Genesis 5:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died.

NIV: Altogether, Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died.

NASB: So all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died.

CSB: So Seth’s life lasted 912 years; then he died.

NLT: Seth lived 912 years, and then he died.

KJV: And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.

NKJV: So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died.

Seth died at 912 years old, living a slightly shorter life than his father, Adam. Despite living more than nine centuries, Seth did eventually die. In fact, a noteworthy aspect of this chapter is that, in spite of their long lives, we're repeatedly reminded that each of these men died. Sin had brought death to the world, and death always won. The only apparent exception is that of Enoch, as described in Genesis 5:24.

We'll also see that human lifespans will begin to decrease. Death will come sooner as the generations get farther removed from Adam, especially following the flood. This is one reason that many scholars attribute the long lives of early man to a pure environment and brand-new, uncorrupted genetics. Over time, as the effects of the fall continued to work, both the biology of man, and the environment of earth, would make it less and less likely for a man to live beyond a few years.

The long lives shown in this chapter also serve to maintain the value of an oral history. Having eyewitnesses survive for centuries and multiple generations, would have made corruption of history all but impossible.

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.