Catholic Commentary on Genesis 5

"Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away." (Genesis 5:24)

The Genealogy of Adam

Genesis 5 presents the genealogy from Adam to Noah, ten generations spanning nearly a thousand years each. The extraordinary lifespans of the antediluvian patriarchs have been interpreted variously: as symbolic of the greatness of the early ages, as reflecting a different calendrical system, or as preserving a memory of when humanity was closer to its original vitality. What is theologically constant in the repetitive formula is the refrain: and then he died. Adam lived 930 years, and then he died. Seth lived 912 years, and then he died. The genealogy is a long meditation on mortality: the image of God, whom God made, returns to the dust. The sentence of Genesis 3 is being carried out in every generation.

One name breaks the pattern: Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. Enoch does not die. He is taken. The Letter to the Hebrews says he was taken so that he would not experience death, and before he was taken he was commended as one who pleased God. Enoch is the first figure in Scripture to escape death, and his departure by divine action anticipates the resurrection hope: there is a mode of being in relation to God that transcends the death sentence of the Fall. The Catechism cites Enoch and Elijah as signs given to Israel that God's plan is life, not death, that the ending of Genesis 3 is not the final word (CCC 966).

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, the genealogy of Genesis 5 ends each entry with and then he died. Every news cycle, every cemetery, every hospital ward is a recitation of this refrain. But Enoch walked with God and was taken. The life that is lived in close walk with God participates already in something that death cannot permanently hold. Walk with God. Not the occasional visit but the continuous companionship that characterises Enoch. The walk is the preparation for the taking.

Prayer

Lord God, Enoch walked with you and you took him. Teach us to walk with you daily, in the ordinary rhythm of life, so that when you take us we will already be at home with you. Let our lives be lived in your company, and let death be nothing more than the next step on a walk that was already going your direction. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

5
The Descendants of Adam
(1 Chronicles 1:1–3)
This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in His own likeness. Male and female He created them,* 5:2 Cited in Matthew 19:4 and Mark 10:6 and He blessed them. And in the day they were created, He called them “man.” 5:2 Hebrew Adam
 
When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son in his own likeness, after his own image; and he named him Seth. And after he had become the father of Seth, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. So Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.
 
When Seth was 105 years old, he became the father of Enosh. And after he had become the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. So Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died.
 
When Enosh was 90 years old, he became the father of Kenan. 10 And after he had become the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11 So Enosh lived a total of 905 years, and then he died.
 
12 When Kenan was 70 years old, he became the father of Mahalalel. 13 And after he had become the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 So Kenan lived a total of 910 years, and then he died.
 
15 When Mahalalel was 65 years old, he became the father of Jared. 16 And after he had become the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 17 So Mahalalel lived a total of 895 years, and then he died.
God Takes Up Enoch
(Hebrews 11:5)
 
18 When Jared was 162 years old, he became the father of Enoch. 19 And after he had become the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 So Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died.
 
21 When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 And after he had become the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 5:22 LXX pleased God; also in verse 24 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 So Enoch lived a total of 365 years.
 
24 Enoch walked with God, and then he was no more, because God had taken him away.§ 5:24 LXX and he was not found, because God had taken him away; cited in Hebrews 11:5
From Methuselah to Noah
 
25 When Methuselah was 187 years old, he became the father of Lamech. 26 And after he had become the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27 So Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.
 
28 When Lamech was 182 years old, he had a son. 29 And he named him Noah,* 5:29 Noah sounds like the Hebrew for rest or comfort. saying, “May this one comfort us in the labor and toil of our hands caused by the ground that the LORD has cursed.” 30 And after he had become the father of Noah, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31 So Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died.
 
32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

*5:2 5:2 Cited in Matthew 19:4 and Mark 10:6

5:2 5:2 Hebrew Adam

5:22 5:22 LXX pleased God; also in verse 24

§5:24 5:24 LXX and he was not found, because God had taken him away; cited in Hebrews 11:5

*5:29 5:29 Noah sounds like the Hebrew for rest or comfort.