(From Genesis 5:1 - 6:8)
This is a genealogical history of the descendants of Adam. When Jehovah created man, he made him in his own image. He created both male and female humans and blessed them. On the day in which they were created, he called them man.
At the age of 130 years Adam fathered a son called Seth, like his father in appearance and character. The years Adam lived after the birth of Seth were 800, during which time he fathered other sons and daughters. At the age of 930 years, Adam died.
Seth lived to the age of 105 at which time he fathered Enos. He lived 807 more years, during which time he fathered other sons and daughters. Seth lived to be 912 and died.
Enos lived to the age of 90 at which time he fathered Cainan. He lived 815 more years, during which time he fathered other sons and daughters. Enos lived to be 905 and died.
Cainan lived to the age of 70 at which time he fathered Mahalaleel. He lived 840 more years, during which time he fathered other sons and daughters. Cainan lived to be 910 and died.
Mahalaleel lived to the age of 65 at which time he fathered Jared. He lived 815 more years, during which time he fathered other sons and daughters. Mahalalee lived to be 895 and died.
Jared lived to the age of 162, at which time he fathered Enoch. He lived 800 more years, during which time he fathered other sons and daughters. Jared lived to be 962 and died.
Enoch lived to the age of 65 at which time he fathered Methuselah. Enoch communed with Jehovah. After he fathered Methusaleh, he lived for 300 years, during which time he fathered other sons and daughters. Enoch spent 365 years on earth, after which he departed the planet with Jehovah and was seen no more.
Methuselah lived to the age of 187 at which time he fathered Lamech. He lived 782 more years, during which time he fathered other sons and daughters. Methuselah lived to be 969 and died.
Lamech lived to the age of 182 at which time he fathered a son. He named him Noah and declared "here is the man who will bring us satisfaction for the work and the achievements that Jehovah has cursed." He lived 615 more years, during which time he fathered other sons and daughters. Lamech lived to be 777 and died.
When Noah was 500 years old he fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
When humans had multiplied and spread across the face of the planet, daughters were born to them. Seeing these women, the males of Jehovah's race found them quite attractive and took as wives whatever women they chose.
Jehovah declared "My life force will not remain in humans forever, because they are merely mortal flesh. Henceforth their life span shall be only 120 years."
At that time (and also during later periods) there were supermen on earth, produced when the males of Jehovah's race mated with human women and offspring from the unions were born. These hybrid humans became illustrious men and legendary heroes.
Jehovah observed that the wickedness of the earth men was egregious and that their desires and ambitions were continually evil. It made him heart sore, and Jehovah came to regret that he had populated the world with humans.
Jehovah resolved "I will exterminate the race of men from the earth -- not only the men, but I will destroy all the living creatures on it, the animals, birds, reptiles, and insects, for I'm sorry I ever brought them into existence."
Nevertheless, Noah found favor with Jehovah.
Notes
1. Genealogical lists with precise ages is characteristic of mythic histories. Details, even superfluous ones, have always been used to enhance the credibility of a story. Tracing ancestry back to the first man, is hardly unique to the Hebrews. One is reminded of the 100 mythic kings of Ireland and also of fanciful ahnenafels of personages like Constantine the Great (his descent from Old King Cole back to the heroes of Troy, King David, and then to Adam). Histories of the early Middle Ages were rife with mythical genealogies presented as fact. Every people seems to trace its origin to legendary ancestors who may or may not have ever existed. This is true not only of ancient and primitive peoples, but of the tribes who invaded Europe during Roman times and laid the foundations of the nations of Europe during the Dark Ages. Even Pharamond, the first King of France, is conceded to be fictitious, and there is the genealogy of the fabulous Fisher Kings descended from Jesus.
2. The extreme longevity of pre-Flood man is part of the Golden Age mythology that exists in many cultures. It is amazing that no one seemed to die prematurely of disease or had their life cut short by an accident. While the pre-Flood world was rife with violence, it did not seem to affect the life spans of Seth's descendants, that is, none mentioned were murdered as Abel had been. An exception are the two belligerent fellows Lamech, Cain's great, great grandson, confessed killing, and these seem to an anomaly.
3. Enoch is singled out in the account as having direct contact with Jehovah. An impression is given that Jehovah is merely an occasional visitor, an extraterrestrial who voyages to planet earth once in a while to check up on his creations (and is none too pleased with his handiwork.) Enoch, a favorite of Jehovah, departed with him when Jehovah left the earth, perhaps in an interstellar conveyance, vehicular or otherwise. It is not farfetched to assume that Enoch, who never returned to earth, accompanied Jehovah to the place or planet of his origin.
