lesser spaces of time, namely, three months, till the time of Abraham, thence to the time of Joseph eight months, and afterwards, for the first time, twelve. Raske: from Adam to Noah the year was equal to one month. See against this, Knobel, p. 68 ff. To the first supposition is opposed the definite characterizing of single persons; to the second the fact that in the same manner the son always follows the father; to the third the constant signification of the year as tropical, periodical.6 No shorter year than the period of a years time have the Hebrews ever had. Against any shortening of the stands the fact that in that case some of the patriarchs must have begotten children at an age in which they were not capable. Knobel. By him and many of the moderns it is explained as a mythical conception, with reference to the old representation that in the more happy primitive period, men lived longer, but were ever becoming weaker and of shorter life. This representation (of the brevity of life) presents itself very clearly in the Old Testament. In the historical time a man among the Hebrews became 70 or 80 years old (Psa 90:10); in the Mosaic and patriarchal time, when there meet us statements of 100, 120, 123, 133, 137, 147, 175, and 180 years, man reached an age between 100 and 200 years; for the time of Abraham, and thence up to Noah, the dates maintain themselves, with one exception, between 200 and 600 years (Gen 11:10-32): whilst in the time from Noah to Adam (there too with one exception) they are between 700 and 1000 years. According to the Hebrew belief therefore, in respect to the duration of human life, it became worse with men in the course of the times. Thence the hope in a restoration of the old longevity in the Messianic time (Isa 65:20; Isa 25:8). So also the rest of antiquity assumed a greater length of life for the oldest time, and Josephus (Antiq. i. 3, 9) names Manetho, Berosus, Moschus, Hestius, Hieronymus, Hesiod, &c., as giving accounts similar to that of Genesis. In the number ten of the patriarchs, there is, in truth, a symbolical significancy (the Chaldeans, too, according to Berosus, number ten antediluvian patriarchs), but a symbolical number is not on that account a mythical number, and under the mythical point of view Knobel does not know what to do with the unlike and uneven numbers.
Concerning the chronological treatises that relate to our section, namely the assumed rectification of the Bible chronology through the gyptian, compare Delitzsch, p. 220 ff. For the motives which lie at the ground of the chronological changes of our text in the Samaritan Pentateuch and the Septuagint, or their deviations (as well Genesis 11 as Genesis 5, compare Knobel, p. 70) the reader is referred to Keil, p. 76. According to our chronology, from the creation to the flood there were 1656 years,7 according to the Samaritan text 1307 years, and according to the Septuagint 2242 years. The time after the flood until Abraham was, according to the Hebrew text 365 years, according to the Samaritan 1015, according to the Septuagint 1245. The translation of Enoch falls nearly in the middle point of years from Adam to the flood,that is, in the year 987 after the creation of Adam. At that time Seth, Enosh, Cainan, Mahalaleel, and Jared, were still living, as there was also living his son Methuselah, and his grandson Lamech, then 113 years old; Noah only was not yet born, and Adam of all the line was the only one dead. Keil. We will remark in general, in relation to our treatment of the chronology in the Introduction, that the genealogical chronology throughout corresponds to the fundamental biblical ideas, or to that significance of personality which determines everything as actual fact. In their experience, however, of the way in which the blessing of piety advanced their length of life, the Macrobii must have found a special warning to number their days, and in the unsymbolical form of the numbers it was easier to admit misreckonings in single cases than any arbitrariness in respect to the whole. In consideration of the extraordinary impression which the year-period must have made upon the first men of our race, in consideration of its symbolical dying and living again with nature, as well in the change [in the length] of day and night, as in that of summer and winter, they could have had, in general, no occasion or inducement to learn the reckoning of numbers more vivid than that which was furnished by these annual vicissitudes.
6. Gen 5:1. This is the book. means any finished writing, whether it consists of only one pair of leaves, or even of a single one; as, for example, the book (or bill) of divorce, Deuteronomy 24. Delitzsch.The generations of Adam.The nearest bound to this book of the generations of Adam, is the genealogical register of Noah. In a wider sense, then, does this register of Adam go on in the genealogical register of Noah (Genesis 10) and in the genealogical register of Shem (Genesis 10), even to Abraham. After that it goes on through the whole Old Testament, until it becomes the genealogical register of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1).
7. Gen 5:4. And Adam lived.The narrator reckons the years of each forefather unto the begetting of his first-born, who carries on the main line, then the remainder of his life, and after that he reckons both periods together, so as to give the whole length of his life and name. Delitzsch.Begat in his likeness.Adam bore the image of God. Seth bore the image of Adam: 1. according to its disposition in respect to the image of God; 2. according to the measure of its deformity by sin; 3. according to the hereditary blessing of his piety. In that primitive time the births did not rapidly follow each othera fact which had not a physical, but only an ethical ground, says Delitzsch. There is, however, a physical cause, since in exact correspondence with the increasing degeneracy and rankness of human life, is there, in a literal sense, the increase of a numerous and wretched offspring.
8. Gen 5:5. And he died.Baumgarten: In its constant return does this expression prove the dominion of death, from Adam onward, as an immutable law (Rom 5:14). Still, on this dark background of a conquering death shows still more clearly the power of life. For man dies when ne has already propagated anew the life, so that in the midst of the death of the individual members, the life of the race holds on, and the hope grows stronger and stronger in the seed that is to conquer the author of death. The unceasing refrain, and he died, denotes here also the limit of the long and elevated line of life that seems to be ever mounting towards heaven, but ever breaks off in the end,with the exception of Enoch. And so we get a clear view of the battle of life with death.
9. Gen 5:22-27. And Enoch walked with God.This expression, which occurs once more in respect to Noah, Gen 6:9, is afterwards enlarged. It becomes (Gen 17:1; Gen 24:40), to walk before the face of God,to follow Jehovah, Deu 13:5and similarly, Mal 2:6, it occurs in respect to the priest. It denotes the most intimate intercourse with God, or, so to speak, a permanent view of a present deity, a continual following after His guidance. The word occurs here twice. In its first usage it denotes the character of his life, and gives assurance of the perseverance and soundness of his piety; he walked with God three hundred years, he begat sons and daughters. In the second, it gives confirmation of the wonderful translation of Enoch. According to the Jewish tradition, Enoch had, in all probability, borne witness against the Cainitic antinomists of his day, and had announced to them the judgment which came with the flood. From this Jewish tradition the book of Enoch and the epistle of Jude took in common (Dillmann, Buch Henoch); for there is no necessity of referring the place in Jude to the apocryphal book, since the apostles, as is well known, have cited popular traditions in other places, although even Delitzsch seems to connect the epistle with apocryphal story. With this prediction, and in correspondence with fundamental biblical principles, does the epistle of Jude make him the type of the prophetic testimony against that anti-Christian Antinomianism of the New Testament day, which is comprehended in its unity as the last time, and also a typical prophet of the last day itself. The translation of Enoch has two sides. means, in the first place: he was no longer there, he had disappeared (Gen 42:13; Gen 42:36). Thereby is it indicated that his people had missed him, as the sons of the prophets missed Elijah when he was taken away (2Ki 2:16, etc.). Luther has pictured in a most vivid manner this missing of Enoch, as reflecting itself in the case of Jesus in His death, and on Easter morning. According to Luther, they had some thought that he had perished, had probably been slain by the Cainites, and then received a special revelation concerning his taking away.God took him.This word is also used in the taking up of Elijah (2Ki 2:9-10; Psa 73:24; Psa 49:16). A death so early in a line of men for whom life was a blessing, could only be regarded, in this connection, as a punishment. It would seem to make Enoch of least worth among the patriarchs, whereas, on the contrary, he was the most eminent. It is clear, therefore, that there is narrated here a transition which did not go through the form of death. The Christian tradition (Heb 11:5), as well as the Jewish (Sir 44:15; Sir 49:16), hold fast the unmistakable sense of the text, in which here, in place of the ever-returning and he died, there comes in that other expression, for God took him. It is also confirmed by the analogous representations of the Bible (Elijah, Christ, the transformed, 1Th 4:17; 1Co 15:51). But whither? and to what state was Enoch translated? Delitzsch: To a closer nearness with God, with whom he had hitherto walked; not that he became a partaker of that glorification which awaits the justified in the resurrection; for in this glorification Christ is the first fruits. On the contrary, Keil: Not in the glorification is Christ the first fruits according to 1Co 15:20; 1Co 15:23, but in the resurrection. By a transformation, of by a clothing upon, were Enoch and Elijah translated into everlasting life with God. We must distinguish, however, between the transformation and the glorification, between the heavenly region of the pious, that is, Paradise, and the perfect heaven of Christ. His 365th year of life corresponds probably to our 33d, remark Delitzsch and Knobel: Enoch lived as many years as the year has days. In respect to the legendary parallels in the extra biblical antiquity, comp. Knobel, p. 72; in which it is clear that we must distinguish the biblical tradition from the kindred stories. According to Knobel the motive for the translation was probably to rescue Enoch from the age in which he lived,with relation to Gen 4:10. Beyond a doubt, however, the main reason was the fact that he had become personally ripe for transformation, and that through his faith there might be introduced into this world the faith in a new life in the world beyond (Heb 11:5-6). If we would seek farther, we must compare the translations that follow in sacred history. Elijah is translated because his consistent legalism must become a judgment of fire, and a Last Day for the apostate Israel; Christ is translated, because His staying longer in this world must have come to a sudden conflict of life and death with the old world,that is, must have had for its consequence the Last Day; the believers at the end of the world are translated, because now the Last Day has actually appeared. Judging from these analogies, we may conjecture that the translation of Enoch denoted a decided turning-point in the life of the old world. At all events, he had not in vain announced the day of judgment before his departure. At this time, it is probable, there was the beginning of the corrupt alliances between the Sethites and the Cainites. It is the probable middle time between Adam and the flood. The Jewish and Arabian fables, according to which Enoch is said to have discovered the art of writing and book-making, together with arithmetic and astronomy, must rest, for the most part, on his name, , from (to initiate, educate), and upon the astronomical significance of the number 365.
10. Gen 5:27. Methuselah.The highest age, 969 years.
11. Gen 5:28. Lamech.At so great an age did these pious forefathers, who had renounced the self-created worldly lust, confess their experience of the burden and painfulness of life, in all its gravity and in all its extent; and it is easily explained how it is that the history of the Sethites closes with language of such a different sound from that of the Cainites. Lamech the Cainite is full of an evil drunken confidence. Lamech the Sethite, on the contrary, is filled with the most extreme dejection in respect to the present, and has no other joy than in the promise of the future. Delitzsch. The name , which he gives to his son, is put in relation to , from which it does not follow that this relation is etymologically significant. The confident hope of the wearied is ever some bringer of rest. Without doubt does the life-labor and toil of the Sethites stand in relation to the pride of the Cainites, even as it forms a contrast to their confident and false security. It is this pride which has power to trouble their life more than the unfruitfulness of the earth. In respect to Lamechs language in which he greets Noah as the bringer of rest, Luther remarks: Sicut Heva fallitur, ita quoque desiderio restitutionis mundi fallitur ctiam bonus Lamech. Still is he mistaken in supposing that Noah was to bring in the closing sabbath of humanity; that there came with him a great reckoning, and a preliminary new world, he correctly anticipated.
12. Gen 5:32. And he begat Shem.Ranke: The naming of the three sons of Noah leads us to expect that whilst hitherto the line has moved on ever through only one member, in the farther course of time all three of Noahs sons must simultaneously lay the foundations of a new beginning. The order of the ages of Noahs sons is Shem, Japheth, Ham (see Gen 10:21). In the enumeration, however, Japheth ever stands last, because his name of two syllables makes the best close in the collective arrangement. Knobel. The series of the three sons, however, in regard to their age, makes a difficulty in relation to Gen 10:21. (See Keil, p. 104.) According to the passage before us, Noah begat Shem first when he was 500 years old. According to Gen 7:6, he was 600 years old when the flood came. According to Gen 11:10, Shem was 100 years old two years after the flood. Either then must we here regard the 100 years of Shem as a round number, or the word , Gen 10:21, must relate to Japheth, as Michaelis and others think. On the contrary, see the remarks of Knobel, p. 120, and of Keil, p. 104. Keil, however, would take as merely a comparative designation of Ham, Gen 9:24 : the younger instead of the youngest; so that the series Shem, Ham, Japheth, would be the actual order of their ages. This consequence does not appear to be confirmed by the of Gen 10:21, since expressly refers to Noah in connection with , a position that fails in respect to , in Gen 10:21. Assuming it as not grounded on the analogue of the theocratic history, that the physical first-born must always be the spiritual first-born, it would remain doubtful whether, in the passage before us, Shem was not placed first on the ground of worth.
[Note on the Translation of Enoch, and the earliest ideas of Death among the Primitive Men. . A right understanding of this remarkable language respecting Enoch, depends upon our getting the right standpoint from which to determine the earliest notion that man must have had of death. This could hardly have been the modern idea, either in its materializing, or in its more spiritual, aspect. That is, it was not, on the one hand, a cessation of being, nor was it, on the other, any distinctly formed thought of a separation of two things, soul and body, one of which no longer pertained to the man, or the selfhood, and the other passed off to a wholly separate and immaterial existence. God had not defined to them the nature of this fearful doom, and experience showed them nothing but the fact of an awful outward change on the once moving and active personality. It had not ceased to be, though now it was motionless and ghastly. They could not regard it as a fallen tree, or a slain animal, not from any metaphysical or physiological distinction, but from the strong feeling of social personality which they had ever connected with the living man, and which they could not get rid of. This was the germ, the God-implanted germ, we may say, of the idea of a continuous being, or a future life, as we find it in the earliest parts and throughout the Old Testament. To this they held on even against appearances, against the sense we may say, or any reasoning from sense, even as it is yet found among the rudest and simplest nations,the very antagonisms it has had to encounter from the outer phenomenal world only showing the strength and the indestructibility of the sentiment. This one personality had not wholly vanished, though what had once appeared as a human form they now saw undergoing a rapid and fearful transformation. Death presented itself in contrast with that moving outward thing they called life, but it was not necessarily a breach of all continuity, or an utter extinction of all selfhood, with its rights and claims, as in the case of Abels complaining blood. The self, the man was there, but he was dead, or in the state of being they called death. Or he was still somewhere near, in what connection with the body, or with themselves, they could not imagine. They gazed in astonishment at this wonderful phenomenon, but they did not reason about it, or draw nice distinctions. They had no data from which to draw them. It was the dread penalty of which they had heard from their progenitors, and that was all they knew about it. Of its extent, or its consequences, or of any recovery from it, they had little or no conception. Death was not to them, as it has come to be regarded in our thinking, a single terminating event, but a state, a state of being, very strange indeed, but still real and actual. They did not separate it into death (the act of dying) and something after death. All earliest language is grounded on the idea of such after state as a going on, or linked identity; but they did not distinguish between it and its incipiency. Hence, among all ancient people, the great care for funeral rites, not merely in memory of, but as something due to a still continued being, and as essential to its quietude. It was not the idea of resurrection, as some have thought, that made this so ancient and so universal, but the ineradicable feeling of a personality, or selfhood, as somehow inhering in the poor remains, whether embalmed with costliest spices, or buried in the bosom of their mother earth, or purified and so preserved by fire. There is a selfhood in the body; Paul affirms it strongly of the sleeping Christian remains; there is something sacred in the human dust; it is not like other matter, though sown in corruption; we may thank God that the feeling still lingers in our souls, in spite of that contempt for the body which is sometimes manifested by a reckless science on the one hand, or a hyper-spiritual philosophy on the other.
It is very important to bear in mind, that to the early view there could be no distinctions such as we now make. It was all death, whatever it might include, as opposed to acting, moving being; and when very early there arose the thought of a dwelling in the earth (as an underworld), of a Sheol or cavity, of a Hades or the Unseenall arising from the act of burying or putting out of sightthis was not a state succeeding death, but the very world of the dead, the , the House of Olam (Ecc 12:5), the House of Eternity, not as a figure for nonexistence, but as real continuous being, though in striking contrast with the busy, knowing (sense-knowing), remembering, loving, hating, upper life beneath the sun (Ecc 9:5-6). Superstition held that there was some mode of intercourse with these , or dwellers in Sheol. There is little said about them in the Hebrew Scriptures, for there was little known that could be said; but there is an undercurrent of thought and feeling throughout the Old Testament which shows that they are never forgotten. They were dead, but still in being; they had not perished (per-iit, inter-iit, gone through, fallen out), become extinct, ceased to be. Hence they called them the , the weak, the weary, the inactive, as the Homeric and the ante-Homeric Greek called them , and . In all this there was great logical inconsistency, bewilderment of conception, contradiction even of the sense, so far as the phenomenal body was concerned, but it was a holding fast of that idea of continuous being, in some way, which was from the beginning, and which the human mind never gave up until Christ came and poured light upon this dark Sheol, this gloomy Hades, or world of the unseen. The imagery everywhere was drawn, mainly from the last appearances in life, or from the associations of sepulchral acts, but the real underlying idea was never lost. Very early a better hope dawned upon the pious, or it came as a revelation from God, born in the travail of their earth-weary, rest-seeking souls, but it was mainly of a deliverance at some time from Sheol, or of blessedness therein as lying under the shadow of the divine protection. It was, however, still death, doom, , the great penalty, an idea expressed somehow in the most ancient tongues, Shemitic or Japhetic, with which we are acquainted. It was the great wrath for whose turning the pious dead are represented as waiting; as Job prays, O that thou wouldst hide me in Sheol until thy wrath be past, (until thy wrath turn), that thou wouldst appoint me a time and then remember me (Job 14:13).
From such a doom Enoch was spared. No grave received him. He disappeared from earth. He was not found, as the LXX. have rendered , and as it is given in Heb 11:5; that is, his body was not found, though men, doubtless, made long search for him, as they did afterwards for the body of Elijah (2Ki 2:16-17). Enoch may be said to have shared in the great penalty in so far that for 365 years he bore a dying and corruptible body, and yet it is testified of him that he did not see death, Heb 11:5, that is, he did not enter into Hades, which is the real death, although the change that his body must have undergone in the translation was greater than that which passes upon the dissolving human frame. See the clear remarks of Dr. Murphy on , in his excellent Commentary on Genesis.
Dr. Lange has well distinguished between this Old Testament belief of a future life, or rather of continuous being, and the , the eternal life, revealed by Christ. Great confusion arises from confounding the two, and the distinction becomes of great importance in refuting the reasoning of those who teach the annihilation of the wicked.
The word here, though a common one, is to be noted as used in a strikingly similar connection in the account of Elijah (2Ki 2:9, ), Psa 49:15, God shall redeem my soul from Sheol, for He shall take me, , and Psa 73:24 : Thou wilt guide me by thy counsel, and afterwards take me (to) glory. It is worthy of note, too, how exactly in Psa 73:24 the Hebrew corresponds to the use of the cognate Arabic (Heb. Num 23:10 et al.), the frequent Koranic and ante-Mohammedan word for the after or future life. In these two passages from the Psalms, may not denote the hope of a translation, yet the similarity of context, which strongly seems to be suggested by the passage in Genesis, takes them clearly out of the Rationalists limitation to a mere worldly deliverance.T. L.]
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. Concerning the line of Seth, see the Exegetical annotations, No. 1.
2. Concerning the meaning of the image of Adam, see the Exegetical annotations, No. 3; as also for the significance of the names that here occur, No. 4.
3. Concerning the Macrobii, or the long-lived of the primitive time, see Exegetical annotations, No. 5. It ought to be considered that not only had death, as yet, failed to make his full breach upon them, but that, on the other hand, through their inward intercourse with God, their life-power had been wonderfully advanced in the opposite direction of the transformation form. Concerning the chronology, see No. 5.
4. For the meaning of Enoch, see No. 7, Exegetical annotations. Enoch, the seventh from Adam, is a very ancient witness: 1. For the degrees of piety; 2. for the truth of the mystical or the mysterious core of religion, communion with God; 3. for that assurance of eternal life that wells out of a life of faith and peace in God. In this is he, in a special sense, a type of the life of Christ: 1. His divine human walk; 2. his glorification and translation to heaven. Concerning the language of Lamech, see No. 8.
5. For the meaning of Noah, see the extracts from Starke below. According to Heb 11:7, Enoch is the mediator of the idea of a revelation of deliverance, or of salvation from judgment.
6. A main point of view of the Holy Scriptures and of the religion of revelation, is the significance of the personal life. This presents itself in the genealogies as they stand in their simple grandeur even to this day. It is like the granite of the earth in a highland landscape.
7. Enoch, Elijah, Christ, three stages in the unfolding of the facts of the world beyond, of the higher life of the world beyond, of its region of glory, and of the wonderful transition to it, as well as of the belief in those facts. In Christ the perfection of what is here prefigured.
8. Noah and his house a figure of the pious of the last time (Mat 24:34).
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
The race of Adam, according to the ground-features of its life: 1. Birth; 2. marriage and the family; 3. death.The constant repetition, and he died, a powerful memento mori. [Through this constant refrain, and he died, the reading of this chapter is said to have awakened men to repentance.]Adam, through Seth and Noah, the ancestor of the human race: 1. In the continuance of the divine vocation; 2. of sinfulness, pain, and labor upon the earth; 3. of strife with sin: Seth, Enoch, Lamech, Noah; 4. of the prospect of the future of the perfected Seth (meaning compensation and established), of the perfected Enoch (devoted), of the perfected Noah (rest-bringer).The conflict of life with death in the line of the Sethites: 1. How it holds back death through the blessing of piety (the long-living); 2. how it ever opposes to death new generations (and he begat sons and daughters); 3. how it finds a way of life beyond death (Enoch).Seth as the again-risen Abel.The time of Enosh, that is, of the feeling of human weakness, as a time of the first glorifying of the divine power and covenant faithfulness.The names of the Sethites (see above).Enoch the mediator of the faith of a new life in the world beyond (Heb 11:5-6), on the ground of the experience of the divine complacency (justification in its first form), through faith, that is, in the unfolding of his communion with God, and in the bearing of his prophetic testimony against ungodliness (Jude).Enochs walk with God and his blessing.The long life of Enoch and the long life of Methuselah.Enoch the wonderful height in the experience of the blessing, in the race of the blessing.Enoch a turning-point in the primeval history, as Elijah in the history of Israel, and as the ascension to heaven of Christ in the history of the human race generally.The history of Enoch the first germ of the doctrine of a heavenly inheritance.Enoch as a type of Christ.The Cainitic Lamech and the Sethitic Lamech.Lamechs word of confidence in respect to Noah, 1. a delusion, and yet, 2. no delusion.The line of the Sethites and the line of the Cainites: 1. Worldliness; spirituality; 2. pride and confidence; sorrow and patience; 3. an end, with terror; a newer, fairer beginning of life.Noah as a type of Christ.Adam the ancestor of two lines: a pious and a godless.Noah the ancestor of three lines: a line of faith and worship, a line of human culture, and a line of sensual barbarity.
Starke: It is this genealogical record that has been preserved by Gods wonderful care, and is to be found, 1 Chronicles 1, Matthew 1, Luke 3.Cramer: There has always been a church of God, and will remain even to the last day (Mat 16:18). The evangelical religion is the oldest and the truest of all.
Gen 5:3. All men are by nature children of wrath, and stained with the hereditary sin (Eph 2:3).Long life is also from God; well for him who seeks to apply it to his honor.Osiander: We have lived long enough when we know how to learn Christ.
Gen 5:5. It is an old covenant: thou, O man, must die (Sir 14:18).Cainan. He had (like Enoch) seen all the patriarchs.The example of Enoch is a glorious proof that the marriage state can and ought to be holily maintained.Whether now children and babes enjoy any such intimate intercourse with God, there are still degrees herein, so that husbands and fathers in Christ have thereby a much closer communion with God. Jewish, as well as some old patristic and papistical interpreters say, that he (Enoch) was carried into the earthly paradise, where he will remain to the end of the world, when he will come back and be slain by Antichrist, and thereupon rise again and be taken up into heaven. We may readily see, however, what a mere fable this is. Rather has he been taken up into this heavenly paradise (Luk 23:43).Aim of Enochs translation: 1. Thereby was the doctrine that the good man was rewarded in a future life established as against the prevalent security of that day; 2. thereby, in the seventh from Adam, was there given a pattern which even to the time of the seventh trumpet should serve as an example to believers whom the day of Christ might find alive; 3. thereby Enoch was set before us as a type of Christ in his ascension. (Then follows a comparison of the translation of Enoch with the ascension of Christ.)Methuselah. No one of the patriarchs reached a thousand years, for that number is a type of the perfection to which no man in this life can attain.He died in the year 1656, and, therefore, in the year in which the flood broke in upon the world.Noah (Luk 3:36; 1Pe 3:20; Heb 11:7). Noah is a glorious type of Christ: 1. In respect to his name: Noah signifies rest and peace, or consolation and comforting; so is Christ, too, our Prince of peace, who makes for us peace and tranquillity (Isa 9:6; Rom 5:1; Jer 6:16). 2. According to his threefold office: Noah was a prophet (2Pe 2:5), and announced many years beforehand the destruction of the first world and its sons, which was to befall them (Mat 24:25). Noah was a priest, for he offered sacrifice; Christ has offered himself (Heb 7:27). Noah prayed for the wicked world (Eze 14:14); so also is Christ our advocate (Rom 8:34; 1Jn 2:1; Heb 5:7). Noah blessed Shem and Japheth; so also Christ (Mar 10:16). Noah was a king, the head of his family and of the new world, the builder of an ark at Gods command: Christ was king and head of his threefold kingdom, the builder of the church (Psa 2:6).The sons of Noah. They are not born in the order in which they here stand, but Japheth was the first-born (Gen 10:21), Shem the middle son (Gen 11:10), and Ham the youngest (Gen 9:24).
