Chuck Larsen

The Genealogies of Genesis chapter five lists ten men. They all lived incredibly long lives.  Leupold argues, “There is no reason for doubting the correctness of the chronology submitted by the Hebrew Masoretic text. This is intended to be a complete chronology, complete as far as marking the actual lapse of time is concerned. No other nation has anything to compare with it. Yet, strange to say, the only reliable chronology which we have, which purports to be a good chronology dating back to Creation, is continually being questioned, corrected, amended, and condemned in favor of fallible documents which are historically but poorly attested and marked by many a gap. The claim that the Scriptures do not give a complete and accurate chronology for the whole period of the Old Testament that they cover is utterly wrong, dangerous and mischievous. At the slightest objection, men are ready to cast aside as inadequate the only adequate chronology mankind possesses.”^[1]

The attacks on these genealogies and other subjects mentioned in the early chapters of Genesis are all based on man’s ability and reason to work out things for himself. It’s very reminiscent of the spirit and intent of those in the genealogy of chapter four, the genealogy of Cain. It speaks about all the wonderful deeds of his descendants: One built cities, another made weapons, and still, another advanced in the production of music and musical instruments. Cain’s genealogy ends with Lamech, who committed what seems to be a double homicide and introduced bigamy into the world. In Genesis 5:7-8, we read of the second line of descendants from Adam, the line of Seth. It says, “Seth lived after he fathered Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died.”

We don’t have any record of outstanding accomplishments except that they “called out in the name of the Lord.” And as the line of Cain, the murderer, led to more murder, the line of Seth led to more Faith in God. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Enoch walked with God by “faith.” I agree with Augustine that it’s most likely that accomplishments were achieved and cities were built. Louth quotes from Augustine’s “City of God” and suggests we “…Notice that when the inspired writer sets forth the length of the lives of the men he mentions, the narrative always ends with the formula, ‘and he begot sons and daughters, and all the time that so and so lived were so many years, and he died.’ Considering that these sons and daughters are not named and remembering how long people lived in that first period of our history, can anyone refuse to believe that so great a multitude of men was born to have been able, in groups, to build a great number of cities?”^[2] Yet, what mattered to those in Seth’s line, was their walk with God, not their outstanding accomplishments. It’s not what we do; it’s what God has done for us that matters.

^[1] Leupold, H. C. 1942. Exposition of Genesis. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

^[2] Louth, Andrew, and Marco Conti, eds. 2001. Genesis 1–11. Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Genesis 5:6 introduces us to Enosh, Seth’s first son. It says, “When Seth had lived 105 years, he fathered Enosh. Seth lived after he fathered Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters.” From Seth to Noah, the rest of the generations tell us how old the man was when the next one was born and how long he lived after the son was born. I realize that the Septuagint (Greek Translation of the Old Testament) and the Samaritan Pentateuch present us with different years for Enosh and the following descendants. I’m trusting the Original Hebrew as reflected in the Masoretic Text, as did most of our English translators. For a thorough discussion on this subject, see Larsson’s article.^[1] The Lexham Research Commentary summarizes his conclusion for us. It says, “Larsson argues that numbers in the Masoretic Text are original. He shows how the Septuagint and Samaritan Pentateuch altered these original numbers.”^[2]

Trusting the Hebrew Masoretic Text to be the original and inspired text, Butler makes some interesting observations. He writes, “Adam died at 930 years. Seth at 912, Enos at 905, Cainan at 910, Mahalaleel at 895 (the first in the list to die under 900), Jared at 962, Enoch did not die but lived only 365 years on the earth before his supernatural departure, Methuselah died at 969 years (which is the longest any human lived), Lamech died at 777 (the youngest in age at death in this obituary). The years of their death indicate that Noah was born 126 years after Adam’s death. Lamech died five years before his father, Methuselah. Methuselah was 243 years old when Adam died. Enoch was translated just 57 years after Adam died and before any of the rest of the men on the list died. All of the nine men listed in the obituary were born before Adam died.” Then he adds, “The obituary goes from Adam to Noah, and significantly Noah spoke with Lamech, his father, who could have spoken with Adam (for Lamech was 56 when Adam died). Furthermore, Noah could have spoken to Abraham (for Abraham was 58 when Noah died). Any tradition, information, etc., that needed to be passed down only required four people in all the years from Adam to Abraham. God protects His revelation!”^[3]

As Calvin points out, “Through six successive generations when the family of Seth had grown into a great people, the voice of Adam daily resounded to remind them about the creation, the Fall, man’s punishment, and the hope of salvation.”^[4]

^[1] Larsson, Gerhard. 1983. “The Chronology of the Pentateuch: A Comparison of the Mt and LXX.” Journal of Biblical Literature 102: 401.

^[2] Mangum, Douglas, Miles Custis, and Wendy Widder. 2012. Genesis 1–11. Lexham Research Commentaries. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

^[3] Butler, John G. 2008. Analytical Bible Expositor: Genesis. Clinton, IA: LBC Publications.

^[4] Calvin, John. 2001. Genesis. Crossway Classic Commentaries. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

In Genesis 5:4, we’re introduced to the long life-spans of the ante-diluvian characters. It tells us, “The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters.” He was 130 years old when Seth was born, making Adam 930 years old at his death. Some that will follow in the genealogy will even live longer than Adam. Methuselah lived to be nearly 1000 years old. One of Carasik’s ancient Jewish commentators says, “It is unclear whether all the children lived these unusually long lives, or whether this applied only to the named ones, who did not pursue the bodily appetites that shorten one’s life. Maimonides certainly thought so.”^[1] He was a 12^th century “Jewish scholar, physician, and philosopher, the most influential Jewish thinker of the Middle Ages.”^[2]

Who am I to argue with one of the most influential Jewish thinkers? Yet, there are other records of people who lived during this time who lived long lives. Matthews writes, “Although there is no satisfactory explanation of the long life spans before the flood, there are Sumerian lists of kings who purportedly reigned before the flood with reigns as long as 43,200 years. The Sumerians used the sexagesimal number system (a combination of base six and base ten), and when the numbers of the Sumerian king list are converted to decimal, they are very much in the range of the age spans of the preflood genealogies of Genesis. The Hebrews, like most other Semitic peoples, used a base-ten decimal system as far back as writing extends.”^[3] Most modern conservative commentators attribute the long life to the climate conditions that existed before the flood. Afterward, the canopy that protected man from the aging rays of the sun was gone and the lifespan of man was reduced.

Exell argues that it isn’t the length of one’s life that is important but the content. He says, “We cannot measure a man’s 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. Man’s 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 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 sound, the gentle spirits who aid by visitation and prayer the sorrowful and the sick, are the world’s most extended lives; these are the world’s true Methuselahs.”^[4]

^[1] Carasik, Michael, ed. 2018. Genesis: Introduction and Commentary. Translated by Michael Carasik. The Commentators’ Bible. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society.

^[2] Lagassé, Paul, Columbia University. 2000. In The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. New York; Detroit: Columbia University Press; Sold and distributed by Gale Group.

^[3] Matthews, Victor Harold, Mark W. Chavalas, and John H. Walton. 2000. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. Electronic ed. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

^[4] Exell, Joseph S., and Thomas H. Leale. 1892. Genesis. The Preacher’s Complete Homiletic Commentary. New York; London; Toronto: Funk & Wagnalls Company.