3 replies to this topic

[warren]

There isn't a Tanach questions forum, so I figured Jewish History was the best forum for this.

I was looking at Bereshit 5, which lists the generations from Adam to Noach and his sons, which generally follows the pattern

And Dad lived X years, and begot Son.
And Dad lived after he begot Son Y years, and begot sons and daughters.
And all the days of Dad were Z years, and he died.

I had always thought that the second verse meant that Y years passed between his first son and his second child, but I never paid attention to the numbers, but this time noticed that each time, Z=X+Y, so it's actually that he lived X years, had one son, and then Y more years, during which he had more children.

So what's the need to tell us all three numbers? It could say he lived X years, begot Son and more sons and daughters, and all his days were Z and he died. Or it could say he lived X years, begot Son, lived Y years and begot sons and daughters, and died.

Bereshit 11 gets by with only two numbers:
And Dad lived X years, and begot Son
And Dad lived after he begot Son Y years, and begot sons and daughters.

[spectra]

It shows that Lamech died before his father Methuselah, and that the time for the flood came when Methuselah died.

Methuselah was 187 when he became the father of Lamech. Lamech was 182 when he became the father of Noah, which comes to 369 years. Noah was 600 when the flood came. And Methuselah died at the age of 969. The flood came the year Methuselah died.

It also shows the patience of God as Methuselah is the one recorded as living the longest. Another thing I notice is that Methuselah's father Enoch had no age limit as to a day of death. He was taken away.

[spectra]

Also, when Noah was born his father Lamech announced the end of an age as he named his son Noah.

Lamech was 113 when his grandfather Enoch was taken away. 69 years before Noah was born.

[israeli4ever]

<snip>
Another thing I notice is that Methuselah's father Enoch had no age limit as to a day of death. He was taken away.

It does give an age, 365 years, it just doesn't say that he "died" it says "Enoch was no longer, for God took him"
Gen. 5:23-24