Schrder: Genealogies may be called the threads on which history, chronology, and everything else in the first book of Moses moves. The Adamitic genealogical table, Genesis 5, throws a bridge between the fall and the flood. In the plan of Genesis, the eye of Moses is firmly directed to Israel. The object of this constantly keeping the eye upon Israel, has for its ground the placing, in the most visible manner, before the eyes of the latest descendants, Jehovahs covenant faithfulness in the outer as well as inner preservation and assistance of the womans seed. On this account the genealogies of the Old Testament, and of Genesis especially, form a part not to be overlooked in the great history of the divine assumptions of humanity before the incarnation of God in Christ.
Gen 5:1-2. According to Luk 3:38, man stands in a genealogical relation to God; his descent loses itself in the divine hand of the Creator (Act 17:28).
Gen 5:3-5. The significance of the time depends upon the significance of the person who is born, lives, and dies in it. The meaning of the time is nothing else than that there appears in it the birth and life of the human personality. To the mere dead number the coming man first gives life and content, and so too he first makes history.Abel is murdered, Cain is cursed; and now Seth enters, a first birth, as it were, into history.Val. Herberger: Adam and Eve may have wept long for the death of the pious Abel, and the wickedness of that wretched son Cain; but now God makes them to rejoice again in a pious child whom he presents to their eyes. Such vicissitudes of joy and sorrow befall all pious people. Be not, therefore, proud when it goes with thee according to thy hearts wish; be not cast down though it may rain and snow crosses. God will again rejoice thee with a cheerful sunshine in thy long, wearisome domestic trouble.Whether the rest of the patriarchs who followed were all first-born sons, is made doubtful by the case of Seth.From Adam onward to the patriarch Jacob, hath the Holy Spirit signified to us in what year each named ancestor, who propagated that line out of which Christ was to spring, begat that son who in turn was to become a specially-named ancestor in the course of descent. Roos.Seths genealogical register is the line of the sons of God, that is, of the true church. With reverence and awe do I draw nigh to thee, O holy people who dwell under his shadow and before his presence, O thou light of the world, thou salt of the earth! Thou wast a chosen race, a patriarchal priesthood, to make known the virtues of Him who called thee. Herder.Luther: Eve, too, it is probable, lived to the eight hundredth year, and so must have seen a numerous race. How much care must she have had, how much industry, and labor, in visiting, dressing, and teaching, her children and her childrens children! The first oral fountain of oral and written traditions that have come down to us, could in this way maintain itself through the possibility of a personal converse between Lamech and Shem, between Shem and Abraham. The original undying destiny of the human race comes powerfully before us in the numbers of this genealogical register. That sharp appendage, and he died, forms a standing refrain of sorrow to the joyful picture of life that precedes.Roos: So should the thought arise in us: I too must die, and after a shorter pilgrimage than that of these fathers; I too must watch.
Gen 5:6-20. Arabian stories concerning Seth and Jared, p. 111. Jared: an enigmatical name, out of which, however, as out of most of the Sethic names, there evidently enough breathes a tone of sorrow and of pain. Sharp contrast with the namings of the Cainites, which express might and pride.
Gen 5:21-23. Whilst the Enoch of Gen 4:17 bears upon himself the Cainitic consecration, and gives to the earthly his consecration (say rather receives it from the earthly), the Enoch of our chapter shows the consecration of God (Sir 44:15; Heb 11:5). The subjective side of patriarchalism is its faith, the objective the divine acceptance.Luther: From this we take it that there was in Enoch a peculiar consolation of the Holy Spirit and an excellent and noble courage, so that with the highest confidence and boldness he bore himself against the church of Satan and the Cainites, in the presence of the other patriarchs. For to walk reverentially with God means not to roam in a desert, or to hide oneself in a corner, but to come forth according to his calling, and to bear himself bravely against the unrighteousness of Satan and the world. (In this, however, the question still remains, whether we are to think of Enoch as having the contemplative Johannean, or the zealous Petrine form; we may rather suppose the first than the second.)Roos: We never find this mode of speech, to walk with God, after the giving of the law, but rather the terms perfect, upright. In the New Testament pious men are called holy (saints), and beloved of God. In this way there shines clearly before the eyes the difference of the divine economies, namely: before the law, and under the law, and under the grace of the New Testament. In respect to the language, to walk with God, it expresses the patriarchal piety in a very becoming and lovely manner. There were, at that day, no literally expressed prescriptions as to what ought to be done or left undone. God himself stood in place of all such prescriptions.Hengstenberg: The main thing was that each should become a partaker of the life of God. When this took place, then had he eternal life, and the assurance of it in his consciousness. In all the Holy Scripture this term (translation) is used only of three persons: of Enoch in the old world, of Elijah in the old covenant, and of Christ in the new. The first is a type of the second, and both are Old Testament figures of the last.Herder: The seventh from Adam cannot be without God in a world which scorns him; God forgot him not, but made him immortal and an everlasting monument of this divine truth.Hengstenberg: Everything arbitrary must be far removed from a religion whose God is the unchangeable Jehovah; what God does in the case of one is, at the same time, a prediction of what he will do to all who occupy with him a like stand-point.Baumgarten: When we confine our looks to the bare catalogue, we find, indeed, life followed close by death, but this opens up to us a series in which we see no close. But that this series has an actual conclusion, namely, the victory of life over death, is for the first time assured to us through the translation of Enoch.Luther: So shines out, in the midst of this narration of the dead, like a fair and lovely star, the pleasing light of immortality. The old doctors of the church say: Abel confessed another life after death, for his blood cries out and is heard; Cain acknowledged another life before death, for he was afraid to die, and his soul foreboded that something more awaited him than this worlds unhappiness; Enoch confesses another life without death, for, out of this worlds misery, and without the pain of dying, he goes straight to everlasting life. In the Koran and among the Mohammedans Enoch bears the name of Edris. So also the heathen legends mention him under the names of Annak, Cannak, Nannak (for the further treatment of these stories, p. 119). Methuselah means either man of the arrow-shooting, because, by standing on his defence and using his skill in weapons, in these last times of the first world, he was able to resist the robberlike, murderous Cainites; or his name means man of the shoot or germ, that is, of a great posterity; one rich in children and in childrens children.Val. Herberger: God can prolong our life, as in the case of Hezekiah. While Methuselah lived the great distress came not upon the world, for he could pray from the heart and keep back the wrath of God; but as soon as Methuselahs white snow dissolves, and his gray hair descends into the grave, then grows the weather foul, the rain comes down, out swells the flood, and all the world must drown.At the speech of Lamech, Gen 4:1, it was the wife whose mother-feelings sang joyfully together; in the passage before us (of the Sethic Lamech) we perceive the loud pulse of a fathers heart.The advancing corruption of the time, and of his cotemporaries, give no doubtful coloring to his souls longing; on this dark background first falls that hard fate of eating bread in the sweat of the brow (Gen 3:17).In such a consolation of a pious son did the old pious fathers find their rest.Roos: From such a man must the patriarchs have been greatly comforted, and gained new courage. (Similar examples in the Old Testament, Moses, Samuel, Elias; in the New Testament time, John the Baptist, the Apostles; in modern times, Huss, Luther, and others.) It all presupposes Christ the middle point.Theodoret names him (Noah) the other or second Adam.Drechsler: Here, in the mention of Noah, there is an extension to the whole chapter in contrast to the previous concise declarations.(Comparison of the three sons of Adam and the three sons of Noah.) Shem the first-born, the most like to his father, who carries farther on the golden thread; he is the representative of the divine principle in humanity, p. 125. The opposite views of Luther and Calvin respecting the declaration that Noah was five hundred years old. Luther: He lived so long unmarried, because, in that corrupt time, it was better to have no children than evil, degenerate ones; but then he may have become married from the admonition of the patriarchs, or the command of an angel. Calvin: It is not said that he had hitherto been unmarried, nor in what year he began to be a father, but, on the occasion of noting the point of time when the future flood is announced to him, Moses adds that at this time he had already become the father of three sons [this explanation, however, is not in harmony with the allegations of a middle time which he cites as analogous to those in our chapter].Herder: Remarkable history of humanity; the form it ever presents. These, under the curse are singing their song of jubilee; those others, under the blessing are full of sighs. These are building, singing, inventing; those live, bring up children, and walk with God. The number of the one class is ever growing more numerous, the gathering of the other grows ever less and less. It ends with one race, with one man, and the seven souls that are with him. So will it also be, says Christ, at the end of the days. Be not disheartened, little flock.Luther: This chapter presents to us a form and image of the whole world. As, therefore, there may be seen in our chapter a fair form and image of the early world, so also is it Gods overwhelming wrath, and a most fearful ruin, that we behold in the fact that the whole race of these ten patriarchs perished, with the exception of only eight that survived.The same: We ought not to think that these are common names of mean and common men, for, in fact, they are great heroes.The same: Our world of to-day, the third, and still a world of mercy, how full of blasphemy and cruelty!It must be punished with a flood of fire; for so prophesy the colors in the rainbow (then follows an interpretation of the three chief colors).
Gerlach: God himself stands at the head of the genealogical table, not merely as creator, as he is of all other beings, but as the father of men, as appears Luk 3:38. Not without purpose is there mentioned the divine origin of the human race at the very apex of this series. It contains the patriarchs that remained true to the covenant of God, and who, on that very account, are called the Sons of God (Gen 6:2).
Gen 5:5. Who was like his image. This expression contains no allusion to the fall, but there is rather indicated a continuance of the divine image according to the original position of man. As Adam was created in the divine image, so could he also beget a son who should be like to his own image. That the predominance of sin is inherited along with it, is taken for granted through the whole history (therefore is it here also indicated, although the author rightly saw that here, in the representation of the higher Sethic line, and in accordance with its connections, there should be a special emphasis given to the continuance of a side of light in humanity).Enoch: Most worthy of note as a very ancient witnessing to the earliest human race of a blessed eternal life.
Lisco: Enoch, that is, devoted. He is the seventh from Adam, wherein there may be some indication that after the six long world-times of sin and death, there should be introduced, in the seventh period of the world, through one, that is, Christ, a divine life, with freedom from death [Calculus of the Biblical Chronology, p. 23].
Calwer Handbuch: Seth. Eve looks upon him as a present from God; but thinks no more, as in the case of Cain, that she actually has the Lord. Still does her faith behold a new beginning for the promise, of the seed of the woman, bearing in itself the pledge of its sure ongoing, whilst she believingly receives this other seed from the hand of God. [Indication that in the birth of Cain she had ascribed to herself too great a share.]Methuselah, the eighth from Adam, lives nearly one hundred years cotemporaneously with Adam, whilst Noah lives eighty-four years with Enoch, the grandson of Adam, and, in the other direction, was one hundred and twenty-eight years cotemporaneous with Terah the father of Abraham.Abel died early a violent death; Adam was the first who died a natural death (?); fifty-seven years after him was Enosh translated. A threefold way. [Enoch. Under the name of Idris (learned man) he is said to have been the inventor of letters and writing, of arithmetic, and astronomy.]Bunsen, on the word of Lamech, Gen 5:29 : This indicates very hard times and great disturbing events of nature, in the last period of the old world. Men labor hard, but nothing thrives. They toil in vain; the crop is little, or it is wholly lost. Now there is a breathing again (according to the root-meaning of naham () and the Arabic usage) after the fruitless labor. [Here, in the first place, it is overlooked that the object of Lamechs lamentation has an ethical background (a commencing corruption), and in the second place, that the destined limitation of that old period through a sudden and destroying flood excludes earlier catastrophes.]From the name of the Cainite Mahujael, Gen 4:18 : Detruit de Dieu, and with reference to a Lydian and Indian tradition, Von Rougemont concludes that: sa gnration a t en majeure partie enleve par une effroyable scheresse, which lasted at least eighteen years.Histoire de la Terre, p. 98. [In reference, however, to this meaning of the name Mahujael, it is to be remarked that it would be contrary to the analogy of the Cainitic names].Taube: What Enochs life and destiny proclaims to us: 1. That a godly life in faith pleases God; 2. that God in his grace rewards it with the gift of everlasting life.The name of Noah: 1. A significant index to the state of soul of the Sethites and of all children of God; 2. a figure of Christ.Hofmann (p. 40): Fathers ever hope for deliverance in their sons. [Then follows a reference to Seth, Enosh, Enoch, Noah.]
Footnotes:
[1][Gen 5:5.. In general little reliance can be placed upon the etymological significance of these early names as given by the lexicographers, whether we regard them as purely Hebrew, or as having been transferred from some older Shemitic tongue. In a few of them, however, there appear contrasts that can hardly be mistaken. Thus, for example, between Seth the established, the firm, and Enosh the weak, the frail (, mortalis, homo), the contrast is similar to that between Cain and Abel (gain, as the promised seed, and vanity or disappointment), as though the hopes of men, from generation to generation, were alternately rising and falling.T. L.]
[2][Gen 5:12.: Praise of God, or one who praises God. This is very plain, and seems to be followed by another contrast in the name , a descending, whether it denotes degeneracy, despondency, or a plain, pious humility without the high rapture which seems to be indicated in that of the predecessor.T. L.]
[3][Gen 5:18.: rendered devoted, initiated. This, however, seems to be a later sense of the root, although it is well applicable to the one to whom it is applied. From the Arabic there may be got the sense of instructed, learned, and from this came the notions of the Mohammedans and later Jews respecting Enochs great scientific attainments, as also, perhaps, the other name, Edris, by which he is mentioned in the Koran, though it would seem also as though they most unchronologically confounded him with Ezra.T. L.]
[4][Gen 5:22.. Compare the similar phrase Gen 17:1; Gen 24:40; Gen 48:15, to walk before God. Here and in Gen 6:9 to walk with God. In both cases it denotes concord, and the LXX. were justified in rendering it pleased God.T. L.]
[5][Gen 5:29.. The Jewish interpreters regard this as explanatory of the name Noah (rest), but not its etymological ground. Otherwise, says Rashi, he should have been called , Menahem. They also distinguish between etymology in the sound, and in the sense. They say (see Aben Ezra) that Noah invented instruments of agriculture (as the son of the Cainite Lamech invented weapons of war), and thus delivered their agriculture, in some measure, from the barrenness which had been brought upon it by the curse, and by bad tillage. This is grounded by them on the words of Lamech, and on what was said of Noah after the flood, that he was , , agricola, Gen 9:20, a husbandman. , shall comfort, rather, shall revive, restore, make us breathe again, like the Greek . Compare Psa 23:4 : Thy rod and thy staff shall revive me. It is the good shepherd restoring to life and vigor the fainting, dying sheepto bring back the gasping breath. Hence the Syriac for the resurrection. It is not the sense of consolation, as some give it, but resuscitation, revivification.T. L.]
[6] [Besides the reasons given by Lange against the idea of any lesser time being denoted by , there are others arising from the etymology of the word. This makes it the most fixed and most distinct of all the measures of time. Not only in the Hebrew, but in the Greek, the radical idea of the word for year is repetition, or a coming over again in a second recurrence of the same astronomical series. Thus the primary sense of the verb is to repeat, to do a second time; hence the word for the numeral two. In Greek there can be no doubt that has the same idea, as we see it in Hom. Odyss. i. 16, . Compare it with the particle (Lat. et, iterum, iterare, Saxon yet, addition, repetition). So also in the word (that which returns into itself), an etymology which, though condemned by some, is not to be rashly rejected. In harmony with this is the Latin annus, a ring, or circle. So the Gothic iar, jar, jer, the old Anglo-Saxon gear, German jahr, English year, seem all to carry the same thought, that which comes again,being connected with the Greek (Latin ver), the spring, the repetition, the new life, and not with the indefinite Greek , as some lexicographers suppose. So marked a word carrying this distinct conception in all these languages, would be the last one to be used for any smaller, or less marked division, and this view is confirmed by the fact that neither in the Hebrew writings nor anywhere else do we ever find any such substitution. Years in the plural, , seems sometimes to be used for larger designations, or for onic time; as in such expressions as , years of the right hand of the Most High, Psa 77:10, or thy years, , are for all generations, Psa 102:24; though even in these cases it may have its fixed astronomical measure, denoting Gods doings in time and human history.
We get a confirmation of these views by considering how the whole idea of time is divided for us into the astronomical and the onic,the former measured by the sun and other heavenly bodies, the latter above such measurement, entirely independent of it, having its division from inward evolutions, and thus presenting a higher and an independent chronology of its own. In astronomical time the day is the unit, complete in itself with its dual evolution, and having no smaller astronomical subdivisions, although it may be cut up into hours and watches by arbitrary numberings. In onic time, the single or olam is the unit, and the greater measures are made by its reduplications and retriplications, its ages of ages ( ) and worlds of worlds. We see from this why, of all astronomical measures, the day is used to represent the onic unit, and to stand for an or an olam, as in the of 2Pe 3:18. From its peculiar position as the unit in the one department, it becomes the most easy and natural term for this purpose in representing the higher chronology on the earthly scale. For the opposite reason, year and month are less fitted for such a parallelism; and hence we find the usage referred to so strongly verified in so many, perhaps in all, languages. A year is not only astronomical in itself, but internally divided by astronomical periods. Hence it is generally used for nothing longer or shorter than its own solar measurement. Everywhere, however, day is thus employed, not only in philosophical language where a magnus annus is artificially spoken of, but in common idioms, where we feel its natural propriety as used to denote any long internally completing, or self-evolving time, series, or cycle; as in that line of Virgil, n. vi. Genesis 745:
Donee longa dies perfecto temporis orbe,
or in that peculiar Latin phrase venire in diem, to be born, to come into the world, or in the still greater Scriptural phrases before the day I am He, Isa 43:13, or the already cited. We should feel it as a philological discord if year were thus used, whether in poetry, or in any other animated language. On the same ground it must appear as forced when any one would interpret , , , jahr, year, of any shorter period. Besides, the Hebrews had two distinct names for months, neither of which is ever used in giving the lengths of lives, or in keeping the record of genealogies, although employed in the designation of festal times.T. L.]
[7][In the excellent commentary on Genesis by Dr. James G. Murphy, of Belfast College (p. 196), there is a very clear and convincing comparison of the Hebrew text chronology with that of the Septuagint, the Samaritan, and Josephus. The internal evidence is shown to be decidedly in favor of the Hebrew from its proportional consistency. The numbers in the LXX. evidently follow a plan to which they have been conformed. This does not appear in the Hebrew, and it is greatly in favor of its being an authentic genealogical record. The numbers before the birth of a successor, which are chiefly important for the chronology, are enlarged in the LXX. by the addition of just one hundred years in each of six cases, making Adam 230 years old at the birth of Seth, Seth 205 at the birth of Enosh, and so on, whilst the sum-total of each life remains the same as in the Hebrew, with a slight exception of 25 years in the case of Lamech. The interest, here, is evident, to extend the total chronology without changing the other numbers of the macrobiology. It is not easy to imagine what motive could have led in the other direction, or to the shortening, if the original had been as given in the Septuagint; since all ancient nations have rather shown a disposition to lengthen their chronology. On physiological grounds, too, the Hebrew is to be preferred; since the length of the life does not at all require so late a manhood as those numbers would seem to intimate. There is no proof that these were all first-born sons. It was the line of the pious, of those that had the spiritual birth right. The unevenness of the Hebrew birth-figures, varying from 65 and 70 to 157, shows this, whilst the added 100 years, in each case, by the Septuagint, shows a design to bring them to some nearer proportional standard, grounded on some supposed physiological notion, and the unwarranted idea that each is a natural first-born. To all this must be added the fact that the Hebrew has the best claim to be regarded as the original text, from the well-known scrupulous, and even superstitious, care with which it has been textually preserved.T. L.]
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
Contents
This is a very interesting chapter, though, at the first view, if seems to contain nothing but the pedigree of the first patriarchs. But when we consider that this is the pedigree which, uniformly leads on to the promised seed, and ends not, until it is summed up in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is not what the apostle calls the fables of endless genealogies, (1Ti 1:4 ) but contains the power of an endless life. Heb 7:16 . This chapter is further remarkable, for containing the short lives, and short history of the patriarchs, before the flood, including no less a period than 1656 years.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Enoch
Gen 5:24
The character of Enoch is the point on which attention is fixed. He ‘walked with God,’ he ‘pleased God’.
I. What is Implied in this Description?
( a ) Agreement. ‘Can two walk together except they be agreed?’ Man naturally is at enmity with God, averse to Him, disliking His law. This enmity must be destroyed. There is no peace with the wicked, and as the first requisite to walking with God obedience is required.
( b ) Intimate Communion. Agreement in aim and purpose is possible apart from intimacy: but walking implies close and personal converse with Jehovah. Knowledge of God begets confidence in Him, life is lived under His eye, and in constant recognition of His presence and law.
( c ) Progress. He ‘walked,’ went on from grace to grace. There was activity in the spiritual life: no cessation of effort. God walks with us to lead us into full knowledge and holiness.
II. The Foundation of His Character. What was the fount and root of this life? Genesis is silent, but the Epistle to the Hebrews gives the information ‘By faith,’ etc. How great this faith was we can scarcely measure, but the least faith which brings a man to God is faith in His existence and in His love. Thus walking with God becomes a source of knowledge and an aid to faith, enlarging its sphere, and giving greater power for service.
III. The Reward. ‘God took him.’ His aim was to please God, and he was rewarded with the high honour of going home without passing through the gates of death. When his character was mature the intercourse with heaven was more perfect.
J. Edwards, The Pulpit, vol. v.
Gen 5:24
I. What was the Character of the Age in which Enoch Lived? Now respecting the age when Enoch lived we know little, but that little is very bad. He was the seventh from Adam, and lived in the time before the flood. In those days we are told the earth was corrupt before God, and filled with violence. Every sort of wickedness seems to have prevailed; men walked after the vile lusts of their hearts, and did that which appeared good to them without fear and without shame. Such was the character of the men before the flood; and in the middle of this age of wickedness Enoch lived, and Enoch walked with God.
II. What was his Character? You have heard he walked with God, and you know perhaps it is an expression of great praise. A man that walks with God is one of God’s friends. That unhappy enmity and dislike which men naturally feel towards their Maker has been removed; he feels perfectly reconciled and at peace. Again he that walks with God is one of God’s dear children. He looks upon Him as his Father, and as such he loves Him, he reveres Him, he rejoices in Him, he trusts Him in everything. And lastly to walk with God is to be always going forward, always pressing on, never standing still and flattering ourselves that we are the men and have borne much fruit; but to grow in grace, to go on from strength to strength, to forget the things behind, and if by grace we have attained unto anything, to abound yet more and more.
III. Enoch’s Motive. Faith was the seed which bore such goodly fruit; faith was the root of his holiness and decision on the Lord’s side faith without which there has never been any salvation, faith without which not one of us will ever enter into the kingdom of heaven.
IV. Enoch’s End. We are simply informed that ‘He was not, for God took him’. The interpretation of this is, that God was pleased to interfere on His servant’s behalf, and so He suddenly removed him from this world without the pains of death, and took him to that blessed place where all the saints are waiting in joyful expectation for the end of all things, where sin and pain and sorrow are no more. And this, no doubt, was done for several reasons. It was done to convince a hard-hearted, unbelieving world that God does observe the lives of men and will honour those who honour Him. It was done to show every living soul that Satan had not won a complete victory when he deceived Eve; that we may yet get to heaven by the way of faith, and although in Adam all die, still in Christ all may be made alive.
J. C. Ryle, The Christian Race, p. 243.
Enoch the Immortal
Gen 5:24
What has its sublimest consummation in the Christian consciousness had its crude form in the portrait of Enoch. That portrait was God’s message of universal hope. Every man of the future aspired to be an Enoch.
I. Brief as it is, this record is a biography the description of a rounded life. Three times the curtain rises and falls.
( a ) We see first an ordinary man a life in no way distinguished from his contemporaries engrossed in family cares and engaged in secular pursuits.
( b ) Suddenly there comes a change drastic, complete, revolutionary. Up to the birth of his son Methuselah he has merely ‘lived’; he now begins to ‘walk with God’. He had lived sixty-five years as a man of the world occupied with the cares of a household. When he changes mere ‘living’ into walking with God he goes over precisely the same ground he is still occupied with the care of ‘sons and daughters’. No outward eye could have detected any difference.
( c ) Now we have a third and distinctively unique scene. Enoch himself has disappeared: there is no trace of him. There is no grave for him. There is the place where the grave should have been, and there is a tablet above the spot; but in the tablet are inscribed the words ‘He is not here; he is risen’.
