Genesis 4:18
in Genesis 4Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methusael, and Methusael was the father of Lamech.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael; and Mehujael begat Methushael; and Methushael begat Lamech.
KJV
And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.
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This verse in Genesis 4
Commentary
5 notes on this verseAnd unto Enoch was born Irad,.... But of neither of them is any other mention made, either in sacred or profane history; nor is it said how old Enoch was when Irad was born, nor how long he lived after; as is recorded of Adam, Seth, and their posterity: and Irad begat Mehujael, and Mehujael begat Methusael; of whom also we have no other account: and Methusael begat Lamech; and it seems for the sake of Lamech that the genealogy of Cain's posterity is described and carried down thus far, some things being to be taken notice of concerning him.
This site's exposition
to Enoch was born Irad
on Genesis 4:18-19
The line runs seven names from Cain and then stops, with Irad, Mehujael, Methusael and Lamech carrying it from Enoch to the end. Lamech married two women, the first man in Scripture to do so. Adah and Zillah are named together.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
The text runs: "Methushael begot Lamech, who took two wives: the name of the one was Ada, and the name of the other Sella. And Ada brought forth Jobel; who was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of herdsmen. His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the psaltery and cittara. Sella bore Tobel; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tobel was Noema." This is as far as the line of descent from Cain is carried. There are eight generations in all, including Adam. The seventh is that of Lamech, who was the husband of two wives; the eighth is that of his children, among whom is the woman who is mentioned by name. What is here delicately intimated is that to the very end of its existence the earthly city will be propagated by physical births proceeding from the union of the sexes. This is why we are given the proper names of the wives of the last man mentioned as begetting children—a practice unheard of before the flood, except in the case of Eve.
That Cain remained alive until the seventh generation is clear. First, … it had been so decreed concerning him. Second, the length of the lives of those first generations also testifies to it.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Moreover, Enoch begot Irad, and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech, who took two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the other was Zillah, and Adah bore Jabal.
The words behind it
16 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּוָּלֵ֤ד | vaiyivaled | and he was born | H3205 → | 496 times |
| לַֽחֲנוֹךְ֙ | lachanokh | to Enoch | H2585 → | 16 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| עִירָ֔ד | ʾirad | Irad | H5897 → | |
| וְעִירָ֕ד | veirad | and Irad | H5897 → | |
| יָלַ֖ד | yalad | he fathered | H3205 → | 496 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מְחֽוּיָאֵ֑ל | mechuyael | Mehujael | H4232 → | |
| וּמְחִיּיָאֵ֗ל | umechiyael | and Mehujael | H4232 → | |
| יָלַד֙ | yalad | he fathered | H3205 → | 496 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מְת֣וּשָׁאֵ֔ל | metushael | Methushael | H4967 → | |
| וּמְתוּשָׁאֵ֖ל | umetushael | and Methushael | H4967 → | |
| יָלַ֥ד | yalad | he fathered | H3205 → | 496 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| לָֽמֶךְ׃ | lamekh | Lamech | H3929 → | 11 times |
וַיִּוָּלֵ֤דand he was born
vaiyivaledH3205 →496 times
לַֽחֲנוֹךְ֙to Enoch
lachanokhH2585 →16 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
עִירָ֔דIrad
ʾiradH5897 →
וְעִירָ֕דand Irad
veiradH5897 →
יָלַ֖דhe fathered
yaladH3205 →496 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מְחֽוּיָאֵ֑לMehujael
mechuyaelH4232 →
וּמְחִיּיָאֵ֗לand Mehujael
umechiyaelH4232 →
יָלַד֙he fathered
yaladH3205 →496 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מְת֣וּשָׁאֵ֔לMethushael
metushaelH4967 →
וּמְתוּשָׁאֵ֖לand Methushael
umetushaelH4967 →
יָלַ֥דhe fathered
yaladH3205 →496 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
לָֽמֶךְ׃Lamech
lamekhH3929 →11 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
6 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 36:2Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite,
it leads to
- Genesis 36:25
These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah.
- Genesis 28:9
Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, in addition to the wives he already had.
- Genesis 27:46
Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a Hittite wife from among them, what good is my life?”
- Genesis 9:25
he said, “Cursed be Canaan! A servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”
- Genesis 26:34–35
When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.
- Genesis 36:25
Through
Genesis 5:21When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah.
it leads to
- Luke 3:37
the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan,
- Luke 3:37
Where this verse is studied
About Genesis
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Augustine of Hippo, City of God 15.17; Bede, Commentary on Genesis (Hexaemeron); Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON GENESIS 3.9.4; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.