Bible Stuff

The first genealogy we see in the Bible is ADAM to NOAH (Genesis 5). This genealogy will be important throughout the Bible (Old and New Testaments) for all sorts of reasons. However, in this study, we just want to toss-out a dramatic “evidence of design” based on the Hebrew roots of these ten names.

ADAM (adomah) means “man.” This one makes absolute sense, since he’s the first one.

SETH means “appointed.” Eve said, “For God has appointed me another seed instead of Abel , whom Cain slew.”

ENOSH (anash) means “mortal,” “frail” or “miserable,” used in the context of incurable grief, sickness, woe or wickedness. It was in the days of Enosh that Man began to defile God.

KENAN means “sorrow”, “dirge” or “elegy.” Again, this was a dark period of history, and parents traditionally used names that referred to circumstances at birth, etc.

MAHALALEL (mahalal) means “blessed” or “praise” and (El) was the name for God. Therefore, Mahalalel traditionally means “the blessed God”. (Side note: you’ll see that many Hebrew names include El, such as Dani-el, “God is my Judge,” Nathani-el, “Gift of God,” etc.)

JARED (yaradh) means “shall come down.” Many scholars attribute this to the time when the “sons of God” “came down” to Earth to corrupt the daughters of men, resulting in the Nephilim (“fallen ones”).

ENOCH means “teaching” or “commencement.” Later in the Bible, we find that Enoch was the first of four generations of preachers.

METHUSELAH (muth) means “death” and (shalach) means “to bring” or “to send forth.” Therefore, his entire name means “his death shall bring.”

LAMECH (root still evident in today’s English meaning “lament”) means in Hebrew context here “despairing.”

NOAH (nacham) means “to bring relief” or “comfort.”

Now, if we line it all up, here’s what we get: :

Hebrew / English
Adam / Man
Seth / Appointed
Enosh / Mortal
Kenan / Sorrow
Mahalalel / The Blessed God
Jared / Shall come Down
Enoch / Teaching
Methuselah / His death shall bring
Lamech / The Despairing
Noah / Rest, or Comfort

Is it possible that God’s plan of redemption is right here at the beginning of the Bible? “Man (is) appointed mortal sorrow; (but) the blessed God shall come down teaching (that) His death shall bring (the) despairing rest.”