“Answers for a study in the book of Genesis” is a weekly post in addition to the regular “apologetics” posts on the weekend where the original questions can be found at the bottom of the study, and then answers appear here mid-week. This gives you time to do your own research, and then check your answers. Keep in mind these will be basic answers with a little depth, but you can go much deeper for discussion if you’d like.
Note: The answers will focus on what the text of the Bible says, and commentaries and speculative answers will be noted as such. There are many scholarly commentaries out there but it will be important, as students of the Bible, to keep the text of the Bible as our first source. Commentaries can be used, keeping in mind that they are human thoughts about God’s Word. Scripture references here are taken from the NASB, unless otherwise noted.
The Goal for the notes, questions and answers: Share and reuse to lead your own Bible study!
Note: Class presentation, videos, reflections and Bible study questions are posted on the weekend – Bible study answers (like these) are posted mid-week.
Special note: These questions were posted two weekends back as we had a mid-term review this past weekend.
Review and Bible Study
Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.
Questions are taken directly from the chapters, and answers should be found and cited from the Scripture text in order to be Biblically accurate (unless asked to summarize in your own words). Study Bibles, commentaries and your own thoughts can be used for Discussion or Going Deeper questions. If you use these kinds of sources share them with your group.
1. Review of Class Topic: With your table group, discuss today’s presentation by summarizing what you learned, commenting or asking any questions.
Answers will vary…
Read Genesis Chapter 5 with your group then, to the best of your ability, answer the following questions:
2. Who was Seth (4:25-26; 5:3) and what was the importance of His mention since Adam and Eve had a lot of other children.
“Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.” Genesis 4:25-26
“When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. Then the days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:3-4
Seth was another son of Adam and Eve. Eve said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” Seth is important in the fact that he would go on to carry the “Promised Seed” in the lineage leading to the Messiah, Jesus. (See Luke 3:23-38)
3. Discuss: Where do you think Cain and Seth’s wives came from? Is there Scripture support?
Both Cain and Seth would have either married a sister or a niece. Scripture tells us (5:3-4) that Adam lived over 900 years and had many other sons and daughters. We must remember that at this early point in human history God had not forbidden close family marriage. Scientifically speaking the human population, and therefore the DNA, would be very pure at this time. Mutations and disease would not come into play until several thousand years from now. This would be the only way to begin the human population and it would grow to be the only way to preserve families and tribes/clans for work, food gathering and protection. We see this through most of Genesis until the time of Moses where God will put in place family boundaries for marriage in the Law.
4. Going Deeper: Contrast the line of descendants from Cain with that of Seth by making a chart, or list, of their genealogies (4:17 – 5:32), include their age of death (if listed) and anything relevant or interesting about their lives. Share some of the things you observe or have questions about.
Adam had Seth at age 130 and he lived a total of 903 years
| Cain’s line (no ages are given) | Seth’s line (Seth lived to 912) |
| Enoch | Enosh – 905 |
| Irad | Kenan – 910 |
| Mehujael | Mahalalel – 895 |
| Methushael | Jared – 962 |
| Lamech (took 2 wives) | Enoch – 365 (then God took him, he did not die a natural death) |
| From Adah: Jabal and Jubal From Zillah: Tubal-cain and Naamah (sister) | Methuselah – 969
(His name can mean: “When he dies, judgment will come”) He died in the year of the Flood. |
| Cain’s line then disappears from the record… | Lamech – 777 |
| Noah – 950
(His name means: “he will give us rest or peace”) |
Other comments and questions may vary…
Going Even Deeper: For further research we can explore the meaning of all these names in more depth. Hebrew names in the Bible usually have meaning that points to the person’s life or character. Sometimes names are changed in the course of their life (like Jacob to Israel), and sometimes names are related to prophecy or future events.
5. Research and discuss: What is the importance of genealogies in the Bible? Chart Jesus’ genealogy back to Adam.
- The main importance of the genealogies in the Bible is to point to Jesus. Everything in Scripture is pointing, picturing and foreshadowing Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of the Genesis 3:15 Promise. Jewish people, up to the time of Jesus, could also account for their tribal identity through protected records like the Biblical one.
- After the time of Jesus, and the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in 70 A.D., Jews no longer had access to these kinds of records, and today can no longer identify with a specific Jewish Tribe. All this to show God’s hand in the records that helps believers know that Jesus is the Messiah, and promised savior of the world from the beginning.
- We find two genealogies in the New Testament for Jesus: One in Matthew that traces His human line from his “step-father” Joseph; and the other in Luke that traces His promised line all the way back to Adam from Mary’s line.
Jesus genealogy back to Adam can be traced as follows:
“When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Hesli, the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Heber, the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.” Luke 3:23-38
Note: I bolded and underlined some of the important Biblical names that we read about, and that are specifically related to Covenants later on in the Old Testament.
Please continue to join us as we read and study the Bible as part of our Christian Apologetics’ class each week!
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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in! Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.
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Teri Dugan
TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com
1 Peter 3:15
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