Verses 1-2 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.
Numbers are important in the Bible. God uses them to show Kingdom mysteries to believers and to teach different aspects of His character and His divine plan for the world and for His people. He also uses them because witches and those people involved in occult activities love numerology (the occult significance of numbers). The number five is often referred to as the number of death. Various Biblical people such as Asahel in 2 Samuel 2:23 are killed by being “smote under the fifth rib” as the knife or spear would puncture the heart and lungs and the person would die. Chapter five of Genesis lists the descendants of Adam, the number of years they lived on the Earth, and then each passage ends with, “and he died”, the only exception being the man Enoch.
Application: Chapter five of Genesis brings the consequences of original sin into focus over and over again. In Chapter four the first death by murder occurred, a result of sin in the life of Cain. But in this chapter the reader is reminded that all people must die and leave their physical bodies as a result of the curse brought upon mankind by Adam’s and Eve’s rebellion in the Garden of Eden. All believers and non-believers alike are living their lives with the number five marked upon them as physical death is inevitable. However, for the believer, physical death is a passage from this life of sin and sorrow to a life of eternal joy with the LORD Jesus Christ and with all the believers who have gone before throughout all time.
What does it mean to be made in the likeness of God? The word translated as “likeness” is the Hebrew word “damuwth,” pronounced dem ooth. It also means similitude or like. Since Father God manifests or makes Himself known as an invisible Spirit, Adam and Eve were not physically fashioned like the Father. Since God chose to manifest Himself to man in a flesh and blood body called Jesus, then Adam and Eve must have been fashioned physically like Jesus. And when Jesus died on the cross physically and “gave up the Ghost,” that manner of God manifesting Himself to man today is the Holy Ghost that comes and dwells within a believer at the time of conversion. So man was created in the likeness of God. He has a physical body like Jesus. He has a spirit like the Father and like the Holy Ghost. Since God demonstrates intelligence, personality and emotions throughout His Scripture, man was created with intelligence, personality and emotions. He has a soul which is where the mind, the will, and the emotions are found. God is perfect in every way. When man was created, perfection reigned. When sin entered into man, perfection was marred and man was separated from God because of sin.
Note that God called both male and female by the name of Adam which can be translated as man, persons or mankind.
Verses 3-5 And Adam lived an 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.
A very important point to see here is that Adam “begat a son in his own likeness, after his image.” Man was no longer in the image of God as had been Adam and Eve. Why? Because man was now sinful and therefore could not be born as a likeness of a sinless God. All people born after the rebellion in the Garden of Eden were and are born in the likeness of their parents and are no longer in the image or likeness of God. Romans 3:23 states, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” The word “all” means all. No person is without sin.
Application: What does it mean to be a Christian? It means to be like Christ. Since Jesus Christ was and is God manifested in the flesh, how can a sinful man become like Christ and therefore be in Christ’s image? By being born again of the water and of the Spirit. John 3:5 says, “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” When a person truly repents of their sin and asks Jesus into their life, they then get baptized in water and filled with Christ’s Spirit. This is what the Bible refers to as being born again. Then God sees that person as sinless, metaphorically covered by the shed blood of Jesus, and now Christ like. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Why are the descendants of Adam only listing those sons that came from Seth? Two reasons. First, all other descendants were killed in the flood, Noah and his family being the only survivors and Noah being a descendant of Seth. Secondly, because it is from the genetic line of Seth that the LORD Jesus was to come. So the lineage of Jesus begins with Adam and then Seth and then through the male children listed in the chapters of this book and other Bible books. Watch for it as you read and study God’s Word.
Application: Adam lived 930 years. In numerology the numbers can be added together and the resulting numbers have significance. 9+3=12 which is the number representing Godly government. Adam’s length of life was pointing to the time when the descendants of the 12 sons of Israel would be formed into an earthly kingdom where there was a government formed by the LORD through the Ten Commandments and the laws given to Moses. When that failed, Jesus came and established His Kingdom spiritually through the 12 apostles and the formation of the Church where once again there is Godly government of His people.
Verses 6-8 And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: 7 And Seth lived after he begat Enos 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.
The name “Seth” means “compensation”. Seth compensated Adam and Eve in the loss of their son Abel. The name “Enos” means “man”. Seth’s years of life, 912, add up to the number 12, just like his father, again pointing to a time of Godly government.
Verses 9-11 And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan: 10 And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters: 11 And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.
Note that the age of these men at the time they have a son is getting younger and that death is occurring sooner. The name “Cainan” can also be translated “Kenan” and means possession.
Verses 12-14 And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel: 13 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters: 14 And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.
The name “Mahalaleel” means “praise of God”.
Verses 15-17 And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: 16 And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters: 17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
The name “Jared” means “descent”.
Verses 18-20 And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he 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.
The name “Enoch” means “dedicated”.
Verses 21-24 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.
Enoch was dedicated to God. What a testimony! As a result, God took him away from the Earth. Enoch is one of two people that did not experience physical death, the other being the prophet Elijah who went up to heaven in a whirlwind. See 2 Kings 2:11.
Verses 25-27 And Methuselah lived an 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.
Methuselah’s name means “man of the dart”. He was the sixth in descent from Seth. He was also the oldest living man ever, seeing 969 years of life on Earth. The sum of his years equals 24 which is 12 + 12, a common reference in the Bible to the 12 Old Testament tribes and the 12 New Testament apostles. The number 24 represents all believers in both the Old and New Testament times.
Verses 28-31 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: 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. 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.
The name “Lamech” can mean “powerful”. The name “Noah” means “rest”. Noah was the builder of the ark that saved his family and all the critters of the earth from the destruction of the flood waters sent by God to cleanse the world of the sin that had infected it so badly. As a result, Noah became the new head of the human race.
Lamech’s length of life was prophetic. He lived 777 years and seven is the number of God meaning “divine perfection”. There are three sevens, the number three also pointing to God and also meaning “perfection”. Lamech’s name also meant “powerful” and was descriptive of God who is all powerful. God was going to use His power to provide the Earth with rest from the sin that so permeated it through the flood and start the human race over again with righteous Noah and his sons.
Verse 32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Noah was not 500 years old when he had his first son Shem. Note that there is a change here in the narrative as Noah’s age when Shem was born is not listed and the names of his other sons are listed.