This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God He made him;
verse value 2949 — אֱלֹהִים֙ = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 44 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִים֙) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "this" (זֶ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·generations·of" (תּוֹלְדֹ֖ת, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 86: God, God. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "record" (סֵ֔פֶר), "in·the·likeness·of" (בִּדְמ֥וּת). The root אדם appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis); "made" (root עשה, 152x in Genesis); "in·the·day" (root יום, 126x in Genesis). First appearance of the root זה ("this") in Genesis. First appearance of the root ספר ("record") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Adam', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 8 words. Full calculation: זֶ֣ה [this] (12) + סֵ֔פֶר [record] (340) + תּוֹלְדֹ֖ת [the·generations·of] (840) + אָדָ֑ם [Adam] (45) + בְּי֗וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + בְּרֹ֤א [created] (203) + אֱלֹהִים֙ [God] (86) + אָדָ֔ם [humankind] (45) + בִּדְמ֥וּת [in·the·likeness·of] (452) + אֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (86) + עָשָׂ֥ה [made] (375) + אֹתֽוֹ [him] (407) = 2949.
Onkelos
This is the book of the generations of Adam. On the day that Hashem created Adam, in the likeness of God He made him.
Rashi
זה ספר תולדות אדם THIS IS THE BOOK OF THE GENERATIONS OF ADAM — This is the record (or, enumeration) of the generations of Adam. There are however, many Midrashic observations on this verse ‘ביום ברא וגו IN THE DAY THAT [GOD] CREATED etc. — This states that on the day when he was created he begot progeny (Genesis Rabbah 24:7).
Ramban
THIS IS THE BOOK OF THE GENERATIONS OF ADAM. These are the children He will mention in the chapter. In my opinion, this alludes to the entire Torah, for the entire Torah is the book of the generations of Adam. Therefore, He says here “book” and does not say, “And these are the generations of Adam,” as He says in other places, e.g. And these are the generations of Ishmael; And these are the generations of Isaac, and so in all such cases.
Ibn Ezra
"This is the book of the generations of Adam" — [meaning] the sons and sons of sons that he begot. He alone was not begotten by a father and mother; rather, he was made in the likeness of God.
Sforno
זה ספר תולדות אדם, thus begins the story of human history, and events worth recording for all posterity. בדמות אלוקים עשה אותו, a reference to man’s free will. It is in this respect that man is like G’d. This is why when different generations of man angered G’d they were punished, [i.e. they had not been programmed to do evil. Ed.]
Or HaChaim
זה ספר תולדות אדם. This is the book (record) of Adam's descendants. The Torah uses the word ספר to allude to a story, סיפור. Which story is meant? Why does the Torah give the impression that the דמות אלוקים, the likeness of G'd that man was created in, existed only on the day he was created? Besides, seeing that the Torah had already mentioned this distinction of man when it first reported his creation, why did the Torah repeat it here once more? Why did the Torah repeat once more that man was created male and female? Why did the Torah repeat the words ביום הבראם, "on the day they were created," at the end of the verse? The Torah wished to demonstrate that all of G'd's ways are designed to ensure that life continues. When the Torah recorded some history for both obvious and hidden reasons, it became necessary to mention the death of Adam and his descendants. G'd began the report by stressing that as far as He was concerned none of this tragedy needed to have happened. People should not accuse G'd as having toyed with creating living beings only in order to destroy them whenever He felt like it. After all, why would G'd bother to create at all if not for the benefit of His creatures? This being the case, why would He destroy the very finest of His products? G'd therefore wanted to go on record that if the descendants of Adam were mostly doomed it was because of their תולדות their own developments, i.e. their own inadequacies, not G'd's. The word תולדות then predominantly refers to man's deeds. Rashi has already told us in connection with Genesis 6,9: אלה תולדות נח, נח, that the principal descendants of the righteous are their good deeds. In our verse the Torah stresses the reverse. When G'd created man He created him in G'd's likeness. His תולדות, developments, however, all tended to run counter to G'd's will. Ever since the day he was created man developed away from G'd's likeness. David expressed this more eloquently when he paraphrased G'd as saying (Psalms 82,6-7) "I had taken you for divine beings…but you shall die as humans." The reason the Torah repeats that man was created both male and female is to make it clear that though Eve became a separate person only subsequently, the דמות אלוקים, the likeness of G'd, applied to her just as much as it did to Adam. At the same time the Torah wanted to stress an essential difference between G'd and man. Whereas G'd does not procreate, man and woman, though G'd-like in some respects, were meant to procreate. The Torah continues to repeat that G'd had blessed mankind and called their combined name ADAM, to show that He had equipped man with all the advantages possible. Having repeated all this information, the Torah then reports the lifespan of Adam and subseqent generations. Their deaths were due to their own actions.
Chizkuni
זה ספר תולדות אדם, “this is the book recording the history of mankind;” the Torah refers to the history of the strain of human beings that survived the deluge, i.e. the descendants of Sheth, through Noach and his children. It therefore commences once more with the founding member of mankind, Adam.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ספר תולדות אדם, “the book relating the descendants of man.” According to Nachmanides this is an allusion to the entire Torah which is perceived as the ספר תולדות אדם. If it were not so, the Torah should not have used the expression ספר, “book,” but should simply have written אלה תולדות אדם, just as we find in Genesis 25,12 when the descendants of Ishmael are enumerated, or in Genesis 25,19 where the descendants of Yitzchak are listed. Maybe the meaning of the word ספר in this instance is חכמה, “wisdom,” just as we find it in the ספר יצירה where the expression is ספר וספור as we already mentioned on a previous occasion. The “wisdom” referred to is not ordinary human wisdom but celestial wisdom, a wisdom which would have been man’s had he not sinned. The thrust of our verse then would be: “this book contains the wisdom which should have been an integral part of every human being.” The true descendants of man are not his biological children but his accomplishments in the field of Torah knowledge. The tasks that need to be performed on earth which require a human population could be carried out by someone other than man if need be. This is what Ben Azzai had in mind when he explained that he would not preoccupy himself with marrying and begetting children as his longing was concentrated solely on Torah (Yevamot 63). The complete verse therefore means: “for this book which represents the celestial wisdom, something that ought to belong to every human being seeing he had been created בדמות אלוקים עשה אותו, in the likeness of G’d He made him on the very day that G’d created man.” You will now understand why the Torah saw fit to mention the word אדם twice in this verse.