II. Why is this man represented as escaping death? It is on the ground of holiness; it is because ‘he walked with God’. Do you think that is an accidental connexion of ideas? It is the keynote to all the subsequent teaching both of the Old Testament and of the New the prelude to all the coming music.
III. Enoch was not transplanted into foreign soil. The text says that translation was preceded by revelation that before going out into the new world he had a picture of that world in his mind. It tells us that the beginning of the process was not the approach of earth to heaven; it was the approach of heaven to earth. He did not first go to Eshcol to try the taste of the grapes; he had specimens of the fruit brought to him sent unto his desert as a foretaste, and this foretaste was the climax of the glory; it made the glory, when it came, not wholly new.
G. Matheson, The Representative Men of the Bible, p. 67.
Gen 5:24
‘Oh! for a closer walk with God’ is number one on the list of Cowper’s Olney Hymns.
I. There are some hymns in our hymn books which thoughtful people decline to sing. They will tell you that the aspirations expressed are so lofty and so far above their desires, that to join in singing such hymns seems to them devoid of reality. But here we have a hymn breathing the holiest and loftiest aspirations, and yet every member of a congregation can heartily join in singing it. Every member of a congregation, whether good or bad, can honestly express a heartfelt desire for ‘a closer walk with God,’ and where is the man or woman who does not sigh for that ‘calm and heavenly frame’ of mind which springs from a ‘closer walk with God’.
II. Cowper might well have selected as the motto for this hymn the words of the Apostle St. James, ‘Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you’. So you see that the opening aspiration is not only thoroughly reasonable, but thoroughly scriptural, and is well calculated to give expression to the desire of every worshipper. And what prayer can be more appropriate to those who are travelling through a vale of darkness than the prayer for light! We have, thank God, the light of His Holy Book to guide our steps aright, but we need the aid of the Holy Spirit to enable us to say with the Psalmist, ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path’.
III. Few hours in life are more fraught with happiness than those in which we contemplate sweet intercourse with dear ones who have passed away. And yet with all their sweetness there is felt, deep down in the heart, a want that can never in this world be supplied. This is a rough illustration of the condition of the lapsed Christian. The memory of the peace that was once enjoyed mingles with the feeling of present alienation from God, which no amount of worldly excitement can obliterate. This feeling of a want, this aching void in the soul is often the precursor of the prodigal’s return. He, like the son in the parable, comes to himself.
M. H. James, Hymns and their Singers, p. 112.
References. V. 24. A. Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture Genesis, p. 38. J. Edwards, The Pulpit, vol. v. J. Jackson Goadley, Christian World Pulpit, 1891, p. 139. C. E. Shipley, Baptist Times, vol. liv. p. 807. E. H. Bickersteth, Thoughts in Past Years, p. 21. G. Brooks, Outlines of Sermons, p. 382; ibid. Old Testament Outlines, p. 5. V. 26. G. B. Cheever, American Pulpit, p. 72. VI. 2. J. Keble, Sermons for the Christian Year, vol. ii. p. 161. VI. 3. J. Budgen, Parochial Sermons, vol. ii. p. 159. J. Keble, Sermons for Septuagesima to Ash Wednesday, p. 161. C. G. Finney, Penny Pulpit, No. 1675, p. 439.
Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson
Nobodyism
Gen 5:1
This fifth chapter of the book of Genesis is the beginning of that long series of chapters in human history which are extremely uninteresting. What do we know about Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, and Jared? We know nothing and we care nothing, for they left no memorial behind them that shows their quality or excites our interest. You must have already noticed that this chapter is as true as any chapter in human history, especially as it shows so clearly, what we ourselves have found out, that most people are extremely uninteresting. They are names and nothing more. They are producers and consumers, tenants and taxpayers, and that is all; they are without wit, music, piquancy, enterprise, or keenness of sympathy. They listen to your best anecdotes and say ‘m; they hear of Livingstone with a shudder; they suppose there must be a great noise at Niagara. Such people were Seth and Enos, Mahalaleel and Jared; respectable, quiet, plodding; said “good-night” to one another regularly, and remarked briefly upon the weather, and died. Just what many nowadays seem to do. Put down on paper everything that has passed between you and some people, and you will find how very little paper is needed. Now I want to show you that such people are often unjustly estimated, and to remind you that if all stars were of the same size the sky would look very odd, much like a vast chessboard with circles instead of squares. I want to remind you also that really the best part of human history is never written at all. Family life, patient service, quiet endurance, the training of children, the resistance of temptation, these things are never mentioned by the historian. The man who burns down an abbey or a minster is immortalised in history; the poor house-wife who makes a pound go as far as thirty shillings, and pinches herself that she may give her boy a quarter’s more schooling, is not known even to have lived. Guy Fawkes is known all over the world, but your honest father, who has given you a good example and a good training, is hardly known six doors away from his own residence. If we remember these things we shall mitigate the contempt with which we are apt to speak of so-called nobodies. Because we admire brilliance we need not despise usefulness. When your little child is ill, he needs kindness more than genius, and it will be of small service to him if his mother is good at epigrams, but bad at wringing out a wet cloth for his burning brow. I am, then, quite willing to admit that Seth and Enos, Mahalaleel and Jared are not one-thousandth part so well known by name as the man in the moon, but I believe they did more real good than that famous character ever attempted.
You should remember, too, that a long flat road may be leading up to a great mountain. There are some very plain and uninteresting miles out of Geneva, but every one of them brings you nearer Mont Blanc. Now from Seth to Jared is a long run through quiet domestic scenery, through daily ploughing, daily milking, and daily gleaning; very quiet, very simple, no noise in the dull farmhouse louder than the clock tick (excuse the modern allusion), and no noise greater than the flap of wings in the high green trees. Oh, so dull that long road from Seth to Jared, but round the corner you find ENOCH, the Mont Blanc of his day! Many a child who never heard the name of Jared knows well the name of Enoch. So you do not know to what high hill your life may be quietly leading up. Even if you yourself are nobody your son may be a man of renown, or his son may be a valiant and mighty man. Three flat miles between Geneva and Chamounix said they would lie there no longer, so many travellers had called them dull and tame, so they went off in a huff, nobody knows where; but Mont Blanc himself bowed his crowned head and remonstrated, owning that but for them he himself would hardly have been known one mile away from home. So the three peevish miles came back again, proud to be a roadway to the monarch of hills. You know Enoch, but you know nothing of Jared; you know Moses well, but how many men amongst you can tell me his father’s name?
It would seem that in Enoch we come to the first really good man, of any fame, in Biblical history. I do not except Abel. In fact what we know of Abel is next to nothing. Enoch reaches the point of renown in godliness; he walked with God three hundred years at least; his walk was on the high hills, so high that he simply stepped into the next world without troubling Death to go through his long dark process. “He was not, for God took ——.” As if he had walked so near that God opened the window and took him in; and we, too, might pass in as easily if we walked on the same sunny heights. But we are in valleys and pits, and God must needs send death to dig us out and send us to heaven by a longer road. Solemn indeed is the word, “Enoch walked with God”; it means so much; there was a serenity about the man unlike all other quietness; a tender light made his face shine, and in his voice there was a tone, rich, pensive, joyous, altogether wonderful in its combination of humility and triumph. To walk with God is to pray without ceasing; to walk with God is to be absolutely free from care and independent of human judgment; to walk with God is to be in heaven.
After Enoch we come to Methuselah. He, too, is well-known, although for nothing but length of days apparently, yet as a matter of fact he ought to be known for something much more highly distinguished. It is wonderful how oddly and whimsically fame is gained: Methuselah is famed because he was the oldest man, and Samson because he was the strongest man; another is known because he can walk upon a tight rope, and another because he can swim across a channel. If it were in my power to preach the most splendid sermon ever uttered by mortal lips not a newspaper in the world would take the slightest notice of it, but if I put up an umbrella in the pulpit or tore the pulpit Bible in two many a paragraph would report the eccentricity. A splendid sermon would be thought of as interesting only to the few, but an act of folly would be regarded as of universal interest Thus it is (though it may not seem so) that things get into history. Any man living can have a world-wide notoriety tomorrow, can have his name telegraphed throughout the whole range of civilisation, and be the subject of editorial comment throughout Christendom. Shoot any member of the royal family, and see if this be not so. Everybody knows that Methuselah lived nine hundred and sixty-nine years, but nobody knows that but for you two orphan boys would never have had a chance in life. No preacher has a really world-wide name, known in slums and garrets, backwoods, steamboats, thoroughfares, and palaces, who did not in some way get it through “contemptible speech.”
Now what is that other thing for which Methuselah ought to be better known than for his great age? Tell me without looking at your Bibles. I give you a moment for recollection. Now tell me; you cannot! I knew you could not! He was the grandfather of Noah; that is his glory, not his mere age! You cannot tell what your boy may be, or his boy: so keep yourself up to the mark in all mental health and moral integrity lest you transmit a plague to posterity. It may be that Nature is only resting in you; presently she will produce a man!
Methuselah was the father of Lamech, and Lamech was the father of Noah. Here we come once more upon the highlands of history and the air grows keener. Though Lamech had many sons and daughters, yet his hope glowed most brightly when he looked upon Noah. Truly “there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth him understanding.” A father of such insight deserved a son of such renown. He did not know the full meaning of his own words, and therein he was like the rest of us; for oftentimes upon our small words God puts meanings which our hearts had never conceived, as out of one grain of corn he brings a return of sixty-fold.
Precisely the same thing we have in this chapter we find in the catalogue of the names of the early disciples of our Lord. We know Peter and James and John. But how little as compared with them do we know of Thomas and Bartholomew and Philip, of Lebbus, and Simon the Canaanite. Yet they were all members of one company, and servants of the same Lord. We speak of men of renown, forgetting that their renown is principally derived from men who have no renown themselves! Unknown people make other people known. The hills rest upon the plain ground. Besides, there is a bad repute as well as a fair fame: Judas Iscariot is known as widely as the Apostle John! Be not envious of those who have high place and name; could we know them better perhaps we should find that they long for the quietness of home and sigh for release from the noise and strain of popular applause. Happily, too, we should remember that a deed may be immortal, when the mere name of the doer may be lost in uncertainty. Such deeds are mentioned in the Bible; they are told everywhere as imperishable memorials, though the names of the doers have escaped the attention of the busiest watchers.
So closes this apparently uninteresting chapter. Let me say that the hour will be dark in which we pine for things romantic at the expense of a quiet and deep life. Christianity teaches us that no child is to be despised, no work is to be considered mean, and that suffering may have all the honour of service. Woe to us when we can live only on stimulants! When the house is accounted dull, when only sensational books can be endured, when music and drama and painted show are essential to our happiness, life has gone down to a low ebb and death is at the door. Let us do cur quiet work as if we were preparing for kings, and watch attentively at the door, for the next comer may be the Lord himself.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
XI
CHRONOLOGY FROM ADAM TO NOAH
Gen 5
In the fourth chapter of Genesis we have seen the race of Adam following two distinct lines of worship through Cain and Abel, Abel approaching God where he dwelt as a Shekinah and oracle between the Cherubim, at the east of the garden of Eden, under a grace covenant and through a vicarious expiation apprehended by faith; Cain approaching God at the same place, but ignoring the double fact that he was depraved in nature by descent from the fallen Adam and a sinner by choice and deed; therefore rejecting the vicarious expiation prescribed by grace and tendering only a thank: offering as a land tenant.
Cain thus denying sin denies the need of a Saviour. And denying depravity denies the need of regeneration. And turning from the Holy Spirit remains a subject of the evil spirit. And denying the authority of God in religion he remains under the authority of the devil, the prince of this world by usurpation. “Cain was of the wicked one.” The New Testament calls the devil religion “the way of Cain.” And it must mightily amuse the devil to hear a president emeritus of Harvard, nearly six thousand years later, call “the way of Cain” a “new religion.”
We have seen the anger and hate of the subject of the devil religion toward the subject of the God religion culminate in murder, lying, and denial of social responsibility. We have seen him, under the curse of God, go away from the presence of God and while under spiritual unrest he and his descendants build cities or become nomads, invent stringed and wind instruments of music, establish factories for cutting implements of brass and iron, and in literature attain a low form of poetry, yet they also develop bigamy, seduction, and lawless slaying of the seducer.
Having thus traced the godless line of Cain to the seventh generation the chapter closes with an account of the birth of Seth, the appointed successor of Abel, and with the statement that this line resumed the worship of Jehovah interrupted by the death of Abel. So the section of Genesis, commencing Gen 2:4 , “These are the generations [or developments] of the heavens and the earth,” leaves the world under two opposing lines of worship, God worship and devil worship, contending for earth supremacy, the kingdom of God warring against the kingdom of Satan.
The fifth chapter opens a new section: “This is the book of the generations of Adam.” The unique phraseology, “This is the book of the generations,” occurs here only in the Old Testament and only once in the New Testament (Mat 1:1 ). It is designedly limited to the two Adams the natural man and the Lord from heaven.
One cannot escape deep conviction of the unity of the Bible when he compares Gen 5:1 , with Mat 1:1 . Place them side by side thus:
“This is the book of the generations of Adam.”
“This is the book of the generations of Jesus Christ.” With this parallel before you, read Rom 5:12-21 .
The next two sentences of this section constitute another amazing parallel. Put them also side by side, thus:
“In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him.”
“And Adam begat a son in his likeness, after his image.”
This parallel is far from meaning that Adam perpetuated, in his son, Seth, the likeness and image of God which he himself had received in creation (Gen 1:26 ). By sin Adam lost the image of God and became corrupt in his nature. This is evident by what regeneration and sanctification must accomplish in a son of Adam. “Ye have put off the old man with his doings, and have put on the new man, that is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him” (Col 3:9-10 ). “Put ye away, as concerning your former manner of life, the old man, that waxeth corrupt after the lusts of deceit; and be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth” (Eph 5:22-24 ).
This fallen father could not transmit what he had loaf. Seth was born in the image of a corrupt father. The first Adam, by creation, was in the image of God. The Second Adam, by eternal subsistence, was the effulgence of God’s glory and the very image of his substance (Heb 1:3 ). Hence Paul says, “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul. The last man Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man Is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. And as is the earthy, such ore they also that are earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly” (1Co 15:45-49 ).
Another important matter to note is that the generations of Adam in this section are limited to the line of Seth. This is because all descendants of Cain perished in the deluge. While millions on earth today follow in “the way of Cain” no man on earth is lineally descended from Cain. The population of the whole earth today are lineal descendants of Seth and consist of two classes only: (1) the regenerate, spiritual descendants of the Second Adam, and (2) the unregenerate descendants in flesh and spirit of the first Adam.
According to the invariable method of Genesis the generations of the evil line are first given, as in the fourth chapter, and then the generations of the good line, as in this chapter. The line of generation in this chapter is Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mehalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah.
CHRONOLOGY We get at the age of the human race when the flood came by adding to the age of Adam when Seth was born the age of each father named when his son was born and then adding the age of Noah when the flood came. The figures are: 130 plus 105, plus 90, plus 70, plus 65, plus 162, plus 65, plus 187, plus 182, plus 600; total 1656 more than 161/2 centuries. Another remarkable fact is the longevity of the antediluvians. Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Jared, and Methuselah all lived over 900 years. By the overlapping we see how Methuselah was a contemporary of both Adam and Noah243 years with Adam and 600 years with Noah. Indeed Adam lived 56 years as a contemporary of Lamech) the father of Noah, and only 126 years intervened between Adam’s death and Noah’s birth. In this way all the revelations of God to man up to the flood required for transmission, by tradition, only one intermediary between Adam and Noah.
On this remarkable longevity Dr. Gonant says, “The great age of man previous to the Flood, gradually diminishing for some generations after, till it reached its present usual limit, has been the subject of much discussion. Some have attempted to account for the change in the duration of human life by physical causes, namely, changes in the physical temperament of our world, in modes of living, etc. Others have maintained, that the age of man did not then greatly exceed that to which men are known to have attained in later times; some supposing that each name represents several generations; others, that the ‘year’ was not a solar year as subsequently, but some equally defined period, as a lunar month, or a period of six months between the solstices or equinoxes, or a season of three months marked by the passage of the sun between the equinoctial and solstitial points, or (according to the ancient division of the year into spring, summer and winter) a season of four months.
“But this assumed meaning of the word year, making it a twelfth, or a half, or a third, or a fourth of the solar year, has no historical support; there being no evidence that such portions of time were ever made the unit of measure for long periods, such as the duration of human life, or were ever used for any other purpose than as fractions of the solar year. “It fails, moreover, in its application. For though it might explain the cases occurring in this chapter, it fails when applied to Gen 11:10 f, where some are mentioned as having sons at the age of thirty, and as living to the age of four or five hundred years.
“The term of life in man, as in all other animals, is God’s ordinance. The progress of a human being from infancy, through childhood, youth and manhood, to old age, is a law of his constitution ordained by his Maker; and the length of time assigned for each, together with the secondary causes on which it depends, is also his appointment. Our belief that it was ever otherwise than at present, depends on our confidence in the record which asserts it. It is not an unphilosophical supposition, that man was originally so constituted, that his term of life should go on diminishing till it reached its minimum, and there remain stationary.”
It may be accounted for in a simpler way. The fruit of the tree of life was designed to eliminate the mortality of the body. Adam and Eve partook of this fruit in the garden. It is quite possible that many centuries would elapse before the effects of this eating would be altogether eliminated from the bodies of Adam’s descendants. The last four names of the list, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah, call for special comment.
ENOCH Concerning Enoch we note four things:
1. He walked with God.
2. The occasion of his commencing to walk with God, the birth of his son.
3. His remarkable prophecy (Jud 1:14-15 ).
4. The manner of his exit from the world.
As a comment on three of these four particulars I here attach a sermon, preached by the author, January, 1894.
“‘And Enoch walked with God; and he was not; for God took him’ (Gen 5:24 ). I think it quite probable that to supply the ellipsis this should read: ‘and he was not found; for God took him.’ To show the reasonableness of thus supplying the ellipsis we have only to read the collateral passage describing the translation of Elijah in 2Ki 2:5-18 . Now applying that narrative, I will read over again: ‘And Enoch walked with God; and he was not [i.e., he was not found]; for God took him to himself.’
“The subject which I have selected tonight is one to me of very great interest. ‘Walking* in the sense used in this text never applies to doctrine; it applies to conduct, to life; as when it is said of Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, that he and his wife, Elisabeth, walked in the commandments of God. In both the Old and New Testaments, the word has that signification. For instance, when God said to Solomon, If you will walk in my ways as thy father David didst walk in my ways,’ evidently referring o the life, to the conduct. Before one’s life can be such as is e-pressed by this text, there is something implied; something presupposed. The prophet Amos asks a question in the third chapter and third verse of the book attributed to him: ‘How can two walk together except they be agreed?’ So that if it be affirmed that two walked together, it is implied that the two are at agreement. And it also follows from the nature of the case that one of the two had been at enmity with the other and that there had been a reconciliation. So that when we say of any man that he walks with God, it implies that he has been reconciled to God. It does not mean that God has conformed to him, but that he has conformed to God. It does not mean that the Lord has lowered his standard to suit the man, but that the man’s way has been subordinated to God’s way, and his life to God’s rules. It never implies any kind of change on the part of God, but always on the part of man. So when it is affirmed of Enoch that he walked with God, it implies that there had been a time when Enoch and God had not been at agreement, but that something had occurred to put them at agreement, and that after this agreement they had then walked together. This brings up the question: ‘Does the Bible show anywhere when this agreement took place between God and Enoch?’ I think so. A careful study of the passage shows that Enoch commenced to walk with God when he was sixty-five years old. It is affirmed that he lived 365 years, and it is affirmed that 300 years he walked with God. Then he commenced to walk with God when he was sixty-five years old. The mind becomes a little curious to know what it was that brought about this agreement between God and Enoch; what occasion brought the two together. I think the Bible tells us what the occasion was. It evidently connects the subject with the birth of Enoch’s son, the birth of his baby boy. Up to the time that Methuselah was born Enoch did not walk with God, but a child is born unto him, and from the day that child is born as long as he lived upon the earth, he walked with God. So we find the occasion in the birth of this boy the first-born child. I do not know why it is so one may speculate a great deal upon it but the fact will not be questioned that with children there comes a change in this world to the parents. There is something in paternity and maternity that casts a different atmosphere about all the things of this life; the medium of vision is entirely different. The coloring is all changed. A boy has his ambitious dreams, his selfish thoughts of distinction, his ideas of success to which everything must bend, and it is an astonishing thing to him, the cast of mind evidently manifested by his father and his mother. He cannot understand it. But after a while he grows up himself and marries, and still after he marries it is a good deal like the prolongation of youth. But a child comes to that family and with the first wail of that voice, with the first uplifting of the eyes of that new-born soul, there has come a radical and fundamental change in that house. Life will never be the same again. The world will never appear to be the same any more. Here has come a responsibility that could not even be conceived of before. Here has come a joy that without the experience of it, the heart could not even take hold of it. The objects of life are instantly changed. With his first-born child instantly the whole course of the father’s life is changed. He Bays, ‘I stand by myself and for myself no more. I am not now living for myself. I must live for this child. I must live so that this pledge of God’s affection, this being which is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh, shall be properly reared; shall take his proper place in the world.’ So much in general.
“But you ask me why I ever fell upon the thought that this change in Enoch’s attitude toward God was brought about by the birth of this child? I do not know all that occurred. I cannot conceive of it even. It is conjectural; but I gather that something occurred in this communion with God at this point, and that, too, by a revelation, a revelation that made the birth of that child the most important thing to him in his life. And what was it? With the coming of that child was the announcement from heaven: ‘Do you see that baby? The world will last as long as he lives, and no longer. When that child dies the judgment of God is coming upon the earth. The windows of heaven are going to be opened. The fountains of the great deep are going to be broken up. That chaos will return, as described in the second verse of the first chapter of Genesis, when the earth was first made; it was empty and void, a waste of water. In the process of his divine work God separated the waters below from the waters above. The expanse of the heaven was spread out. There was a separation of the waters above and below. Then a separation of the waters below, the dry land from the water. Now God says, ‘When that child dies, I will restore the world to its chaotic state as it was before the expanse was created that separates the waters above and below. I will open the windows of heaven. That is, I will remove the expanse. I will put my finger upon the law which keeps the waters above in the clouds and restore it to what it was. And if I do that, the waters that are up yonder will come down. And then I will take this earth that is now dry land and sea, and will break up the foundations of the great deep, so that it shall be water, and water only, again.’ That, probably, is what he said to this father. You ask me why I suppose this, since the record is silent. To me, the record does not seem to be altogether silent. The record itself, and that alone, suggests the thought. Consider the name given to the child Methuselah. That name signifies that with his departure comes this flood. In all probability a divine revelation is memorialized in the name. Now then, let us look for a moment upon the methods by which such a great revelation of God operated upon the mind of Enoch to bring about a radical change in him. It makes no difference how careless you are tonight about religious matters; it makes no difference how absorbed you may be in the things of this world, you may realize the cause of the change in Enoch. Suppose that it should be made known to you, and is a way that you could not question the veracity of God, that this world would last only as long as the life of some little child in your house. Maybe there is a little girl at your house. What if it should be creditably conveyed to you that this world would last just as long as that little girl would live, and no longer. Perhaps you have a little boy at your house, and the message comes to you, ‘That child’s life is the life of the world. When that child dies the world will come to an end.’ Now, as you could have no knowledge of how long or how short that life might be, there would instantly come before you the possibility of the cessation of the existence of the earth at any time. It might be next week; it might be next year; but always staring you in the face, every time you look upon the baby, or upon the boy, upon the girl running around; every time you look; every time that child is a little sick; every time fever comes or a slight chill, or any eruption on the skin, or any apparent decline in health it would seem to you as the shadow of the doom of the world. That being so, if you believed it; if it had been made credible to you, you would begin to say within yourself, If this is the last of it; if the world can last only as long as this child lives; how ought I to live?’ Now to show you how naturally and rationally that thought would come into your mind, let me read to you again the passage of Scripture which prefaced this sermon, the use of which you did not then probably anticipate. Peter says, In the last days there shall come scoffers walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. But the Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hastening unto the day of the coming of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?’ You seethe practical effect of faith in that scripture; that if men believe that the day of God is near at hand, the time of judgment, the hour when we are to stand before him and answer for the deeds done in the body, and how things that engage our attention here and absorb our minds and call out our energies, that these things are evanescent; that not only is ‘passing away’ written upon them, but the day of their departure is fixed already in the mind of God. I say, with this conviction in the heart, that there is to be such a speedy termination of this world’s existence, as a natural, indeed, an inevitable consequence, there is forced upon the man’s mind that believes, this thought: ‘What ought my life to be?’ It is furthermore manifest from the fact that all men whose lives are and continue to be irreligious, are the men who by some method have closed their eyes to the thought of a day of trial, of a windup of the affairs of this world. The judgment of God and the speed with which it is coming have become inoperative in wholesome effects upon their minds, from the fact that they do not believe. The conviction does not seize upon them. But our text supposes that this conviction did seize upon the mind of Enoch; that it seized upon him in such a manner that he named his child in reference to it, and from the birth of that child until he passed away he walked with God. He walked with him as a familiar friend and lived with reference to a speedy responsibility. A careful study of this passage shows that from the birth of that child the attractiveness of this world had lost all its power over the mind and heart of Enoch. The things which men covet most; the honors which they esteem to be the highest, and the glories that are the most entrancing to their views, were in his esteem, after this revelation from God after this conviction took possession of his heart as if they did not exist. The two were no longer polarized. I mean that there was no conductor of influence. They did not come in touch. The earth magnet no longer up high enough to look over it and see how near was the end moved Enoch. He had seen an end of it. God had taken him of all earthly things. Seeing that and knowing how little worth there was in it, he then began to say, ‘As I find within myself the stirrings of immortality, as I am conscious of a deathless spirit; as I feel myself related to eternity; therefore, as this world is to pass away so speedily upon which I have my temporary home, what should be my preparation for the other world to which I hasten, and how shall I so live that when I pass from this world I may go to one whose skies are never flecked with clouds, and whose stability is such that neither floods nor fires shall interrupt the continuity of their being?’ It was in this way probably that his mind acted. As a proof of it and it is one of the most notable things in history, account for it as you like whenever and wherever in any age of the world any number of persons have become possessed with a conviction of the sublunary nature of things here and of the speedy approach of dissolution; of the nearness of their contact with the hitherto invisible things of eternity; that as that conviction at any period of the world has touched one man, or two, or a thousand; to the extent of the touch, to that extent you find revivals in religion; you find men realizing in their hearts that they want something more than this world; that they want something more enduring than it can offer; they want something to satisfy the cravings of the aroused and immortal spirit; they are no longer willing simply to live and toil for bread and clothing, but rather that the spirit may be fed, and that the spirit may be clothed and made happy forever.
