This week, as we discuss Genesis 5, we are presented with our first full chapter of genealogy. It is true we have already seen a genealogy as the previous chapter outlines the descendants of Cain; however, I’ve intentionally decided to not bring it up until now as the two genealogies work with each other. There’s a lot going on here, but before we get into the details, I want to discuss the importance of genealogies. Genealogies, especially in ancient near-eastern cultures, were how you proved honor. One’s goal as a descendant of a specific family line was to provide more honor for the family name so the sons and daughters after you could do the same. Rather than the identity of a person being completely individual, one’s identity was tied to their lineage. You would be referred to as “name, son or daughter of your father’s name.”
These two genealogies contain lots of detail and provide many wonderfully deep points my mind likes to gloss over. One of these interesting details involves the name Methuselah (מְתוּשֶׁלַח)[1] which is often interpreted as “his death shall bring.” Methuselah, who is the grandfather of Noah and father of Lamech, lived longer than any other person in the genealogy account. If we look at the numbers, we see Methuselah had Lamech when he was 187 years old. 182 years later, Lamech has a son and names him Noah. Not mentioned until later in Genesis[2] is the detail that Noah was 600 years old when the flood came. If we add these times up, we will see that Methuselah, whose name means “his death shall bring,” dies the same year the flood begins. In this sense, Methuselah is a prophetic reference to the coming flood.
Another one of these details is found in recognizing that both Cain’s descendants, and the descendants of Seth, have two members mentioned with the same names – Enoch (חֲנוֹךְ)[3] and Lamech (לֶמֶךְ)[4]. Let’s observe the difference between the two:
| Enoch – Descendant of Cain | Enoch – Descendant of Seth | |
| Name Meaning | Dedicated | Dedicated |
| Significant Numbers | N/A | Enoch lived 365 years. 365 corresponds to the number of days in a solar year, possibly symbolizing completeness and a full life cycle |
| Significant Events | Either founded a city or a city was founded for him. Increased development of human culture and the escalation of sin. | Notable for his close relationship with God.[5] A model of piety and faithfulness. |
| Lamech – Descendant of Cain | Lamech – Descendant of Seth | |
| Name Meaning | Powerful | Powerful |
| Significant Numbers | Lamech’s boast in Genesis 4:24 uses the numbers 7 and 77. The number 7 often symbolizes completeness or perfection in the Bible. Lamech’s use of seventy-sevenfold exaggerates this idea, emphasizing the extent of his vengeance and the escalation of violence in Cain’s line. | Lamech lived 777 years. 777 can often be seen as a symbol of divine perfection and completeness, as it is a triple repetition of the number 7. |
| Significant Events | Lamech showcases his violence and boasting in Geneses 4:23-24, where he claims to have killed a man for wounding him and a young man for injuring him. Lamech is also the first person in the Bible mentioned as having two wives, Adah and Zillah, which can be seen as a departure from the monogamous ideal presented earlier in Genesis. | Lamech is the father of Noah, and his hope for relief from the curse of the ground (Genesis 5:29) foreshadows Noah’s role in God’s plan for humanity. |
Enoch and Lamech are key individuals in both genealogies, and both contrast each quite distinctly. This distinct contrast is intended to stand out to the reader, or listener, and help us better understand the differences between the two. Remembering this was authored by Moses to the Israelites after their exodus from Egypt, these distinctions help contrast the family honor between Israel and between those outside of the God-fearing community. Moses is, throughout this Genesis 5 genealogy and the genealogies to follow, letting the Israelites know they are the seed of the woman who have the authority to, and ultimately will eternally through Jesus[6], crush the head of the serpent. We too, identifying God as our heavenly father, through Jesus, share in this authority over the serpent in our personal lives. This is a similar theme to what was discussed in Genesis 4 when God commanded Cain to rule over the desire the serpent has for him, and the repetition speaks to the importance Moses is trying to communicate. We must subdue Satan when he speaks.
That is my final takeaway this week. The power to subdue Satan is in us and we must choose to exercise our power when those situations arise. I find the repetition makes this point even more important. What are you taking away from these genealogies? Leave a comment below! Join us next week as we start to discuss Noah!
[1] Transliterated mᵊṯûšelaḥ. Strong’s H4968. Alternate renderings of his name include “man of the dart” and “man of a dart.”
[2] Genesis 7:6. When we talk about chapter seven, we will bring this back up.
[3] Transliterated ḥănôḵ. Strong’s H2585
[4] Transliterated lemeḵ. Strong’s H3929
[5] See Genesis 5:24
[6] Moses wouldn’t have necessarily known Jesus would be the ultimate eternal defeater of the serpent when he authored Genesis. This “seed of the woman” and “Adam” together form what is known as a type, and many throughout Israel’s history are marked as a continuation, or evolution, of this type. We, two-thousand years after Jesus can look back and understand that Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment, and we are blessed to be the spiritual seed of the woman through him.
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