Kli Yakar
“This is the book of the generations of Adam.” Ramban explained that this refers to the entire Torah, as it is all a book of the generations of Adam. Rabbenu Bachya explained that “the book,” meaning wisdom, is the essential generations of man. But it appears to me that “this book” refers to what was said: on the day God created man, in God’s image He made him. For on the day Adam was created, he was perfect in his formation with all human virtues and was devoid of any blemish or deficiency. Like a craftsman who writes in a book all the things he needs for his work, so too did the Holy One, Blessed be He, write in a book all the virtues that were in man, by virtue of which he was in God’s image, in order to teach future generations how through their sins they brought evil upon themselves, as all generations progressively diminished from those perfections. As it is written: Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book they were all written; days were fashioned, and not one of them (Psalms 139:16). Our Sages interpreted this verse (Sanhedrin 38b) regarding the creation of Adam, and following their approach, I say this is its interpretation: Your eyes saw my unformed substance — that it appeared good in the eyes of the Holy One, Blessed be He; and in Your book they were all written — this is the book of the generations of Adam, upon which were written all human virtues, which the verse encapsulated by saying in God’s image He created him. However, days were fashioned, and not one of them — meaning days would come when among those born there would not be even one of all those virtues, as they would progressively diminish from that perfection. Therefore, How precious are Your companions, O God — referring to those who are companions to the Omnipresent, Blessed be He, and are in God’s image — they are precious in my eyes because they are not in existence. Another explanation: This all refers to human free choice, for “everything is in the hands of Heaven except for the fear of Heaven.” All of a person’s actions, which are called “generations” and “events,” appear as if the Holy One, Blessed be He, generates them, since everything comes from Him — wisdom, wealth, strength, and longevity. However, “this is the book,” meaning the good deeds whose source comes from within the book; these are “the generations of man” attributed to humans, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, has no part in them, for He has placed all human actions in their hands. The Lord did not determine all this, and humans were made with free will on the day God created man, in God’s image He made him (Genesis 5:1). Just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, rules over all His actions, so too humans rule over all their actions, and in this way they are in God’s image. This is what is meant by Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book they were all written (Psalms 139:16), as our Sages explained in tractate Niddah (16b): They bring the [embryonic] drop before the Holy One, Blessed be He, and ask whether this one who will be born will be wise or foolish, weak or strong, rich or poor. However, they do not ask whether one will be righteous or wicked, because “everything is in the hands of Heaven except for the fear of Heaven.” This is what is meant by Your eyes saw my unformed substance — before formation, the Holy One, Blessed be He, saw what would become of my unformed substance when they present the drop before Him. And in Your book they were all written — they write in a book all matters concerning whether one will be strong or weak, etc., and even days were formed — they decree how long one will live. However, not one of them refers to the fact that one aspect of completeness is missing from this book, for they do not determine whether one will be righteous or wicked. Therefore, the child’s judgment and actions are not written in the book where they record what will be. Thus, How precious are Your companions, O God — for they were made in God’s image, ruling over all their actions, as mentioned.
Tur HaArokh
זה ספר תולדות אדם, “this is a record of human history.” This is a reference to the various children mentioned in the remainder of the chapter. Beyond this, it is reasonable to consider the entire Torah a record of mankind’s history (up to the end of Moses’ life) and this is the reason why the Torah here did not choose to write אלה תולדות אדם, as it did on other occasions.
Cross-references: Psalms 139:16; II Samuel 12:11; Genesis 1:27; Genesis 11:10
male and female He created them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
verse value 2761
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "male" (זָכָ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "female" (וּנְקֵבָ֖ה, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "created·them" (בְּרָאָ֑ם), "their·name" (אֶת־שְׁמָם֙), "they·were·created" (הִבָּֽרְאָֽם). The root ברא appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "their·name" (root שם, 180x in Genesis); "on·the·day" (root יום, 126x in Genesis); "and·called" (root קרא, 123x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'created·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 7 words. Full calculation: זָכָ֥ר [male] (227) + וּנְקֵבָ֖ה [female] (163) + בְּרָאָ֑ם [created·them] (243) + וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ [and·blessed] (238) + אֹתָ֗ם [them] (441) + וַיִּקְרָ֤א [and·called] (317) + אֶת־שְׁמָם֙ [their·name] (781) + אָדָ֔ם [Adam] (45) + בְּי֖וֹם [on·the·day] (58) + הִבָּֽרְאָֽם [they·were·created] (248) = 2761.
Onkelos
Male and female He created them, and He blessed them and called their name Adam on the day they were created.
Ramban
AND HE BLESSED THEM. This means that He gave them the power of procreation, to be blessed forever with very many sons and daughters. The intent is to state that begetting offspring comes as a blessing of G-d, for Adam and Eve were not born but were created from nothing and they were blessed to do so [to beget offspring]. AND HE CALLED THEIR NAME ADAM. Since the name Adam (man) is a generic name for the whole human species, Scripture mentions that G-d called the first pair by that name because all generations were potentially in him. It is with reference to them that Scripture says, This is the book of the generations of Adam. Rabbeinu Sherira Gaon He is the author of the letter to the Jews of Kairwan giving a historical account of how the Mishna was written and how the traditions were transmitted through the generations following the era of the Mishna. He was the father of Rav Hai Gaon, the last of the Gaonim. wrote 161. that the Sages transmitted to one another [the principles of knowledge concerning] “the recognition of faces” and the arrangements of the lines in the face. Some of these principles are stated in the order of the words of the verse, This is the book of the generations of Adam, and some in the order of the following verse, Male and female He created them. But the secrets and mysteries of the Torah are transmitted only to those in whom we see signs indicating that he is worthy of it. These are the words of the Gaon, but we have not merited to understand them.
Chizkuni
ויקרא את שמם אדם, He named them: “Adam.” G-d called them by the name by which Adam had described himself when asked by G-d how he would name himself. (Compare Torah Sh’leymah for source) In the Midrash socher tov, a conversation during which G-d asks Adam how he would like to be named, he answered that he would like to be called אדם to reflect the fact that the raw material his body was made of was the earth. When G-d continued by asking him how he viewed Him, he answered that He should be refereed to as “Master, Lord” (אדון) as He is the Master of the universe. G-d accepted this suggestion when He declared in Isaiah 42,8: אני ה', הוא שמי, “I am the Lord, this is My name as Adam called Me thus.” [He added there that this is the reason why no other phenomenon must ever be called by His name; Ed.]. The reason why this paragraph has been inserted here is in order to teach us the origins of some names.