“Another thought: This man having had such a revelation of the speedy dissolution of the world in which he lived, what must, I ask you, have been the workings of his mind as he studied the health of that child? Looking back, the oldest man living was not yet dead. Adam was yet alive. He was over 700 years old. Some men had died. Some had died early. Some had not lived to be 100. And after a while Adam died, and here was the limit of his life. And Enoch would look at him and say, ‘What are the probabilities concerning this child of mine, Methuselah?’ 18 it not a curious and suggestive thing that the man whose life was to terminate with the world itself was permitted to live longer than anybody else ever did live? Is it not an exhibition of God’s mercy? As this is the child who is to live until the time comes for the world to be swept away by a flood, and as during this interval the word of God is to be preached to lead men to salvation, shall not the mercy of God prolong that day? Shall he not live longer than any man ever did live? Shall he not live longer than any other man will live? Shall not his age be unique, standing out from the age of any other, because that from the hour of his birth the decree had gone forth, ‘When the breath leaves his body the throes of dissolution shall commence. When he departs the clouds gather and the earth sickens and the seas are uprooted in their foundations. Let him live and live and live, that space may be given for men to repent’? But long before this man died, whose life was to be co-equal with the world’s existence, the one to whom the announcement was made had left the earth; and there is something about that worth consideration. He was a notable character. In all the mythologies of the heathen nations they have preserved some kind of a tradition with regard to him. The most of these traditions, of course, are far-fetched. But it shows that the impress of this strange man was never effaced from the world. To him has been attributed the first acquaintance with astronomy. To this man have been given the name and fame of originating a written language. With all of which traditions I have nothing to do and care but little about. I merely introduce these thoughts to show that he impressed his age and subsequent ages, and that he so lived while here upon the earth that he caused men to think about him and talk about him, and conjecture about him thousands of years after he had passed away. (This sermon continued in next chapter.)
QUESTIONS 1. In a brief statement give a review of chapter 4.
2. What parallel between Gen 5:1 , and Mat 1:1 , and the bearing on the unity of the whole Bible?
3. What amazing parallel in 5:1-3, the meaning of “begat a son in his own likeness, after his image,” Gen 5:3 , and what doctrines involved when compared with Gen 1:26 ?
4. What are the two classes of earth’s population today?
5. How long from Adam to the flood and how ascertained?
6. Do you accept the extraordinary longevity as historically true?
7. What purpose was served by the long life of the early Christians?
8. Can you cite any case of long life among the Cainites, or among unbelievers after the flood? If not, why this distinction?
9. How does Dr. Conant account for this longevity?
10. How does the author account for it?
11. Who was the last recorded example of extraordinary longevity and why was it not necessary after that?
12. What man was for a long time a contemporary of both Adam and Noah?
13. Which man, before the flood, never died?
14. Meaning of “walked with God”?
15. What is presupposed by it?
16. How old was he when be began to walk with God and what event caused it?
17. Generally, what is the effect of paternity and maternity on people?
18. What revelation does the author think Enoch received at the birth of Methuselah and upon what does he base his conviction?
19. How would such a revelation naturally affect Enoch’s life?
20. What New Testament parallel serves as an admonition to every passing generation?
21. What curious and suggestive thing in the fact that Methuselah lived longer than any one else in the world?
22. What shows Enoch’s impress upon the world?
XII
ENOCH HIS TRANSLATION
Gen 5
“Enoch’s taking off was the marvellous thing, inasmuch as so much attention had been attracted to him. Let us imagine ourselves living in that time when people would commence to say: ‘Where is Enoch? Has anybody seen Enoch to-day?’ And inquiries are made at his home: ‘Where is your father?’ I do not know.’ Perhaps you ask the wife: ‘Where is your husband?’ I do not know; he is gone.’ ‘Where is Enoch?’ And a search is installed. The places he frequented are all carefully searched, and at last, as the investigators return, the question is passed back and forth: ‘Where is he?’ And he was not found. When had any one ever gone so before? Never. Here was a mysterious disappearance. Here was something that fixed the attention of that age more than a thunderclap ten thousand times louder than an ordinary peal the disappearance of Enoch. Did he die? No. Was he sick? No. Well, when other people died we buried them. Here are their graves. We cannot bury him, for we cannot find him. Where is his body? What has become of his body? And how that thought would flash upon the people. He cannot be found. Up to a certain time the observers saw him. One would say: I saw him here last week.’ Another, ‘I saw him there the day after, but where is he now?’ Was it witchcraft? Compare the scenes recorded in the second book of Kings, where fifty sons of the prophets unto whom God had made the revelation that Elijah would be called up away from the earth without dying, determined to witness his departure, and they watched Elijah and Elisha. And they say to Elisha: ‘Do you know that today Elijah is going to be taken away from you?’ ‘Yes, I know it.’ And those two walk off together. And Elijah says to Elisha, ‘You stop here.’ And they go to another place: ‘Then, stop here.’ I will not stop; as my soul liveth, I am going to hold on to you. I want to know how you go. There is the record of a man’s disappearance once before, and where he went and how he went no one can tell. This time I will see.’ And Elijah says to him, ‘What would you ask of me?’ ‘Give me thy spirit. Let the double of thy spirit, the equivalent of it, let that come upon me. That is, when you leave, let an equal power of the spirit now on you be upon me that the world shall not be deprived of the like of your example.’ Ah, if someone had but thought of that in Enoch’s time! If someone had clung to him and said, ‘As I live and as the Lord liveth, I will cling to you and follow you and when you leave let an equivalent of your spirit be given unto me.’ Nobody thought of it. But now, mark you, Elijah said, If you can see me when I go, then you shall have the equivalent of the spiritual power that is on me.’ That test is not an arbitrary one; it is required by the nature of the case, that no man could have the spirit or the power that rested on Elijah unless his faith was so sublimated and etherealized that he could look through the grossness of earth and see the outshining of heaven and a higher and purer spiritual life. Hence, he says, If you can see me, it will be so.’ And Elisha saw him, and as he went up he shouted: ‘My Father! My Father! The chariot of God and the horsemen thereof!’ And he picked up the prophet’s falling mantle and smote with it the waters of the Jordan as Elijah had done, and called upon the name of the God of Elijah to see if the spirit rested upon him that had rested upon his master, and the waters were divided. The disappearance in this case was located. Here was one witness; he saw it. These were adumbrations they were shadows ahead. They point to what will take place when Jesus comes. What is it? Paul says: ‘Brethren, I will show you a mystery. We shall not all die. There will be a large number of them living when Jesus comes, and all the Christians living when he comes shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. There shall occur a spiritual sanctification. There shall occur a bodily glorification. Mortality shall put on immortality without passing through the throes of death, and corruption shall put on incorruption without decay or dissolution, without being led down in the loathsome charnel house.’ Many perhaps thousands and tens of thousands, will be alive when Jesus comes. In the twinkling of an eye they shall be translated and glorified and caught up to heaven, soul and body. Paul says that Enoch was not, i.e., not found, for God translated him. This is an old Latin word, an irregular verb, and it simply means carried over or carried across. God carried him across. Across what? Across death. Death is the river that divides this world from the world to come, and here was a man that never did go through the river at all. When he got there God carried him across. God transferred him; translated him; God picked him up and carried him over and put him on the other shore. And walking along here in time and communing with God by faith, in an instant he was communing with God by sight in another world. Faith, oh, precious faith! .Faith had turned to sight, and hope had turned to fruition in a single moment. Enoch was translated. God took him. And it made an impression on that day, on this day, and on every day. There are only two instances.
“Now I want to make an application of this subject. What, under the circumstances, detailed in the life of Enoch and under the circumstances of the statements made by the apostle Peter, are the things that keep people from soberly reflecting? What are the things that stand in the way of preparation? What are the things which, if removed, thousands would be convicted in an instant? It is unbelief with reference to spiritual things; with reference to the coming of the Son of God; with reference to the fact that the world in which we live is the threshold only of the grand building of the world to come. Now, when you sit down by one of your acquaintances and try to engage him in serious conversation, what obstacles do you encounter? The power of this world, the pride of life, the lust of the flesh. The whole vision is filled. And you try to edge in or wedge in a word about personal responsibility to God. ‘Oh, there will be no judgment; things are moving on today like they did last year, a hundred years ago. They will move on that way another thousand years.’ Will they move that way to you a thousand years? Will it last fifty for you? Are you right sure that it will last twenty-five for you? Even if the world should last another thousand years, what is that to the individual? You will not last that long. Your death fifty years hence will be a more momentous thing than God’s announcement to Enoch, that ‘when this child dies the end will come,’ because that child lived 969 years. With all that tremendous effect on the mind of Enoch, it was nearly a thousand years off. But is yours that far off? Is it not nearer to each one of us here than it was to him? Is it not many hundreds of years nearer to any of us than it was to him? Now why cannot we be induced) as he was induced, to think about walking with God? Seeing that these things are to be dissolved, so far as we are concerned, in a very short time, what manner of persons ought we to be? What if you die within one year? What if your friends come and ask about you and say, ‘Where is he? Can anybody tell me where he is gone?’ He is gone from the world, never to come back. ‘Gone where; where and to what?’ Oh, if I could by the Spirit’s power bring down upon your hearts tonight some conviction resulting from the manifest brevity of your life! It is not only short, but its thread is brittle, and may snap in a moment. Shall not Enoch’s case profit you at all? Fix your mind on it. He looks out 969 years into the future, and sees the end of the world. He stands and looks at it 969 years off, but it is the end of the world. How does it affect him? How does he apply the knowledge? ‘Henceforward I will walk with God.’ Now here you are: how far is it to the world’s end with you? How much do you say? None of you will say a hundred years; perhaps fifty; perhaps twenty-five; perhaps ten; perhaps one. Maybe only a month. Why, then, can’t you feel it like he felt it? Why does not the conviction come to you like it came to him? It is because the. God of this world hath blinded the eyes of them who believe , not. He has put a bandage, impenetrable and inscrutable, upon the eyes of the people that they cannot see the nearness and the certainty of the approach of death and of being ushered out of the world for ever and into another world for ever. Now, that is why I took this subject tonight, January, 1894. In all human probability one-fifth of us here in this house tonight will never see 1900. That is only six years off. Some of you will certainly never see that. Oh, believe it! The crape will be hanging on some of your door knobs before 1895. Some homes now happy will be desolate before summer comes. There will be empty cradles and vacant chairs. I speak of probabilities, judging from what is occurring all along. And yet, how strange! We carelessly move along and say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming?’ No preparation to meet God; no living with reference to eternity! God help you tonight to see that and feel that. Is it wrong? Is it contrary to what you think is best? Is it expedient, feeling about this as I do feel about it, do you think it would be best for me to stop right here and make no effort to lead some soul here now to the thought of preparation for God? Who can tell? It may be that God, in his infinite mercy, has made this night the occasion of the turning point of salvation to some immortal spirit, as he made the birth of that child the turning point in the life of Enoch. Some of your have children. Their responsibility is on you. They catch their cue from you. They walk the way you walk. They imbibe your spirit; your shadow is on your boy, on your girl, on your home. Oh, father, mother, when you think of your child, had you not better prepare to meet your God? What is life to young people? What know they of its anguish; what of its responsibilities? They hear the song of the siren; their eye is dimmed with the glare of earth’s tinsel; they are swept away on the tidal wave of youth’s buoyant feeling. But, oh, grown men and women, fathers and mothers, to whom God has committed children, how can you put your hand upon the face of a sleeping child one night and not prepare to meet God? Sometimes, even in the thoughtlessness of youth, through a rift in the clouds, the divine benediction falls like a halo of light, and some little Samuel hears the voice of God, and says, ‘Lord, here am I.’ Some Timothy, reading the Scriptures and hearing his mother or his grandmother expound them, says, ‘Lord, here am I.’ Young man, will you not turn tonight? Oh, see the line of demarcation. Who crosses next? Maiden, is it you? Shall we very soon sadly inquire, ‘Where is she?’ ‘She is not.’ ‘Not found.’ In that grave, there, the coffin holds its ashes, her soul is not there.’ ‘Where is she?’ O, eternity, eternity, eternity I beg you now, right now, take a step in the direction of heaven. I plead with you in view of the brittle thread of life; in view of its brevity, in view of the judgment, in view of the eternity of being, which must come when we pass out of this state of existence, I entreat you to begin now to walk with God. Who walks not with him here shall never walk with him yonder in white. Be reconciled to him tonight that you may begin to walk with him tomorrow. Who is not reconciled here is irreconciled forever. Be a child a spiritual child of God, learning to walk on the King’s highway stepping heavenward. Oh, take a step tonight, thou fearful, trembling one. God holds out his hands; walk into his arms of love.” In this sermon of the important things in connection with the life of Enoch there are three, and now one more remains. There is a passage in the book of Jude to the effect that, “To these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have ungodly wrought, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” That translation is awful, as to the tense, saying, “Behold, the Lord came.” The idiom of the language does not require such a tense. It ought to be, “The Lord will come.” Concerning this statement in the book of Jude there has been much controversy. Not a great while ago a manuscript was found purporting to be the full text of the book of Enoch. In it there is language quite similar to Jude’s statement, not exactly like it, but similar to it. It is evidently not a verbal quotation from Jude; nor are the words in Jude quoted from it. Now it has been contended by many that this book of Enoch was written at least some of it before Christ came, and that Jude quotes from this Apocryphal book. That is the contention. On the other hand, many scholars believe that what is called the book of Enoch was written by a Christian after Jude’s day, and that the passage to which I referred is an elaboration of Jude’s statement. I am quite sure that no man can be safely confident as to the exact date of that book of Enoch. Personally, I do not at all believe that it antedates the book of Jude. The question then arises: From what source did Jude get this information about the prophecy of Enoch? And you might ask, From what source did Peter get his information that Noah was a preacher of righteousness? And you might also ask, From what source does Paul get the names of the magicians who withstood Moses Jannes and Jambres? To all of which inquiries it is the easiest thing to say, and the most rational, “They got it by inspiration of God.”
Then comes up this point: Enoch in his lifetime having prophesied that the Lord would come with myriads of his holy ones angels when is this coming? Did he refer exclusively to the coming of the Lord in judgment of the world by the flood, or even if this be his primary intent, did he also look far beyond the flood to the final advent of our Lord? In answer to this question, we may say that the prophets frequently had a primary reference to things near their own times, and yet the deepest significance of their words looks to the times of our Lord. It is easy to see this in David’s prophecy concerning Solomon; it starts off apparently with Solomon in view, but expands into a vision of the King wiser and greater than Solomon, whose dominion is the whole world. So it may well be that Enoch, profoundly impressed with the impiety of his day, might speak in stern denunciation of the corruption that was then in the world and of the impending judgment of God, but its use in the New Testament shows that he was looking forward to a final world judgment which the flood prefigured. (See 2Pe 3:5-12 .)
Some people make out that the Old Testament saints had no clear ideas of the future world, that they did not see beyond the grave. The translation of Enoch is an everlasting refutation of that contention, and his prophecy concerning the final judgment of God upon men is as conclusive as his translation. Indeed, as we intelligently study the Old Testament we must revise the judgment of little light before the flood, as will be shown in the next chapter. The theme of that chapter is: “The Light Possessed by the Antediluvians.”
In the preceding chapter I told you how to find the age of the world since man occupied it till the coming of the flood, according to the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, namely, by a simple addition to the age of Adam when Seth was born, the age of Seth when his son was born, and so on till you come to Noah, and then add 600 years, the age of Noah when the flood came. By adding these figures you obtain 1,656 years, or more than sixteen and a half centuries, as the age of man’s occupancy of the world at the time of the flood. That is according to the Hebrew text. There is extant a very faulty text of the Old Testament, called the Samaritan Pentateuch. According to the Samaritan Pentateuch it was 1.307 years from the creation of Adam to the flood, and this result is gained by taking away from the age figures in the Hebrew enough to make the difference. Then we have the Septuagint, or the Greek translation of the Old Testament, no part of which is older than 250 B.C. Now the Septuagint differs from the figures which I have given by adding 100 years in the following cases:
100 years to Adam before Seth was born;
100 years to Seth before his son was born;
100 years to Enoch before his son was born;
100 years to Kenan before his son was born;
100 years to Mahalaleel before his son was born; in like manner
100 years to Enoch, and then adding
Six years to Lamech. That gives a total, according to the Septuagint, of 2,262 years from the creation of Adam to the flood. We have still a different account of it in the book of Josephus. Josephus agrees with the Septuagint in adding those hundreds, but agrees with the Hebrew when it comes to the age of Lamech; and so there is only six years difference between Josephus’ account and the Septuagint account, that is to say, Josephus has 2,256 years.
This brings up an old question: The antiquity of the human race upon the earth. Now if we take the figures in the Hebrew text, 1,656 to the flood, the 367 to the call of Abraham, the 430 from the call of Abraham to the Exodus and the time given variously from the Exodus to the coming of Christ, we have 4,004 years in all. Now add that to 1913, our present A.D. time, and you get, according to the Bible, the antiquity of man, 5,917 years. That is the Bible statement of the antiquity of man. But over against this come the’ various and contradictory contentions of men arguing from their own conclusions in the several departments of science to which they have given special attention. From geology comes a contention based on fossil remains and the computed time in the formation of the several strata of the earth, that man must have lived on the earth anywhere from 100,000 to 1,000,000 years. All of which is mere conjecture since no two of them will give the same date, though they are studying the same matter. Not very long ago a very able scientist laughed at all of these extravagant assertions of man’s antiquity, based upon anything that is to be found in history, geology, paleontology. Mark Twain was so much amused by reading the different calculations made on insufficient data by geological experts he took a hand him- self on this fashion. He mentions a date on which the length of the Mississippi River between Cairo and New Orleans was definitely known to be so much. Then he gave subsequent well known dates when the river each time shortened its course by a cutoff. These were his facts. Now followed his conclusions that if the length of the river was shortened so much in a given time the date was not remote when Memphis and New Orleans would be brought in touch and put under one municipal government, and by the same token just a million years ago next November it was then sticking out over the Gulf of Mexico like a fishing pole.
Take another example: John Fiske, who was one of the greatest historical lecturers, and the most interesting that I have ever read after, when he comes to consider the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, finds himself unable, with the data before him, to fix the precise date. But the same John Fiske, when speaking as an evolutionist, can give you the exact date of the formation of the strata and the dates of the ages of all the fossils to a fraction, and he consequently can prove to you that man has been living on the earth one million years. In other words, when discussing facts near the present time, where there are abundant contemporaneous data, he is very modest in claiming an exact date for a well-known event. But when he leaps out into the vagaries of evolutionary speculations he becomes confidently assertive and knows better than the Almighty himself when things took place, millions of years ago. Consequently my advice to you is to possess your souls with patience until these infallible experts get at least within a million years of each other, and go on believing what the Bible says about the antiquity of man.
Two well-known historical events will aid you somewhat in moderating your awe of those very learned men:
A clear-cut section of the deposit on the buried cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii cut straight down from the surface to the streets will exhibit layers, or strata, bearing the marks of incalculable periods of time, and yet all of it resulted from one eruption of Versuvius.
The phosphate beds of South Carolina contain the mingled bones of animals, including man’s, which, according to these same infallible gentlemen, were separated from each other by cycles of ages in the time of their existence on earth.
Moreover, if we accept the Bible account of the flood, how much that puzzles the geologist will be explained. In Gen 1:2-10 , we learn how chaos was eliminated, particularly the part played by atmosphere. The flood in a large measure reversed this process and restored chaos. I say that much of chaos was eliminated by atmosphere. The weight of the atmosphere separated the waters below from the waters above; and then the separation of the waters below from the land below was brought about by a subsidence at one place and a raising of the earth at other places. Now, if the flood reverses that process which eliminated chaos and brings chaos back again, who can tell what changes were wrought in the time of the flood on deposits of strata that we now geologically examine? We know much to be historically true: that in one night an island of magnitude, through volcanic eruptions, can rise up out of the sea; we also know that in one night land that is high sinks down by a sudden subsidence into the waters, and the ocean rolls over it forever. So that until we get surer scientific light, you may rest yourselves content with what the Bible says about the antiquity of man. It is questionable whether geology has as yet attained to a science. It teaches some things you may rely on, but the huge conclusions deduced from a minimum of facts are enough to make any man distrust the teachings of his textbooks on geology, on psychology, on biology, and on zoology.
The next point that I want to bring out is: We find that Lamech, a descendant of Cain, a bigamist and a murderer, got off a piece of poetry, and this is the poetry:
Adah and Zillah, hear my voice:
Ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech;
For I have slain a man for wounding me,
And a young man for bruising me:
If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,
Truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
That is poetic in form; you can tell that, even in the translation. Now, when we come to a Lamech who is a descendant of Seth we find a sweeter poem. You see these poems come from two Lamechs, one a Cainite, the other a Sethite. When Noah was born, Lamech, his father, says:
This one will comfort us
From our labour,
And from the toil of our hands,
From the ground,
Which Jehovah cursed.
That is also poetical in form. But how shall we interpret the prophecy of the latter poem? We saw that Enoch obtained a revelation at the time that his son, Methuselah, was born and that he prophetically named him to signify that the end of the world would come with the death of this child, and it is a fact that the year in which Methuselah died the flood came. Now, as to the prophecy! The word, “Noah,” means “rest.” So he says, “He [this baby of ours] shall comfort us, or rest us, from our labour, and from the toil of our hands, because of the ground which Jehovah hath cursed.” Now, to my astonishment, so accurate an interpreter, and usually so sound an interpreter as Thomas J. Conant, whose translation I have just read, says in a note, “There appears to be no reference to Noah’s subsequent history as given in the sacred records. They seem rather to express the pious and grateful feelings of poor, time-worn parents on the birth of a son from whom they hope for relief in the labours to which sin has subjected mankind.” If that interpretation is correct, then the words are divested of all prophetic idea and of the hope of the weary parents. I am glad to say that the best of the interpreters do not favor Dr. Conant. He says, “there appears to be’ no reference to Noah’s subsequent history.” But let us prove a reference. Lamech speaks of the ground which God had cursed and of his son bringing rest. Now, if we turn to Noah’s sacrifice after leaving the ark we find these words: “And the Lord smelled a sweet savour, and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every living thing, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease” (Gen 8:21-22 ). So that evidently this old father, Lamech, saw that in the days of his son Noah the ground which God had cursed would be delivered from one part of that curse. It is evidently, therefore, a prophecy, and I could easily show, if I chose to take the time, that far beyond Noah personally, it looks to Shiloh, the rest that remains for the people of God. It looks to one greater than Noah, even to our Lord Jesus Christ, who will redeem the earth at last, absolutely, from the curse which sin entailed upon it, when Adam committed his offense against himself and versus all his seed.
QUESTIONS 1. What the meaning of “God took him”? Cite New Testament proof.
2. What other Old Testament case of translation?
3. When, according to the New Testament, will there be other cases?
4. What is the New Testament description of the process which takes place?
5. What are the things that keep people from soberly reflecting?
6. Give briefly the application of the sermon on Enoch.
7. What prophecy of Enoch preserved in the New Testament?
8. What controversy about this passage?
9. From what source did Jude get his information about the prophecy of Enoch?
10. What did Enoch mean by the coming of the Lord with his holy ones?
11. What evidence that Old Testament saints had clear ideas of the future world?
12. How long from the creation of Adam to the flood, according to the Samaritan Pentateuch? The Septuagint? Josephus?
13. According to our Bible what is the antiquity of the human race?
14. What is the testimony of some scientists and the value of their testimony?
15. What was Mark Twain’s illustration?
16. What was John Fiske’s position and what was the fallacy of it?
17. What two historical events in point and what do they prove?
18. What is the bearing of the process of the flood and the rising and subsiding of islands in a short time, on the position of some geologists?
