Birth of Seth, 4:25-26, 5:3
Seth was born after Cain killed Abel. He was given the name Seth, which means appointed, because Eve said, “For God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew”.
Notice that though God created man “in the likeness of God”, Gen 5:1, Seth was born in Adam’s likeness and after his image, Gen 5:3. That is, he was begotten in the likeness of sinful flesh, Rom 8:3. And therefore he, like Adam, would die, Rom 5:12.
Their Name Adam, 5:1-2
God called their name Adam; Adam was the one who called his wife, “Eve”, Gen 3:20. That is, they were Mr and Mrs Adam. When a daughter is born, she is called by her father’s surname. When she marries, traditionally, she is called by her husband’s name.
Sons and Daughters, 5:4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 26
In each generation, we see the name of the first begotten son listed in the genealogy. But there were many sons and daughters born in each generation, since the men lived around 900 years. Therefore, you know the population grew exponentially. By the time of Noah’s flood, 1,656 years after Adam was created, the earth’s population could have easily been several billion.
And He Died, 5:5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 27
1 Cor 15:22 says, “For as in Adam all die…”. The trouble with Adam’s likeness is sin and death. That’s why we need Jesus.
The Genealogy, 5:6-27
The lines above give an approximate view of the overlap in the lives of Adam’s descendants through Seth. Adam was 687 years old when Methuselah was born. Adam and Methuselah were contemporaries for 243 years.
Enoch, 5:18-24
Enoch begat Methuselah. Methuselah’s name means, “after he is dead, it shall be sent”. In other words, Enoch knew that God would judge men on the earth at Methuselah’s death. As a result, he “walked with God”, and he “pleased God”, Heb 11:5. When he considered the wrath of God, he got right with God.
Enoch is a picture of the New Testament saints raptured alive before the return of Christ. He didn’t die; God took him. Thus, he is our type in the Old Testament. We should emulate his life and also walk with God and please God.
In addition to having good, regular fellowship with God, Enoch also prophesied and preached. He prophesied the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in Jude 14. He warned the people of his day that they were “ungodly sinners”, Jude 15, and that the Lord was going to execute judgment upon them.
Methuselah, 5:25-27
Methuselah lived 969 years, longer than any man on earth. He was born in 3317 BC, when Adam was 687 years old. Methuselah died in 2348 BC, the same year that God flooded the earth. Truly the judgment of God fell the year that Methuselah died, just like his name indicated.
Noah, 5:28-32
Noah’s father was Lamech, Methuselah’s son. His name means Rest or Comfort. That is, he and his descendants would have rest following the destruction prophesied by Enoch. In fact, he and his sons are the only ones who survived the flood. Likewise, only a remnant of Israel will survive the destruction at the Second Coming of Jesus, but that remnant will have rest, Heb 4.
Lamech lived 777 years. He was fortunate to die 5 years before the flood. At the end of this genealogy, Noah was 500 years old and had three sons. Japheth was the elder, Gen 10:21, Shem was the middle son, and Ham was the younger, Gen 9:24.