This chapter contains a list or catalogue of the posterity of Adam in the line of Seth, down to Noah; it begins with a short account of the creation of Adam, and of his life and death, Gen.

This is the book of the generations of Adam An account of persons born of him, or who descended from him by generation in the line of Seth, down to Noah, consisting of ten generations; for a genealogy of all his descendants is not here given, not of those in the line of Cain, nor of the collateral…

Male and female created he them Adam and Eve, the one a male, the other a female; and but one male and one female, to show that one man and one woman only were to be joined together in marriage, and live as man and wife for the procreation of posterity; and these were not made together, but first…

And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years The Septuagint version, through mistaken, gives the number two hundred and thirty years: and begat a son; not that he had no other children during this time than Cain and Abel; this is only observed to show how old he was when Seth was born, the son here…

And the days of Adam, after he had begotten Seth, were eight hundred years The Septuagint version is seven hundred; for having added one hundred years more the should be, to the years of his life before the birth of Seth, here they are taken away to make the number of his years complete: and he…

And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years Not lunar years, as Varro [[3]], but solar years, which consisted of three hundred and sixty five days and odd hours, and such were in use among the Egyptians in the times of Moses; and of these must be the age of Adam, and of his…

And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos. ] Not that this was his firstborn, no doubt but he had other children before this time; but this is only mentioned, because it carried the lineage and descent directly from Adam to Noah, the father of the new world, and from whom the Messiah…

And Seth lived, after he begat Enos, eight hundred and seven years The Septuagint version makes the same mistake in the numbers of Seth as of Adam, giving him two hundred and five years before the birth of Enos, and but seven hundred and seven years after: and begat sons and daughters; very…

And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died. ] As his father Adam before him. Seth, according to Josephus [[10]], was a very good man, and brought up his children well, who trod in his steps, and who studied the nature of the heavenly bodies; and that the knowledge of…

And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan. ] According to the Septuagint a hundred and ninety years; it can hardly be thought but that he had sons or daughters before, but this is only taken notice of for a reason before given.

And Enos lived, after he begat Cainan, eight hundred and fifteen years The Septuagint version is seven hundred and fifteen; the hundred which is wanting is to be supplied from the preceding verse, which in that version has an hundred too much: and begat sons and daughters; others besides Enos, as…

And all the days or Enos were nine hundred and five years, and he died. ] According to the Arabic writers [[12]], this man was a very good man, governed his people well, and instructed them in the ways of righteousness, and the fear of God; and when his end drew nigh, his offspring gathered about…

And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel. ] Here the Septuagint version adds an hundred years, as before.

And Cainan lived, after he begat Mahalaleel, eight hundred and forty years The Septuagint has seven hundred and forty, which, added to the years given him before, makes the same sum: and begat sons and daughters; as his progenitors did.

And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died. ] The Arabic writers [[13]] also commend him as a good ruler of his people; and at his death he charged them not to desert the holy mountain, and join themselves with Cain’s posterity; and having appointed Mahalaleel, who they…

And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared. ] A hundred and sixty, according to the Septuagint version.

And Mahalaleel lived, after he begat Jared, eight hundred and thirty years Seven hundred and thirty, as the above version, still making the same mistake: and he begat sons and daughters; how many cannot be said.

And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years, and he died. ] He also is spoken well of by the Arabic writers [[14]] as a good governor, a pious man that walked in the way of righteousness; and when he died blessed his children, and adjured them by the blood of Abel, not…

And Jared lived an hundred and sixty two years, and he begat Enoch. ] Here the Septuagint agrees with the Hebrew text, and the Samaritan version differs, reading only sixty two; but this can hardly be thought to be his first son at such an age.

And Jared lived, after he begat Enoch, eight hundred years And so, the Greek version, but the Samaritan is seven hundred and eighty five: and begat sons and daughters; in that time, as well as before; for it is not to be imagined in this, or either of the foregoing or following instances, that…

And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years, and he died. ] The name of this patriarch signifies “descending”; and, according to the Arabic writers [[15]], he had his name from the posterity of Seth, descending from the holy mountain in his time; for upon a noise being heard on…

And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah. ] Here the Septuagint version adds again an hundred years; and that Enoch had a son, whose name was Methuselah, is affirmed by Eupolemus [[16]], an Heathen writer; and Enoch being a prophet gave him this name under a spirit of prophecy,…

And Enoch walked with God, after he begat Methuselah, three hundred years The Greek version is two hundred. He had walked with God undoubtedly before, but perhaps after this time more closely and constantly: and this is observed to denote, that he continued so to do all the days of his life,…

And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty five years. ] A year of years, living as many years as there are days in a year; not half the age of the rest of the patriarchs: our poet [[18]] calls him one of middle age; though his being taken away in the midst of his days was not a token…

And Enoch walked with God Which is repeated both for the confirmation of it, and for the singularity of it in that corrupt age; and to cause attention to it, and stir up others to imitate him in it, as well as to express the well pleasedness of God therein; for so it is interpreted, “he had this…

And Methuselah lived an hundred and eighty and seven years, and beget Lamech. ] The Septuagint version is an hundred and sixty seven; the Samaritan only sixty seven; the same names were given to some of the posterity of Seth as were to those of Cain, as Lamech here, and Enoch before.

And Methuselah lived, after he begat Lamech, seven hundred eighty and two years The Greek version is eight hundred and two years, and so makes the sum total of his life the same; but the Samaritan version only six hundred and fifty three, and so makes his whole life but seven hundred and twenty;…

And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty nine years, and he died This was the oldest man that ever lived, no man ever lived to a thousand years: the Jews give this as a reason for it, because a thousand years is God’s day, according to and no man is suffered to arrive to that.

And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat son. ] According to the Septuagint version he was an hundred and eighty eight years old; but according to the Samaritan version only fifty three; the name, of his son, begotten by him, is given in the next verse, with the reason of it.

And he called his name Noah Which signifies rest and comfort; for rest gives comfort, and comfort flows from rest, see , where a word from the same root is rendered “comfortable”, and agrees with the reason of the name, as follows: saying, this same shall comfort us, concerning our work and toil of…

And Lamech lived, after he begat Noah, five hundred ninety and five years The Septuagint version is five hundred and sixty five; and the Samaritan version six hundred: and begat sons and daughters; of which we have no account.

And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years, and he died. ] According to the Greek version, he lived but seven hundred and fifty three; and according to the Samaritan version, only six hundred and fifty three: but it is best and safest in these, and all the above numbers,…

And Noah was five hundred years old Or “the son of five hundred years” [[5]]; he was in his five hundredth year: it can hardly be thought that he should live to this time a single life, and have no children born to him, which he might have had, but were dead; though some think it was so ordered by…