---
title: "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  Genesis 5"
description: "CHAPTER 5   :-. GENEALOGY OF THE
PATRIARCHS. 1. book of the generations—(See
Genesis 11:4). Adam—used here either
as the name of the first man, or of the"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/genesis/5"
---

![Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible](/images/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible.jpg)

 The Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
 
Include 66 books
 
Denomination: calvinism
 
 GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong Of SolomonIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation 1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950 

CHAPTER 5

. GENEALOGY OF THE
PATRIARCHS.

**1. book of the generations**—(See
[Genesis 11:4](../../../kjv/genesis/11/4)).
**Adam**—used here either
as the name of the first man, or of the human race generally.

**5. all the days . . . Adam lived**—The
most striking feature in this catalogue is the longevity of Adam and
his immediate descendants. Ten are enumerated () in direct succession whose lives far exceed the ordinary
limits with which we are familiar—the shortest being three hundred
sixty-five, [[Genesis 5:23](../../../kjv/genesis/5/23)] and the
longest nine hundred sixty-nine years [[Genesis 5:23](../../../kjv/genesis/5/23)]. It is useless to inquire whether and what secondary causes
may have contributed to this protracted longevity—vigorous
constitutions, the nature of their diet, the temperature and
salubrity of the climate; or, finally—as this list comprises only
the true worshippers of God—whether their great age might be owing
to the better government of their passions and the quiet, even tenor
of their lives. Since we cannot obtain satisfactory evidence on these
points, it is wise to resolve the fact into the sovereign will of
God. We can, however, trace some of the important uses to which, in
the early economy of Providence, it was subservient. It was the chief
means of reserving a knowledge of God, of the great truths of
religion, as well as the influence of genuine piety. So that, as
their knowledge was obtained by tradition, they would be in a
condition to preserve it in the greatest purity.

**21. Enoch . . . begat
Methuselah**—This name signifies, "He dieth, and the sending
forth," so that Enoch gave it as prophetical of the flood. It is
computed that Methuselah died in the year of that catastrophe.

**24. And Enoch walked with God**—a
common phrase in Eastern countries denoting constant and familiar
intercourse.
**was not; for God took him**—In
[Hebrews 11:5](../../../kjv/hebrews/11/5), we are informed that
he was translated to heaven—a mighty miracle, designed to effect
what ordinary means of instruction had failed to accomplish, gave a
palpable proof to an age of almost universal unbelief that the
doctrines which he had taught ([Judges 1:14](../../../kjv/judges/1/14);
[Judges 1:15](../../../kjv/judges/1/15)) were true and that his
devotedness to the cause of God and righteousness in the midst of
opposition was highly pleasing to the mind of God.

**26. Lamech**—a different person
from the one mentioned in the preceding chapter []. Like his namesake, however, he also spoke in numbers on
occasion of the birth of Noah—that is, "rest" or
"comfort" [[Genesis 5:29](../../../kjv/genesis/5/29),
*Margin*]. "The allusion is, undoubtedly, to the penal
consequences of the fall in earthly toils and sufferings, and to the
hope of a Deliverer, excited by the promise made to Eve. That this
expectation was founded on a divine communication we infer from the
importance attached to it and the confidence of its expression"
[PETER SMITH].

**32. Noah was five hundred years old:
and . . . begat**—That he and the other patriarchs were advanced
in life before children were born to them is a difficulty accounted
for probably from the circumstance that Moses does not here record
their first-born sons, but only the succession from Adam through Seth
to Abraham.

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/?s={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/genesis/5#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"/images/missing.jpg","contentUrl":"/images/missing.jpg","width":640,"height":370,"caption":"Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  Genesis 5"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/genesis/5#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/genesis/5","name":"Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  Genesis 5","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/genesis/5#primaryimage"},"datePublished":null,"dateModified":null,"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"CHAPTER 5   :-. GENEALOGY OF THE\nPATRIARCHS. 1. book of the generations—(See\nGenesis 11:4). Adam—used here either\nas the name of the first man, or of the","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/genesis/5#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/genesis/5"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/genesis/5#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","name":"Commentaries"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible","name":"Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/genesis","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/genesis","name":"Genesis"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/genesis/5","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/genesis/5","name":"5"}}]},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","width":512,"height":512},"logo":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo"},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/RBiblebeliever","https://www.facebook.com/RBibleBelievers"]}]}
```
