Genesis 5:1–3

Context

Genesis 5 records a ten-generation genealogy from Adam to Noah, and verses 1–3 serve as its introduction. The Hebrew word toledot, rendered "generations," means "account" or "genealogy" and appears repeatedly in Genesis as a marker that opens a new section. Verses 1–2 briefly restate the creation account of Genesis 1:26–28. Verse 3 presents Seth, born after the account of Cain and Abel, as the first son in the genealogy. The genealogy that follows repeats the formula "he begat … and he died" through Enoch down to Noah. The word "man" in verse 2 is the Hebrew adam, a term that refers to male and female together and is also the name of the first man.

Interpretation

• The image as continuing: A number of commentators hold that this passage shows that human beings still bear the image of God even after the Fall. Genesis 9:6 is cited alongside it on the same grounds.
• The transmission of sin: Some commentators in the Reformed tradition read the "likeness of God" in verse 1 against Adam's "own likeness" in verse 3. They take this to mean that Seth inherited Adam's fallen nature and connect it with the doctrine of original sin, according to which Adam's sin is passed on to his descendants.
• Sonship: One view in modern Old Testament scholarship notes that the words "likeness" and "image" in verse 3 are the same terms used in verse 1 to describe the relationship between God and humanity. On this view, the relationship between God and humanity is likened to that of a father and a son. It is discussed together with Luke 3:38, which calls Adam "the son of God."

Debates and Issues

• How severely the image was damaged: The Reformed tradition holds that the image was severely marred but that traces of it remain. Martin Luther is generally understood to have emphasized that the image, understood as original righteousness, was lost. John Wesley is generally understood to have distinguished several aspects of the image and to have taught that the moral image among them was lost in the Fall.
• A direct basis for original sin?: The text of verse 3 does not mention sin directly. For this reason some argue that the verse should be read together with other passages rather than treated as direct proof of the doctrine of original sin.
• Manuscripts and chronology: Adam's age at the birth of Seth is 130 years in the Hebrew Masoretic Text and 230 years in the Greek Septuagint. Some have attempted to calculate the chronology of human history by adding up the figures in chapter 5. Opinion is divided between those who hold that the genealogy may omit generations and those who hold that the calculation stands as written. This question is also connected to the discussion of creation and evolution.

Related Passages

• Genesis 1:26–28
• Genesis 4:25–26
• Genesis 9:6
• Luke 3:38
• 1 Corinthians 15:49