19. Contrast the poetry of the two Lamechs. Which is the better?
20. Is this later poem a prophecy, and, if so, to what does it immediately refer?
21. What is Dr. Conant’s interpretation of it?
22. To what remote event does the author refer this prophecy?
Gen 5:1 This [is] the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
Ver. 1. This is the book of the generations. ] Sepher, a a ciphering of their names, acts, and accidents; that we might know, first, who were Christ’s progenitors; secondly, by whom the Church was continued; thirdly, how long the old world lasted, viz., one thousand six hundred and fifty-six years. b Whence some have grounded a conjecture, that the year of Christ one thousand six hundred and fifty-six will bring forth some strange alteration in the world. Others think the world will be then at an end, and they base this on this chronogram, MunDi ConfLagratIo .
In the likeness of God made he him. a
b Alsted, Chron ., p. 494.
c . Heb 1:3
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Gen 5:1-2
1This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. 2He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created.
Gen 5:1 the generations of This term (BDB 410) is repeated ten times in Genesis (cf. Gen 2:4; Gen 5:1; Gen 6:9; Gen 10:1; Gen 11:10; Gen 11:27; Gen 25:12; Gen 25:19; Gen 36:1; Gen 37:2). This seems to imply a written document (probably clay tablets or leather scroll). In ancient Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets a term or phrase was used to link several clay tablets together as a literary whole (i.e. colophon). I believe that Moses used (1) oral traditions, (2) written sources from the Patriarchs, as well as (3) direct revelation to write the Pentateuch.
This phrase is repeated many times in Genesis. It always closes a context. It functions as a closing literary marker.
In the day when God created man This may start another separate cuneiform stone tablet because it summarizes Genesis 1-2.
Gen 5:2 named them Man Notice that this is the generic use of adam, as Gen 5:3 is the specific use. This generic use is another affirmation of equality, as is Gen 1:26-27.
in the day This is the use of day, not as a twenty-four hour period of time, but an age or period of time. This same usage can be seen in Gen 2:4; Psa 90:4. See Special Topic: Day (Yom) .
book of the generation. Only here and Mat 1:1, “the second man” and “last Adam”.
In the day. See Gen 2:17 and App-18.
God = Elohim.
man. Art. not needed = the man Adam. App-14.
him. Emph. reference to Adam.
Chapter 5
Now chapter five,
This is the book of the generations of Adam. [And as you read these generations of Adam and as it lists them for us] 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 one hundred and twenty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth ( Gen 5:1-3 ).
So you see Adam was a hundred and twenty years when Seth was born so that means Cain was probably in his late hundred teens. And when he killed his brother that would have given him opportunity for him to marry a ninety-year old sister. It would be no problem there at all.
And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years; and he begat sons and daughters. And the days of Adam that he lived were nine hundred and thirty years and he died ( Gen 5:4-5 ).
Prior to the flood, man’s life expectancy was much greater. They lived almost for a millennium. Methuselah came the closest, nine hundred and sixty nine years. But it would seem that the earth was protected by this moisture blanket prior to the flood and that the climactic conditions of the earth were vastly altered from what they are today. It’s easy and interesting to conjecture what a great moisture blanket around the earth would do, as far as the earth’s temperatures, in an equalizing of the earth’s temperatures, as well as the way that the earth would be watered, with its great moisture blanket and also the protection that it would afford to cosmic radiation. We know that just a little ozone gas in the strata sphere filters out much of the ultraviolet rays of the sun. If that ozone blanket, which, of course stretches out for several miles, if it were all compressed it would only be three millimeters thick. So there is not much ozone out there protecting you and really sustaining your life forces here upon the earth.
Now we do know that at one time the earth did have a much milder climate. Of course, there is also that constant decreasing of the electromagnetic field around the earth. If the electromagnetic field has been decreasing at a constant rate since the time of Adam, the electromagnetic field would have caused the temperature of the earth, the mean temperature of the whole earth, to be much warmer than it is now.
In fact, if the decrease of the electromagnetic field, as has been measured for the last hundred and thirty six, seven years, if that is true, a constant factor, and has been for six thousand years, it would have made a vast difference in the shielding of the earth from cosmic radiation because much of the cosmic radiation is reflected or bounces off of the electromagnetic field. And also it would create a heat, but if you would take it back as much as twenty-five thousand years, the electromagnetic field around the earth would have been so strong that the earth temperatures would be about two hundred degrees Fahrenheit. If you would take it back fifty thousand years, the electromagnetic field would be so strong around the earth that the earth’s temperatures would be so high that the earth would be in a molten state.
So, the scientists who believe in evolution had to do some fast thinking. They say that figures don’t lie, but liars sure can figure. And they had to figure something out for this one. And so they have come up with a very interesting theory. That every five thousand years or so, by some mystical magic way, hocus pocus dominocus, the electromagnetic field gets recharged. Now they don’t know how. But just every five thousand years or so the thing gets recharged, new burst of energy and then it starts declining again. It’s interesting to watch them as they try to make the facts fit their theory. And sometimes they really do some real dishonest juggling.
Now as we go through these genealogies here in the fifth chapter, if you’ll take a pencil and paper some time and figure it out, you’ll find some interesting things. Number one, that Noah’s father lived at the same time that Adam was still living. So Noah wasn’t that far removed from Adam. His father was still alive while Adam was alive upon the earth. Another interesting thing is that Methuselah died in the year of the flood. Which makes it very possible that Methuselah himself was destroyed in the flood. In the genealogical records there is one exception to the whole thing and he died, and he died, and he died, until we get down to Enoch. And it says,
and he was not; for God took him ( Gen 5:24 ).
And so Enoch breaks the chain. Enoch was a man of faith. He lived only three hundred and some years walking with God, and Enoch walked with God, a man of faith. “And he was not, for God took him.” Again we have an interesting commentary on Enoch in the New Testament book of Hebrews. “By faith Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him” ( Heb 11:5 ). But before God took him he had this testimony that he pleased God. What a glorious testimony! May that be the testimony of each of our lives that we pleased God.
God said concerning His Son at His baptism, “this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”. Jesus said, “I do always those things that please the Father”. In Revelation, we are told that God has created all things and for his pleasure they are and were created. That includes you. But then Hebrews goes on to tell us, “for without faith it is impossible to please God”. So we please God by our trusting Him. God is pleased when you put your trust and you commit yourself to Him.
And so through Chapter five you can work things out if you like, but now here is an interesting thing you see. Where did all of these records come from that Moses got together when he wrote this book? Writing was invented very early in the history. Prior to the writing, it came by verbal tradition. Adam no doubt told his sons, his grandsons, his great grandsons, his great, great grandsons, his great, great, great grandsons. He lived a long time. He had an opportunity to tell them.
And for a hundred years Lamech could have sat on Adam’s knee, but he probably would have only done it for a few years, but at any rate, he could have sat at Adam’s feet while Adam rehearsed for him the whole experience of the garden. You see he could have heard it directly from Adam. And then he told his son, Noah, who also shares it with his son Shem, and Shem was still alive when Abraham was born. So in reality, you have a link between Adam and Lamech, crossover link, Lamech then telling his son Noah, and Noah sharing with his son Shem and Shem sharing with Abraham.
Now it is true that there are other records of the flood in Babylon, Egypt, India, other accounts of creation. Most of them are gross types of exaggerated accounts. Some of them are very parallel to the biblical account. Some of them appearing in historic documents that some of the scholars say anti-date the Bible. But does it disprove the Bible because the Indians have an account of the flood and the Inca Indians have an account of the flood and the Babylonians have an account of the flood and the Egyptians have an account of the flood? Does that disprove the Bible? No.
What does it prove? It proves the common origin of man. The stories being modified, changed and amplified in many cases as they were spread through words of mouth and went to different areas, after the tower of Babel when men were scattered abroad upon the earth. But the common origin of man would then have a creation story in each of the ethnic groups. It doesn’t at all disprove the biblical account, but only substantiates and proves the common origin of man. Though the skeptics would like to twist the evidence to make it show that Moses was perhaps copying the Babylonian account or whatever, which is very farfetched because if you compare the account you will find that Moses in his writing of the account, it is far different from the Babylonian, which is a very exaggerated account indeed. So if you want to look at chapter five and look at their ages and figure out who was living when, who was living and so forth, you’ll find it interesting, but I don’t get too excited over genealogical records. “
In this chapter we have a condensed account of fifteen centuries in human history. The ruin of the race had come through man’s belief in the devil’s lie. “Ye shall not surely die.” The repetition throughout the chapter of the sentence, “And he died,” indicates the vindication of God against the lie of the devil. The chapter with its account of the ages of these men is of value as it reveals how early history was preserved. Adam was yet alive when Methuselah was born, and Methuselah was yet alive when Noah was born. Thus two persons form a link of connection between Adam and Abraham, a span of two thousand years. The story of creation and the fall may have been told by Adam to Methuselah, and by him to Noah. Noah still lived to be contemporary with Terah, the father of Abraham. This, of course, is merely suggestive, but does indicate a possibility.
It will be realized that the supreme glory of this chapter is its brief but wonderful picture of Enoch. One man who though living contemporaneously with Lamech yet lived in conformity with the will of God in life and conduct as it is so remarkably expressed, “Enoch walked with God.” As a result of this fellowship in life, he was “translated that he should not see death,” God thus indicating, even in the midst of all the darkness, His power to triumph by grace over the consequences of evil when man submits himself to Him on the basis of faith.
Posterity of Adam
Gen 5:1-24
In contrast to Cains line in the previous chapter, we have Seths in this. Note the curious similarity in the names, as though the Cainites professed all that the Sethites held, but lacked the reality and power. There have always been these two families in the world, tares and wheat, goats and sheep. This is an old-world cemetery; we walk among old monuments with time-worn inscriptions. Though the Sethites were God-fearers, they were tinged with Adams sin. He was made in Gods image, but they in His. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. We need what is described in Col 3:10 and Eph 4:23. The birth of Methuselah seems to have had a profound influence on his father. After that he walked with God. Faith will enable us to do the same, because it makes the unseen visible and God real. Go Gods way: keep Gods pace: talk to Him aloud and constantly, as the great Companion.
Gen 5:2
I. No sooner was Adam made, than it was at once resolved that he should not be alone; and God proceeded to create Eve. So even in heaven Christ’s happiness was not complete without His Church. He came that His yearning heart might have a people to be His own.
II. As Eve was brought to Adam, so the Church was brought to Christ.
III. As from that moment Adam and Eve were treated as one, so in everything Christ’s people are one with their Lord.
IV. In the dignity and happiness of Adam and Eve we see a type of Christ and the Church, the Church as it is now, but much rather as it will be at last.
J. Vaughan, Fifty Sermons, 10th series, p. 116.
References: Gen 5:2.-J. Laidlaw, Bible Doctrine of Man, p. 98. Gen 5:3.-G. Brooks, Outlines of Sermons, p. 382; Christian World Pulpit, vol. v., p. 193. Gen 5:4.-B. Waugh, Sunday Magazine (1887), pp. 423, 425. Gen 5:5.-J. Van Oosterzee, Year of Salvation, vol. i., p. 156.
Gen 5:21-24
In the Bible, besides its ordinary characters, and besides its simply extraordinary men such as David, Solomon, or Isaiah, there is another and a still more interesting order, around whom hovers a shade of supernaturalism and mystery. Such are Melchisedec, Elijah, Moses, and Enoch.
I. Consider the life of Enoch. He “walked with God.” These words seem to imply that Enoch possessed a remarkable resemblance to God in moral excellence; that he realised God’s presence, and enjoyed His communion in an extraordinary measure, and that he publicly avowed himself to be on God’s side, and stood almost alone in doing so.
We notice especially the quietness and unconsciousness of his walk with God. The life of David or of Job resembled a stormy spring day, made up of sweeping tempest, angry glooms, and sudden bursts of windy sunshine; that of Enoch is a soft grey autumn noon, with one mild haze of brightness covering earth and heaven.
II. Notice Enoch’s public work of protest and prophecy. The Epistle of Jude supplies us with new information about Enoch’s public work. It was not simply his walk, but his work, that was honoured by translation. He not only characterised and by implication condemned his age, but predicted the coming of the last great Judgment of God. He announced it (1) as a glorious and overpowering event; (2) as one of conclusive judgment and convincing demonstration.
III. Look now at Enoch’s translation. How striking in its simplicity is the phrase “He was not, for God took him!” The circumstances of his translation are advisedly concealed: “translated that he should not see death.” Many a hero has gathered fame because he stood “face to face with death,” and has outfaced the old enemy; but death never so much as dared to “look into Enoch’s eye as it kindled into immortality.” The reasons why this honour was conferred on him were probably (1) To show his transcendent excellence; (2) To abash an infidel world; (3) To prove that there was another state of being, and to give a pledge of this to all future ages.
G. Gilfillan, Alpha and Omega, vol. i., p. 217.
References: Gen 5:21-24.-Expositor, 2nd series, vol. vii., p. 321; Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxii., No. 1307; Congregationalist, vol. xii., p. 561.
Gen 5:23-24
Heb 11:5
We are told that Enoch “pleased God,” not by any special superhuman experiences and endeavours, but just in such a way as we may all imitate. Consider-
I. The necessity for pleasing God. In the Epistle to the Hebrews God is spoken of as “Him with whom we have to do.” We have little to do with each other compared with what we have to do with Him. If God is not pleased with us, we cannot be right.
II. The method of pleasing God. To describe this would be to describe the whole Christian life. The way to all goodness and to the pleasing of God is the old way of repentance, faith and obedience to Christ.
III. The results of pleasing God will be manifold and very good. (1) We shall in this way please ourselves better than in any other. (2) If we please God, we shall have pleasure in life and the world. (3) Whatever may come in this life, one thing is always sure: “He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”
A. Raleigh, The Way to the City, p. 408.
References: Gen 5:23, Gen 5:24.-G. Matheson, Moments on the Mount, p. 16; Cumming, Church before the Flood, pp. 438, 471.
Gen 5:24
Few words are needed to describe the salient features of the majority of human lives. It is not needful to write a volume to tell whether a man has spent a noble or a wasted life. One stroke of the pen, one solitary word, may be enough.
I. Here is a life suddenly and prematurely cut short; for although Enoch lived 365 years, it was not half the usual age of the men of his day.
II. Enoch’s was a life spent amid surrounding wickedness.
III. It was a life spent in fellowship with God. This expression “walked with God” has a very peculiar force. There is in it the idea of strong persistence and determination. There is also the idea of progress.
IV. Enoch’s was a life of noble testimony.
V. Enoch’s was a life crowned by translation. His translation was (1) A reminder to the men of his day that there was another state above and beyond the present; (2) An intimation of the final reward of the saints. The eternal life which was given to him will be granted, sooner or later, to every child of God.
J. W. Atkinson, Penny Pulpit, No. 908.
References: Gen 5:24.-G. Brooks, Outlines of Sermons, p. 382; Homiletic Magazine, vol. xii., p. 332; Old Testament Outlines, p. 5. Gen 5:27.-Parker, vol. i., p. 362, and Hidden Springs, p. 358.
Gen 5:29
These words, used by Lamech, apply far more truly to the descendant of Noah after the flesh, even Jesus Christ.
I. When our Lord appeared among men, the world was in almost as sad and hopeless a condition as when Lamech looked around him. Among the Gentiles there was ignorance, darkness, and false imaginations, among the chosen people there was hardness and impenitence. Christ comforted His disciples after His resurrection by raising up the temple of their wrecked faith, as He raised again the temple of His own body. He comforted them with the assurance that their faith was not in vain, that He had the keys of death and hell, and was able to succour to the uttermost those who trusted in Him.
II. The risen Christ comforted also the fathers of the ancient covenant. Moses and Elias appeared unto Him on Tabor, speaking with Him of the things concerning His passion. The ancient patriarchs could not enter into heaven till the gates were opened by the cross of Christ, and the handwriting that was against all sinners was taken away.
III. The Resurrection of Christ is a joy and comfort to us also: (1) because in Him a way of safety was opened to the world; (2) because He will repay a hundredfold all that is done for Him.
S. Baring-Gould, Village Preaching for a Year, 2nd series, vol. i., p. 217.
This passage teaches us:
I. The hardness and difficulty of life. These words are the words of parents. Lamech, “the powerful,” is not ashamed to confess that he needs comfort; and when this child comes to him he accepts him as a Divine gift, as a commissioned, competent, and thrice-welcome messenger of comfort from God.
II. The comfort that comes into the world with children. These words of Lamech are the permanent inscription in the horoscope which parents everywhere and always see over the cradle of the latest born. There is a bright prophecy of God concerning the future in this invincible hopefulness of the parental heart.
III. The security we have for this in the great fact of our redemption. Our Noah has been born: the Rest-giver, strong Burden-bearer, all-pitying and all-suffering Saviour. Noah was a preacher of righteousness, but Jesus Christ brings and gives righteousness, instilling it into every believing heart. Noah was a preserver of the world in his own family from a temporary flood, Jesus Christ makes this world itself the Ark which He commands, steering it through this great and wide sea of space and time in safety.
A. Raleigh, From Dawn to the Perfect Day, p. 1 (also Sunday Magazine, 1877, p. 586).
References: Gen 5-Parker, vol. i., p. 154; Expositor, 1st series vol. viii., p. 449, vol. xi., p. 213.
III. THE BOOK OF THE GENERATIONS OF ADAM
CHAPTER 5
Adam and His Seed Through Seth
1. Adam (Gen 5:1-5)
2. Seth (Gen 5:6-8)
3. Enos (Gen 5:9-11)
4. Cainan (Gen 5:12-14)
5. Mahalaleel (Gen 5:15-17)
6. Jared (Gen 5:18-20) 7. Enoch (Gen 5:21-24)
8. Methuselah (Gen 5:25-27)
9. Lamech (Gen 5:28-31)
10. Noah (Gen 5:32)
Here we find the record of the seed of Seth. There is a striking contrast with the record of the Cainites in the previous chapter. The Cainites were progressive, built cities and made inventions. Nothing is said of the God-fearing generations in this chapter accomplishing great earthly things. They were pilgrims and strangers, waiting for better things. In the fourth chapter the word die is not mentioned. Nothing is said of the duration of the life of Cain and his seed. Eight times in the fifth chapter we read and he died. One did not die. We learn from this that the Lord keeps a record of the lives, the work and the years of His people. His saints are in His hands.
The names of ten generations translated give a startling revelation. In them we read the faith of the pious generations before the flood and for what they waited.
Adam — Man
Seth — Set
Enos — Frailty
Cainan — Deplorable
Mahalaleel — The Blessed God
Jared — Descends
Enoch — Teaching
Methuselah — Death sent away
Lamech — Powerful
Noah — Rest, Comfort
The record of Enoch must be compared with Jud 1:14-16 and Heb 11:5. He was translated before the great judgment swept over the earth. Enoch is a type of the living saints at the close of the present age, who will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Study Enochs walk, Enochs faith, Enochs testimony, Enochs suffering and Enochs translation with the help of the New Testament passages.
Adam
Adam, as the natural head of the race Luk 3:38 is a contrasting type of Christ, the Head of the new creation. See; Rom 5:14; 1Co 15:21; 1Co 15:22; 1Co 15:45-47.
book: The original word rendered “book,” signifies a register, account, history, or any kind of writing. Gen 2:4, Gen 6:9, Gen 10:1, 1Ch 1:1, Mat 1:1, Luk 3:36-38
in the likeness: Gen 1:26, Gen 1:27, Ecc 7:29, Ecc 12:1, 1Co 11:7, 2Co 3:18, Eph 4:24, Col 3:10, Heb 1:3, Heb 12:9
Reciprocal: Gen 9:6 – in Gen 37:2 – the generations Num 3:1 – generations Luk 3:38 – of God Jam 3:9 – made
Another section of Genesis starts with Gen 5:1-32, the preface to it being found in verses Gen 5:1-2. Herein the unity of the human race is again stressed, for though Adam called his wife’s name Isha (Gen 2:23) and then Eve (Gen 3:20) God blessed them and called their name Adam from the outset. So Eve too was Adam jointly with her husband. This is not surprising, when we remember that the relationship of husband and wife was designed of God as a type of Christ and the church. So in 1Co 12:12 we have “Christ,” or, more accurately, “the Christ,” used in a way that covers both Christ personally and His body, the church.
Until we reach Enoch the antediluvian patriarchs are mentioned without comment, save their age when the son was born in whom the line of faith and promise was continued, and the total years of their long lives.. Enoch was the seventh from Adam, as we are reminded in the epistle of Jude, and he was an outstanding character, as outstanding for good as Lamech, the seventh from Adam in the line of Cain, had been for evil. If in the one we see the world in its rebellion and sinfulness beginning to take shape, in the other we see the believer’s separate pathway through the world.
Enoch walked with God, and as God and the world walk on wholly different planes, the walk of Enoch was of necessity apart from the men of his age. He was no recluse for he begat sons and daughters, and moreover he boldly prophesied, as Jude tells us, predicting the coming of the Lord in judgment upon the ungodly men of his own age, and indeed of all the ages. When he had completed 365 years, “he was not; for God took him.” The significance of this is made quite plain in Heb 11:5. He “was translated that he should not see death.” This indicates plainly that he was removed because death threatened him.
Seeing that he had barely reached half the average age of the antediluvians, we may feel inclined to enquire how it came to pass that death threatened him, and the more so when we read that, “he was not found, because God had translated him.” Why use the word “found” if he had not been sought? Moreover Lamech’s murderous act, recorded in the previous chapter, must have taken place some centuries earlier. We judge this was so because Lamech came of the line of Cain which had a start of 130 years over the line of Seth. It apparently started the orgy of violence which filled the earth, according to the next chapter, and helped to provoke the flood. We judge therefore that Enoch’s bold denunciation of the outrageous ungodliness which in his time began to fill the earth, would have moved the ungodly to slay him. But when they determined to strike and sought him, he was not there, for God had translated him.
The flood was God’s governmental wrath falling upon the ungodly world, and the case of Noah shows us that God knows how to carry saints safely through such a period. But the case of Enoch furnishes us with an example of how God may be pleased to remove a saint to heaven without dying, before His wrath falls. In this Enoch foreshadows the removal of the church before the vials of Divine wrath are poured upon the earth in the great tribulation. It is thank God, definitely stated that “God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Th 5:9). A simple summary of Enoch’s life would be: He walked with God; he witnessed for God; he went to God, without seeing death.
When we reach Noah, the tenth from Adam, the history again expands. To begin with, his father Lamech at his birth named him with prophetic insight. He acknowledged that the earth was under the curse of God and anticipated that his son would bring rest or comfort. This he did by building the ark at the command of God, thus carrying a few, that is, eight souls, into a new world. He lived apparently to the great age of 500 years before begetting his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Shem is mentioned first, not because he was the oldest but because his was the line in which faith was preserved. He was apparently the second son, for Ham is called the “younger son” (Gen 9:24), and Japheth is called “the elder” (Gen 10:21).
We get a further example of this kind of thing when we come to Abraham, at the end of Gen 11:1-32 and this leads us to remark that it is not safe to lay too much stress on chronologies deduced from the details given in our chapter as to the ages of these patriarchs. It is easy to do this, and to make the years from the creation of Adam to the flood to be 1,656. But then the version of the Old Testament in Greek, known as the Septuagint, made about a couple of centuries before the time of our Lord, and, we are told, often quoted by Him, differs from the Hebrew. Adam’s age when Seth was born is given as 230, and his subsequent years as 700. The same feature marks the next four patriarchs and also Enoch, so this at once adds 600 years to the calculation. There is also a difference of six years in the case of Lamech the father of Noah, which brings up the total years according to the Septuagint, to 2,262.
The same thing appears when we come to the ages of the patriarchs after the flood in Gen 11:1-32. Here the Septuagint version would add 650 years to the chronology we should deduce. This is the explanation of the difference between Usher’s chronology, following the Hebrew, and that of Hales, following the Greek. Some of the earliest “Christian Fathers,” asserted that the years were curtailed by the Jews in the Hebrew, in order to oppose the argument of Christians using the Septuagint, that the Messiah appeared in the sixth millennium from Adam, as their tradition had led them to expect.
Be that as it may, the one thing that seems certain is that we cannot arrive at absolute certainty as to these matters, hence it would seem to be rather a waste of time to give much thought as to them. It is quite possible that when the Apostle Paul warned Timothy about “endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith,” he had in mind such things as these. Had the exact number of years been of importance from a spiritual standpoint, it would have been made quite clear to us in the Scriptures.
