Genesis 5:1-8 - The Story Begins
- Chad Werkhoven
- Jun 23
- 4 min read
The story of the Bible unpacks how God's grace is stronger than we are.
Genesis 5:1-8 (NIV)
5 This is the written account of Adam’s family line.
When God created mankind (ʾā·ḏām), he made them in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” (ʾā·ḏām) when they were created.
3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. 4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5 Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.
6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh. 7 After he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 Altogether, Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died.
Canons of Dordt
Article 2: The Spread of Corruption
Human beings brought forth children
of the same nature as themselves after the fall.
That is to say, being corrupt they brought forth corrupt children.
The corruption spread, by God’s just judgment,
from Adam and Eve to all their descendants—
except for Christ alone—
not by way of imitation
as in former times the Pelagians would have it
but by way of the propagation of their perverted nature.
Summary
Genesis 5 is a fascinating passage. We just read the first few verses of it, but the pattern set in this opening passage continues on, unpacking the history of the first ten generations of mankind, spanning over 1,600 years. The passage opens with a crucial phrase: this is the written account - the tô·lē·ḏôṯ. This word also gets used repeatedly as the book of Genesis unfolds, everytime a significant character is introduced, such as Noah, Ishmael, Isaac, Esau and Jacob.
As Adam's line is introduced, it begins with a reminder of how God first createdʾā·ḏām - in the likeness of God. This reminder is necessary even here near the very beginning of the Bible, since that perfect creation seems like ancient history at this point. The previous passage told the sad story of Cain murdering his brother Abel, showing how quickly Adam & Eve's seemingly benign sin of biting into fruit devolved into pure evil.
So it's really interesting how Adam's subsequent son, Seth, is introduced. Whereasʾā·ḏām had been made in the likeness of God, Seth is a son in Adam's own likeness, in Adam's own image. As one commentator puts it, "Adam in his creation reflected the unfallen image of God, but Seth reflected the fallen image of Adam."
Genesis 5 introduces one of scriptures ugliest phrases, a phrase repeated seven more times here in this early history of mankind: and then he died. It's through the repeated use of this somber refrain that we're to be continually reminded that death is the ultimate result of sin, the curse that, like Seth, we've all been born into.
Lord willing, we'll be reading from Romans 5 later this week. We'll read in v14 that death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses and thereafter. This is the primary message of the gospel: the reign of death can only be broken by Jesus Christ. Death is our first enemy and will be the last enemy to be destroyed by Christ when He returns (1 Cor. 15:26).
Dig Deeper
We read here that Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son. We know that this wasn't his first born, since Cain & Abel famously preceded Seth. The Bible doesn't mention how old Adam was when Cain & Abel were born, or his age when Abel was killed, but certainly Adam & Eve had other children over the years, since chapter four does indicate that Cain had a wife.
So why is Seth the only one mentioned in the tô·lē·ḏôṯ of Adam? Because the point of the Bible isn't to give a comprehensive history of mankind. The Bible's focus from the birth of Seth and on is singularly focused on the line that would lead to the secondʾā·ḏām, Jesus Christ. The story (tô·lē·ḏôṯ) of the Old Testament is how God guided, guarded and protected generation after generation of weak and wayward people until that glorious morning that Jesus was born.
Another way to phrase that is that the story of the the entire Bible - both the Old and New Testaments - is the story of how God's grace is so much stronger than we are, preserving His covenant people in our Savior, Jesus Christ.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who created man in His likeness;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for the written history of His faithfulness that begins here in Genesis 5. Pray that you continue to learn and know this history well;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Colossians 2
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