Genesis 5:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Thus all the days of Kenan were 910 years, and he died.

NIV: Altogether, Kenan lived a total of 910 years, and then he died.

NASB: So all the days of Kenan were 910 years, and he died.

CSB: So Kenan's life lasted 910 years; then he died.

NLT: Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died.

KJV: And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.

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

Kenan, the fourth generation from Adam, dies at the age of 910 years old. The final ages of those listed thus far are as follows: Adam-930, Seth-912, Enosh-905, and Kenan-910. Based on the ages given in this passage, Kenan lived several hundred years in common with Adam, and quite a few years in common with Noah. This, again, supports the idea that mankind had a clear and unbroken understanding of their own history in the years leading up to the flood.

This makes the sin and evil prevalent in the days of Noah all the more despicable. When the flood came, there were men and women alive who had spoken with Adam and his immediate children. The real history of man had not been lost, and there were still those alive who knew what the world was like when it was very young. But, as the next two chapters will explain, only Noah and his family were going to be spared from judgment.

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.

Accessed 5/3/2024 7:28:09 AM