The Generations Of Adam

In July 2022, Tom Randle (UCG Twin Cities) gave a message called The Generations of Adam [1]. One of the things he discussed was the overlap of the lives of the descendants of Adam to Jacob. And he provided a full color chart showing their life spans. I plan to expand on "The Generations of Adam" by discussing the meanings of their names. Why focus on the names? Names in the Bible are significant. Larry Walker (UCG Medford) discussed names in the Bible in a message titled What's in a Name [2]. One thing he said is “The importance of a name by the Biblical writer can not be overstated.” The Bible often records why a person is given the name they have. It surprised me to learn that according to some scholars, the names of Adam's descendants reveal a message.

---

If you like this (or not), check out my other articles at the
Between The Ears BLOG INDEX, with titles and summaries.

And click the "Follow" button so you don't miss an article.

---

Adam's Family

Let's start with the first family.

Adam - means MAN(kind) | Red | One From The Soil | Beginning

Gen 1:26 JPS And God said: 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...

MAN in Gen 1:26 is the Hebrew word Adam, Adam is related to Dam, meaning blood, hence the meaning "red". Ha'adam usually means "the man" or "mankind", see Gen 4:1. Adamah is "dirt" or "ground".

Strongs 120 [3]

 Eve - means LIFE.

Gen 3:20 KJV And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 

In Hebrew her name was Chavva. She was called Chavva because she was the mother of all Chayya, Hebrew for life.

This is an example where the Bible tells why she was named Chavva.

 Strongs 2332 [4]

Cain - means GOTTEN | POSSESSION | ACQUISITION | SMITH, as in Tubal-cain

Gen 4:1 KJV Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, I have acquired a man from the LORD.

The Bible tells us why he was named CAIN.

Strongs 7014 [5]

Abel - means BREATH | FUTILE | WORTHLESS | VANITY | TRANSITORY

Gen 4:2 Then she bore again [She continued to bear], this time his brother Abel. 

A familiar verse that mentions Abel is Ecclesiastes 1:2 KJV "Vanity of vanities". In English, it could read "Abel of Abels", or "Breath of Breaths". These don't make sense to me but words can have multiple meanings, and they can change over time.

Strongs 1892 [6] and 1893 [7]

 Seth - means APPOINTED | COMPENSATION | SUBSTITUTE|

Gen 4:25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bore a son, and called his name Seth: 'for God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel; for Cain slew him.'

Again we know why he was named Seth. Seth comes from a verb that means put or set.

Strongs 8352 [8]

DIY

Before we look at the descendants of Seth, let me show how to look up this info for yourself. Before the Internet, you would need several books. Now it's much easier.

https://biblehub.com/ [9] - Shows multiple translations of a single verse. Search the Bible or Commentaries for a word or phrase. It also shows the Hebrew, word by word, with hyperlinks to Strong’s Concordance (BibleHub's own).

http://www.qbible.com/hebrew-old-testament [10] - Gives the Hebrew, transliteration, and KJV. Again with hyperlinks to Strong’s, but a different Strong’s than BibleHub links to, called lexiconcordance.com [11].

https://www.abarim-publications.com/ [12] - Detailed info on every name and place in the Bible. Lots of research here. Often gives multiple explanations for  name.

Or, just do Internet search for "meaning of names from adam to noah". These will probably be among the results.

https://www.christiantruthcenter.com/the-first-generation-from-adam/ [13]

https://bible-codes.org/Names-Bible-Prophecy-Code.htm [14]

The Rest of the Names

Gen 5 gives the descendants from Adam to Noah - Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah. These ten names represent 1600 years of history. We've already looked at Adam and Seth, so starting with Enosh.

Enosh - means |Subject to death/Man(kind) | MORTAL | Weak But Social|

Strongs 583 [15] and 582 [16]

Kenan | Cainan - means |Sorrowful | POSSESSION | Networker, Composer|

It is the same name as Cain with an additional N, how that changes the meaning is unknown.

Strongs 7018 [17] and 7064 [18]

Mahalalel - means |From the presence of God | PRAISE OF GOD|

This is a combination of MAHALAL (Praise) and EL (God). It is similar to HALLELUJAH which means praise God (YHVH). Only one source has "presence of God"

Strongs 4111 [19]

Jared - means |One comes down | DESCENT|

Only one source has "One comes down".

Strongs3382 [20] and 3381 [21]

Enoch - means |Dedicated | Inaugurated | Trained|

Strongs 2585 [22]

Methuselah - means |Dying he shall send | When He Is Dead It Shall Be Sent | When he dies, send it | man of the dart/spear|

Opinions differ on the meaning of Methuselah. The verb מות (mut) means to die or kill. The noun מת (mat) is a word for man. Scholars differ on whether it should be die or man, see below. One compelling fact favoring mut over mat is that the year Methuselah died, God sent the flood. The verb שלח (shalach) means to send. His name appears prophetic, and it could have dual fulfilments, meaning "send the flood" or "send the Holy Spirit".

