Genealogies and Lifespans in Genesis 5

Problem: Did people really live this long? What is the purpose of the genealogies?

Key Phrase (repeated 10 times): “These are the generations of. . . “ (2:4, 5:1, 6:9, 10:1, 11:10, 27, 25:12, 19, 36:1, 37:2)

• Notice that the phrase appears 5 times in Gen 1-11 and 5 times in Gen 12-50

• The word “generations” (Heb. toledoth) literally means “births” (from the Hebrew verb yalad). This repetition over the two halves of the book shows that this story is focused on God’s purposes that unite history through a specifc family line (= a “seed”). This theme connects to the thematic design of Genesis.

The Point: This conversation on genealogies is not some side issue. It is arguably the main thing uniting the book of Genesis.

Modern Genealogies - Often to give strict linear data - ancestory.com - But we have to be ok and recognize that our modern way of doing genealogies isn’t always how ancient people did.

Some Diferences - Telescoping of Genealogies - “Skip” generations - Have aesthetically pleasing numbers - 10 generations in Ruth 4 - 10 generations in Gen 5 and Gen 11 - 3 groups of 14 generations in Matthew 1 - Matthew 1, Luke 3 and Chronicles all have diferences. - Error? Or Something else?

Best answer: 1. Theological communication 2. Vocab - son in Hebrew can mean grandson, great grandson, and descendant - father in Hebrew can mean …. - begat or yalad = not necessarily the direct descendant.

Examples…. Daniel 5 Belshazzar is described as the “son” of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 5:22) and likewise Nebuchadnezzar is called his “father” (Daniel 5:2, 11, 18). However, Belshazzar was the son of Nabonidus and hence not even biologically related to Nebuchadnezzar. So, Belshazzar was “son” in the sense of legal heir of Nebuchadnezzar.

Ruth 4:17 At the end of the book of Ruth, Boaz and Ruth have their frst son, Obed (Ruth 4:13, 17). In verse 4:17, the people declare, “there is a son born to Naomi.” Clearly, Naomi was not the

Aaron Mattox actual mother of Obed but is the mother-in-law of Ruth who is the actual mother of Obed. Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, and her two sons died leaving Elimelech and Naomi without heirs. Boaz married Ruth in fulfllment of the Levirate law, which was enacted to ensure sons to continue the family line (Deuteronomy 25:5-6). The frst son of a Levirate marriage was legally the son of the dead husband. In this case, since Ruth’s father-in-law, Elimelech, was also dead, Obed was also legally the son of Elimelech and Naomi. So, Obed was the legal son of Naomi but the biological son of Ruth.

Various Approaches to Genesis 5 (not exhaustive)

Literal Historical Approach

• Gives historical data, age of the earth is relatively young. • In 1650 James Ussher, the archbishop of Ireland used the genealogies to date the universe to about 4004 B.C. • People before the food lived longer due to diferent atmospheric conditions etc.

Image of God Approach • Real life spans as we would defne it • Traces ancestry from Adam, the frst image of God human. • Universe could still be X amount of years old • Other speices/kinds of hominids could have existed before Adam, but not image of God.

Rhetorical/Symbolic Approach — Genesis 5 Facts on the ground

A. 10 patriarchs/generations in Genesis 5 from Adam to Noah

B. 3 numbers for each of the 10 patriarchs - age when a son was born - The number of years the patriarch lived after the son was born - The total number of years the patriarch lived.

For example: For example, “When Adam had lived 130 years, he became the father of… Seth. The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were 800 years… Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years” (Genesis 5:3-5).

C. All 30 numbers end with the digits 0, 2, 5, 7, 9 Who cares? This eliminates half of the possible numbers With 30 numbers all meeting this criteria, the odds of this happening are one in a hundred million

This leads some to conclude that what we are reading in Gen 5 is symbolic and/or theological.

• Diferent versions of the Sumerian King List are found in several ancient documents, and these use outlandishly large fgures for the number of years some kings supposedly reigned in various Mesopotamian city-states (e.g., in Eridug, Alulim ruled for 28,800 years!). The numbers there came to have a role in legitimizing certain dynasties, and no one thinks they are simply historical reports of true numerical values.

Aaron Mattox Trending Twitter Conversation On Who’s Who in the Ancient World

- Whose family dynasty is the real deal?

All 30 numbers in the Gen. 5 narrative come from a combination of 60 years or 60 months or 7. What’s the signifcance of 60? The sexagesimal system is what the Babylonian system fo mathematics was based on. We still have efects of this today. - 60 miles per hour - 60 minutes in an hour - why?

The signifcance of 7? Well Biblically speaking 7 is huge.

Perhaps these numbers are meant to ofer rhetorical and symbolic signifcance. The family of Israel stands over and against Babylon and its dynasty.

Contemporary commentators are especially struck by the artifcial symmetry of ten antediluvian ancestors from Adam through Noah followed by ten postdiluvian ancestors from Shem through Abraham. A similar ten-name genealogy appears in Ruth 4.18-22, and in various Sumerian, Assyrian, and Babylonian king lists.

Nahum Sarna comments, “The conclusion is unmistakable: we have here a deliberate, symmetrical schematization of history, featuring neatly balanced, signifcant segments of time as a way of expressing the fundamental biblical teaching that history is meaningful.” - Nahum Sarna, Genesis, The JPS Torah Commentary (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1989), p. 40.

CONCLUSION

What’s Important to Remember Regardless of How One Views the Genealogies

Key Phrase (repeated 10 times): “These are the generations of. . . “ (2:4, 5:1, 6:9, 10:1, 11:10, 27, 25:12, 19, 36:1, 37:2)

• Notice that the phrase appears 5 times in Gen 1-11 and 5 times in Gen 12-50

• The word “generations” (Heb. toledoth) literally means “births” (from the Hebrew verb yalad). This repetition over the two halves of the book shows that this story is focused on God’s purposes that unite history through a specifc family line (= a “seed”). This theme connects to the thematic design of Genesis.

The Point: This conversation on genealogies is not some side issue. It is arguably the main thing uniting the book of Genesis.

Aaron Mattox