Genealogies of Genesis

The genealogies of Genesis (in chapters 4, 5, and 11 of the Book of Genesis) list the traditional
descendants of Adam and Eve to Abraham. Genesis 5 and 11 include the age at which each
patriarch had the descendant named in the text and the number of years he lived thereafter. Since
Genesis 5 and 11 provide the age of each patriarch at the birth of his named descendant, it presents
a gapless chronology from Adam to Abraham, even if the named descendant is not always a firstgeneration son. That is, a gapless chronology is not dependent on gapless genealogies in Genesis 5
and 11; in fact, an intact chronology is semantically inescapable. Adam's lineage contains two
branches: for Cain, given in Chapter 4, and for Seth in Chapter 5. Genesis chapter 10, the Table of
Nations records the populating of the Earth by Noah's descendants, and is not strictly a genealogy
but an ethnography).

Enumerated genealogy
Three versions of the Genesis genealogy exist: the Hebrew Masoretic Text, the Greek Septuagint,
and the Hebrew Samaritan Pentateuch. Translations from the Masoretic Text are preferred by
Western Christians, including Roman Catholics and Protestants and by followers of Orthodox
Judaism, whereas the Greek version is preferred by Eastern Christians, including Eastern Orthodox,
Coptic, Ethiopic, Jacobite and Armenian. The Samaritan version of the Pentateuch is used mainly
by the Samaritans. The Vulgate, published by Jerome in 405, is a Latin translation based on a
Hebrew Tanakh compiled near the end of the first century, whereas the Septuagint was produced
during the third century BC based on an earlier version of the Tanakh. Both have, like the Masoretic
Text, been the basis for translations into numerous vernacular languages.

Genealogies of Cain and Seth

Three of Adam and Eve's children are named. The main genealogy is via Seth, who was born after
Cain, the firstborn son, slew his brother Abel. A genealogy for Cain is also given (in genesis 4), with
some names similar to those for Seth's descendants. No years are provided, so the following table
simply lines the descendants up by generation.
Adam

Cain

Enoch

Eve

Abel

Seth

Enos (Enosh)

Irad

Cainan (Kenan)

Mehujael

Mahalaleel

Methushael

Jared

Adah

Lamech

Jabal

Jubal

Zillah

Tubal-Cain

Naamah

Enoch

Methuselah

Lamech

Noah

Shem

Ham

Japheth

(for a continuation of this family tree through the line of Shem, see Abraham's Family Tree)

Genesis numbers
Nearly all modern translations of Genesis are derived from the Masoretic (Hebrew) Text. But there
are also two other versions of Genesis: the Samaritan (from a Hebrew script) and the Septuagint (a
Greek translation of a Hebrew text). Although scholars are aware that these three versions of
Genesis 5 have different numbers, people who have seen only the commonly available translations
are often unaware that other versions exist. The numbers in the Masoretic, Samaritan, and Lucianic
Septuagint versions of Genesis are shown in this table:

The following table lists the patriarchs that appear in the Vulgate and the Septuagint, but their
names are spelled as they appear in the King James Version of the Bible. Their year of birth differs
according to the Vulgate or the Septuagint. (AM = Anno Mundi = in the year of the world). Also
given is each patriarch's age at the birth of his named son and the age of the patriarch's death.
Cainan, born after the flood is mentioned in the Septuagint but not the Vulgate. Methuselah
survived the Flood according to the Septuagint (but not the Vulgate), even though he was not on
Noah's Ark.
Gnesis 5
Masoretic & Vulgate
Patriarch

Meaning

Samaritan

Septuagint

Birth

Son

remain

Death

Birth

Son

remain

Death

Birth

Son

remain

Death

130

800

930

130

800

930

230

700

930

Adam

red

Seth

compensation

130

105

807

912

130

105

807

912

230

205

707

912

Enosh

man

235

90

815

905

235

90

815

905

435

190

715

905

Kenan

possession

325

70

840

910

325

70

840

910

625

170

740

910

Mahalalel

One who praises God

395

65

830

895

395

65

830

895

795

165

730

895

Jared

descent

460

162

800

962

460

62

785

847

960

162

800

962

Enoch

dedicated

622

65

300

365

522

65

300

365

1122

165

200

365

Methuselah

man of the dart or his

death shall bring
judgment[3]

687

187

782

969

587

67

653

720

1287

167

802

969

Lamech

powerful

874

182

595

777

654

53

600

653

1454

188

565

753

Noah

rest

1056

500

950

707

500

950

1642

500

950

(to Flood)

100

100

Wife/Wives/etc
Eve

Naamah

100

Gnesis 11
Masoretic & Vulgate
Birth

Son

remain

Samaritan

Death

Birth

Son

remain

Septuagint

Patriarch

Meaning

Death

Birth

Son

remain

Death

Shem

name

1557

100

500

600

1207

100

500

600

2142

100

500

600

Arphaxad

I shall fail as the breast

1658

35

403

438

1307

135

303

438

2244

135

430

565

Cainan

their smith

2379

130

330

460

Salah

sprout

1693

30

403

433

1442

130

303

433

2509

130

330

460

Eber

the region beyond

1723

34

430

464

1572

134

270

404

2639

134

270

404

Peleg

division

1757

30

209

239

1706

130

109

239

2773

130

209

339

Reu

friend

1787

32

207

239

1836

132

107

239

2903

132

207

339

Serug

branch

1819

30

200

230

1968

130

100

230

3035

130

200

330

Nahor

snorting

1849

29

119

148

2098

79

69

148

3165

179

125

304

Terah

station

1878

70

145

205

2177

70

75

145

3344

70

205

275

Abram

exalted father

1948

100

175

2247

100

175

3414

100

175

Wife/Wives/etc

Sarai; (Hagar);
Keturah

According to most interpretations, including the New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews, Enoch did
not die, but was taken away by God (at an age of 365). Genesis states that Enoch "walked with God;
and he [was] not; for God took him."

Differences in the Genesis 5 numbers

A comparison of the Genesis 5 numbers (Adam through Noah) in the above table shows that the
ages when the sons were born plus the remainders equal the totals given in each version, but each
version uses different numbers to arrive at these totals. The three versions agree on some of the total
ages at death, but many of the other numbers differ by exactly 100. The Septuagint numbers for the
ages of the fathers at the birth of their sons, are in many instances 100 greater than the
corresponding numbers in the other two versions.
The Samaritan chronology has Jared and Methuselah dying in Noah's 600th year, the year of the
Flood. The Masoretic chronology also has Methuselah dying in Noahs 600th year, but the
Masoretic version uses a different chronology than the Samaritan version. The Lucianic text of the
Septuagint has Methuselah surviving the Flood and therefore the 100 year differences were not an
attempt by the Septuagint editors to have Jared, Methuselah, or Lamech die during or prior to the
Flood. Some scholars argue that the differences between the Masoretic and Septuagint chronologies
in Genesis 5 can be explained as alterations designed to rationalize a primary Masoretic system of
chronology to a later Septuagint system. According to another scholar, to assume that the Masoretic
Text is primary "is a mere convention for the scholarly world" and "it should not be postulated in
advance that MT reflects the original text of the biblical books better than the other texts."
The Genesis 5 numbers were presumably intended to be read at face value, as years and not months,
because attempts to rationalize the numbers by translating "years" as "months" results in some of
the Genesis 5 people fathering children when they were five years old (if the Masoretic chronology
is assumed to be primary).
The scholarly translation of the Hebrew Pentateuch into Greek at Alexandria, Egypt in about 280
BC worked from a Hebrew text that was edited in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. This would be
centuries older than the protoMasoretic Text selected as the official text by the Masoretes.