Strongs 4968 [23]

Lamech naming Noah

Lamech - means |To the poor and lowly | Strong Man For Humiliation | powerful|

The word למך (lmk) does not occur in Hebrew. It could be a combination of le (to) and muk (to be low or depressed) - abarim.com(Lamech) [24].

Strongs 3929 [25]

Noah - means |REST | COMFORT|

Gen 5:28 When Lamech was 182 years old, he had a son. 29 And he named him Noah, saying, May this one comfort us in the labor and toil of our hands caused by the ground that the LORD has cursed.

In Hebrew, Noah's name is just two letters (N-CH). Spelled backwards, it is CHEN, meaning grace. Gen 6:8 "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD". Noah means REST. Significantly, the competing lineage of Cain, ends up in the land of Nod, which means Restless Wandering.

Strongs 5146 [26]

The Message

I see consensus on the meaning of most of the names, with a few where the experts disagree. A message does seem to emerge by stringing the names together. We will add some connector words to make better sense of it.

Christian Truth Center [27] puts the names together this way 

Man appointed subject to death, sorrowful, from the presence of God one comes down dedicated and dying He shall send to the poor and lowly rest and comfort.

Bible-Codes [28] puts the names together this way 

The God-man is appointed, a mortal man of sorrow is born! The Blessed God shall come down and teach that His death shall bring the grieving comfort and rest.

The Bible Made Plain [29] like this

Man is appointed mortal in his dwelling (earth). The praise of God (Jesus) came down to make disciples, was speared (pierced) by a man, who is unknown, to give rest (to mankind).

Here's my attempt. 

God appointed a man of sorrow. Praise God that a dedicated One shall come down. When He dies, He will send comfort and rest to the grieving. 

Is It True?

I find it interesting to play around with these names to make a story. Is it true? I don't believe there are accidents or coincidences in the Bible. But languages do change over time - consider the difference in English between the KJV and now - KJV Words [30]. That's in 400 years, the names of Adams descendants goes back 6000 years, and that is before the tower of Babel. Many scholars believe that Hebrew was the pre Babel language. The reason is because these very genealogies and place names only make sense in Hebrew. (EG: Eve is the mother of all living doesn't make sense in English). Some words are only used once in the Bible (400 words in the Old Testament are known as hapax legomena [31] meaning "spoken once"), and scholars can't be sure of the meaning of some of them. So we may not know the intended meaning of some of the names, but we do know many because they are given in Scripture. And a message does seem to come through, even using just the names where we ARE certain of their meaning. That message is "gospel-like" depending on one's definition of the gospel.

Bible-Codes [28]  claims that ALL the names from Adam to Jesus tell a story, according to the genealogies given in Matthew and Luke, that's over 70 names. Decide for yourself.

However, it could be a case of finding what we want to find. Hebrew scholars have looked at the names and concluded many of them are improperly translated,

So Is It True? Scholar vs Scholar

Peter Goeman [32], professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages, gives a couple reasons why he doesn't agree with the message in the names. He cites the source as Chuck Missler, who gave this in a lecture in 2013 [33], and in an online Q&A [34], which references a 1999 book by Missler called Cosmic Codes [35]. I don't know if Missler is the source of the idea, (it is the earliest reference I found). He  contends that "the idea that these names combine into secret message is grasping at something that just is not there." He explains that Hebrew word order is different from English, and that the message is different if one follows Hebrew rules. More problematic is that some of the names are mistranslated, which would change the meaning of the message. "The main point is that a translation of the sequence of names presupposes what it attempts to prove, relying on English rather than Hebrew."

Michael Heiser [36], Bible scholar, Author, and Semitic languages expert, also critiqued Missler's message in the names. He too had trouble accepting Missler's interpretation of several of the names. And that the message violated Hebrew rules of grammar. He also points out that the text should be understood according to the author's intent, not ours. More obvious is the question Heiser poses "WHY would God want to encrypt a message that is found elsewhere plainly in sight?"

Final Thoughts

I don't know enough Hebrew to enter this debate, though perhaps I did enter it by bringing it up. While Bible codes and hidden messages may boost the faith of a believer, I doubt that anyone will be persuaded of the gospel because of  them, especially when those messages are already plainly in the text. So, is it true? I have tried to present things so that you can decide for yourself. Perhaps topics like this are distractions from the Scriptures that have a straightforward meaning. Whether it is true or not, Peter asks a more important question.

2Peter 3:11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?

 Indeed, what sort of people ought we to be?