Rabbeinu Bahya
זכר ונקבה בראם, “He created them male and female.” The words “male and female” refer to the שכל, intelligence, and נפש, emotional life-force, respectively. These two components are major factors in the acquisition of wisdom, the body is quite peripheral, serving only as receptacle, a repository for the former. ויברך אותם, “He blessed them.” G’d blessed them with the ability to absorb additional wisdom. ויקרא את שמם אדם, He called their name “Adam (Man).” The only reason a human being is entitled to the description אדם is due to his שכל ונפש, to his intellect and emotional life-force, not because of his body. Were it not for שכל ונפש he would be indistinguishable from the animals as we know already from Psalms 49,13 נמשל כבהמות נדמו, “he is like the beasts that perish.” Seeing that man had been created “in the image of G’d,” he should have reproduced children which fitted the same description. This is indeed what happened when Adam and Chavah begat Sheth. Sheth represented a combination of שכל וחכמה, “intelligence and wisdom,” seeing that intelligence is the foundation of everything. The expression אבן שתיה, which our sages applied to the stone in the second Temple which replaced the original Holy Ark on that site, was so-called because that site was the foundation of the universe (Yuma 53). The name שת which Chavah gave to her third son symbolised that he was to be the שתיה, the foundation of mankind. He became the founding father of all righteous people in the world [seeing the Torah does not relate anything about him that is negative. Ed.] Another meaning of the words זה ספר תולדות אדם may be that these words are a direct reference to שת seeing he is mentioned by name in this paragraph. Inasmuch as the two first sons of Adam having been disappointments, one being killed, the other becoming a murderer, it is this son who truly represented the descendants of the first pair of human beings The very fact that the Torah had already enumerated a list of Kayin’s descendants makes this statement doubly important. Kayin’s descendants were not regarded as the תולדות אדם, at best they were regarded as תולדות קין, Kayin’s descendants. Actually, Kayin’s descendants could be perceived as partially Adam’s and partially the serpent’s, viz. Samael’s, Satan’s. (compare what we wrote on 3,15 as well as what the author wrote on Exodus 2,12). These descendants were Chanoch, Iyrad, and Lemech. Others bore names which trace them to angels such as Mechuyael, Metushael. The latter were what are called later in our portion (6,2) בני האלוקים, “the sons of G’d,” whereas the former are referred to here as בנות האדם, “daughters of man.” Concerning these descendants of Kayin the Torah says (6,2) “when the sons of G’d saw that the daughters of man were good, etc.” These “sons of G’d” were not children of Adam. Concerning this phenomenon our sages in Bereshit Rabbah 24,6 have said: “this is the book of the descendants of Adam, i.e. the ones which have been listed by the Torah up until this point were not true descendants of Adam.” What then is the meaning of the verse which appears to attribute some of the descendants of Kayin to a divine origin? They were called thus as they were descended from Chavah who had mated with כח אל נכר, with the life-giving potential of an alien deity. (the serpent, i.e. the potential of Satan having had intercourse with her.) There is another noteworthy comment by the Midrash: “the words: ‘this is the book of the descendants of man on the day the Lord created man;’ as soon as man was created he already produced offspring.” “He created them male and female,” “He called their name Adam.” This teaches that woman too was called ‘Adam,’ seeing she too is part of the human species and she has important offspring. There is an even more specific comment to this effect in Isaiah 44,13 where the prophet writes concerning G’d making man and woman that she is כתפארת אדם לשבת בית, “like the beauty of Adam to dwell in a shrine.” You will do well to pay especial attention to the words זכר ונקבה בראם, “male and female did He create them,” seeing that in 2,7 the Torah had described the formation of Adam and Eve by writing the words וייצר ה' אלוקים with the letter י appearing twice in succession in the word וייצר. There is also a verse in Chronicles I 4,23 according to which human beings are described as היוצרים, as progenitors, i.e. that the power to procreate is not exclusively that of the male but that whereas the male soul receives its input from a male origin the female soul receives its respective input from a female source. This explains that Chavah’s soul received input from the serpent, as she herself was the product of the “left” emanations, the “female” ones. It was natural therefore that the serpent should mate with her and not with Adam. The affinity between the origin of Chavah’s soul and the origin of the serpent made her a more likely victim to instant seduction.
And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and fathered a son in his likeness, according to his image; and called his name Seth.
verse value 4025
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "Seth" (שֵֽׁת, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·his·likeness" (בִּדְמוּת֖וֹ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "in·his·likeness" (בִּדְמוּת֖וֹ), "after·his·image" (כְּצַלְמ֑וֹ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·fathered" (root ילד, 193x in Genesis); "his·name" (root שם, 180x in Genesis); "year" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis). First appearance of the root שלש ("thirty") in Genesis. First appearance of the root מאה ("and·a·hundred") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'after·his·image', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיְחִ֣י [and·lived] (34) + אָדָ֗ם [Adam] (45) + שְׁלֹשִׁ֤ים [thirty] (680) + וּמְאַת֙ [and·a·hundred] (447) + שָׁנָ֔ה [year] (355) + וַיּ֥וֹלֶד [and·fathered] (56) + בִּדְמוּת֖וֹ [in·his·likeness] (458) + כְּצַלְמ֑וֹ [after·his·image] (186) + וַיִּקְרָ֥א [and·called] (317) + אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ [his·name] (747) + שֵֽׁת [Seth] (700) = 4025.
Onkelos
And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years and fathered a son in his likeness, resembling him, and he called his name Seth.
Rashi
שלשים ומאת שנה A HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS — Until then he lived apart from his wife (Genesis Rabbah 24:6).
Ramban
AND HE BEGOT A SON IN HIS OWN LIKENESS, AFTER HIS IMAGE. It is known that all who are born from the living are in the likeness and in the image of those who give birth to them, [so why was this verse necessary?] However, because Adam was elevated in his likeness and image in that Scripture said of him, In the likeness of G-d He made him, Scripture explains that his offspring were also in this ennobled likeness. Scripture did not state this concerning Cain and Abel for it did not want to prolong the discussion of them. It explains it, however, in the case of Seth because the world was founded from him, [Noah being his direct descendant]. Or it may be that because Adam was created with absolutely perfect form, Scripture relates concerning Seth that he was like him [Adam] in strength and beauty.
Ibn Ezra
Why does Scripture mention: "and he begot in his likeness, after his image"? Because Hashem placed within him the power of generation — to produce his own likeness — so that his work resembles that of the Most High. Scripture does not say this of Cain and Abel, nor does it record how many years Cain lived, or how old he was when he begot his son Enoch, because the name of Abel — and of Cain as well — was blotted out in the Flood. Scripture does, however, record the slaying of Cain, to demonstrate the righteousness of Hashem: even if He was slow to anger, He punished him in the end — in keeping with the meaning of "He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished" (Exodus 34:7).
Sforno
ויולד כדמותו כצלמו, Sheth was more righteous than either of his brothers, seeing that even Hevel had only offered his gift to G’d after Kayin had preceded him.
Or HaChaim
ויולד בדמותו כצלמו. He reproduced in his likeness and in his form. The Torah stressed this positive development, seeing that neither Cain nor Abel represented ideal offspring, both of them dying either almost immediately or their offspring during the deluge. During the 130 years between the birth of Cain and Abel and that of Sheth most of the pollutant Eve absorbed from the serpent had been expelled making it easier for a promising human being to emerge from her womb. We have a tradition that the third son is the most saintly, a tradition that proved itself with both Levi and Moses. It probably originated with the birth of Sheth.
