Jared

Biblical Record

Jared appears in the genealogy from Adam to Noah recorded in Genesis 5. This genealogy traces the descendants of Seth, and Jared belongs to the sixth generation from Adam. According to Genesis 5:15-16, Mahalaleel was sixty-five years old when he became the father of Jared. Genesis 5:18-20 records that Jared was 162 years old when he became the father of Enoch, that he lived 800 more years and had other children, and that he died at the age of 962. Of those listed in the genealogy, only Methuselah (969 years) lived longer.

Beyond his name, his age, and his children, Scripture records no deeds or events from Jared's life.

Significance Within Scripture

Jared appears as a link in the genealogy connecting the generations before the Flood. 1 Chronicles 1:2 lists his name again in the genealogy that begins with Adam. In the New Testament, he appears in the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Luke 3:37: "which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared." Jude 1:14 calls Enoch "the seventh from Adam," an expression that presupposes the Genesis genealogy, which counts Jared as the sixth generation.

Interpretations and Debates

• Lifespans and numbers: The Masoretic Text (the standard text of the Hebrew Bible today) and the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament) generally give the same figures for Jared's age. Some manuscript traditions, however, such as the Samaritan Pentateuch, are reported to give different numbers. Interpretations of these long lifespans vary. Some read them as literal years, while others see symbolic significance in the genealogical numbers. Still others hold that generations may have been omitted from the genealogy.
• Meaning of the name: The Hebrew name is sometimes explained as related to a word meaning "descent." The Book of Enoch, a pseudepigraphal work (an ancient Jewish writing not included in the canon), relates that angels descended to earth in the days of Jared. This account is not found in the text of Genesis and belongs to later Jewish tradition.
• Similarity to the line of Cain: Scholars frequently note the similarity between Jared's name and that of Irad in the genealogy of Cain in Genesis 4. Views differ on how the relationship between the two genealogies should be understood.
• A figure of the same name in other scriptures: A "Jared" also appears in the Book of Ether in the Book of Mormon, which The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regards as scripture. This figure is portrayed as living in the time of the Tower of Babel and is a different person from the Jared of Genesis.

In the Korean Church

Because no deeds of Jared are recorded, sermons devoted to him are rare. Readers typically encounter him when reading Genesis 5 in the course of reading through the Bible. His name is mentioned in sermons and Sunday school lessons on Enoch or Methuselah when their family line is introduced.