References

1. https://www.ucg.org/sermons/generations-of-adam

2. https://www.ucg.org/sermons/whats-in-a-name-12

3. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/0120.html

4. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/2332.html

5. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/7014.html

6. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/1892.html

7. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/1893.html

8. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/8352.html

9. https://biblehub.com/

10. http://www.qbible.com/hebrew-old-testament

11. http://lexiconcordance.com

12. https://www.abarim-publications.com/

13. https://www.christiantruthcenter.com/the-first-generation-from-adam/

14. https://bible-codes.org/Names-Bible-Prophecy-Code.htm

15. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/0583.html

16. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/0582.html

17. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/7018..html

18. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/7064.html

19. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/4111.html

20. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/3382.html

21. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/3381.html

22. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/2585.html

23. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/4968.html

24. https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Lamech.html

25. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/3929.html

26. http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/5146.html

27. https://www.christiantruthcenter.com/the-first-generation-from-adam/

28. https://bible-codes.org/Names-Bible-Prophecy-Code.htm

29. https://thebiblemadeplain.com/what-are-the-meaning-of-the-names-from-adam-to-noah/

30. https://www.gotquestions.org/KJV-words.html

31. https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/7236-hapax-legomena

32. https://petergoeman.com/bible-codes-and-the-secret-message-of-scripture/

33. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QdUhNY6DnY&t=414s

34. https://www.khouse.org/articles/2000/284/#notes

35. https://store.khouse.org/products/cosmic-codes-book

36. https://drmsh.com/allegorical-interpretation-names-genesis-5

A Tale Of Two Siblings

Am I the Shepherd's Shepherd?

Cain killed Abel. God marked Cain and drove him away. But before God pronounced sentence on Cain, He asked him, "Where is your brother Abel?" I have to think God knew the answer, but wanted to see what Cain would say. The response was "Am I my brother's keeper?" I read many years ago that Cain really said "Am I the shepherd's shepherd?" I thought that "shepherd's shepherd" was more clever than "brother's keeper". Well, I began to study Hebrew not quite as many years ago, and while I'm not fluent, I can read it a little. What I learned is what the verse really says is, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Just like all the translations said.

The translation "Am I the shepherd's shepherd" is out there. I found it in books and articles, some say it confidently, some explain the reasoning. I'll include more in the references, but here's a couple.

Cain’s response to God is an insolent witticism. Abel’s occupation is of course a keeper of flocks. Cain responds, literally, ‘Am I a shepherd to the shepherd?’ The implication that Genesis wants to convey is ‘yes! – you are responsible for your brother.’ - Crookedshore [1]

In the domain of shepherding, the shomer (the Hebrew word used for "keeper") is the keeper of the seedlot, the one who tends the sheep when they are not out grazing. Using this sense of the term. Cain is asking contemptuously, "Am I the shepherd's shepherd?" - The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis By Leon Kass [2]

I'll agree it may have been implied, but the Hebrew says "Am I my brother's shomer (keeper)?"

But that's not what I came here to say.

Twins??

I want to share something about Cain and Abel's birth. It's been the source of discussion since ancient times. The reason is that it's worded oddly in the Hebrew. In all the standard translations into English, it just appears that the boys are brothers, but here's how it reads in the J.P. Green literal translation.

And she continued to bear his brother, Abel. And Abel became a shepherd of flocks. And Cain became a tiller of the ground. - studylight.org [3]

Note Eve "continued to bear". Some rabbis suggest that means Cain and Abel were twins -  Genesis in Advance of Present Science [4]. Some say that all of Adam and Eve's children were born as twins, one boy and one girl - The Book of Genesis in Late Antiquity [5]. I favor the interpretation that Cain and Abel were twins. Supporting evidence below.

But that's not what I came here to say.

What's In A Name?

What's in a name? Maybe not so much in our names today, but Biblical names, especially in Genesis have meaning. Consider our cast of characters.

Adam - red clay, mankind, a man. The first several times "adam" is used in Genesis, it is "ha adam" or "the man". I assume God named Adam, but the name Adam is not used until Gen 2:20, after "the man" has named all the animals, as in "but for Adam there was not found a a helper suitable for him".

Eve - mother of all living. Adam definitely named Eve, in Hebrew her name is "Chavvah". If I may bend the translation of Gen 3:20 a little, "And the man called his wife's name Chavvah; because she was the mother of all chayyah (living)". It really says chay, but my version rhymes...

Cain - gotten, gained. It appears Eve named the boys. "There is some reason to believe from the expression, "I have gotten (qaniti) a man from the Lord" Genesis 4:1, that Eve herself had caught a glimpse of this meaning (Gen 3:15), though she applied it to the wrong party." - Barnes' Notes on the Bible [6]. Gen 3:15 reads "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; they shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise their heel." We view it as a prophecy of the Messiah, in fact "Genesis 3:15 is known by the term Protevangelium, or 'first gospel'—a prophetic picture of the time when Satan would be defeated by the woman’s triumphant 'Seed.'" - Answers In Genesis [7].

