Genesis 5:6 - Meaning and Application

Here we have all the Holy Spirit thought fit to leave on record about five patriarchs before the flood, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, and Jared. Nothing special is said about each one in particular, though we have reason to think they were men of standing, wise and godly in their day. But there are several things to notice about them in general.

First, their family lines are recorded in full and at length. You might think this could have been told in fewer words, but there is no wasted word in God’s books, even when there may be in people’s books. This clear record makes the passage easy to understand, even for the simplest reader. When we are told how old each man was when he had a son, and how many years he lived after that, even a little arithmetic lets us figure out the full total. Yet the Holy Spirit still gives the total plainly, for the sake of those with very little learning.

It also shows how much God values the names of his people. Cain’s family line was listed quickly (Genesis 4:18), but the line of the holy seed is given in more detail and in full words, not just numbers. We are told how long those lived who lived in God’s fear, and when those died who died in his favor. But with others, it is of no concern. “The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot” (Proverbs 10:7).

Their life span is counted in days (Genesis 5:8). This reminds us how short human life is, even when it lasts a long time, and how fast our time on earth passes. If they counted their lives by days, surely we must count ours by hours, or at least pray often, “Teach us to number our days” (Psalm 90:12).

About each of them, except Enoch, it says, “and he died.” It is already clear from the years given that their lives came to an end once those years were completed. Yet the words are repeated to show that death comes to all people without exception. It is good for us to think carefully about the deaths of others and learn from them. One man was strong and healthy, yet he died. Another was rich and great, yet he died. Another was wise and careful, yet he died. Another was a very good man, perhaps even very useful, yet he died.

What stands out especially is that they all lived very long lives. None of them died until they had seen nearly eight hundred years pass, and some lived much longer. That was a long time for an immortal soul to live in a weak body of dust. This present life was surely not as heavy a burden to them as it is often to us, or they would have been tired of it. And the life to come was not then revealed as clearly as it is now under the gospel, or they would have been more eager to leave this world. Long life was a blessing to those patriarchs, and it made them a blessing to others.

Some natural reasons may be given for their long lives in the first ages of the world. It is very likely that the earth was more fruitful, its produce more nourishing, the air healthier, and the influence of the heavens more favorable before the flood than afterward. Though man had been driven out of paradise, the earth itself was then like a paradise compared with its present wild state. Some think that their great knowledge of creatures, and of how to use them for food and medicine, along with their sobriety and self-control, helped them live so long. Yet we do not find that those who were uncontrolled, as many were (Luke 17:27), lived as short lives as people usually do now.

Still, the main reason must be found in God’s power and care. He lengthened their lives both to help fill the earth more quickly and to preserve the knowledge of God and religion more fully. At that time there was no written word, only spoken memory passed from one person to another. All the patriarchs here, except Noah, were born before Adam died. So they could receive from Adam a full and trustworthy account of creation, paradise, the fall, the promise, and the divine commands that concerned worship and a godly life. If any error came up, they could go to Adam while he was alive, as to an oracle, to correct it. After his death, they could go to Methuselah and others who had known him. In this way, Almighty God carefully preserved in his church the knowledge of his will and the purity of his worship.