Chapter 5:
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| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
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Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 Revelation Exodus
Genesis 5
This chapter is the only authentic history extant of the first age
of the world from the creation to the flood, containing (according
to the Hebrew text) 1656 years. The genealogy here recorded is
inserted briefly in the pedigree of our saviour, Luke iii, 36, 37.
and is of great use to shew that Christ was the seed of the woman,
that was promised. We have here an account,
I. Concerning Adam, ver. 1-5.
II. Seth, ver. 6-8.
III. Enos, ver. 9-11.
IV. Cainan, ver. 12-14.
V. Mahalaleel, ver. 15-17.
VI. Jared, ver. 18-20.
VII. Enoch, ver. 21-24.
VIII. Mathuselah, ver. 25-27.
IX. Lamech and his son Noah, ver. 28-32.
Verse 1. The first words of the chapter are the title of argument of the
whole chapter; it is the book of the generations of Adam - It is the
list or catalogue of the posterity of Adam, not of all, but only of
the holy seed, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came;
the names, ages, and deaths of those that were the successors of
the first Adam in the custody of the promise, and the ancestors of
the second Adam.
Verses 1,2. Where we have a brief rehearsal of what was before at large
related concerning the creation of man. This is what we have need
frequently to hear of, and carefully to acquaint ourselves with.
Observe here.
1. That God created man. Man is not his own maker, therefore he
must not be his own master; but the author of his being must be
the director of his motions, and the center of them.
2. That there was a day in which God created man, he was not
from eternity, but of yesterday; he was not the first-born, but the
junior of the creation.
3. That God made him in his own likeness, righteous and holy,
and therefore undoubtedly happy; man's nature resembled the
divine nature more than that of any of the creatures of this lower
world.
4. That God created them male and female, ver. 2, for their mutual
comfort, as well as for the preservation and increase of their kind.
Adam and Eve were both made immediately by the hand of God,
both made in God's likeness; and therefore between the sexes
there is not that great difference and inequality which some
imagine.
5. That God blessed them. It is usual for parents to bless their
children, so God the common Father blessed his; but earthly
parents can only beg a blessing, it is God's prerogative to
command it. It refers chiefly to the blessing of increase, not
excluding other blessings.
Verse 2. He called their name Adam - He gave this name both to the
man and the woman. Being at first one by nature, and afterwards
one by marriage; it was fit they should both have the same name,
in token of their union. See note - part two at - "ver. 1"
Verse 3. Seth was born in the 130th year of Adam's life, and probably
the murder of Abel was not long before. Many other sons and
daughters were born to Adam besides Cain and Abel before this;
but no notice is taken of them, because an honourable mention
must be made of his name only, in whose loins Christ and the
church were. But that which is most observable here concerning
Seth, is, that Adam begat him in his own likeness after his image -
Adam was made in the image of God; but when he was fallen and
corrupted, he begat a son in his own image, sinful and defiled,
frail and mortal, and miserable like himself; not only a man like
himself, consisting of body and soul; but a sinner like himself,
guilty and obnoxious, degenerate and corrupt. He was conceived
and born in sin, Psalm li, 5. This was Adam's own likeness, the
reverse of that Divine likeness in which Adam was made; but
having lost it himself he could not convey it to his seed.
Verse 5. In the day Adam ate forbidden fruit, he became mortal, he
began to die; his whole life after was but a forfeited condemned
life, nay it was a wasting dying life; he was not only like a
criminal sentenced, but as one already crucified, that dies slowly
and by degrees.