Seth's Line Is The Gospel

Abel - breath that vanishes, worthless. When Eve named Seth (Appointed) , the replacement for Abel, it appears she understood that Cain wasn't the seed to crush the serpent's head - Don Stewart [8]. But when she named Abel (Hevel), it reads like he is an afterthought because she already acquired Cain. Some say Hevel means worthless - Trivial Contemplations [9].

But that's not what I came here to say.

Connection To The Tabernacle

This is what I came here to say.

High Priest only allowed to
enter Holy of Holies
on Yom Kippur

The story of Cain and Abel foreshadows a ceremony at the Tabernacle thousands of years later. Consider this, the righteous one was killed, the guilty one was sent away. This is exactly what happens during Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement in English. Two goats were selected, one goat sacrificed for the Lord (who was treated more "humanely" than Abel), and one goat to be removed, Azazel in Hebrew often translated scapegoat in English. The Azazel goat bore the guilt of the nation of Israel.

Lev 16:5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two he-goats for a sin-offering, and one ram for a burnt-offering.
6 And Aaron shall present the bullock of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself, and for his house.
7 And he shall take the two goats, and set them before Jehovah at the door of the tent of meeting.
8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for Jehovah, and the other lot for Azazel.
9 And Aaron shall present the goat upon which the lot fell for Jehovah, and offer him for a sin-offering.
10 But the goat, on which the lot fell for Azazel, shall be set alive before Jehovah, to make atonement for him, to send him away for Azazel into the wilderness.

20 And when he hath made an end of atoning for the holy place, and the tent of meeting, and the altar, he shall present the live goat:
21 and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, even all their sins; and he shall put them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a man that is in readiness into the wilderness:
22 and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a solitary land: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. 

According to Jewish sources, the two goats were to look identical, preferably twins - Double Portion Inheritance [10]. Humanly, there was no way to tell them apart. Without God's inspiration, we could not tell right from wrong. After the High Priest cast lots, he would tie a red cord on a horn of the Azazel. The crimson red dye in the cord came from a grubworm - Gospel In A Grub [11]. Twin goats - twin brothers. Makes sense, evidence, not proof.


It's easy to see that Jesus the Messiah fulfilled the role of the first goat, sacrificed for the Lord. There are different interpretations of the Azazel goat. Some say it pictures Jesus, some say it pictures Satan. Based on Rev 20 and the book of Jude where stars picture angels, I personally believe that the Azazel pictures Satan, not Jesus. Cain was evil and guilty, and was sent away into the land of Nod (Wandering). Satan is evil and guilty, and will be sent away to the abyss and then to black darkness. Jesus is righteous and does not fit the symbolism associated with Cain or Azazel. You can read more about The Day of Atonement at United Church of God God's Holy Day Plan - Atonement [12]

Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,
3 and cast him into the abyss, and shut it , and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years should be finished: after this he must be loosed for a little time.

Jude 13 wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.

---

If you liked this article, you might also enjoy A Tale Of Two Sighs [13] or The Gospel In Six [14].

References

1. http://www.crookedshore.com/beginnings-in-genesis-the-shepherds-shepherd
2. https://books.google.com/books?id=H9RxCpsBPPsC&pg=PA142
3. https://www.studylight.org/bible/lit/genesis/4-2.html
4. https://books.google.com/books?id=xikpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA176&lpg=PA176
5. https://books.google.com/books?id=7YRFizhgCokC&pg=PA104&lpg=PA104
6. http://biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/genesis/3.htm
7. https://answersingenesis.org/sin/original-sin/lessons-from-the-fall/
8. https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_756.cfm
9. https://trivialcontemplations.wordpress.com/2014/06/07/cain-and-abel-the-story-of-accomplish-and-worthless/
10. http://doubleportioninheritance.blogspot.com/2011/05/twin-goats-on-yom-kippur-fulfilled-in_25.html
11. http://jlfreeman-1.blogspot.com/2016/04/i-am-worm-gospel-in-grub.html
12. https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/gods-holy-day-plan-the-promise-of-hope-for-all-mankind/atonement-removal
13. http://jlfreeman-1.blogspot.com/2015/06/a-tale-of-two-sighs.html
14. http://jlfreeman-1.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-gospel-in-six.html
See also
"Am I My Brother's Keeper?: Christian Citizenship in a Globalized Society" by Mark W. Scarlata
"On Stone and Scroll: Essays in Honour of Graham Ivor Davies" edited by James K. Aitken, Katharine J. Dell, Brian A. Mastin