Friday, September 5, 2008

A Hidden Message from Adam's Family

When reading the Bible, have your eyes ever glazed over some of the long lists of names recorded? Sure, it may not be the most important thing to read who begat whom and who lived until how many years, but did you know there's a message hidden within the genealogy of Adam?

Right at the start of the Bible, in Genesis 5, God lists several generations of Adam's descendants (I've set it out below - you needn't read it through carefully, just get a rough idea of what it's about!): 

Genesis 5
1 This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. 3 And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 4 After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters. 5 So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died. 6 Seth lived one hundred and five years, and begot Enosh. 7 After he begot Enosh, Seth lived eight hundred and seven years, and had sons and daughters. 8 So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died. 9 Enosh lived ninety years, and begot Cainan.[a] 10 After he begot Cainan, Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and had sons and daughters. 11 So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years; and he died. 12 Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Mahalalel. 13 After he begot Mahalalel, Cainan lived eight hundred and forty years, and had sons and daughters. 14 So all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years; and he died. 15 Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and begot Jared. 16 After he begot Jared, Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years, and had sons and daughters. 17 So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years; and he died. 18 Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch. 19 After he begot Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 20 So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years; and he died. 21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. 22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. 25 Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech. 26 After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters. 27 So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died. 28 Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son. 29 And he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed.” 30 After he begot Noah, Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and had sons and daughters. 31 So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years; and he died. 32 And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 

Whew! So the sons of Adam listed are: Adam, Seth, Enosh, Cainan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech and Noah. (Note: we are stopping at Noah, and not mentioning his three sons - they have separate genealogies)

Let's take a look at what their names mean...

ADAM - means "man", from adomah (man).

SETH - means "appointed". The 3rd mentioned son of Adam and Eve. When he was born, Eve said, "For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed." (Genesis 4:25)

ENOSH - means "mortal", "frail" or "miserable". From the root anash, meaning to be incurable, grief, woe, sickness.

CAINAN - (also Kenan/Qenan) from one of three words, one meaning "spear", another "dirge, chant, elegy (a song/poem of sorrow or lamentation", and a third meaning "sorrow".

MAHALALEL - means "the blessed God". From mahalal (blessed) and El (God).

JARED - means "shall come down". From the verb yaradh (shall come down).

ENOCH - means "teaching" or "commencement". From the verb hanak, meaning dedicate, begin, also imprint, instruct, make wise. 

METHUSELAH - means "his death shall bring". From muth (death) and shalach (to bring, to send forth). The flood began the year that Methuselah died.

LAMECH - means "despairing". The name still exists in the English word "lament".

NOAH - means "to bring relief", "rest" or "comfort". His father Lamech says in Genesis 5:29 - "And he called his name Noah, saying, "this one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands..."

SO...... Put together, what is the hidden message?

Adam Seth Enosh Cainan Mahalalel Jared Enoch Methuselah Lamech Noah 
-->
Man Appointed Mortal Sorrow The Blessed God Shall come down Teaching His death shall bring (The) despairing Rest

Amen!
                


No comments: