Irad

Biblical Record

Irad appears in the genealogy of Cain recorded in Genesis 4:17–24. The genealogy begins with Cain and continues through Enoch, Irad, Mehujael, and Methusael to Lamech. Genesis 4:18 states, "And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael." Irad's father, Enoch, was the son of Cain, who named the city he built after this son, calling it Enoch (Genesis 4:17). The Bible records nothing about Irad's life, deeds, or age.

Significance within Scripture

Irad appears as one link in the line descending from Cain, the son of Adam. The genealogy closes with Lamech and his sons (Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal-cain), noting the beginnings of livestock herding, music, and metalworking. The text then turns to the line of Seth. The New Testament does not mention Irad. The genealogy of Jesus in Luke 3 likewise follows the line of Seth, so Irad does not appear in it.

Interpretation and Discussion

Irad's father, Enoch, is a different person from the Enoch of Seth's line in Genesis 5, who walked with God and was taken by God; the two merely share a name. Some scholars have noted that similar names appear in parallel in Cain's genealogy in Genesis 4 and Seth's genealogy in Genesis 5. Examples cited include Irad and Jared, Mehujael and Mahalaleel, and Methusael and Methuselah. Various views attempt to explain this similarity in terms of the relationship between the two genealogies, but scholars differ in their interpretations. The meaning of the name is also uncertain; only conjectures have been offered.

In the Korean Church

Because Irad is mentioned by name only once in the Bible, he is rarely the subject of sermons or Sunday school lessons in his own right. He is usually mentioned as one name within the genealogy when Genesis 4 is read or when Cain's line is explained. Both the Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version render the name as "Irat" (이랏).