Genesis 5:1-5
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KJV
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; 2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth: 4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: 5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.
2 Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. 3 When Adam had lived a hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 4 The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years; and he had other sons and daughters. 5 Thus all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died. (RSV)
1 This is the record of the family line of Adam.
When God created humankind, he made them in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female; when they were created, he blessed them and named them “humankind.”
3 When Adam had lived 130 years he fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and he named him Seth. 4 The length of time Adam lived after he became the father of Seth was 800 years; during this time he had other sons and daughters. 5 The entire lifetime of Adam was 930 years, and then he died.
2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind”[a] when they were created.
- a. Hebrew Adam
Adam as a proper noun
These verses are the first place where "adam" is definitely a proper noun, Adam's personal name.
Robert Alter translates these verses thus: [My highlights where the text has אדם adam.]
1 This is the book of the lineage of Adam: On the day God created the human, in the image of God He created him. 2 Male and female He created them, and He blessed them and called their name humankind on the day they were created. 3 And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years and he begot in his likeness by his image and called his name Seth. 4 And the days of Adam after he begot Seth were eight hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters. 5 And all the days Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years. Then he died.
Clearly Adam is not just "the man called Man", he is also "the man called Humankind".
Alter's footnote to v.1:
- Adam. The lack of a definite article would seem to indicate that the term is being used as a proper name. But the two subsequent occurrences of 'adam, here and in the next verse, equally lack the definite article and yet clearly refer to "the human creature" or "humankind." God's calling "them" by the name 'adam (verse 2) is also an explicit indication that the term is not exclusively masculine, and so it is misleading to render it as "man."
See also "adam" the common noun and Biblical evidence that people are not descended from a single male ancestor.
Verse 2 was referenced here (2.4.3) and here (3.1.8) in our response to the AACE discussion questions.
him . . . them
Because adam means not only "man" and "Adam" but also "humankind", word plays easily bring out Adam's representative nature — he is "the man called Man". As the Lord Jesus understood Genesis, from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. (Mark 10:6)
Does the text say Adam had daughters before he begot Seth?
No, the text does not explicitly say that Adam had daughters before he begot Seth. It reads as though he didn't, but doesn't explicitly deny it, so we are free to speculate.
- NRSV
3 When Adam had lived one hundred thirty years, he became the father of a son in his likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. 4 The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years; and he had other* sons and daughters.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
- (Re "other", see translators' note from NET Bible below. —Bruce)
3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he begot a son in his likeness after his image, and he named him Seth. 4 After the birth of Seth, Adam lived 800 years and begot sons and daughters.
- KJV
And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: 4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:
- REB
3 Adam was one hundred and thirty years old when he begot a son in his likeness and image, and named him Seth. 4 After the birth of Seth he lived eight hundred years, and had other sons and daughters.
- (Re "other", see translators' note from NET Bible below.)
3 When Adam had lived 130 years he fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and he named him Seth. 4 The length of time Adam lived after he became the father of Seth was 800 years; during this time he had other* sons and daughters.
* tn The word "other" is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
See Biblical evidence that people are not descended from a single male ancestor.
Image and Likeness
See The Image and Likeness of God for discussion and links.
An instructive misreading
Erroneous assumptions about what "creation" means get into trouble quickly!
"Jesus apparently did not believe in evolution for when He answered the Pharisees about divorce, He quoted Genesis 5:2, “He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them man.” First of all, Jesus believed in Creation (see the Gospel of John, chapter one). And He made reference to the first male and female being created. He did not say that they evolved or that God created the amoeba after the amoeba kind and they evolved into humans – male and female."
