Seth

Biblical Account

Seth appears in Genesis 4 and 5. According to Genesis 4:25, Adam and Eve had another son, and Eve named him Seth: "For God," said she, "hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew." The Hebrew name Shet (Seth) sounds like a verb meaning "to put" or "to give." Eve's words are understood as a wordplay on this sound.

Genesis 4:26 records that Seth fathered a son, Enos, and that "then began men to call upon the name of the LORD." According to the genealogy in Genesis 5:3–8, Adam at the age of 130 "begat a son in his own likeness, after his image," and named him Seth. Seth fathered Enos at 105, lived another 807 years, and died at the age of 912. This genealogy continues through Enoch and Methuselah to Noah. This is all that the Bible relates about Seth's life.

Significance Within Scripture

The latter part of Genesis 4 introduces the descendants of Cain, and chapter 5 the descendants of Seth. Many interpreters read this arrangement as indicating that the line of those who called upon God was not broken even after the death of Abel. 1 Chronicles 1:1 begins the genealogy of Israel with "Adam, Sheth, Enosh." In the New Testament, Luke 3:38, tracing the genealogy of Jesus Christ backward, reads: "Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God."

Interpretations and Debates

• "Image" in Genesis 5:3: The statement in Genesis 1:27 that humanity was created in the image of God is echoed in the statement that Seth bore Adam's image. Some interpret this to mean that the image of God is passed down from generation to generation. Others emphasize that Adam's condition after the Fall is passed on to his descendants.
• "The sons of God" (Genesis 6:2): One interpretation takes this expression to refer to the godly descendants of Seth and "the daughters of men" to refer to the descendants of Cain. Augustine and John Calvin, among others, are known to have held this view. Other interpretations identify the expression with angels or with ancient kings, and scholars across various denominations remain divided today.
• Extrabiblical traditions: The Jewish historian Josephus relates a tradition that Seth's descendants discovered astronomy and inscribed their knowledge on two pillars. The apocryphal Life of Adam and Eve tells of Seth journeying to Paradise on his father's behalf to seek the oil of mercy. Some ancient Gnostic groups exalted Seth as a recipient of revelation. None of these stories appears in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

In Sunday school, Seth is usually introduced briefly as a figure who appears after the story of Cain and Abel. In sermons, the verse "then began men to call upon the name of the LORD" is often interpreted as marking the beginning of worship and prayer. The "line of Seth" is also commonly treated as a symbol of a "godly line" that passes faith on to the next generation.