Hello everyone, you are watching the fifth video in a Bible study video series. In this
video we will go through Genesis chapter 5, all the way through to Genesis chapter 6,
verse 8. Beginning in chapter 5 it says: "This is the
book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God
made he him; male and female created he them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam,
in the day when they were created. And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat
a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth; and the days of
Adam after he begat 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."
The only thing I want to point out here is that this chapter refers to the line of Seth,
not Cain. There are some names that sound similar or are the same in Seth's line and
Cain's line, but most of them have different meanings and they're all in a different order.
This genealogy in chapter 5 shows without a doubt that Cain not only was exiled from
the land his father lived in, but was also disinherited. Usually, Cain would have been
the one who's lineage was traced, because he was the firstborn. Actually, that's probably
why a short list of his descendants is given in chapter 4, probably as an honorable mention
because he was the firstborn. Of course, he wasn't the firstborn in Adam or Eve's eyes,
not anymore. Continuing on in verse 6, it says: "And Seth
lived a hundred and five years, and begat Enosh: and Seth lived after he begat Enosh
eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Seth were
nine hundred and twelve years: and he died." Continuing on in verse 9, it says: "And Enosh
lived ninety years, and begat Kenan: and Enosh lived after he begat Kenan eight hundred and
fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Enosh were nine hundred
and five years: and he died. " The name Kenan (though I'm probably not pronouncing
it correctly) means "fixed" according to Strong, and he says that it comes from
a word that means "nest", but can also mean "dwelling".
Continuing on in verse 12 it says: "And Kenan lived seventy years, and [begot] Mahalalel:
and Kenan lived after he begat Mahalalel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and
daughters: and all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died."
Strong says that the name Mahalalel means ". . . praise of God . . .".
Continuing on in verse 15 it says: "And Mahalalel lived sixty and five years, and [begot] Jared:
And Mahalalel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and
daughters: and all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he
died." Jared's name means to descend. I wonder if
his name has anything to do with man growing more and more evil, or if it has to do with
a physical descent, maybe to a lower land than Eden?
Continuing on in verse 18 it says: "And Jared lived a hundred sixty and two years, and begat
Enoch: and Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died."
Jared's son Enoch had the same name as Cain's firstborn. His name is connected to the idea
of being instructed. It seems that some people confuse Enoch son of Cain with Enoch son of
Jared. Just like people today, some of Adam's descendants had the same name. Enoch son of
Cain had a city named after him in the land of Nod, but Enoch son of Jared (who must have
been much younger than Cain's son) was the one taken by God when he was 365 years old.
Continuing on in verse 21 it says: "And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
and Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
and all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: and Enoch walked with
God: and he was not; for God took him." Methuselah's name means ". . . man of a
dart . . .". Enoch son of Jared was one of the only two
people who are recorded in scripture as not dying, but being taken up by God instead.
It's also worth mentioning that Enoch was taken when he was 365 years old, while all
of Enoch's forefathers were still alive (except for Adam).
In verse 23 it continues: "And Methuselah lived a hundred eighty and seven years, and
begat Lamech: and Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two
years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty
and nine years: and he died." Continuing on in verse 28 it says: "And Lamech
lived a hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: 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. And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five
hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Lamech
were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died. And Noah was five hundred years
old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth." Noah's name means "rest". Shem's name
is connected to the idea of honor, Ham's name means "hot", and Japheth's name means
". . . to open . . ." or "expansion". Moving over to chapter 6, verse 1 begins:
"And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were
born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and
they took them wives of all that they chose." And then in the next paragraph verse 3 continues:
"And Jehovah said, My Spirit shall not strive with man for ever, for that he also is flesh:
yet shall his days be a hundred and twenty years."
Young translates this verse (verse 3) like this: "And Jehovah saith, `My Spirit doth
not strive in man--to the age; in their erring they are flesh:' and his days [has] been an
hundred and twenty years." The footnotes for the American Standard Version suggests
this alternative reading: "And Jehovah said, My Spirit shall not rule in man for ever,
for in their going astray they are flesh: therefor shall his days be a hundred and twenty
years." It's interesting, Strong says that the Hebrew word translated in verse 3 as "flesh"
is connected to the idea of nakedness. Adam and Eve became aware of their nakedness when
they sinned in the garden of Eden. I wonder if God meant that he would shorten man's lifespan
to around 120 years. Maybe this shows that man's long life allowed wickedness to increase
more than it could today? Verse 4 begins a new paragraph: "The Nephilim
were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto
the daughters of men, and they bare children to them: the same were the mighty men that
were of old, the men of renown. And Jehovah 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."
and then I [. . .] believe that verse 6 begins another paragraph, "And it repented Jehovah
that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And Jehovah said,
I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the ground; both man, and beast,
and creeping things, and birds of the heavens; for it repenteth me that I have made them."
The Hebrew word translated in verse 4 as "mighty men" means ". . . powerful; by implication,
warrior, tyrant . . .". This is the same word that was used to describe David and his
men in I Samuel chapter 16, verse 18, II Samuel chapter 16, verse 6, and II Samuel chapter
23, verse 8. I'll let you look those verses up yourself if you want to.
The Hebrew word translated as "repented" in verse 6 means ". . . to sigh, i.e. breathe
strongly; by implication, to be sorry. . . ." This is the same Hebrew word that God used when
he told Balaam what to tell Balak, when Balak hired Balaam to curse Israel (the account
of this event can be found in Numbers chapter 23). Again, I'll [. . .] let you look that
up yourself if you'd like to. Finally, verse 8 says: "But Noah found favor
in the eyes of Jehovah." Some people believe that this chapter (Genesis
chapter 6) briefly recounts how fallen angels came to earth and married human women. I have
heard claims that this was the reason for the flood, and that giants today (and in ancient
times) are the offspring of these fallen angels. I've written an article on my website that
tries to go through possible explanations for Genesis chapter 6, verses 1-8. The article
(which is called "Sons of God; Daughters of Men") can be found under the "Topical
Guide" section.