As we open Gen 6:1-22 we are carried on to the later centuries of the antediluvian age, when the population had considerably increased and human wickedness began to rise to a climax. Many have understood the term, “sons of God,” to refer to men of Seth’s line – the line of faith – who fell away and married daughters of Cain’s line, but we agree with those who accept the term as meaning beings of an angelic order, as it clearly does in such scriptures as Job 1:6 and Job 2:1 and Job 38:7. How such connection can have been established, resulting in progeny superhuman in size and strength, we do not know, but we believe that Jud 1:6-7 confirm what we are saying. Sodom and Gomorrha went after “strange flesh,” committing such enormous evil as is forbidden in Exo 22:19, and these sons of God did the same thing in principle, by going after the daughters of men. Thereby they apostatized, leaving their first estate, and lest they should repeat the offence they are held in everlasting chains under darkness until eternal perdition falls upon them. They will be finally judged at the great day of the great white throne.
In Genesis however, we are only told about the terrible effect of this in the world of men. The monstrous men produced were monsters of iniquity, filling the earth with violence and corruption. Yet man in his fallen condition is such that these monsters instead of being considered men of infamy were treated as men of renown. They were the originals doubtless from whom sprang those tales of “gods” and “goddesses” and “Titans,” etc., which have come down to us in the writings of antiquity. They are popularly dismissed as fables, but it looks as if they have a larger basis of fact than many care to admit.
How incisive is verse Gen 5:5 ! Man’s wickedness became great, or abundant, for he was wholly evil in the deepest springs of his being. His heart was evil; the thoughts of his heart were evil, and the imagination, which lay behind and prompted his thoughts, was evil. And all this was only evil – not one trace of good – and that continually. Thus before the flood we have exactly the same verdict as to man as is presented to us in Rom 3:10-18, by quotations extracted from scriptures, which describe the condition of men after the flood.
In verse Gen 5:6 we are told how all this affected the Lord, and here for the first time we have human feelings attributed to God. Only thus could we have any understanding of such a matter, and there is nothing incongruous in it, inasmuch as man has been made in the image and likeness of God. Only there must be an intensity and elevation in the Divine thoughts and feelings altogether unknown by man. How great must have been His grief! All good at the outset, and now all so abominable, that nothing could meet the case but the total destruction of mankind, with but few exceptions, and also of the animate creation that had been committed to man’s hand.
There was just one man that found grace in the eyes of the Lord. In this connection nothing is said of his wife nor of his three sons and their wives. Noah was a man of faith. Shem may have been the same. Ham, we know was not, and of the others we have no information, but as Heb 11:1-40 says, “Noah… moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house.” Faith on his part accepted the Divine warning, which moved him to fear. Fear moved him to act.
How the men of that age viewed the state of things that had developed in their midst we are not told, but to God it had become absolutely intolerable, so that He had to say, “The end of all flesh is come before Me… behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” His Spirit should not always strive with man, and so a limit of 120 years was set. God thus condemned the world, and by building the ark Noah “condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”
In his second epistle Peter tells us that Noah was “a preacher of righteousness.” It was the period when “the longsuffering of God waited,” as he said in his first epistle. Noah showed men what was morally and practically right in the sight of God, but it was without any fruit, for his hearers were disobedient and their spirits are now in prison. Only of Noah could God say, “Thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation” (Gen 7:1). Righteousness for men was not fully accomplished until the death and resurrection of Christ, and of that righteousness Noah became an heir. The believer of today is not an heir of righteousness, for he possesses it. He is an heir of the great inheritance, which is vested in Christ.
Noah was the builder but God was the Designer of the ark. The door was in the side to allow easy access by men, but the window was above, to let in light from heaven and shut out any view of the watery waste presently to be. Its dimensions were large. The cubit is computed to have been from 18 to 22 inches in length, and as it was made simply to float and not shaped like a ship to travel, its cubic capacity must have been very great.
Instructions also were given as to all that the ark was to contain; seven of the clean creatures and two of the rest, male and female, with a sufficiency of food for all. Nothing was left to arrangement or imagination; all was ordered by God from first to last. This is worthy of note for here we have the first illustration of salvation that the Bible furnishes. At a later date Jonah declared, “Salvation is of the Lord,” and how fully this is so we discover, when coming to the New Testament we find unfolded the “so great salvation” that the Gospel declares. Chapter 6 closes with the statement that Noah was obedient in all particulars, doing just as he was told.
The first verse of Gen 7:1-24 furnishes us with the first instance of how God, in dealing with men on the earth, links a man’s house with himself – “thou and all thy house” occurs for the first time. Salvation from judgment poured out on earth is before us here, but in Act 16:31 the same principle holds good in regard to eternal salvation. How thankful we should be for that word!
If we read verses Gen 5:1-16, we might be tempted to think that here was a good deal of repetition, but we believe the passage is so worded to impress us with two things: first, the exact and careful way in which Noah obeyed God’s instructions; second, the exact ordering and timing of all God’s actions in judgment; as also, that the great catastrophe was of a nature wholly transcending any ordinary convulsion of nature and altogether an act of God.
The term, “windows of heaven,” is very expressive. It denotes an outpouring from God above; it may be in blessing, as Mal 3:10 shows, but here it was in judgment. The devastating waters descended for forty days and forty nights, a period that we meet again in the Scripture several times, indicating a full period of testing. But also there was from beneath a breaking up of the established order. What exactly is signified, when we read that, “the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up,” it is impossible to say. The tremendous event had never happened before, and it will never happen again, for we read, “neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth” (Gen 9:11). So obviously we must be content to know that there were immense internal convulsions, that produced a mighty upsurge of earth’s waters, to meet the waters descending from above.
Verse Gen 5:13 makes it plain that Noah and his family entered the ark on the very day that the storm broke. Noah had been a preacher of righteousness, just as Enoch had been a prophet of the Advent. He is the first preacher of whom we have any record, and his theme was that which stands in the very forefront of the Gospel that is preached today, as Rom 1:17 declares. Only today, it is God’s righteousness revealed in Christ and established in His death and resurrection, which is presented as the basis of blessing for men. Noah had to preach God’s righteousness as outraged by man’s violence and corruption, and demanding judgment. Still to the very last day the door of the ark stood open, and nothing would have prevented a repentant man from entering, had such an one been found.
The last day came however, and each of the four men and four women took the last decisive step which ensured their preservation from destruction. The decisive step for each was when they planted one foot on the ark, and removed the other from the earth that was under judgment. It was impossible to have one foot in and one foot out. It was either both feet in, or both feet out. Which thing is a useful parable for Gospel preachers today. Their action endorsed God’s judgment against the world, and expressed their faith in the Divinely appointed way of salvation. Once inside the ark, “the Lord shut him in.” When the Lord shuts, no man can open – not even Noah himself had he wished to do so. The shut door secured salvation for the eight souls, and ensured destruction for the world of the ungodly.
In our day the Gospel is too often preached as a way of escape from merited judgment, without any emphasis on the other side which is presented here. By building and entering the ark Noah “condemned the world” (Heb 11:7), and the reception in faith of Christ as Saviour and Lord today involves just the same thing. Let us not shirk the issue, as though it could be Christ and the world. It must be one or the other; and may God help all who preach the Gospel to declare this with boldness.
Gen 5:1. The book of the generations of Adam That is, a list or catalogue of his posterity, not of all, but only of the holy seed, from whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came; of the names, ages, and deaths of those that were the successors of the first Adam in preserving the promise, and the ancestors of the second, at whose coming the promise was accomplished.
Gen 5:1. The book of generations; the princely line of holy patriarchs, from whom the Messiah descended.
Gen 5:4. And begat sons and daughters; but not being primogenitors of the promised Heir, the register of their names is kept in heaven.
Gen 5:5. Adamlived 930 years. Sanchoniatho, the Phnician historian, calls Adam, Cronus; and though he gives but eight fathers before the deluge, he confirms the testimony of Moses respecting their longevity. Heathen testimonies are numerous to the same effect, and are undisputed by the post-diluvian fathers. From these, Varro, whom the Romans call learned, affirms, that the first men lived a thousand years. Seneca, in his allegory of life, founded his idea of a bridge which had a thousand arches, on the same tradition. The antediluvians were free from all hereditary diseases. They subsisted very much on the fruits of the earth, and simple beverage. They did not breathe the heterogeneous airs of large cities, nor impair their health by sedentary occupations and habits; on the contrary, they used exercises adapted to their gigantic strength and stature. In a word, their lives were prolonged by the special care of heaven to populate and adorn the primitive earth.
Gen 5:24. Enochwas not, for God took him. He was translated into paradise, as all the rabbins say; for no man hath ascended into heaven, but he that came down from heaven, Joh 3:13; and by his ascension he hath called future generations to repentance. Sir 44:16.
Gen 5:27. Methuselah: that is, he sent his death, or the arrows of his death. The name might therefore be a title conferred upon him by posterity, on account of the special favour of heaven in taking him away the year, or little more, before the flood. Our infidels can find no unbelievers in the longevity of these sires; why then should there be any now.
Gen 5:28. Lamech. Not the Lamech in Cains line, but a more worthy patriarch in the progeny of Seth.
Gen 5:29. And called his name Noah; that is, comfort or rest; a name prophetic of his reparations of the world destroyed by water. He outlived the wicked racehe established agriculturehe gave the world an example of religion, obtaining at the altar the special tokens of divine favour in the renewal of the covenant, and the blessing of God upon the earth. Thus he became the Deucalion or second father of the world.
REFLECTIONS.
We have here a marked distinction between Adam made in Gods image, and Seth born in Adams likeness. He was not born merely in the human form of his father, but with his corrupt propensities. He was, like the Psalmist, shapen in iniquity, and conceived in sin. Psa 51:5. He had in his nature the seeds of anger, pride, self-love, and aversion to good, which a corrupt education brings to rapid and awful perfection. May it then be our constant prayer, that God would create us anew in Christ Jesus, in righteousness and true holiness.
We have set before us for imitation, the example of Enoch, who walked with God; who was acceptable before him as a prophet, and a prince. As introductory to this high favour, let us pray to be reconciled to God and adopted into his family, that we may walk in the light of his countenance. Let us maintain a constant intercourse with God by devotion, and the practice of righteousness. Let us make a daily progress in piety, and in the knowledge of his will. Let us be faithful in the day of trial, that we may enjoy his favour and friendship for ever.
In the translation of this patriarch, we see the dawning of life and immortality. He walked with his Maker, and glorified him on earth; and his gracious and ever-faithful companion honoured him, body and soul, with a triumphant entrance into glory. Nor was the high favour long delayed. He was taken from a wicked world in the middle of life, that he might be the more striking type of our Saviours ascension, and embolden others to follow his holy example.
In the longevity of the fathers before the flood, and afterward in the gradual shortening of life, we see the increasing care of providence over man. While the human kind were free from constitutional diseases, and the earth wanted inhabitants, they lived to a vast age, which is attested by the heathens, as well as by Moses; but now when the earth could not nourish them, if life was so long, God has shortened the age of man. Let us revere his hand, for all his ways are wise, and all his judgments have mercy for their object. It being the design of the Holy Ghost to give us the history of the church, and of the Messiahs line, many good men have but a name in this genealogy, and thousands more have not that favour; but let us endeavour that our names may be written in the book of life, that God may be the witness of our hearts, and the recorder of our piety. Then every saint shall stand in his own order, and have joy at his coming.
Genesis 4 – 5
As each section of the Book of Genesis opens before us, we are furnished with fresh evidence of the fact that we are travelling over, what a recent writer has well termed, “the seed-plot of the whole Bible;” and not only so, but the seed-plot of man’s entire history.
Thus, in the fourth chapter, we have, in the persons of Cain and Abel, the first examples of a religious man of the world, and of a genuine man of faith. Born, as they were, outside of Eden, and being the sons of fallen Adam, they could have nothing, natural, to distinguish them, one from the other. They were both sinners. Both had a fallen nature. Neither was innocent. It is well to be clear in reference to this, in order that the reality of divine grace, and the integrity of faith, may be fully and distinctly seen. If the distinction between Cain and Abel were founded in nature, then it follows, as an inevitable conclusion, that they were not the partakers of the fallen nature of their father, nor the participators in the circumstances of his fall; and, hence, there could be no room for the display of grace, and the exercise of faith.
Some would teach us that every man is born with qualities and capacities which, if rightly used, will enable him to work his way back to God. This is a plain denial of the fact so clearly set forth in the history now before us. Cain and Abel were born, not inside, but outside of Paradise. They were the sons, not of innocent, but of fallen Adam. They came into the world as the partakers of the nature of their father; and it mattered not in what ways that nature might display itself, it was nature still – fallen, ruined, irremediable nature. “That which is born of the flesh is (not merely fleshly, but) flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is, (not merely spiritual, but) spirit.” (John 3)
If ever there was a fair opportunity for the distinctive qualities, capacities, resources, and tendencies of nature to manifest themselves, the lifetime of Cain and Abel furnished it. If there were ought in nature, whereby it could recover its lost innocence, and establish itself again within the bounds of Eden, this was the moment for its display. But there was nothing of kind. They were both lost. They were “flesh. They were not innocent. Adam lost his innocence and never regained it. He can only be looked at as the head of a fallen race, who, by his “disobedience,” were made “sinners.” (Rom. 5: 19) He became, so far as he was personally concerned, the corrupt source, from whence have emanated the corrupt streams of ruined and guilty humanity – the dead trunk from which have shot forth the branches of a dead humanity, morally and spiritually dead.
True, as we have already remarked, he himself was made a subject of grace, and the possessor and exhibitor of a lively faith in a promised Saviour; but this was not anything natural, but something entirely divine. And, inasmuch as it was not natural, neither was it within the range of nature’s capacity to communicate it. It was not, by any means, hereditary. Adam could not bequeath nor impart his faith to Cain or Abel. His possession thereof was simply the fruit of love divine. It was implanted in his soul by divine power; and he had not divine power to communicate it to another. Whatever was natural Adam could, in the way of nature, communicate; but nothing more. And seeing that he, as a father, was in a condition of ruin, his son could only be in the same. As is the begetter, so are they also that are begotten of him. They must, of necessity, partake of the nature of him from whom they have sprung. “as is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy.” (1 Cor. 15: 48)
Nothing can be more important, in its way, than a correct understanding of the doctrine of federal headship. If my reader will turn, for a moment, to Rom. 5: 12-21, he will find that the inspired apostle looks at the whole human race as comprehended under two heads. I do not attempt to dwell on the passage; but merely refer to it, in connection with the subject in hand. The fifteenth chapter of first Corinthians will also furnish instruction of a similar character. In the first man, we have sin, disobedience, and death. In The Second man, we have righteousness, obedience, and life. As we derive a nature from the former, so do we also from the latter. No doubt, each nature will display, in each specific case, its own peculiar energies; it will manifest in each individual possessor thereof, its own peculiar powers. Still, there is the absolute possession of a real, abstract, positive nature.
Now, as the mode in which we derive a nature from the first man is by birth, so the mode in which we derive a nature from the Second man is by new birth. Being born, we partake of the nature of the former; being “born again,” we partake of the nature of the latter. A newly born infant, though entirely incapable of performing the act which reduced Adam to the condition of a fallen being, is, nevertheless, a partaker of his nature; and so, also, a newly born child of God – a newly regenerated soul, though having nothing whatever to do with the working out of the perfect obedience of “the man Christ Jesus,” is, nevertheless, a partaker of His nature. True it is that, attached to the former nature, there is sin; and attached to the latter, there is righteousness. man’s sin, in the former case; God’s righteousness in the latter: yet, all the while, there is actual, bona fide participation of a real nature, let the adjuncts be what they may. The child of Adam partakes of the human nature and its adjuncts; the child of God partakes of the divine nature and its adjuncts. The former nature is according to “the will of man,” (John 1) the latter is according to “the will of God;” as St. James, by the Holy Ghost, teaches us, “Of his own will begat he us by the word of truth, (James 1: 18)
From all that has been said, it follows, that Abel was not distinguished from his brother Cain by anything natural. The distinction between them was not grounded upon ought in their nature or circumstances, for, as to these, “there was no difference.” What, therefore, made the vast difference? The answer is as simple as the gospel of the grace of God can make it. The difference was not in themselves, in their nature, or their circumstances; it lay, entirely, in their sacrifices. This makes the matter most simple, for any truly convicted sinner – for any one who truly feels that he not only partakes of a fallen nature, but is himself, also, a sinner. The history of Abel opens, to such an one, the only true ground of his approach to, his standing before, and his relationship with, God. It teaches him, distinctly, that he cannot come to God on the ground of anything in, of, or pertaining to, nature; and he must seek, outside himself, and in the person and work of another, the true and everlasting basis of his connection with the Holy, the Just, and only True God. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews sets the whole subject before us, in the most distinct and comprehensive way. “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice (pleiona thusian) than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God bearing witness (parturountos) to his gifts; and by it he being dead yet speaketh.” Here we are taught that it was, in no wise, a question as to the men, but only as to their “Sacrifice” – it was not a question as to the offerer, but as to his offering. Here lay the grand distinction between Cain and Abel. My reader cannot be too simple in his apprehension of this point, for therein lies involved the truth as to any sinner’s standing before God.
And, now, let us enquire what the offerings were. “And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto Jehovah. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fruit thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering; but unto Cain and to his offering, he had not respect.” (Gen. 4: 3-5) This sets the difference clearly before us: Cain offered Jehovah the fruit of a cursed earth, and that, moreover, without any blood to remove the curse. He presented “An unbloody sacrifice,” simply because he had no faith. Had he possessed that divine principle, it would have taught him, even at this early moment, that “Without shedding of blood, there is no remission.” (Heb 9) This is a great cardinal truth. The penalty of sin is death. Cain was a sinner, and, as such, death stood between him and Jehovah. But, in his offering, there was no recognition whatever of this fact. There was no presentation of a sacrificed life, to meet the claims of divine holiness, or to answer to his own true condition as a sinner. He treated Jehovah as though He were, altogether, such an one as himself, who could accept the sin-stained fruit of a cursed earth.
All this, and much more, lay involved in Cain’s “unbloody sacrifice.” He displayed entire ignorance, in reference to divine requirements, in reference to his own character and condition, as a lost and guilty sinner, and in reference to the true state of that ground, the fruit of which he presumed to offer. No doubt, reason might say, “what more acceptable offering could a man present, than that which he had produced by the labour of his hands, and the sweat of his brow?” Reason, and even man’s religious mind, may think thus; but God thinks quite differently; and faith is always sure to agree with God’s thoughts. God teaches, so faith believes, that there must be a sacrificed life, else there can be no approach to God.
Thus, when we look at the ministry of the Lord Jesus, we see, at once, that, had He not died upon the cross, all His services would have proved utterly unavailing as regards the establishment of our relationship with God. True, “He went about doing good” all His life; but it was His death that rent the veil. (Matt. 27: 61) Nought but His death could have done so. Had he continued, to the present moment, “going about doing good,” the veil would have remained entire, to bar the worshipper’s approach into” the holiest of all.” Hence we can see the false ground on which Cain stood as an offerer and a worshipper. An unpardoned sinner coming into the presence of Jehovah, to present “an unbloody sacrifice,” could only be regarded as guilty of the highest degree of presumption. True, he had toiled to produce his offering; but what of that? Could a sinner’s toil remove the curse and stain of sin Could it satisfy the claims of an infinitely holy God! Could it furnish a proper ground of acceptance for a sinner? Could it set aside the penalty which was due to sin? Could it rob death of its sting, or the grave of its victory? Could it do any or all of these things? Impossible. “Without shedding of blood is no remission.” Cain’s “unbloody sacrifice,” like every other unbloody sacrifice, was not only worthless, but actually abominable, in the divine estimation. It not only demonstrated his entire ignorance of his own condition, but also of the divine character. “God is not worshipped with men’s hands as though he needed anything.” And yet Cain thought he could be thus approached. And every mere religionist thinks the same. Cain has had many millions of followers, from age to age. Cain-worship has abounded all over the world. It is the worship of every unconverted son, and is maintained by every false system of religion under the sun.
Man would fain make God a receiver instead of a giver; but this cannot be; for, “it is more blessed to give than to receive;” and, assuredly, God must have the more blessed place. “Without all contradiction, the less is blessed of the better.” “Who hath first given to him?” God can accept the smallest gift from a heart which has learnt the deep truth contained in those words, “Of thine own have we given thee;” but, the moment a man presumes to take the place of the “first” giver, God’s reply is, “if I were hungry, I would not tell thee;” for “He is not worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all “life and breath and all things.” The great Giver of “all things” cannot possibly “need anything.” Praise is all that we can offer to God; but this can only offered in the full and clear intelligence that our sins are all put away; and this again can only be known by faith in the virtue of an accomplished atonement.
My reader may pause, here, and read prayerfully the following scriptures, namely, Psalm 1; Isaiah 1: 11-18; Acts 17: 22-34, in all of which he will find distinctly laid down the truth as to man’s true position before God, as also the proper ground of worship.
Let us now consider Abel’s sacrifice. “And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof.” In other words, he entered, by faith, into the glorious truth, that God could be approached by sacrifice; that there was such a thing as a sinner’s placing the death of another between himself and the consequence of his sin, that the claims of God’s nature and the attributes of His character could be met by the blood of a spotless victim – a victim offered to meet God’s demands, and the sinner’s deep necessities. This is, in short, the doctrine of the cross, in which alone the conscience of a sinner can find repose, because, therein, God is fully glorified.
Every divinely convicted sinner must feel that death and judgement are before him, as “the due reward of his deeds;” nor can he, by ought that he can accomplish, alter that destiny. He may toil and labour; he may, by the sweat of his brow, produce an offering; he may make vows and resolutions; he may alter his way of life; he may reform his outward character; he may be temperate, moral, upright, and, in the human acceptation of the word, religious; he may, though entirely destitute of faith, read, pray, and hear sermons. In short, he may do anything, or everything which lies within the range of human competency; but, notwithstanding all, “death and judgement” are before him. He has not been able to disperse those two heavy clouds which have gathered upon the horizon. There they stand; and, so far from being able to remove them, by all his doings, he can only live in the gloomy anticipation of the moment Then they shall burst upon his guilty head. It is impossible for a sinner, by his own works, to place himself in life and triumph, at the other side of “death and judgement – yea, his very works are only performed for the purpose of preparing him, if possible, for those dreaded realities.
Here, however, is exactly where the cross comes in. In that cross, the convicted sinner can behold a divine provision for all his guilt and all his need. There, too, he can see death and judgement entirely removed from the scene, and life and glory set in their stead. Christ has cleared the prospect of death and judgement, so far as the true believer is concerned, and filled it with life, righteousness, and glory. “He hath abolished death, and brought life and incorruptibility to light, through the gospel.” (2 Tim. 1: 10) He has glorified God in the putting away of that which would have separated us for ever, from His holy and blissful presence. “He has put away sin,” and, hence it is gone. (Heb. 9: 26) all this is, in type, set forth in Abel’s “more excellent sacrifice.” There was no attempt, on Abel’s part, to set aside the truth as to his own condition, and proper place as a guilty sinner – no attempt to turn aside the edge of the flaming sword, and force his way back to the tree of life – no presumptuous offering of an unbloody sacrifice” – no presentation of the fruit of a cursed earth to Jehovah – he took the real ground of a sinner, and, as such, set the death of a victim between him and his sins, and between his sins and the holiness a sin-hating God. This was most simple. Abel deserved death and judgement, but he found a substitute.
This is it with every poor, helpless, self-condemned, conscience-smitten sinner. Christ is his substitute, his ransom, his most excellent sacrifice, his ALL. Such an one will feel, like Abel, that the fruit of the ground could never avail for him; that were he to present to God the fairest fruits of earth, he would still have a sin-stained conscience, inasmuch as “without shedding of blood is no remission.” The richest fruits, and the most fragrant flowers, in the greatest profusion, could not remove a single stain from the conscience. Nothing but the perfect sacrifice of the Son of God can give ease to the heart and conscience. All who by faith lay hold of that divine reality, will enjoy a peace which the world can neither give nor take away. It is faith which puts the soul in present possession of this peace. “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 5: 1) “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.”
It is not a question of feeling, as so many would make it. It is entirely a question of faith in an accomplished fact, faith wrought in the soul of a sinner, by the power of the Holy Ghost. This faith is something quite different from a mere feeling of the heart, or an assent of the intellect. Feeling is not faith. Intellectual assent is not faith. Some would make faith to be the mere assent of the intellect to a certain proposition. This is fearfully false. It makes the question of faith human, whereas it is really divine. It reduces it to the level of man, whereas it really comes from God Faith is not a thing of today or tomorrow. It is an imperishable principle, emanating from an eternal source, even God Himself; it lays hold of God’s truth, and sets the soul in God’s presence.
Mere feeling and sentimentality can never rise above the source from whence they emanate; and that source in self; but faith has to do with God and His eternal word, and is a living link, connecting the heart that possesses it with God mho gives it. Human feelings, however intense; human sentiments, however refined, could not connect the soul with God. They are neither divine nor eternal, but are human and evanescent. They are like Jonah’s gourd, which sprang up in a night, and perished in a night. Not so faith. That precious principle partakes of all the value, all the power, and all the reality of the source from whence it emanates, and the object with which it has to do. It justifies the soul; (Rom. 5: 1) it purifies the heart; (Acts 15: 9) it works by love; (Gal. 5: 6) it overcomes the world. (1 John 5: 4) Feeling and sentiment never could accomplish such results; they belong to nature and to earth, faith belongs to God and to heaven; they are occupied with self, faith is occupied with Christ; they look inward and downward, faith looks outward and upward; they leave the soul in darkness and doubt, faith leads it into light and peace; :they have to do with one’s own fluctuating condition, faith has to do with God’s immutable truth, and Christ’s eternally enduring sacrifice.