Chizkuni
ויולד בדמותו כצלמו, “he begot a son in his likeness in his image;” the emphasis on this is to show us that anything he begot during the previous 129 years were only creatures that did not reflect his likeness or image, i.e. disembodied spirits, mostly מזיקים, injurious, destructive spirits. (Compare 3,20)
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויחי אדם שלושים ומאת שנה ויולד בדמותו כצלמו, “Adam had lived for one hundred and thirty years when he begot in his likeness, in his image.” This verse is proof that Kayin did not beget someone fit to be described as אדם, and that his offspring did not correspond to what the Torah described as בדמותו כצלמו, “in his likeness, in his image.” The reason that Adam had separated from his wife for such a long time was that he waited until they were capable (spiritually fit) of begetting regular children, children that reflected the image of G’d. According to Bereshit Rabbah 24,6 up until that time they produced only demons, etc. During those 130 years Chavah produced male spirits whereas Adam produced female spirits seeing they had been brought to erotic stimulation by female and male stimuli respectively. We find something not dissimilar when the Torah told us that Noach did not beget children in the regular sense until he was 500 years of age (Genesis 5,32). The reason was that if he had indulged in regular sexual activity with his wife say at 70 years of age, all his offspring would have perished prior to the deluge. G’d prevented him from being able to produce children until he had reached that age [so that a righteous person such as he should not have to bury his children. On the other hand, G’d would not have saved his children if they had been corrupt already. Ed.]. Similar considerations were at work in the case of all the various people who lived for so many hundreds of years; G’d did not see fit to reveal the reasons for each. You should know that the Torah divided the life spans of the early generations into three periods. First, the Torah informed us as to the number of years that had passed before a person became a father. Then the Torah revealed how many years elapsed after a certain person had been born before the father died. Finally, the Torah reported the sum total of the years of the individual in question. The reason the Torah made such a division was to distinguish between three periods in the lifetime of the individual: 1) his childhood 2) His youth, the period when he was vigorous 3) His old age. You should note that in the case of all the generations from Adam to Noach the Torah concludes its report about their lives with the comment וימת, “he died.” There was really no need for this as we are all aware that death had been decreed upon each individual as a result of Adam’s sin. It is no more than natural that the branches die off if their trunk had to die. The reason the Torah nonetheless mentions death as an individual occurrence was that among the people during those years there were some righteous people such a Metushelach, for instance. Had the Torah not listed the individual deaths we would have thought that all these people died as a result of the deluge instead of their having died in bed like ordinary people. This is why the Torah described their deaths uniformly. By contrast, the generations between Noach and Avraham were not accorded such a special mention of their deaths as the deluge had already passed and there was no reason to assume that they did not die from natural causes.
Kli Yakar
And Adam lived, etc. [The Torah] made three divisions in their lifespans, as it mentioned for all of them the number of years they lived before having children, and afterward combined them together, and it mentioned for all of them “and he died.” But in the Torah portion of Noah it only mentioned two divisions and it did not mention “and he died.” This is because one who is without children is considered as dead while alive, and similarly, the wicked who do not produce good deeds are called dead while living. Therefore, it used the language of “and he lived” regarding the number of days they lived before having children because even though they were still without children, nevertheless their lives were considered “living” since all those mentioned in this genealogical chain in this portion and in Noah’s portion were all righteous — Adam, Seth, etc., all of them. After they had children, additional vitality was added to them through their children. Therefore, it mentions “and he lived” regarding the days they lived after having children. Then it combined them together to say they were all equal in goodness, for before the flood there was no deficiency found in them except for death itself, as it is written They send forth their little ones like a flock (Job 21:11) and it is written They spend their days in prosperity (Job 21:13). Furthermore, it mentioned “and he died” for all of them to indicate that they all died natural deaths on their beds and were not destroyed in the flood. However, after the flood the world changed and their days were not all equally good, therefore it did not combine them together again. And it also did not mention “and he died” because there were deficiencies in all of them besides death. Additionally, after the flood there was no need to mention “and he died” because it was obvious that they died — for who can live and not see death? It seems likely to me to say that all those mentioned in this genealogical chain were prophets, for who told Lamech that “this son will comfort us from our work and from the toil of our hands”? And so too Shem son of Noah, and likewise Enoch, Methuselah, and Eber — they serve as a prototype for all of them.
Tur HaArokh
ויולד בדמותו, בצלמו, “he begat in his likeness and in his image.” It is a well known fact that all the children born to man resemble their parents in large measure. So what did the Torah tell us here that we did not already know? The fact is that first man, not born of woman had been fashioned by G’d and been described by Him as being בצלם אלוקים. We might have thought that this distinction applied only to the first human being, the one who was the direct product of G’d’s handiwork. The Torah tells us here that this distinction was passed on throughout the generations. No mention was made of this distinction when Kayin and Hevel were born, as the Torah did not want to dwell on these two (whose descendants ceased at the time of the deluge) Seeing that Noach and his family were descendants of Sheth, it was important to inform us that their exteriors also reflected their G’dliness. According to the Midrash, the Torah mentions the fact that Adam reproduced in his own image to alert us to the fact that seminal emissions during the one hundred and thirty years before the birth of Sheth had resulted in the formation of שדים ומזיקים, spiritually and physically harmful creatures.
And the days of Adam after he fathered Seth were eight hundred years; and he fathered sons and daughters.
verse value 3336
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "hundred" (מֵאֹ֖ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·days·of·Adam" (יְמֵי־אָדָ֗ם, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "the·days·of·Adam" (יְמֵי־אָדָ֗ם), "Seth" (אֶת־שֵׁ֔ת). The root ילד appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·were" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "sons" (root בן, 248x in Genesis); "his·fathering" (root ילד, 193x in Genesis). First appearance of the root שמנה ("eight") in Genesis. First appearance of the root בת ("and·daughters") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'year', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּֽהְי֣וּ [and·were] (37) + יְמֵי־אָדָ֗ם [the·days·of·Adam] (105) + אַֽחֲרֵי֙ [after] (219) + הוֹלִיד֣וֹ [his·fathering] (61) + אֶת־שֵׁ֔ת [Seth] (1101) + שְׁמֹנֶ֥ה [eight] (395) + מֵאֹ֖ת [hundred] (441) + שָׁנָ֑ה [year] (355) + וַיּ֥וֹלֶד [and·fathered] (56) + בָּנִ֖ים [sons] (102) + וּבָנֽוֹת [and·daughters] (464) = 3336.
Onkelos
And the days of Adam after he fathered Seth were eight hundred years, and he fathered sons and daughters.
Ramban
AND THE DAYS OF ADAM AFTER HE BEGOT SETH WERE EIGHT HUNDRED YEARS. Because of the long lives of these first men, Scripture states their ages before they begot children and also afterwards, and then sums them all up in the end until the generations which followed the flood. The reason for their longevity is that the first man, the handiwork of the Holy One, blessed be He, was made in absolute perfection as regards beauty, strength, and height. Even after it was decreed upon him that he be mortal, it was in his nature to live a long time. But when the flood came upon the earth, the atmosphere became tainted, and as a result their days kept on decreasing. Until the flood, their days were about the length of Adam’s; some even lived longer than Adam. And Shem [Noah’s son], who was born before the flood, lived six hundred years; he benefitted from his innate strength, but the tainted air after the flood caused him harm, [hence he died at a younger age than that attained by the preceding generations]. The days of his sons who were born after the flood were still more shortened until they came down to four hundred years. You can see that this degree of longevity remained with them until the generation of the Dispersion, when the change of climates caused by the Dispersion affected them, and their days were again shortened. Thus you find that the life of Peleg, in whose days the earth was divided, came down to half their days, i.e., two hundred years. It would appear that in the generations of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, people lived seventy and eighty years, just as Moses, our teacher, mentioned in his prayer. The days of our years are threescore years and ten, or even by reason of strength fourscore years. But as for the righteous ones in their generations, The fear of the Eternal prolongeth days for them. For Pharaoh wondered about Jacob’s old age, and Jacob in turn spoke to him about the long days of his fathers, even as he said, And they have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojournings. Now what the Rabbi See above, Note 139. has written in the Moreh Nebuchim does not seem right to me, namely, that the longevity was only in those individuals mentioned, while the rest of the people in those generations lived lives of ordinary natural length. He further said that this exception was due to the mode of living and food of such people or by way of a miracle. But these are words without substance. Why should this miracle have happened to them since they were neither prophets nor righteous, nor worthy that a miracle be done for them, especially for generation after generation. And how could a proper mode of living and proper food prolong their years to the extent that they are so many times greater than that of the entire generation? It is possible that there were also others who observed such a mode of living, in which case all or most of them should have attained similar longevity. And how did it happen that enough of the wisdom concerning this good mode of living did not come down to just one of all the sons of Noah after the flood [to enable him to match the longevity of his ancestors], for there was among them a little wisdom of their ancestors even though it steadily decreased from generation to generation?