Verses 6-19. We have here all that the Holy Ghost
thought fit to leave upon record concerning five of the patriarchs
before the flood, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, and Jared. There
is nothing observable concerning any of those particularly, tho' we
have reason to think they were men of eminency, both for
prudence and piety: But in general, observe how largely and
expressly their generations are recorded. We are told how long
they lived that lived in God's fear, and when they died, that died
in his favour; but as for others it is no matter: the memory of the
just is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot. That which is
especially observable, is, that they all lived very long; not one of
them died 'till he had seen the revolution of almost eight hundred
years, and some of them much longer; a great while for an
immortal soul to be imprisoned in an house of clay. The present
life surely was not to them such a burden as commonly it is now,
else they would have been weary of it; nor was the future life so
clearly revealed then, as it is now under the gospel, else they
would have been impatient to remove it. Some natural causes may
be assigned for their long life in those first ages. It is very
probable that the earth was more fruitful, the products of it more
strengthening, the air more healthful, and the influences of the
heavenly bodies more benign before the flood than they were
after. Though man was driven out of paradise, yet the earth itself
was then paradisaical; a garden in comparison with its present
state: and some think, that their knowledge of the creatures and
their usefulness both, for their food and medicine, together with
their sobriety and temperance, contributed much to it; yet we do
not find that those who were intemperate, as many were, Luke
xvii, 27, as short-lived as temperate men generally are now. It
must therefore chiefly be resolved into the power and providence
of God; he prolonged their lives, both for the more speedy
replenishing of the earth, and for the more effectual preservation
of the knowledge of God and religion, then when there was no
written word, but tradition was the channel of its conveyance. All
the patriarchs here (except Noah) were born before Adam died, so
that from him they might receive a full account of the creation,
paradise, the fall, the promise, and those divine precepts which
concerned religious worship and a religious life: and if any
mistake arose, they might have recourse to him while he lived, as
to an oracle, for the rectifying of it, and after his death to
Methuselah, and others that had conversed with him; so great was
the care of Almighty God to preserve in his church the knowledge
of his will, and the purity of his worship. See note at "ver. 6"
Verse 22. And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah - To
walk with God, is to set God always before us, and to act as those
that are always under his eye. It is to live a life of communion
with God, both in ordinances and providences; it is to make God's
word our rule, and his glory our end, in all our actions; it is to
make it our constant care and endeavour in every thing to please
God, and in nothing to offend him; it is to comply with his will, to
concur with his designs, and to be workers together with him. He
walked with God after he begat Methuselah, which intimates, that
he did not begin to be eminent for piety 'till about that time.
Verse 24. He was not, for God took him - That is, as it is explained,
Heb. xi, 5, he was translated that he should not see death; and was
not found, because God had translated him. But why did God take
him so soon? Surely because the world, which was now grown
corrupt, was not worthy of him. Because his work was done, and
done the sooner for his minding it so closely. He was not, for God
took him - He was not any longer in this world: it was not the
period of his being, but of his being here. He was not found; so
the apostle explains it from the seventy; not found by his friends,
who sought him, as the sons of the prophets sought Elijah, 2
Kings ii, 17. God took him body and soul to himself in the
heavenly paradise, by the ministry of angels, as afterwards he
took Elijah. He was changed, as those saints shall be that will be
found alive at Christ's second coming.
Verse 25. Methuselah signifies, He dies, there is a sending forth, viz. of
the deluge, which came the very year that Methuselah died. If his
name was so intended, it was a fair warning to a careless world
long before the judgment came. However, this is observable, that
the longest liver that ever was, carried death in his name, that he
might be minded of its coming surely, tho' it came slowly. He
lived nine hundred sixty and nine years, the longest we read of
that ever any man lived on earth, and yet he died: the longest liver
must die at last. Neither youth nor age will discharge from that
war, for that is the end of all men: none can challenge life by long
prescription, nor make that a plea against the arrests of death. 'Tis
commonly supposed, that Methuselah died a little before the
flood; the Jewish writers say, seven days before, referring to chap.
vii, 10, and that he was taken away from the evil to come.
Verse 29. This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of
our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed -
Very probably there were some prophecies that went before of
him, as a person that should be wonderfully serviceable to his
generation.
Verse 32. And Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth - These Noah begat
(the eldest of these) when he was six hundred years old. It should
seem that Japheth was the eldest, chap. x, 21, but Shem is put
first, because on him the covenant was entailed, as appears by
chap. ix, 26, where God is called the Lord God of Shem. To him
'tis probable the birthright was given, and from him 'tis certain
both Christ the head, and the church the body, were to descend;
therefore he is called Shem, which signifies a name, because in
his posterity the name of God should always remain, 'till He
should come out of his loins, whose name is above every name; so
that in putting Shem first, Christ was in effect put first, who in all
things must have the pre-eminence. For the glory of God's justice,
and for warning to a wicked world, before the history of the ruin
of the old world we have a full account of its degeneracy, its
apostacy from God, and rebellion against him. The destroying of
it was an act not of absolute sovereignty, but of necessary justice
for the maintaining of the honour of God's government.
Chapter 5:
| Calvin
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 Revelation Exodus
This version of Wesley's Notes on the Bible is a derivative of an electronic version, Copyright 1997, by Sulu D. Kelley. All rights reserved. Used by permission. It may not be modified or used commercially without permission of Wesleyan Heritage Publishing and Sulu Kelley. A special thanks to Mr. Kelley and Wesleyan Heritage Publishing for permission to create and post this version of Wesley's Notes on the Bible.
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