No doubt, faith will produce feelings and sentiments spiritual feelings and truthful sentiments – but the fruits of faith must never be confounded with faith “itself. I am not justified by feelings, nor yet by faith feelings, but simply by faith. And why? Because faith believes God when He speaks; it takes Him at His word; it apprehends Him as He has revealed Himself in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is life, righteousness, and peace. To apprehend God as He is, is the sum of all present and eternal blessedness. When the soul finds out God, it has found out all it can possibly need, here or hereafter; but He can only be known by His own revelation, and by the faith which He Himself imparts, and which, moreover, always sees divine revelation as its proper object.
Thus, then, we can, in some measure, enter into the meaning and power of the statement, “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.” Cain had no faith, and, therefore, he offered an unbloody sacrifice. Abel had faith, and, therefore, he offered both “blood, and fat,” which, in type, set forth the presentation of the life, and also the inherent excellency of the Person of Christ. “The blood,” set forth the former; “the fat,” shadowed forth the latter. Both blood and fat were forbidden to be eaten, under the Mosaic economy. The blood is the life; and man, under law, had no title to life. But, in the sixth of John, we are taught, that unless we eat blood, we have no life in us. Christ is the life. There is not a spark of life outside of Him. ALL out of Christ is death. “In him was life,” and in none else.
Now, He gave up His life on the cross; and, to that life, sin was, by imputation, attached, when the blessed One was nailed to the cursed tree. Hence, in giving up His life, He gave up, also, the sin attached thereto, so that it is, effectually, put away, having been left in His grave from which He rose triumphant, in the power of a new life, to which righteousness as distinctly attaches itself, us did sin to that life which He gave up on the cross. This will help us to an understanding of an expression used by our blessed Lord, after His resurrection, “a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see we have.” He did not say, “flesh and blood;” because, in resurrection, He had not assumed, into His sacred person, the blood which He had shed out upon the cross, as an atonement for sin. “The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar, to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood which maketh an atonement for the soul.” (Lev. 17: 11) Close attention to this point will have the effect of deepening, in our souls, the sense of the completeness of the putting away of sin, by the death of Christ; and we know that whatever tends to deepen our sense of that glorious reality, must, necessarily, tend to the fuller establishment of our peace, and to the more effectual promotion of the glory of Christ, as connected with our testimony and service.
We have, already, referred to a point of much interest and value, in the history of Cain and Abel, and that is, the entire identification of each with the offering which he presented. My reader cannot possibly bestow too much attention upon this. The question, in each case, was not as to the person of the offerer; but, entirely, as to the character of his offering. Hence, of Abel we read that “God testified of his gifts.” He did not bear witness to Abel, but to Abel’s sacrifice; and this fixes, distinctly, the proper ground of a believer’s peace and acceptance before God.
There is a, constant tendency, in the heart, to ground our peace and acceptance upon something in or about ourselves even though we admit that that something is wrought by the Holy Ghost. Hence arises the constant looking in, when the Holy Ghost would ever have us looking out. The question for every believer is not, “what am I” but, “what is Christ?” Having come to God “in the name of Jesus,” he is wholly identified with Him, and accepted in His name, and, moreover, can no more be rejected than the One in whose name he has come. Before ever a question can be raised as to the feeblest believer, it must be raised as to Christ Himself. But this latter is clearly impossible, and thus the security of the believer is established upon a foundation which nothing can possibly move. Being in himself a poor worthless sinner, he has come in the name of Christ, he is identified with Christ, accepted in and as Christ, bound up in the same bundle of life with Christ. God testifies, not of him, but of his gift, and his gift is Christ. ALL this is most tranquillising and consolatory. It is our happy privilege to be able, in the confidence of faith, to refer every objection, and every objector, to Christ, and His finished atonement. ALL our springs are in Him. In Him we boast all the day long. Our confidence is not in ourselves, but in Him who hath wrought everything for us. We hang on His name, trust in His work, gaze on His Person, and wait for His coming.
But the carnal mind, at once, displays its enmity against all this truth which so gladdens and satisfies the heart of a believer. Thus it was with Cain. “He was very wroth, and his countenance fell.” That which filled Abel with peace, filled Cain with wrath. Cain in unbelief, despised the only way in which a sinner could come to God. He refused to offer blood, without which there can be no remission; and, then, because he was not received, in his sins, and because Abel was accepted, in his gift, “he was wroth, and his countenance fell.” And yet, how else could it be? He should either be received with his sins, or without them; but God could not receive him with them, and he would not bring the blood which alone maketh atonement; and, therefore, he was rejected, and, being rejected, he manifests in his ways, the fruits of corrupt religion. He persecutes and murders the true witness – the accepted, justified man – the man of faith; and, in so doing, he stands as the model and forerunner of all false religionists, in every age. At all times, and in all places, men have shown themselves more ready to persecute on religious grounds, than on any other. This is Cain-like. Justification – full, perfect, unqualified justification, by faith only, makes God everything, and man nothing: and man does not like this; it causes his countenance to fall, and draws out his anger. Not that he can give any reason for his anger; for it is not, as we have seen, a question of man at all, but only of the ground on which he appears before God. Had Abel been accepted on the ground of ought in himself, then, indeed, Cain’s wrath, and his fallen countenance, would have had some just foundation; but, inasmuch as he was accepted, exclusively, on the ground of his offering; and, inasmuch as it was not to him, but to his gift, that Jehovah bore testimony, his wrath was entirely without any proper basis. This is brought out in Jehovah’s word to Cain:” If thou doest well, (or, as the LXX reads it, if thou offer correctly, (orthos prosenegkes) shalt thou not be accepted?” The well-doing had reference to the offering. Abel did well by hiding himself behind an acceptable sacrifice. Cain did badly by bringing an offering without blood; and all his after-conduct was but the legitimate result of his false worship.
“And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.” Thus has it ever been; the Cains have persecuted and murdered the Abels. At all times, man and his religion are the same; faith and its religion are the same: and wherever they have met, there has been conflict.
However, it is well to see that Cain’s act of murder was the true consequence – the proper fruit – of his false worship. His foundation was bad, and the superstructure erected thereon was also bad. Nor did he stop at the act of murder; but having heard the judgement of God thereon, despairing of forgiveness through ignorance of God, he went forth from His blessed presence, and built a city, and had in his family the cultivators of the useful and ornamental sciences-agriculturists, musicians, and workers in metals. Through ignorance of the divine character, he pronounced his sin too great to be pardoned.* It was not that he really knew his sin, but that he knew not God. He fully exhibited the terrible fruit of the fall in the very thought of God to which he gave utterance. He did not want pardon, because he did not want God. He had no true sense of his own condition; no aspirations after God; no intelligence as to the ground of a sinner’s approach to God. He was radically corrupt – fundamentally wrong; and all he wanted was to get out of the presence of God, and lose himself in the world and its pursuits. Be thought he could live very well without God, and he therefore set about decorating the world as well as be could, for the purpose of making it a respectable place, and himself a respectable man therein, though in God’s view it was under the curse, and he was a fugitive and a vagabond.
{*The word used by Cain occurs in Ps. 32: 1 whose transgression is forgiven. The LXX renders it by aphethenai, to be remitted.}
Such was “the way of Cain in which way millions are, at this moment, rushing on. Such persons are not, by any means, divested of the religious element in their character. They would like to offer something to God; to do something for Him. They deem it right to present to Him the results of their own toil. They are ignorant of themselves, ignorant of God; but with all this there is the diligent effort to improve the world; to make life agreeable in various ways; to deck the scene with the fairest colours. God’s remedy to cleanse is rejected, and man’s effort to improve is put in its place. This is “the way of Cain.” (Jude 11)
And, my reader, you have only to look around you to see how this “WAY is prevailing at the present moment. Though the world is stained with the blood of “a greater than” Abel, even with the blood of Christ; yet see what an agreeable place man seeks to make of it As in Cain’s day, the grateful sounds of “the harp and organ,” no doubt, completely drowned, to man’s ear, the cry of Abel’s blood; so now, man’s ear is filled with other sounds than those which issue from Calvary; and his eye filled with other objects than a crucified Christ. The resources of his genius, too, are put forth to render this world a hot-house, in which are produced, in their rarest form, all the fruits for which nature so eagerly longs. And not merely are the real wants of man, as a creature, supplied, but the inventive genius of the human mind has been set to work for the purpose of devising things, which, the moment the eye sees, the heart desires, and not only desires, but imagines that life would be intolerable without them. Thus, for instance, some years ago, people were content to devote three or four days to the accomplishing of a journey of one hundred miles; but now they can accomplish it in three or four hours; and not only so, but they will complain sadly if they happen to be five or ten minutes late. In fact, man must be saved the trouble of living. He must travel without fatigue, and he must hear news without having to exercise patience for it. He will lay iron rails across the earth, and electric wires beneath the sea, as if to anticipate, in his own way, that bright and blissful age, when “there shall be no more sea.”*
{*True, the Lord is using all those things for the furtherance of His own gracious ends; and the Lord’s servant can freely use them also; but this does not hinder our seeing the spirit which originates and characterises them.}
In addition to all this, there is abundance of religion, so called; but, alas charity itself is compelled to harbour the apprehension, that very much of what passes for religion is but a screw in the vast machine, which has been constructed for man’s convenience, and man’s exaltation. Man would not be without religion. It would not be respectable; and, therefore, he is content to devote one-seventh of his time to religion; or, as he thinks and professes, to his eternal interests; and then be has six-sevenths to devote to his temporal interests; but whether he works for time or eternity, it is for himself, in reality. such is “the way of Cain.” Let my reader ponder it well. Let him see where this way begins, whither it tends, and where it terminates.
How different the way of the man of faith! Abel felt and owned the curse; he saw the stain of sin, and, in the holy energy of faith, offered that which met it, and met it thoroughly – met it divinely. He sought and found a refuge in God Himself; and instead of building a city on the earth, he found but a grave in its bosom. The earth, which on its surface displayed the genius and energy of Cain and his family, was stained underneath with the blood of a righteous man. Let the man of the world remember this; let the man of God remember it; let the worldly-minded Christian remember it. The earth which we tread upon is stained by the blood of the Son of God. The very blood which justifies the Church condemns the world. The dark shadow of the cross of Jesus may be seen by the eye of faith, looming over all the glitter and glare of this evanescent world. “The fashion of this world passeth away.” It will soon all be over, so far as the present scene is concerned. “The way of Cain” will be followed by “the error of Balaam,” in its consummated form; and then will come “the gainsaying of Core;” and what then “The pit” will open its mouth to receive the wicked, and close it again, to shut them up in “blackness of darkness for ever.” (Jude 13)
In full confirmation of the foregoing lines, we may run the eye over the contents of Chapter 5 and find therein the illuminating record of man’s weakness, and subjection to the rule of death. He might live for hundreds of years, and “beget sons and daughters;” but, at last, it must be recorded that “he died.” “Death reigned from Adam to Moses.” “It is appointed unto men once to die.” Man cannot get over this. He cannot, by steam, or electricity, or anything else within the range of his genius, disarm death of its terrible sting. He cannot, by his energy, set aside the sentence of death, although he may produce the comforts and luxuries of life.
But whence came this strange and dreaded thing, death? Paul gives us the answer: “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin.” (Rom. 5: 12) Here we have the origin of death. It came by sin. Sin snapped asunder the link which bound the creature to the living God; and, that being done, he was handed over to the dominion of death, which dominion he had no power whatever to shake off. And this, be it observed, is one of the many proofs of the fact of man’s total inability to meet God. There can be no fellowship between God and man, save in the power of life; but man is under the power of death; hence, on natural grounds, there can be no fellowship. Life, can have no fellowship with death, no more than light with darkness, or holiness with sin. Man must meet God on an entirely new ground, and on a new principle, even faith; and this faith enables him to recognise his own position, as “sold under sin,” and, therefore, subject to death; while, at the same time, it enables him to apprehend God’s character, as the dispenser of a new life – life beyond the power of death – a life which can never be touched by the enemy, nor forfeited by us.
This it is which marks the security of the believer’s life – a risen, glorified Christ – a Christ victorious over everything that could be against us. Adams life was founded upon his own obedience; when he disobeyed, life was forfeited. But Christ, having life in Himself, came down into this world and fully met all the circumstances of man’s sin, in ever possible form; and, by submitting to death, destroyed him who had the power thereof, and, in resurrection, becomes the life and righteousness of all who believe in His most excellent name.
Now, it is impossible that Satan can touch this life, either in its source, its channel, its power, heaven its sphere, or its duration. God is its source; a risen Christ, its channel, The Holy Ghost, its power; heaven, its sphere; and eternity its duration. Hence, therefore, as might to one possessing this wondrous life, the whole scene is changed; and while, in one sense, it must be said, “in the midst of life we are in death,” yet, in another sense it can be said, “in the midst of death we are in life”. There is no death in the sphere into which a risen Christ introduces His people. How could there be? Has not he abolished it? It cannot be an abolished and an existing thing at the same time, and to the same people; but God’s word tells us it is abolished. -Christ emptied the scene of death, and filled it with life and, therefore, it is not death, but glory that lies before the believer, death is behind him for ever. As to the future, it is all glory, cloudless glory. True, it may be his lot to “fall asleep” – to “sleep in Jesus” – but that is not death, but “life in earnest.” The mere matter of departing to be with Christ cannot alter the specific hope of the believer, which is to meet Christ in the air, to be with Him, and like Him, for ever.
Of this we have a very beautiful exemplification in Enoch, who forms the only exception to the rule of Gen. 5. The rule is, “he died;” the exception is, “he should not see death.” “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation be had this testimony, that he pleased God.” (Heb. 11: 5.) Enoch was “the seventh from Adam;” and it is deeply interesting to find, that death was not suffered to triumph over “the seventh;” but that, in his case, God interfered, and made him a trophy of His own glorious victory over all the power of death. The heart rejoices, after reading, six times, the sad record, “he died,” to find, that the seventh did not die; and when we ask, how was this? the answer is, “by faith.” Enoch lived in the faith of his translation, and walked with God three hundred years. This separated him, practically, from all around. To walk with God must, necessarily, put one outside the sphere of this world’s thoughts. Enoch realised this; for, in his day, the spirit of the world was manifested; and then, too, as now, it was opposed to all that was of God. The man of faith felt he had nought to do with the world, save to be a patient witness, therein, of the grace of God, and of coming judgement. The sons of Cain might spend their energies in the vain attempt to improve a cursed world, but Enoch found a better world and lived in the power of it.* His faith was not given him to improve the world, but to walk with God.
{*It is very evident, that Enoch knew nothing whatever about of “making the best of both worlds.” To him there was but one world. Thus it should be with us}
And, oh! how much is involved in these three words, “walked with God!” What separation and self-denial! what holiness and moral purity! what grace and gentleness what humility and tenderness! and yet, what zeal energy? What patience and long-suffering! and yet what faithfulness and uncompromising decision! To walk with God comprehends everything within the range of the divine life, whether active or passive. It involves the knowledge of God’s character as He has revealed it. It involves, too, the intelligence of the relationship in which we stand to Him. It is not a mere living by rules and regulations! nor laying down plans of action; nor in resolutions to go hither and thither to do this or that. To walk with God is far more than any or all of these things. Moreover, it will sometimes carry us right athwart the thoughts of men, even of our brethren, if they are not themselves walking with God. It may, sometimes, bring against us the charge of doing too much; at other times, of doing too little; but the faith that enables one to “walk with God,” enables him also to attach the proper value thoughts of man.
Thus we have, in Abel and Enoch, most valuable instruction as to the sacrifice on which faith rests; and, as to the prospect which hope now anticipates; while, at the same time,” the walk with God” takes in all the details of actual life which lie between those two points. Lord will give grace and glory;” and between the grace that has been, and the glory that is to be, revealed, there is the happy assurance, that “no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84: 11)
It, has been remarked, that “the cross and the coming of the Lord form the termini of the Church’s existence on earth,” and these termini are prefigured in the sacrifice of Abel, and the translation of Enoch. The Church knows her entire justification through the death and resurrection of Christ, and she waits for the day, when He shall come and receive her to Himself. She, “through the Spirit, waits for the hope of righteousness by faith.” (Gal. 5: 5) She does not wait for righteousness, inasmuch as she, by grace, has that already; but she waits for the hope which properly belongs to the condition into which she has been introduced.
My reader should seek to be clear as to this. Some expositors of prophetic truth, from not seeing the Church’s specific place, portion, and hope, have made sad mistakes. They have, in effect, cast so many dark clouds and thick mists around “the bright and morning star,” which is the proper hope of the Church, that many saints, at the present moment, seem unable to rise above the hope of the God-fearing remnant of Israel, which is to see “the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings.” (Mal. 4) Nor is this all. Very many have been deprived of the moral power of the hope of Christ’s appearing, by being taught to look for various events and circumstances previous to the moment of His manifestation to the Church. The restoration of the Jews, the development of Nebuchadnezzar’s image, the revelation of the man of sin – all these things, it is maintained. must take place ere Christ comes. That this is not true, might be proved from numerous passages of New Testament scripture, were this the fitting place to adduce them.
The Church, like Enoch, will be taken away from the evil around, and the evil to come. Enoch was not left to see the world’s evil rise to a head, and the judgement of God poured forth upon it. He saw not the fountains of the great deep broken up,” nor “the windows of heaven opened.” He was taken away before any of these things occurred; and he stands before eye of faith as a beautiful figure of those,” who shall not all sleep, but shall all be changed, in a moment in the twinkling of an eye.” (1 Cor. 15: 51, 52) Translation, not death, was the hope of Enoch; and, as to the Church’s hope, it is thus briefly expressed by the apostle, “To wait for the Son from heaven.” Thess. 1: 10) This, the simplest and most unlettered Christian can understand and enjoy. Its power, too be can, in some measure, experience and manifest. He may not be able to study prophecy very deeply, but he can, blessed be God, taste the blessedness, the reality, the comfort, the power, the elevating and separating virtue of that celestial hope, which properly belongs to him as a member of that heavenly body, the Church; which hope is not merely to see “the Sun of Righteousness” how blessed soever that may be in its place, but to see “the bright and morning star.” (Rev. 2: 28.) And as in the natural world, the morning star is seen, by those who watch for it, before the sun rises, so Christ, as the morning star, will be seen by the Church, before the remnant of Israel can behold the beams of the Sun.
Gen 5:1-32. Sethite Genealogy of Antediluvians.With the exception of Gen 5:29 this comes from P, as is clear from the style, each statement being cast in the same mould, and the whole forming a mere catalogue of names and dates. There is a striking divergence between the Heb., Sam., and LXX figures, the period from the Creation to the Flood being reckoned as 1656, 1307, and 2242 (a variant yields 2262) years respectively. The question is very complex; here the editors view must be stated without discussion. The LXX may be set aside; the Sam. is probably to be preferred to the Heb. since the latter shows signs of artificiality and because it can be more readily explained from the Sam. than vice versa. The Sam. represents Jared, Methuselah, and Lamech as dying in the year of the Flood, and since this occurs early in the year the suggestion is that they perished in it. The Heb. presumably is an alteration to avoid this inference, and to make the period from Creation to the Exodus two-thirds of 4000 years. It is also necessary to pass by the individual members with the exception of Enoch and Noah. The mention of 365 years suggests a connexion with the solar year. Enoch may be identical with Enmeduranki, the king of Sippar, a favourite of the gods, connected with the sun-god, and initiated into mysteries of earth and heaven, just like the Enoch of the late Enoch literature (p. 433). His walk with God may, therefore, imply not simply an intimate fellowship but an initiation into Divine secrets. He was not is explained in Heb 11:5. The redactor has added Gen 5:29 from J. The etymology of Noahs name (Gen 5:29) refers apparently to his discovery of the vine (Gen 9:20). The ground has been cursed (Gen 3:17-19), but Noah is to pluck from it a soothing cordial for mans weariness, the wine which makes glad the hearts of men as well as God (Jdg 9:13, Psa 104:15) and enables them to drown their sorrows in at least temporary oblivion. The age of Noah (500 years) when his eldest son was born is at first sight surprising, for no other had reached 200 years. But the Flood had to occur late in Noahs life, otherwise the length of life assigned to his ancestors must have been abbreviated, if they were not to survive the Flood. On the other hand, if Noahs sons were at the time to have no children, they must themselves have been born a sufficiently short time before the Flood for their childlessness not to seem strange. It is perhaps scarcely necessary to add that the years mentioned in this chapter are intended to be literal years, and that we are not reading real history; though even these high figures are sober in comparison with those in the parallel Babylonian list of ten antediluvian kings whose reigns lasted in the aggregate, 432,000 years.
THE FAMILY OF ADAM – THROUGH SETH
This chapter is called “the book of the genealogy of Adam” (v.1). However, the line of Cain is omitted and only the line of Seth included. The reason for this is indicated in this verse: “in the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.” But Cain, through his rebellion, lost that likeness, therefore only the line of Seth was recognized as “sons of God,” while the women of Cain’s line were called “the daughters of men” (Gen 6:2).
Though God created male and female, He called their name Adam (or Man). Because they were “one flesh” (ch.2:24) they had one name. Society has wisely concurred with God’s decision, in having the wife accept her husband’s name. some have resented this, but the only reason is pride and self-will, as though the creature is wiser than his Creator.
It may seem strange that Seth was not born till Adam was 130 years old. But whatever length of time passed, Adam could only bear a child in his own likeness and image. In measure this was still in God’s likeness and image, though it had been spoiled by sin. After this Adam had more sons and daughters, but we are not told how many. Though he lived to the great age of 930 years, yet he died, as God had promised he would.
Following Seth there were seven generations before Noah. Most of these lived over 900 years, though Mahalaleel was five years short of 900 (v.17) and Lamech died at 777 years (v.31). “Enoch has not died, though God took him, for Enoch was translated so that he did not see death, and was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” In the fact of his translation he is a type of Christ in His ascension to glory after His resurrection. But as well as this the rapture of the assembly, the church of God, is pictured in this unusual event. The godly walk and testimony of Enoch bore evident fruit in the fact that his son, Methuselah, lived longer on earth than any other person — 969 years (Cf. Eph 6:2-3). The church, in whatever measure, pleased God, and He will translate her to heaven before the tribulation falls. The tribulation is pictured in the flood of Noah’s day occurring after Enoch’s translation, typically after the rapture.
Lamech, the son of Methuselah, called his son’s name Noah, meaning “rest.” whatever Lamech’s thoughts were in what he said about Noah, yet his words were prophetic, being inspired by God (v.29). Noah would “comfort us” or “give us rest from our works and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed” (NASB). We may be sure that Lamech did not know how this was to be done. For the rest that was to come was dependent upon Noah’s long years of labor in building the ark. Thus the great work of the Lord Jesus in His sacrifice of Calvary is the basis of rest for the believer. The curse of sin has spoiled the earth for us, but the work of Christ has brought in eternal blessing above the level of earth, giving rest to weary hearts. Of course Noah’s work is only a very faint picture of this.
Verse 32 speaks of Noah being 500 years old, then of this three sons being born, which seems to indicate that his sons were born during the time of the building of the ark, for it seems likely that Noah was told to build the ark 120 years before the flood took place (Chapter 6:3), which would be 20 years before he became 500, since he was 600 when the flood came.
5:1 This [is] the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the {a} likeness of God made he him;
(a) Read Gen 1:26.
1. The effects of the curse on humanity ch. 5
There are at least three purposes for the inclusion of this genealogy, which contains 10 paragraphs (Gen 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 Evangelical Theological Society 37:2 (June 1994):161-68.] I think not as this would seemingly undermine the trustworthiness of Scripture.
"The genealogies [in chapters 5 and 11] are exclusionist in function, indicating by linear descent the one through whom the promissory blessing will be channeled." [Note: Mathews, p. 298.]
2. It demonstrates the veracity of God’s word when He said that people would die as a result of sin (cf. Gen 2:17). Note the recurrence of the phrase "and he died" (Gen 5:5; Gen 5:8; Gen 5:11; Gen 5:14; Gen 5:17; Gen 5:20; Gen 5:27; Gen 5:31).
3. It contrasts the progress of the godly line of Seth culminating in Enoch who walked with God and experienced translation (Gen 5:6-24) with the development of the ungodly line of Cain. Cain’s branch of the human race culminated in Lamech who was a brutal bigamist (Gen 4:16-24).