Tur HaArokh
ויהיו ימי אדם, “Adam’s lifespan amounted to, etc.” Seeing these early generations lived for so many years when compared to the lifespan of man in times after the deluge, the Torah adopted a method of telling us about their inordinately longs life spans immediately after reporting that these people fathered their first children at an age when most of us nowadays have long been buried already. By choosing the method adopted here, the Torah explains why these people married (relatively speaking) so late and did not start a family sooner. Seeing that original man had been fashioned by the Creator Himself, he had been endowed with a more perfect body, enabling him and the first few generations after him, to live longer than usual lives in spite of death having been decreed for the species as a whole. Due to the gradual spiritual corruption of mankind, their bodies were affected negatively also, so that immediately after the deluge the average life span had already shrunk to less that half of what it had been prior to the deluge. After the dispersal as a result of the building of the Tower, the life expectancy shrank further, not least because suddenly man had to adjust to climactic changes during the year in the locations to which they had been dispersed. It would seem that the lifetime of people other than the patriarchs had already shrunk to an average of seventy years, (the immediate offspring of Avraham, Yitzchok and Yaakov excepted) We know this from Moses’ prayer recorded in the Book of Psalms, 90,10, where he describes this number as a “normal.” lifespan. The fact that Pharaoh was dumbfounded when Yaakov told him that he was already 130 years old, seems to support this theory. (Genesis 47,9) Maimonides writes that all the people mentioned in the Torah as having attained such longevity were exceptions and that is why their individual life spans have been mentioned. He credits their exceptional longevity to their having been very careful with their diets, foregoing foods which are basically life-shortening. Anyone not mentioned specifically lived a normal lifespan. Nachmanides already questions Maimonides’ opinion, citing the fact that the people mentioned as having lived for so long were not prophets so that G’d should have performed a miracle [I might add that Chanoch, (5,23) whom the Torah described as loyal to G’d, ”walking with Him,” (5,24) lived far fewer years than his not so righteous contemporaries Ed.] Also, why, according to Maimonides, would the נפילים, corrupt individuals, be granted such long lives as the Torah testified that the spies in Moses’ time had encountered?
And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.
verse value 3780
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 41 letters. Verse gematria: 3780 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "Adam" (אָדָם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·thirty" (וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֖ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 355: year, year. The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·were" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "year" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis); "all·days·of" (root יום, 126x in Genesis). First appearance of the root תשע ("nine") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'year', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 1 words. Full calculation: וַיִּֽהְי֞וּ [and·were] (37) + כׇּל־יְמֵ֤י [all·days·of] (110) + אָדָם֙ [Adam] (45) + אֲשֶׁר־חַ֔י [that·he·lived] (519) + תְּשַׁ֤ע [nine] (770) + מֵאוֹת֙ [hundreds] (447) + שָׁנָ֔ה [year] (355) + וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֖ים [and·thirty] (686) + שָׁנָ֑ה [year] (355) + וַיָּמֹֽת [and·died] (456) = 3780.
Onkelos
And all the days of Adam that he lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.
Or HaChaim
ויהיו כל ימי אדם. The total lifespan of Adam comprised, etc. There is a reason why the Torah describes the lifespan of Adam in general as well as in specific terms i.e. כל ימי אשר חי. We have to remember that the lifespan of every human being is determined prior to his birth. This rule did not apply to Adam when he was created as he would have lived forever had he not sinned. The line ויהיו כל ימי אדם אשר חי tells us that his lifespan was determined only while he was already alive. When the Torah does employ the words ויהיו כל ימי פלוני this means that all the people mentioned lived out the full lifespan allocated to them at birth. The Torah did not intend to teach us arithmetic by giving us totals when it had already given us the number of years the respective person lived before fathering a son and the years he lived subsequently.
Chizkuni
ויהיו כל ימי אדם תשע מאות שנה ושלשים שנה, “Adam lived for a total of 930 years.” This is not a precise number, i.e. that he lived 930 years to the day after his creation, but that he lived longer than 929 years. This rule applied to all the numbers given in the Torah for the number of years that people lived prior to the deluge. וימת, “he died;” this is the standard formula used by the Torah for the death of anyone who died before Noach. It is to tell us that this death occurred not due to sickness, etc., but due to the curse of mortality that man became subject to after having been seduced by the serpent. From Noach’s time onward, the Torah did not always add the fact that a person died, once it had informed us about how many years they lived. [The author’s problem appears to have been that the words: “he died,” were superfluous once we knew how old they became. Ed.]
And Seth lived a hundred and five years, and fathered Enosh.
verse value 3098
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "five" (חָמֵ֥שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·lived·Seth" (וַֽיְחִי־שֵׁ֕ת, 6 letters). The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·fathered" (root ילד, 193x in Genesis); "years" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis); "and·lived·Seth" (root חיה, 61x in Genesis). First appearance of the root חמש ("five") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'year', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַֽיְחִי־שֵׁ֕ת [and·lived·Seth] (734) + חָמֵ֥שׁ [five] (348) + שָׁנִ֖ים [years] (400) + וּמְאַ֣ת [and·a·hundred] (447) + שָׁנָ֑ה [year] (355) + וַיּ֖וֹלֶד [and·fathered] (56) + אֶת־אֱנֽוֹשׁ [Enosh] (758) = 3098.
Onkelos
And Seth lived one hundred and five years and fathered Enosh.
And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died.
verse value 4561
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "year" (שָׁנָ֔ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·days·of·Seth" (כׇּל־יְמֵי־שֵׁ֔ת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 355: year, year. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "all·the·days·of·Seth" (כׇּל־יְמֵי־שֵׁ֔ת). The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·were" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "year" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis); "all·the·days·of·Seth" (root יום, 126x in Genesis). First appearance of the root עשר ("ten") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'year', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 1 words. Full calculation: וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙ [and·were] (37) + כׇּל־יְמֵי־שֵׁ֔ת [all·the·days·of·Seth] (810) + שְׁתֵּ֤ים [two] (750) + עֶשְׂרֵה֙ [ten] (575) + שָׁנָ֔ה [year] (355) + וּתְשַׁ֥ע [nine] (776) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundreds] (447) + שָׁנָ֑ה [year] (355) + וַיָּמֹֽת [and·died] (456) = 4561.
Onkelos
And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "year" (שָׁנָ֑ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "Kenan" (אֶת־קֵינָֽן, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "ninety" (תִּשְׁעִ֣ים). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·fathered" (root ילד, 193x in Genesis); "year" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis); "and·lived" (root חיה, 61x in Genesis). First appearance of the root קינן ("Kenan") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'year', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיְחִ֥י [and·lived] (34) + אֱנ֖וֹשׁ [Enosh] (357) + תִּשְׁעִ֣ים [ninety] (820) + שָׁנָ֑ה [year] (355) + וַיּ֖וֹלֶד [and·fathered] (56) + אֶת־קֵינָֽן [Kenan] (611) = 2233.