4. There is a repeated exhortation by Jehovah for man to "be fruitful and multiply" and yet these antediluvian patriarchs seemed to take their time siring children, fathering their first sons at very advanced ages; one wonders what the age of puberty might have been in those days. Noah was five hundred years old before he became a father and then to only three sons. Noah did a poor job living up to his god’s command to be prolific.
5. A very interesting reference, often mistranslated and misunderstood, is the reference to men of the race of Jehovah, extraterrestrials, one would assume, who came down to earth and mated with the human women. (Jehovah, it clearly states, made the earth men genetically compatible with his own species.) Human beings have always acted this way: Western explorers and colonists were always willing and eager to have sex with native women, regardless of how primitive and inferior they deemed the native culture. In this case, the hybrid offspring, superior to humans, become heroic figures. There is a cryptic and intriguing allusion to this cross-mating occurring again at a later time, perhaps post-Flood. One is reminded of Greek mythology in which the mating of Olympian gods and mortal women produced heroes like Heracles (Hercules). Also relevant to understanding these passages is the traditional belief in many ancient societies that the kings are descended from the gods, even that this mixed race ancestry was necessary for royal legitimacy. Many versions interpret this as the mating of Seth’s progeny with that of the evil Cain. “Supermen” is commonly rendered “giants and construed to refer to debased monsters who are responsible for the iniquity of pre-Flood times. Yet in the text these so-called monsters are clearly called great and heroic men. In the fascinating, fanciful, but apocryphal Book of Enoch a more detailed story is told of group of 200 angels(?), extraterrestrials(?) who come down to earth and mate with beautiful human women. The offspring are horrendous, cannibalistic gargantuas hundreds of feet high. They wreak havoc and decimate the earth’s population of animals and men so that a flood is necessary to destroy them. An analogy with the Titans of Greek mythology is perhaps apt.
6. Jehovah suggests that the protracted life span of antediluvian man was due to some energy (I have translated it life force) derived from or produced by him and his race. This would not go on indefinitely, apparently because of some natural force that would deplete it. As a result human life span would henceforth be 120 years, which, even today, is about the limit for us even if very, very few reach it. (This is inserted, for no apparent reason, in the middle of the story about the human hybrids.)
7. Apparently a moment after Jehovah has reduced man's life span, he is now contemplating doing away with men altogether. He is then resolved to destroy all life on earth and by following through with his threat Jehovah becomes a mass murderer on the most epic scale imaginable. Not only does he kill the humans who have failed to live up to his expectations, but all the animals as well, even though none of them seem to have been guilty of any crime meriting their extinction. One wonders why Jehovah, if he merely wished to rid of human beings, wouldn't propagate some fatal disease to wipe them out, or else, if he were really God, to simply uncreate them. This is also one of several instances where Jehovah changes his mind and acknowledges he has made a mistake -- not the infallible God, it seems. (The Archie Bunker comment that "God doesn't make mistakes: that's how he got to be God," is perhaps not always operative.)
8. Here is a chronology of the births and deaths of the antediluvian patriarchs with year zero, being that in which Adam was created. These do not include the frankly more interesting descendants of Cain, for whom no ages are given. (Another interesting point: several of Seth's descendants, Lamech and Enoch have the same names as Cain's descendants. --- This early in human history and we've already run out of boy's names!) Ages or particulars about women are not given and only a few wives are mentioned; even Noah's wife, poor soul, is not mentioned by name. Woman were apparently not very important at this time, though in later Biblical chronicles they figure prominently in the history of the Hebrews and Israelites.
0 Adam is created
? Eve is created
? Cain and Abel are born
130 Seth is born, Abel murdered by Cain probably shortly before
235 Enos is born
325 Cainan is born
395 Mahalaleel is born
460 Jared is born
622 Enoch is born
687 Methuselah is born
874 Lamech is born
950 Adam dies
987 Enoch departs the earth with Jehovah
1056 Noah is born
1062 Seth dies
1160 Enos dies
1235 Cainan dies
1290 Mahalaleel dies
1422 Jared dies
1651 Lamech dies
1556 Shem, Ham, and Japheth are born
1656 Methuselah dies
1656 The Flood
1657 Post-Flood civilization begins
2006 Noah dies
These are based on ages given in the King James Version. It should be mentioned that the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament from the 2nd Century B.C., provides many different dates for the ages at which the first sons are born, with discrepancies of up to a hundred years. The age of Lamech at his death is also differently recorded. Perhaps using the Septuagint, Flavius Josephus, a 1st Century A.D. historian, dates the Flood at 1556 years after creation.
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