"The author’s return to the theme of God’s ’blessing’ man (cf. Gen 5:2) is also a part of his overall scheme to cast God’s purposes for man in terms that will recall a father’s care for his children. Throughout the remainder of the Book of Genesis, a recurring theme is that of the father’s blessing his children (Gen 9:26-27; Gen 27:27; Gen 48:15; Gen 49:1-28). In keeping with such a theme, the author shows at each crucial turning point in the narrative that God himself renewed his blessing to the next generation of sons (Gen 1:28; Gen 5:2; Gen 9:1; Gen 12:3; Gen 24:11). Seen as a whole, the picture that emerges is that of a loving father insuring the future well-being of his children through the provision of an inherited blessing. In this way the author has laid a theological foundation for the rest of Scripture. God’s original plan of blessing for all humanity, though thwarted by human folly, will nevertheless be restored through the seed of the woman (Gen 3:15), the seed of Abraham (Gen 12:3), and the ’Lion of the tribe of Judah’ (Gen 49:8-12; cf. Rev 5:5-13). It is on this same foundation that the apostle Paul built his view of Jesus as the one through whom God has ’blessed us’ (Eph 1:3) and ’adopted us as his sons’ (Gen 5:5) so that ’we have obtained an inheritance’ (Gen 5:11, KJV) from the one we may call ’Abba, Father’ (Rom 8:15)." [Note: Sailhamer, "Genesis," pp. 70-71.]
Some commentators have seen evidence in the text that this genealogy is not complete. [Note: E.g., Mathews, p. 305.]
1. The word "father" can just as accurately be translated "ancestor" (Gen 5:3, et al.). It does not require a literal father-son relationship. [Note: See Kenneth Kitchen, The Bible In Its World, p. 33.]
2. The fact that Lamech, the sixth name in Cain’s list (Gen 4:16-24), corresponds to Enoch, the sixth name in Seth’s list (Gen 5:6-24), is suggestive. It indicates that God wanted to point out the contrast between the generations of these two sons of Adam. One was ungodly and the other godly. This purpose seems to some writers more dominant than that God wanted simply to preserve a complete record of all the generations between Adam and Noah. Lamech and Enoch were each the seventh generation, as recorded in this list, from Adam (cf. Jud 1:14). Mat 1:1-17 contains another genealogy in which 14 men from each of three historical periods appear, and it is not complete.
3. The writer did not list Noah’s sons in the order of their birth (cf. Gen 5:32 and Gen 9:24).
4. The genealogy in chapter 11 may not be complete. [Note: See my comments on 11:12. For defense of the view that the Scriptures do not fix and were not intended to fix the dates of any events before the time of Abraham, see W. H. Green, "Primeval Chronology," in Classical Evangelical Essays in Old Testament Interpretation, pp. 13-28; and B. B. Warfield, "On the Antiquity and the Unity of the Human Race," Princeton Theological Review 9:1 (January 1911):1-25.]
The careful recording of the age of each man when he fathered the next man in the list strongly suggests that this list is complete. Furthermore the genealogies in 1Ch 1:1-4 and Luk 3:36-38 are identical to the one in Genesis 5. There are probably no missing generations. [Note: See Keil and Delitzsch, 1:120-27. Wenham, pp. 130-34, wrote an excursus on the ages of the antediluvians that is the best discussion of this issue that I have found.]
"The genealogy of Seth in Genesis 5 is thus intended to take up the creation story which had reached its first climax in the creation, as we would now read it, of Adam. The elemental orderliness of the genealogy continues the order begun at creation; indeed, it reaffirms that order after the threatened slide back into chaos narrated in the intervening chapters. But the genealogy does more; it imparts movement to creation. The Genesis 1 creation story is essentially static. When God rests on the seventh day, all phyla of creation are in their proper order and the earth is at rest. There is little suggestion of movement or further development, no story to be traced. The sole dynamic elements lie in God’s command to newly created humanity to ’be fruitful and multiply’ and ’subdue the earth.’ The genealogies document the fruitfulness of humanity and thus become the expression of the fulfillment of God’s mandate, providing movement away from the steady state of creation but at the same time preserving its orderliness. Creation’s order advanced through the genealogy.
"Connection of the genealogy to creation also exerts a reciprocal influence on our understanding of this and subsequent genealogies. The genealogies represent the continuation of creation’s fundamental order through time. As a result, they assume theological significance. The organic and orderly succession of generations is not an expression of thematically empty biological necessity but of God’s initial creative activity. Birth awakens not neutral destiny but enrollment in the continuing order of creation ordained by God. The genealogies become bearers of the creation theme and, by their elemental, organic nature, its fit expression." [Note: Robert B. Robinson, "Literary Functions of the Genealogies of Genesis," Catholic Biblical Quarterly 48 (October 1986):600-601.]
Even though the death motif is strong in this chapter there is even more emphasis on God’s grace. We see this in the references to life, fertility (sons and daughters), Enoch’s translation, and other blessings. The enjoyment of God’s blessings depends on walking with God. "Walk" is a biblical figure for fellowship and obedience that results in divine blessing (cf. 1Sa 15:25; Eph 4:1).
"Enoch is pictured as one who did not suffer the fate of Adam (’you shall surely die’) because, unlike the others, he ’walked with God.’
"The sense of the author is clear. Enoch is an example of one who found life amid the curse of death. In Enoch the author is able to show that the pronouncement of death is not the last word that need be said about a person’s life. One can find life if one ’walks with God.’" [Note: Sailhamer, The Pentateuch . . ., p. 118. Cf. 3:8; 6:9; 15:6; 17:1; 24:40; 48:15; Deuteronomy 30:15-16; Micah 6:8; Malachi 2:6. See also Timothy J. Cole, "Enoch, a Man Who Walked with God," Bibliotheca Sacra 148:591 (July-September 1991):288-97.]
"’Walked with God’ is metaphorical and indicates that Enoch had a lifestyle characterized by his devotion to God. The sense of ’walk’ (halak) in its verbal stem indicates a communion or intimacy with God." [Note: Mathews, p. 313. Cf. 3:8; 6:9.]
"The double repetition of the phrase ’walked with God’ indicates Enoch was outstanding in this pious family." [Note: Wenham, p. 127.]
Repetition usually reinforces and emphasizes in Scripture. The central lesson of the section appears to be that the godly can experience victory over the effects of the curse by walking with God. [Note: For additional study of the genealogies, see Kenneth Kitchen, Ancient Orient and Old Testament, pp. 36-39; Schaeffer, pp. 122-124; Kidner; "Chronology" in Westminster Dictionary of the Bible; International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, s.v. "Antediluvian Patriarchs," by John J. Davis; James L. Hayward and Donald E. Casebolt, "The Genealogies of Genesis 5, 11 : a statistical study," Origins 9:2 (1982):75-81; Frederick Cryer, "The Interrelationships of Genesis 5, 32; Genesis 11, 10-11 and the Chronology of the Flood," Biblica 66:2 (1985):241-61; and Barr, pp. 584-85.]
"The finality of death caused by sin, and so powerfully demonstrated in the genealogy of Genesis, is in fact not so final. Man was not born to die; he was born to live, and that life comes by walking with God. . . . Walking with God is the key to the chains of the curse." [Note: Cole, p. 294.]
"Within the time-scale of Genesis, this chapter [5] covers the longest period in world history." [Note: Wenham, p. 145.]
As the story of Cain and Abel (Gen 4:3-24) interrupted the genealogy of Adam in Gen 4:1-2; Gen 4:25-26, so the story of the Flood (Gen 6:1 to Gen 9:27) interrupts the genealogy of Noah in Gen 5:32 and Gen 9:28-29.
C. What became of Adam 5:1-6:8
The 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 . . . " in Gen 35:23-26; cf. Gen 6:9-10; Gen 25:13-15). Deep genealogies list sequential descendants, in this book usually numbering from two to ten. (There are ten generations from Adam through Seth to Noah. In the eleventh generation the genealogy becomes segmented.) Linear genealogies display only depth (e.g., "Cain . . . gave birth to Enoch. To Enoch was born Irad . . ." Gen 4:17-18; cf. Gen 5:1-31; Gen 11:10-26; Gen 36:31-40). Segmented genealogies display both depth and breadth (e.g., "This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth. . . . The sons of Japheth: Gomer . . . The sons of Gomer . . ." Gen 10:1-29; cf. Gen 11:27-29; Gen 19:36-38; Gen 25:19-26; Gen 36:1-5; Gen 36:10-30; Gen 46:8-25). The distinctions of broad, deep, linear, and segmented genealogies help explain the various functions of genealogies." [Note: Waltke, Genesis, p. 105. See also David M. Howard Jr., An Introduction to the Old Testament Historical Books, pp. 249-50; M. D. Johnson, The Purpose of the Biblical Genealogies, pp. 77-82.]
"Genesis begins the process of identifying the seed that will rule the earth (Gen 1:26-28) and crush the Serpent (Gen 3:15). Book 2 [Gen 5:1 to Gen 6:8] traces that lineage from Adam to Noah, even as the matching ten-generation genealogy of Book 5 [Gen 11:10-26] traces it from Shem to Abraham. Book 2 concludes with the progressive and rapid hardening of sin and the inability of the godly seed of the woman on its own to reverse it. Sin, like the Serpent, is too strong for them. Clearly, both God’s judgment and deliverance are needed." [Note: Waltke, Genesis, p. 109.]
THE FLOOD
Gen 5:1-32; Gen 6:1-22; Gen 7:1-24; Gen 8:1-22; Gen 9:1-29
THE first great event which indelibly impressed itself on the memory of the primeval world was the Flood. There is every reason to believe that this catastrophe was co-extensive with the human population of the world. In every branch of the human family traditions of the event are found. These traditions need not be recited, though some of them bear a remarkable likeness to the Biblical story, while others are very beautiful in their construction, and significant in individual points. Local floods happening at various times in different countries could not have given birth to the minute coincidences found in these traditions, such as the sending out of the birds, and the number of persons saved. But we have as yet no material for calculating how far human population had spread from the Original centre. It might apparently be argued that it could not have spread to the seacoast, or that at any rate no ships had as yet been built large enough to weather a severe storm; for a thoroughly nautical population could have had little difficulty in surviving such a catastrophe as is here described. But all that can be affirmed is that there is no evidence that the waters extended beyond the inhabited part of the earth; and from certain details of the narrative, this part of the earth may be identified as the great plain of the Euphrates and Tigris.
Some of the expressions used in the narrative might indeed lead us to suppose that the writer understood the catastrophe to have extended over the whole globe; but expressions of similar largeness elsewhere occur in passages where their meaning must be restricted: Probably the most convincing evidence of the limited extent of the Flood is furnished by the animals of Australia. The animals that abound in that island are different from those found in other parts of the world, but are similar to the species which are found fossilised in the island itself, and which therefore must have inhabited these same regions long anterior to the Flood. If then the Flood extended to Australia and destroyed all animal life there, what are we compelled to suppose as the order of events? We must suppose that the creatures, visited by some presentiment of what was to happen many months after, selected specimens of their number, and that these specimens by some unknown and quite inconceivable means crossed thousands of miles of sea, found their way through all kinds of perils from unaccustomed climate, food, and beasts of prey; singled out Noah by some inscrutable instinct, and surrendered themselves to his keeping. And after the year in the ark expired, they turned their faces homewards, leaving behind them no progeny, again preserving themselves intact, and transporting themselves by some unknown means to their island home. This, if the Deluge was universal, must have been going on with thousands of animals from all parts of the globe; and not only were these animals a stupendous miracle in themselves, but wherever they went they were the occasion of miracle in others, all the beasts of prey refraining from their natural food. The fact is, the thing will not bear stating.
But it is not the physical but the moral aspects of the Flood with which we have here to do. And, first, this narrator explains its cause. He ascribes it to the abnormal wickedness of the antediluvians. To describe the demoralised condition of society before the Flood, the strongest language is used. “God saw that the wickedness of man was great,” monstrous in acts of violence, and in habitual courses and established usages. “Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually,”-there was no mixture of good, no relentings, no repentances, no visitings of compunction, no hesitations and debatings. It was a world of men fierce and energetic, violent and lawless, in perpetual war and turmoil; in which if a man sought to live a righteous life, he had to conceive it of his own mind and to follow it out unaided and without the countenance of any.
This abnormal wickedness again is accounted for by the abnormal marriages from which the leaders of these ages sprang. Everything seemed abnormal, huge, inhuman. As there are laid bare to the eye of the geologist in those archaic times vast forms bearing a likeness to forms we are now familiar with, but of gigantic proportions and wallowing in dim, mist-covered regions; so to the eye of the historian there loom through the obscurity colossal forms perpetrating deeds of more than human savagery, and strength, and daring; heroes that seem formed in a different mould from common men.
However we interpret the narrative, its significance for us is plain. There is nothing prudish in the Bible. It speaks with a manly frankness of the beauty of women and its ensnaring power. The Mosaic law was stringent against intermarriage with idolatresses, and still in the New Testament something more than an echo of the old denunciation of such marriages is heard. Those who were most concerned about preserving a pure morality and a high tone in society were keenly alive to the dangers that threatened from this quarter. It is a permanent danger to character because it is to a permanent element in human nature that the temptation appeals. To many in every generation, perhaps to the majority, this is the most dangerous form in which worldliness presents itself; and to resist this the most painful test of principle. With natures keenly sensitive to beauty and superficial attractiveness, some are called upon to make their choice between a conscientious cleaving to God and an attachment to that which in the form is perfect but at heart is defective, depraved, godless. Where there is great outward attraction a man fights against the growing sense of inward uncongeniality, and persuades himself he is too scrupulous and uncharitable, or that he is a bad reader of character. There may be an undercurrent of warning; he may be sensible that his whole nature is not satisfied, and it may seem to him ominous that what is best within him does not flourish in his new attachment, but rather what is inferior, if not what is worst. But all such omens and warnings are disregarded and stifled by some such silly thought as that consideration and calculation are out of place in such matters. And what is the result? The result is the same as it ever was. Instead of the ungodly rising to the level of the godly, he sinks to hers. The worldly style, the amusements, the fashions once distasteful to him, but allowed for her sake, become familiar, and at last wholly displace the old and godly ways, the arrangements that left room for acknowledging God in the family; and there is one household less as a point of resistance to the incursion of an ungodly tone in society, one deserter more added to the already too crowded ranks of the ungodly, and the life-time if not the eternity of one soul embittered. Not without a consideration of the temptations that do actually lead men astray did the law enjoin: “Thou shalt not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, nor take of their daughters unto thy sons.”
It seems like a truism to say that a greater amount of unhappiness has been produced by mismanagement, folly, and wickedness in the relation subsisting between men and women than by any other cause. God has given us the capacity of love to regulate this relation and be our safe guide in all matters connected with it. But frequently, from one cause or another, the government and direction of this relation are taken out of the hands of love and put into the thoroughly incompetent hands of convenience, or fancy, or selfish lust. A marriage contracted from any such motive is sure to bring unhappiness of a long-continued, wearing, and often heartbreaking kind. Such a marriage is often the form in which retribution comes for youthful selfishness and youthful licentiousness. You cannot cheat nature. Just in so far as you allow yourself to be ruled in youth by a selfish love of pleasure, in so far do you incapacitate yourself for love. You sacrifice what is genuine and satisfying, because provided by nature, to what is spurious, unsatisfying, and shameful. You cannot afterwards, unless by a long and bitter discipline, restore the capacity of warm and pure love in your heart. Every indulgence in which true love is absent is another blow given to the faculty of love within you-you make yourself in that capacity decrepit, paralyzed, dead. You have lost, you have killed the faculty that should be your guide in all these matters, and so you are at last precipitated without this guidance into a marriage formed from some other motive, formed therefore against nature, and in which you are the everlasting victim of natures relentless justice. Remember that you cannot have both things, a youth of loveless pleasure and a loving marriage-you must make your choice. For as surely as genuine love kills all evil desire; so surely does evil desire kill the very capacity of love, and blind utterly its wretched victim to the qualities that ought to excite love.
The language used of God in relation to this universal corruption strikes every one as remarkable. “It repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart.” This is what is usually termed anthropomorphism, i.e., the presenting of God in terms applicable only to man; it is an instance of the same mode of speaking as is used when we speak of Gods hand or eye or heart. These expressions are not absolutely true, but they are useful and convey to us a meaning which could scarcely otherwise be expressed. Some persons think that the use of these expressions proves that in early times God was thought of as wearing a body and as being very like ourselves in His inward nature. And even in our day we have been ridiculed for speaking of God as a magnified man. Now in the first place the use of such expressions does not prove that even the earliest worshippers of God believed Him to have eyes and hands and a body. We freely use the same expressions though we have no such belief. We use them because our language is formed for human uses and on a human level, and we have no capacity to frame a better. And in the second place, though not absolutely true they do help us towards the truth. We are told that it degrades God to think of Him as hearing prayer and accepting praise; nay, that to think Of Him as a Person at all, is to degrade Him. We ought to think of Him as the Absolutely Unknowable. But which degrades God most, and which exalts Him most? If we find that it is impossible to worship an absolutely unknowable, if we find that practically such an idea is a mere nonentity to us, and that we cannot in point of fact pay any homage or show any consideration to such an empty abstraction, is not this really to lower God? And if we find that when we think of Him as a Person, and ascribe to Him all human virtue in an infinite degree, we can rejoice in Him and worship Him with true adoration, is not this to exalt Him? While we call Him our Father we know that this title is inadequate; while we speak of God as planning and decreeing we know that we are merely making shift to express what is inexpressible by us-we know that our thoughts of Him are never adequate and that to think of Him at all is to lower Him, is to think of Him inadequately; but when the practical alternative is such as it is, we find we do well to think of Him with the highest personal attributes we can conceive. For to refuse to ascribe such attributes to Him because this is degrading Him, is to empty our minds of any idea of Him which can stimulate either to worship or to duty. If by ridding our minds of all anthropomorphic ideas and refusing to think of God as feeling, thinking, acting as men do, we could thereby get to a really higher conception of Him, a conception which would practically make us worship Him more devotedly and serve Him more faithfully, then by all means let us do so. But if the result of refusing to think of Him as in many ways like ourselves, is that we cease to think of Him at all or only as a dead impersonal force, then this certainly is not to reach a higher but a lower conception of Him. And until we see our way to some truly higher conception than that which we have of a Personal God, we had better be content with it.
In short, we do well to be humble, and considering that we know very little about existence of any kind, and least of all about Gods, and that our God has been presented to us in human form, we do well to accept Christ as our God, to worship, love, and serve Him, finding Him sufficient for all our wants of this life, and leaving it to other times to get the solution of anything that is not made plain to us in Him. This is one boon that the science and philosophy of our day have unintentionally conferred upon us. They have laboured to make us feel how remote and inaccessible God is, how little we can know Him, how truly He is past finding out; they have laboured to make us feel how intangible and invisible and incomprehensible God is, but the result of this is that we turn with all the stronger longing to Him who is the Image of the Invisible God, and on whom a voice has fallen from the excellent glory, “This is My beloved Son, hear Him.”
The Flood itself we need not attempt to describe. It has been remarked that though the narrative is vivid and forcible, it is entirely wanting in that sort of description which in a modern historian or poet would have occupied the largest space. “We see nothing of the death-struggle; we hear not the cry of despair; we are not called upon to witness the frantic agony of husband and wife, and parent and child, as they fled in terror before the rising waters. Nor is a word said of the sadness of the one righteous man, who, safe himself, looked upon the destruction which he could not avert.” The Chaldean tradition which is the most closely allied to the Biblical account is not so reticent. Tears are shed in heaven over the catastrophe, and even consternation affected its inhabitants, while within the ark itself the Chaldean Noah says, “When the storm came to an end and the terrible water-spout ceased, I opened the window and the light smote upon my face. I looked at the sea attentively observing, and the whole of humanity had returned to mud, like seaweed the corpses floated. I was seized with sadness; I sat down and wept and my tears fell upon my face.”
There can be little question that this is a true description of Noahs feeling. And the sense of desolation and constraint would rather increase in Noahs mind than diminish. Month after month elapsed; he was coming daily nearer the end of his food, and yet the waters were unabated. He did not know how long he was to be kept in this dark, disagreeable place. He was left to do his daily work without any supernatural signs to help him against his natural anxieties. The floating of the ark and all that went on in it had no mark of Gods hand upon it. He was indeed safe while others had been destroyed. But of what good was this safety to be? Was he ever to get out of this prison house? To what straits was he to be first reduced? So it is often with ourselves. We are left to fulfil Gods will without any sensible tokens to set over against natural difficulties, painful and pinching circumstances, ill health, low spirits, failure of favourite projects and old hopes-so that at last we come to think that perhaps safety is all we are to have in Christ, a mere exemption from suffering of one kind purchased by the endurance of much suffering of another kind: that we are to be thankful for pardon on any terms; and escaping with our life, must be content though it be bare. Why, how often does a Christian wonder whether, after all, he has chosen a life that he can endure, whether the monotony and the restraints of the Christian life are not inconsistent with true enjoyment?
This strife between the felt restriction of the Christian life and the natural craving for abundant life, for entrance into all that the world can show us, and experience of all forms of enjoyment-this strife goes on unceasingly in the heart of many of us as it goes on from age to age in the world. Which is the true view of life, which is the view to guide us in choosing and refusing the enjoyments and pursuits that are presented to us? Are we to believe that the ideal man for this life is he who has tasted all culture and delight, who believes in nature, recognising no fall and seeking for no redemption, and makes enjoyment his end; or he who sees that all enjoyment is deceptive till man is set right morally, and who spends himself on this, knowing that blood and misery must come before peace and rest, and crowned as our King and Leader, not with a garland of roses, but with the crown of Him Who is greatest of all, because servant of all-to Whom the most sunken is not repulsive, and Who will not abandon the most hopeless? This comes to be very much the question, whether this life is final or preparatory?-whether, therefore, our work in it should be to check lower propensities and develop and train all that is best in character, so as to be fit for highest life and enjoyment in a world to come-or should take ourselves as we find ourselves, and delight in this present world? whether this is a placid eternal state, in which things are very much as they should be, and in which therefore we can live freely and enjoy freely; or whether it is a disordered, initial condition in which our main task should be to do a little towards putting things on a better rail and getting at least the germ and small beginnings of future good planted in one another? So that in the midst of all felt restriction, there is the highest hope, that one day we shall go forth from the narrow precincts of our ark, and step out into the free bright sunshine, in a world where there is nothing to offend, and that the time of our deprivation will seem to have been well spent indeed, if it has left within us a capacity permanently to enjoy love, holiness, justice, and all that is delighted in by God Himself.
The use made of this event in the New Testament is remarkable. It is compared by Peter to baptism, and both are viewed as illustrations of salvation by destruction. The eight souls, he says, who were in the ark, “were saved by water.” The water which destroyed the rest saved them. When there seemed little hope of the godly line being able to withstand the influence of the ungodly, the Flood came and left Noahs family in a new world, with freedom to order all things according to their own ideas. In this Peter sees some analogy to baptism. In baptism, the penitent who believes in the efficacy of Christs blood to purge away sin, lets his defilement be washed away and rises new and clean to the life Christ gives. In Christ the sinner finds shelter for himself and destruction for his sins. It is Gods wrath against sin that saves us by destroying our sins; just as it was the Flood which devastated the world, that at the same time, and thereby, saved Noah and his family.
In this event, too, we see the completeness of Gods work. Often we feel reluctant to surrender our sinful habits to so final a destruction as is implied in being one with Christ. The expense at which holiness is to be bought seems almost too great. So much that has given us pleasure must be parted with; so many old ties sundered, a condition of holiness presents an aspect of dreariness and hopelessness; like the world after the flood, not a moving thing on the surface of the earth, everything levelled, prostrate, and washed even with the ground; here the corpse of a man, there the carcase of a beast: here mighty forest timber swept prone like the rushes on the banks of a flooded stream, and there a city without inhabitants, everything dank, dismal, and repellent. But this is only one aspect of the work; the beginning, necessary if the work is to be thorough. If any part of the sinful life remain it will spring up to mar what God means to introduce us to. Only that is to be preserved which we can take with us into our ark. Only that is to pass on into our life which we can retain while we are in true connection with Christ, and which we think can help us to live as His friends, and to serve Him zealously.
This event then gives us some measure by which we can know how much God will do to maintain holiness upon earth. In this catastrophe every one who strives after godliness may find encouragement, seeing in it the Divine earnestness of God-for good and against evil. There is only one other event in history that so conspicuously shows that holiness among men is the object for which God will sacrifice everything else. There is no need now of any further demonstration of Gods purpose in this world. and His zeal for carrying it out. And may it not be expected of us His children, that we stand in presence of the cross until our cold and frivolous hearts catch something of the earnestness, the “resisting unto blood striving against sin,” which is exhibited there? The Flood has not been forgotten by almost any people under heaven, but its moral result is nil. But he whose memory is haunted by a dying Redeemer, by the thought of One Whose love found its most appropriate and practical result in dying for him, is prevented from much sin, and finds in that love the spring of eternal hope, that which his soul in the deep privacy of his most sacred thoughts can feed upon with joy, that which he builds himself round and broods over as his inalienable possession.
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary
Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Fuente: The Sermon Bible
Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: F. B. Hole’s Old and New Testaments Commentary
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Mackintosh’s Notes on the Pentateuch
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
Fuente: Grant’s Commentary on the Bible
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Expositors Bible Commentary