And all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years; and he died.
verse value 3286
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "five" (חָמֵ֣שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·were" (וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙, 5 letters). The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·were" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "years" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis); "all·days·of" (root יום, 126x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'year', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 1 words. Full calculation: וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙ [and·were] (37) + כׇּל־יְמֵ֣י [all·days·of] (110) + אֱנ֔וֹשׁ [Enosh] (357) + חָמֵ֣שׁ [five] (348) + שָׁנִ֔ים [years] (400) + וּתְשַׁ֥ע [nine] (776) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundreds] (447) + שָׁנָ֑ה [year] (355) + וַיָּמֹֽת [and·died] (456) = 3286.
Onkelos
And all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.
And all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years; and he died.
verse value 3361
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "ten" (עֶ֣שֶׂר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·were" (וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙, 5 letters). The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·were" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "years" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis); "all·days·of" (root יום, 126x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'year', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 1 words. Full calculation: וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙ [and·were] (37) + כׇּל־יְמֵ֣י [all·days·of] (110) + קֵינָ֔ן [Kenan] (210) + עֶ֣שֶׂר [ten] (570) + שָׁנִ֔ים [years] (400) + וּתְשַׁ֥ע [nine] (776) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundreds] (447) + שָׁנָ֑ה [year] (355) + וַיָּמֹֽת [and·died] (456) = 3361.
Onkelos
And all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.
And Mahalalel lived sixty and five years, and fathered Jared.
verse value 2600
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. Verse gematria: 2600 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "five" (חָמֵ֥שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Mahalalel" (מַֽהֲלַלְאֵ֔ל, 6 letters). The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·fathered" (root ילד, 193x in Genesis); "years" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis); "and·lived" (root חיה, 61x in Genesis). First appearance of the root ששים ("sixty") in Genesis. First appearance of the root ירד ("Jared") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'year', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיְחִ֣י [and·lived] (34) + מַֽהֲלַלְאֵ֔ל [Mahalalel] (136) + חָמֵ֥שׁ [five] (348) + שָׁנִ֖ים [years] (400) + וְשִׁשִּׁ֣ים [sixty] (656) + שָׁנָ֑ה [year] (355) + וַיּ֖וֹלֶד [and·fathered] (56) + אֶת־יָֽרֶד [Jared] (615) = 2600.
Onkelos
And Mahalalel lived sixty-five years and fathered Jared.
And all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred ninety and five years; and he died.
verse value 3471
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. Verse gematria: 3471 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "five" (חָמֵ֤שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Mahalalel" (מַהֲלַלְאֵ֔ל, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 355: year, year. The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·were" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "year" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis); "all·the·days·of" (root יום, 126x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'year', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 1 words. Full calculation: וַיִּהְיוּ֙ [and·were] (37) + כׇּל־יְמֵ֣י [all·the·days·of] (110) + מַהֲלַלְאֵ֔ל [Mahalalel] (136) + חָמֵ֤שׁ [five] (348) + וְתִשְׁעִים֙ [and·ninety] (826) + שָׁנָ֔ה [year] (355) + וּשְׁמֹנֶ֥ה [eight] (401) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundreds] (447) + שָׁנָ֑ה [year] (355) + וַיָּמֹֽת [and·died] (456) = 3471.
Onkelos
And all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.
And Jared lived a hundred sixty and two years, and fathered Enoch.
verse value 3352
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "year" (שָׁנָ֖ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·lived·Jared" (וַֽיְחִי־יֶ֕רֶד, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 355: year, year. The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·fathered" (root ילד, 193x in Genesis); "year" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis); "and·lived·Jared" (root חיה, 61x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'year', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַֽיְחִי־יֶ֕רֶד [and·lived·Jared] (248) + שְׁתַּ֧יִם [two] (750) + וְשִׁשִּׁ֛ים [sixty] (656) + שָׁנָ֖ה [year] (355) + וּמְאַ֣ת [and·a·hundred] (447) + שָׁנָ֑ה [year] (355) + וַיּ֖וֹלֶד [and·fathered] (56) + אֶת־חֲנֽוֹךְ [Enoch] (485) = 3352.
Onkelos
And Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years and fathered Enoch.
Chizkuni
ויולד את חנוך, “he begat Chanoch.” This was the seventh generation, a number that was predestined for holiness and sanctity. David is also mentioned as having been the seventh son of his father Yishai, although that had been obvious from the way Samuel had been looking for the man to replace King Shaul. (Chronicles I 2,15) The number “seven” is special in the seven “heavens,” the seven deserts the Jewish people traversed, i.e. the desert of Sinai, in the seven seas, i.e. Lake Tiberias. [The subject has been expanded upon in Pirkey de Rabbi Eliezer, chapter 18. Ed.] The seventh universe (which according to our tradition, will be the last and perfect universe), as well as the seventh day of Creation, are all examples of the significance of the number “seven.”
And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years; and he died.
verse value 4156
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "year" (שָׁנָ֔ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·days·of·Jared" (כׇּל־יְמֵי־יֶ֔רֶד, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 355: year, year. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "all·the·days·of·Jared" (כׇּל־יְמֵי־יֶ֔רֶד). The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·were" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "year" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis); "all·the·days·of·Jared" (root יום, 126x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'year', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 1 words. Full calculation: וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙ [and·were] (37) + כׇּל־יְמֵי־יֶ֔רֶד [all·the·days·of·Jared] (324) + שְׁתַּ֤יִם [two] (750) + וְשִׁשִּׁים֙ [sixty] (656) + שָׁנָ֔ה [year] (355) + וּתְשַׁ֥ע [nine] (776) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundreds] (447) + שָׁנָ֑ה [year] (355) + וַיָּמֹֽת [and·died] (456) = 4156.
Onkelos
And all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.
And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and fathered Methuselah.
verse value 2718
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. Verse gematria: 2718 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "five" (חָמֵ֥שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Methuselah" (אֶת־מְתוּשָֽׁלַח, 8 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·fathered" (root ילד, 193x in Genesis); "year" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis); "and·lived" (root חיה, 61x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'year', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיְחִ֣י [and·lived] (34) + חֲנ֔וֹךְ [Enoch] (84) + חָמֵ֥שׁ [five] (348) + וְשִׁשִּׁ֖ים [sixty] (656) + שָׁנָ֑ה [year] (355) + וַיּ֖וֹלֶד [and·fathered] (56) + אֶת־מְתוּשָֽׁלַח [Methuselah] (1185) = 2718.
Onkelos
And Enoch lived sixty-five years and fathered Methuselah.
And Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah three hundred years, and fathered sons and daughters.
verse value 4566
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "three" (שְׁלֹ֥שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "with·God" (אֶת־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֗ים, 8 letters). The root ילד appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons" (root בן, 248x in Genesis); "his·fathering" (root ילד, 193x in Genesis); "year" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis). First appearance of the root אלהים ("with·God") in Genesis. First appearance of the root שלוש ("three") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'year', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתְהַלֵּ֨ךְ [and·walked] (471) + חֲנ֜וֹךְ [Enoch] (84) + אֶת־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֗ים [with·God] (492) + אַֽחֲרֵי֙ [after] (219) + הוֹלִיד֣וֹ [his·fathering] (61) + אֶת־מְתוּשֶׁ֔לַח [Methuselah] (1185) + שְׁלֹ֥שׁ [three] (630) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundreds] (447) + שָׁנָ֑ה [year] (355) + וַיּ֥וֹלֶד [and·fathered] (56) + בָּנִ֖ים [sons] (102) + וּבָנֽוֹת [and·daughters] (464) = 4566.
Onkelos
And Enoch walked in the fear of Hashem after he fathered Methuselah three hundred years, and he fathered sons and daughters.
Ibn Ezra
Enoch son of Jared — of him it is written: "and Enoch walked with God," in the sense of "after Hashem your God shall you walk" (Deuteronomy 13:5). Likewise it is written of Noah: "Noah walked with God" (Genesis 6:9). Some commentators explain "Noah walked" to mean that he habituated himself.
Sforno
Chanoch walked with Elokim. That is, he emulated His ways by performing acts of lovingkindness and issuing rebuke.
Targum Yonatan
And Hanok worshipped in truth before the Lord after he had begotten Methushelach three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years.
verse value 3022
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "five" (חָמֵ֤שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·days·of" (כׇּל־יְמֵ֣י, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 355: year, year. The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "year" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis); "all·the·days·of" (root יום, 126x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Enoch', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֖י [and·it·was] (31) + כׇּל־יְמֵ֣י [all·the·days·of] (110) + חֲנ֑וֹךְ [Enoch] (84) + חָמֵ֤שׁ [five] (348) + וְשִׁשִּׁים֙ [sixty] (656) + שָׁנָ֔ה [year] (355) + וּשְׁלֹ֥שׁ [three] (636) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundreds] (447) + שָׁנָֽה [year] (355) = 3022.
Onkelos
And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויהי כל ימי חנוך חמש ושישים שנה ושלש מאות שנה, “and all of Chanoch’s years were three hundred and sixty five years.” The number of his years on earth corresponded to the number of days in a solar year, no more and no less. This righteous person was familiar with the power of the sun and he understood the tremendous power exerted by the sun; he realized that this was due to a celestial input which remained active within the sun. I have already mentioned earlier (1,14) that there are celestial luminaries which guide the luminaries in our world. and that all of them draw on the original light which this righteous person Chanoch merited to enjoy. This is the reason the Torah used the word ויהי in connection with Chanoch. [The other people whose life and death are mentioned in this chapter are simply described as ויהיו ימי פלוני וגו', “so and so lived, etc.” Ed.] The word ויהי is meant to take us back to the days of creation when the Torah spoke in terms of יהי אור,”let there be light,” followed by ויהי אור “light came into being.” We find the expression ויהי applied to Moses when he was on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24,18). At that time Moses was granted the illumination of the Torah, in fact so much so that when he descended the second time his forehead emitted rays of physical light.
And Enoch walked with God, and he was not; for God took him.
verse value 1831 — אֱלֹהִֽים = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 37 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִֽים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "him" (אֹת֖וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "with·God" (אֶת־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·he·was·no·more" (וְאֵינֶ֕נּוּ), "for·took" (כִּֽי־לָקַ֥ח). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis); "for·took" (root לקח, 142x in Genesis); "and·walked" (root הלך, 113x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ [and·walked] (471) + חֲנ֖וֹךְ [Enoch] (84) + אֶת־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים [with·God] (492) + וְאֵינֶ֕נּוּ [and·he·was·no·more] (123) + כִּֽי־לָקַ֥ח [for·took] (168) + אֹת֖וֹ [him] (407) + אֱלֹהִֽים [God] (86) = 1831.
Onkelos
And Enoch walked in the fear of Hashem, and he was no more, for Hashem did not cause him to die.
Rashi
ויתהלך חנוך AND ENOCH WALKED [WITH GOD] — He was a righteous man, but his mind was easily induced) to turn from his righteous ways and to become wicked. The Holy One, blessed be He, therefore took him away quickly and made him die before his full time. This is why Scripture uses a different expression when referring to his death by writing ואיננו “and he was not”, meaning, he was not in the world to complete the number of his years. כי לקח אותו FOR GOD TOOK HIM — before his time; a similar meaning of לקח “to take” we find in (Ezekiel 24:16), “I take away from thee the desire of thine eves [by a plague]”.
Ibn Ezra
"For God took him" — [this means] he died. So too: "Take now my life" (Jonah 4:3); and "Behold, I am about to take from you the delight of your eyes" (Ezekiel 24:16), after which it explains what occurred: "and my wife died" (ibid., v. 18). Now in this taking as it applies to Enoch, there is no mention of a plague, nor is there [the phrase] "and he died." The meaning is that which is written in the words of Asaph: "and afterward You will take me with glory" (Psalms 73:24); and likewise in the psalm of the sons of Korah: "But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for He will take me, Selah" (Psalms 49:16). Let the discerning understand.
