Genesis 5:17-32
Ge 5:17
And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety
and five years: and he died.
Then all the days of Mahalaleel were 895 years and he
died.
Ge 5:18
And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he
begat Enoch:
Jared lived 162 years and he begat Enoch who was his
direct son. The name “Enoch” means
“teacher, initiated, dedicated.”
Ge 5:19
And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years,
and begat sons and daughters:
Jared lived 800 years after he begat Enoch and he also
begat sons and daughters.
Ge 5:20
And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two
years: and he died.
Jared lived a total of 962 years making him the longest
living man in the line up to this point.
Ge 5:21
And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat
Methuselah:
Enoch lived sixty five years and begat Methuselah whose
name means “man of the Javelin or it shall be sent.”
“It shall be sent” is referring to the deluge which will come upon the
earth in the time of Noah.
Ge 5:22
And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three
hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
Enoch must have been a strong believer as he walked with
God in obedience and in the fear of the LORD.
He must have had strong faith in God.
Can two walk together, except they
be agreed? (Amos 3:3) He walked
in obedience to God for three hundred years after Methuselah was born and he
also begat sons and daughters.
Ge 5:23
And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and
five years:
Enoch lived on earth a total of 365 years and if you
notice the phrase “and he died” is not attributed to Enoch.
The reason is found in the next verse.
Ge 5:24
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God
took him.
Enoch was taken to Heaven by God and did not have to face
death as the others in the line did.
Elijah was the other one who went to Heaven and did not face death.
And it came to pass, as they still
went on, and talked, that, behold,
there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them
both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. (2 Kings 2:11)
Thee two are given as examples that when the Lord Jesus Christ returns,
many believers on earth will be taken to Heaven without having to see death.
Ge 5:25
And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years,
and begat Lamech:
Then Methuselah lived 187 years and he begat Lamech whose
name means “over thrower, a strong young man or who is stuck.”
This is not the same Lamech who was in the line of Cain but this Lamech
was in the line of Christ and was the father of Noah.
Ge 5:26
And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred
eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:
After Methuselah begat Lamech he lived an additional 782
years and he also begat sons and daughters.
When looking at the lengths of their lives, they no doubt had sired many
children in each line.
Ge 5:27
And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty
and nine years: and he died.
Methuselah lived a total of 969 years old making him the
longest living human being on earth and then he died.
Ge 5:28
And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and
begat a son:
Lamech lived 182 years and he begot a son and that son
became very famous in the Scriptures.
Ge 5:29
And he called his name Noah, saying, This same
shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the
ground which the LORD hath cursed.
Lamech called the name of his son Noah which means
“rest.” He will be a type of Christ
as he builds the ark to save the eight people who will begin to repopulate the
earth again after the deluge. The
prophecy given was that the comfort which would come from the curse would be the
Messiah who would put an end to all work for salvation and save his people by
grace. It was Noah who found grace
in the eyes of the LORD because he was in the line of Christ.
At that time it seemed that the effects of the God’s curse on the ground
may have been getting worse and their toils and efforts to till the ground was
increasing to the point of exasperation and they thought that Noah would
intercede with God on the behalf since his name meant “rest.”
Ge 5:30
And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety
and five years, and begat sons and daughters:
After Lamech had begotten Noah he lived an additional 595
years and he too begat other sons and daughters.
Ge 5:31
And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and
seven years: and he died.
Lamech lived a total of 777 years and then he died.
Notice how the lengths of time are diminishing on the lives of the
Antediluvians. We started out at
930 and we find ourselves at 777 which is 153 years shorter.
Ge 5:32
And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem,
Ham, and Japheth.