Genesis 5:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Thus all the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died.

NIV: Altogether, Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died.

NASB: So all the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died.

CSB: So Jared’s life lasted 962 years; then he died.

NLT: Jared lived 962 years, and then he died.

KJV: And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.

NKJV: So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years; and he died.

The ages at death of those listed in this book of Adam, so far, are as follows: Adam-930, Seth-912, Enosh-905, Kenan-910, Mahalalel-895, and Jared-962. Whether by coincidence or by design, Jared's life is the longest (so far) in Genesis, while his son Enoch's is the shortest, at 365. However, Jared's record for longevity won't stand. His grandson, Methuselah, will become the go-to punchline for old age, living to 965 years.

Just prior to the flood, God will make a deliberate decision to drastically limit human lifespans (Genesis 6:3). This is probably meant to limit the amount of evil man is capable of. With only a few decades of active life, rather than several centuries, it's much harder for one man to gain the power required to commit wide-spread carnage. Sadly, as history has shown, this abuse is merely harder, not impossible.

The phrase "and he died" is repeated for every one of the patriarchs leading to Noah, other than Enoch (Genesis 5:24). This is the most immediate effect of the fall: physical death. This was the main consequence God gave to Adam (Genesis 2:17) regarding the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and it is repeated over and over here, for that very reason.

Genesis 5:1-32 is a bridge of genealogy connecting the time of Adam and his son Seth to the time of Noah. This brings the Bible's historical record to the era of the flood. It provides a small, but helpful set of details: early humans lived a long time, had many children, and all died as a result of ubiquitous human sin. Enoch is the exception that proves the rule, commended for walking with God and seemingly taken away before his physical death. Despite the presence of early God-worshippers such as Adam and Seth, man will quickly descend into extraordinary wickedness, as seen in chapter 6. The coming of Noah at the end of this chapter prepares us for God's response to the sins of humankind.

Chapter 5 uses a simple genealogy of Adam's descendants through Seth to link the earliest humans with the time of Noah and the flood. In the generations after the garden, human beings live extraordinarily long lives, have great numbers of children, and continue to be in relationship with God though separated from Him physically and spiritually. The description of Enoch being ''taken'' by God is the exception that proves the rule: No matter how long a person lives, sin always leads to death.

Genesis 4 ends with the birth of Seth's son Enosh, and a statement that people had begun to call on the Lord's name. Chapter 5 details the generations from Adam through Seth to Noah, connecting the time of Adam and Seth with the time of Noah and his sons as described in chapter 6. This sets the stage for God's judgment of mankind's pervasive sin in the flood.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.