Genesis 5:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Jared fathered Enoch after 162 years, and Enoch lived 165 years before Methuselah was born. Adding these years results in a total of 1287 years. Furthermore, we can add an additional 969 years leading up to the Flood (Gen. 5:26-32, Gen. 7:6), yielding a total of 2256 years from the moment of creation to the deluge. This calculation aligns with the chronology found in the Greek and Church Slavonic texts of the Bible, corroborated by ancient Samaritan records and the writings of Josephus. Notably, the Greek account of pre-Flood chronology indicates roughly 600 additional years compared to the Hebrew version, where each of the first six patriarchs becomes a father a century earlier than reported in the Hebrew Scriptures. The challenge of satisfactorily explaining this disparity does not undermine the fundamental truths of salvation found within the Scriptures.

Secondly, the striking longevity of the patriarchs from the pre-Flood and until the time of Abraham has faced skepticism from some who find it implausible that individuals could live for centuries. They suggest that Moses’ descriptions of their ages may have been a figurative transformation from years to months, as practiced by ancient Egyptians. However, this interpretation lacks support in the narrative provided by Moses. In his account of the Flood, he distinctly differentiates between a year and a month of thirty days. For instance, he mentions, “In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the month, the springs of the abyss broke open” (Gen. 7:11). Moreover, it is impossible to condense the year before and after the Flood into only three and eight months, respectively. Moses clearly refers to approximately 12 months throughout the Flood year. The Flood began on the 17th of the second month during Noah's 600th year and concluded on the 27th of the second month in his 601st year (Gen. 8:13-14). Moses accounts for 150 days (or five months) of the flood's intensity and describes how the waters gradually receded on the 17th of the seventh month—April—and on the first of the tenth month—July—over 40 days and three weeks, leading to the earth's restoration on the first of the first month. If one were to equate the patriarchs’ years with our months, it would imply that several patriarchs fathered children at impossibly early ages. For example, Arphaxad lived 500 years but would have had to become a father at just 12 years old (whereas Scripture states he became a father at 135 (Gen. 11:12-13)), and Terah, Abraham's father, would have had a son when he was merely six (Gen. 11:26-32). Another inconsistency arises with Jacob, who, at 130 years, expressed to Pharaoh sorrow over his limited years, indicating that his lifespan did not approach that of his ancestors (Gen. 47:9). If indeed his forefathers lived merely 500, 300, and 200 months, Jacob’s lament would be unfounded, as he would surpass both his immediate ancestors and the patriarchs before the Flood. The remarkable longevity of these patriarchs reflects Divine Providence: their extended lives facilitated the flourishing of humanity, allowing for greater wisdom and life experience, thus preparing them to guide succeeding generations in deeply primitive times. This preservation of divine revelation and sacred traditions among the true worshippers of God was crucial when the written Word of God had not yet been established. In those times, the patriarchs served as living, faithful vessels of God's revelations. They could communicate divine truths over centuries; for instance, Noah might have conversed with Maleel, and Maleel with Adam. Methuselah, who lived until the Flood, could share the teachings he received from Enos, son of Seth. Consequently, the purity of both later and original revelations from Adam in Paradise could endure through the post-Flood world. In addition to divine oversight, natural factors contributed to the longevity of these patriarchs—profound natural resources, a way of life in harmony with nature, and the human condition retaining more primitive health, ensuring fewer hereditary ailments passed to successive generations. These elements distinctively underscore the advantages of primitive life compared to later periods.

Lastly, it is important to note the patriarch Enoch, who stands apart in this genealogical account. His life and birth record is noted, but uniquely, it is said of him, “And Enoch walked with God, and he was not found, for God took him” (Gen. 5:24). The phrase ‘walked with God’ signifies his deep spiritual fellowship with the Lord, cultivating a relationship through faith and love that drew God’s special favor, potentially even experiencing divine manifestations akin to those enjoyed by Adam in Paradise. His disappearance indicates that God had transformed him. The Apostle states, “By faith Enoch was taken so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God had taken him” (Heb. 11:5). This event mirrors the experience of the prophet Elijah, who was taken to heaven without dying (2 Kings 2:10), and foreshadows what will occur for those who are alive at Christ's second coming—they will be transformed alongside the resurrected, becoming incorruptible at the last trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). Enoch was ushered into glory without facing death or illness, a miraculous event meant to inspire some during a time marked by universal mortality and decay, as well as to bolster faith in eternal life and the promise of immortality. Furthermore, Enoch serves as a model of repentance for his contemporaries, illustrating the rewards of repentance through his life and prophetic messages. The apostle Jude cites Enoch's prophetic declaration: “Behold, the Lord comes with thousands of His holy ones to execute judgment…” (Jude 1:14-15). While certain apocryphal texts attributed to Enoch contain misleading ideas, it is clear that the genuine prophetic messages he conveyed to his generation were preserved through oral tradition, distinctly unraveled from wider speculative fables.