Chizkuni
ואיננו, “and suddenly he had disappeared;” his “death” is described as if he had never lived, as he died so much younger than all the other people named in the Bible so far [except for Hevel who had been murdered. Ed.] ואיננו כי לקח אותו אלוקים, “he had disappeared as G-d had taken him.” [In the Torah commentary of Samuel David Luzatto, (translated recently by this editor) this formulation is understood as definite proof that there is an afterlife of the soul in heavenly region. Ed.] According to our author, Onkelos [not in our editions, Ed,] translates the word איננו here as meaning: “he still exists,” meaning that seeing that G-d had not let him die, he will return at the time before the Messiah comes, with Elijah. He claims that this contrasts with Onkelos in all other places where the word: אין appears where he translated it as that the phenomenon described no longer existed. According to the Zohar, Chanoch died a natural death, G-d removing him from the temptation to fall victim to the wicked ways of his contemporaries. [This would explain why so many outstanding Jewish Rabbis died before reaching the age of 40, G-d rewarding them before they would succumb to more temptations on this earth. Ed.] The prophet Jonah had asked G-d to be treated thus. (Jonah 4,3) Compare also Psalms: 49,16.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויתהלך חנוך את האלוקים, “Chanoch walked with G’d.” The virtue of “walking with G’d” is one which occurs only in connection with righteous people, i.e. with Chanoch, Noach (Genesis 6,9) and Avraham (Genesis 17,1). All of these people realized that there is a supreme power “behind” the sun, the apparently primary energy in our solar system. Their concept of G’d the Creator was based on their observation of nature in action. I hope to explain this in greater detail when we discuss 6,9 את האלוקים התהלך נח, “Noach ‘walked’ with G’d,” i.e. he had made himself appreciate G’d. At any rate, Chanoch remained attached to the supreme light which was the source from which the luminaries in our world had been created, and made manifest on the fourth day of creation. The light was mentioned five times in connection with the narrative of the creation (see our comments on 1,31 יום השישי). It had “split” into seven lights, (virtues). This is why the five Books of the Torah have been split into seven books, as the paragraph ויהי בנסוע הארון in Numbers 10, 35-36 is bracketed by 2 inverted letters נ, to indicate that these two verses are to be considered a book by itself, thus making the Book of Numbers into three Books, and the Torah into seven Books. This number of seven lights is also symbolized by the lampstand in the Holy Tabernacle which had seven arms each one of which supported a separate light. G’d had insisted that this lampstand be constructed out of one single chunk of gold, in order to remind us that all these lights had a common origin. These combined lights are known as צרור החיים, “a bundle of life,” as we know from Samuel I 25,29. The righteous individual Chanoch held fast (spiritually speaking) to all of them seeing he had found favour in the eyes of the Lord. [According to Rabbi Chavell our author extrapolated by using the fact that Noach who also walked with G’d is described as having found favour in the eyes of the Lord (6,8). He was entitled to such consideration seeing that he was the seventh generation of mankind.] His existence corresponded to the seventh day, the Sabbath, a day which symbolizes life, a day which in its ideal form is free from all tensions and contradictions (compare Rosh Hashanah 31). As a result, Chanoch merited eternal life. The first two letters of his name, i.e.ח-נ (numerical value 58) are tied to the first half of the letters in the name of the angel מטטרן, [the angel administering G’d’s universe, for Him, Ed.], seeing Chanoch had ever been anxious to gain greater insights into how nature operates the universe. He had gained sufficient insights so that his name reflected these intellectual accomplishments. As a result of these insights both his body and soul underwent changes by becoming unified. As a result, there was no need for his body to die and G’d was able to remove him from earth without the body having to be left “behind.” As to the Torah’s expression ואיננו, “and he ceased to be,” or words to this effect, the sages in the Jerusalem Talmud Berachot 3,4 interpret it as a combination of א-ל אין, an acknowledgement of something, confirmation of its continued existence. Some versions of Onkelos have a similar translation of that word. The version runs as follows: ואיתוהי אריה לא אמית יתיה, “and this ‘taking’ was in compensation for a great achievement, an incomparable accomplishment.” The entire episode provides a hint of the continued existence of Gan Eden and the survival of the soul after death indefinitely. It is also clear proof that had it not been for Adam’s sin he would have lived indefinitely in body and spirit. We find the same word לקח used in the Book of Kings where the prophet Elijah’s removal from this earth as a living entity is described (Kings II, 2,11).
And Methuselah lived a hundred eighty and seven years, and fathered Lamech.
verse value 3340
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "seven" (שֶׁ֧בַע, 3 letters) and the longest is "Methuselah" (מְתוּשֶׁ֔לַח, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 355: year, year. The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·fathered" (root ילד, 193x in Genesis); "year" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis); "seven" (root שבע, 117x in Genesis). First appearance of the root מנה ("eighty") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'year', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיְחִ֣י [and·lived] (34) + מְתוּשֶׁ֔לַח [Methuselah] (784) + שֶׁ֧בַע [seven] (372) + וּשְׁמֹנִ֛ים [eighty] (446) + שָׁנָ֖ה [year] (355) + וּמְאַ֣ת [and·a·hundred] (447) + שָׁנָ֑ה [year] (355) + וַיּ֖וֹלֶד [and·fathered] (56) + אֶת־לָֽמֶךְ [Lamech] (491) = 3340.
Onkelos
And Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years and fathered Lamech.
And Lamech lived a hundred eighty and two years, and fathered a son.
verse value 2585
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "son" (בֵּֽן, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·lived·Lamech" (וַֽיְחִי־לֶ֕מֶךְ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 355: year, year. The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·fathered" (root ילד, 193x in Genesis); "year" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis); "son" (root בין, 146x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'year', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַֽיְחִי־לֶ֕מֶךְ [and·lived·Lamech] (124) + שְׁתַּ֧יִם [two] (750) + וּשְׁמֹנִ֛ים [and·eighty] (446) + שָׁנָ֖ה [year] (355) + וּמְאַ֣ת [and·a·hundred] (447) + שָׁנָ֑ה [year] (355) + וַיּ֖וֹלֶד [and·fathered] (56) + בֵּֽן [son] (52) = 2585.
Onkelos
And Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years and fathered a son.
Rashi
ויולד בן AND HE BEGOT A SON (בן “son”, connected with the root בנה ‘‘to build”) — from whom the world was built up (peopled) (Tanchuma 1:1:11)
Chizkuni
ויולד בן, “he begat a son;” the Torah did not write: “he sired Noach,” as it did in similar situations, i.e. Genesis 5,6; 5,9; Judges 11,1; Chronicles I 1,34, et al. The reason is that Noach warranted an extra verse seeing that the whole human race today exists thanks to him. The entire human race was destroyed during his lifetime; only he, his wife and his children and their wives, having been saved. A different interpretation: Metushelach, Lemech’s father, advised his son not to immediately name him as his contemporaries who were worshipping all kinds of idols, and who would curse and kill people who were monotheists, would try and kill him by telling their idols his name. After Noach had married and had sired a son, his father turned to his father again and was told then to call him Noach, as he had the potential to save all of mankind if they would follow his lifestyle. If not, they would all perish before they could harm him. (Compare Torah sh’leymah item 71 on this verse)
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויולד בן ויקרא את שמו נח, “he fathered a son and he called his name Noach.” The number 10 is crucial to the world and its continued existence. Noach was the tenth generation of the human species. It was therefore appropriate that he became instrumental in assuring the continued existence of the world, and, more specifically, mankind. Seeing that the rest of mankind was slated to perish during the deluge and none of them proclaimed the name of G’d you do not find the word בן, “son,” or the word שם, “name“ (allusion to the name of G’d) mentioned in connection with the birth of any of the other people listed in the Torah since Sheth. In Noach’s case, the word בן is not so much a description of his being a son,” but it is related to בנה, “built,” i.e. this person rebuilt the world after the deluge and assured its continued existence. In other words: this “son” was a “builder.” We find further that the very word שם refers to maintaining something, preventing it from decaying. When Solomon said in Proverbs 10,7 ושם רשעים ירקב, that the “name of the wicked will rot,” this may strike us as strange at first glance seeing that שם, “name,” is something abstract and if so how could something abstract be subject to decay? However, Solomon referred to the actual subject of the שם, “name,” he spoke about. There is another question in connection with Noach. According to what Lemech, Noach’s father is reported to have exclaimed when his son was born, he should have called him מנחם, “comforter.” Perhaps the letter מ in the word מנחם was somehow “swallowed,” and Noach’s real name was נחם. We have a similar construction in Zechariah 11,7 where the prophet says לאחד קראתי נעם ולאחד קראתי חבלים, “one I named Favour, the other Unity.” According to the normal rules of grammar the word should have been מנעם. However, we find frequent instances when a word is slightly abbreviated. In this instance, the reason may have been to make the name נח also spell חן (with the letters reversed), as it was he who found חן in the eyes of G’d. The reason Noach’s father Lemech said of this son זה, “this one,” may be that he was part (maybe the first) of the tenth generation of mankind, and, as we pointed out earlier, any “tenth” is holy. There is a similarity here to Exodus 15,2 זה א-לי ואנוהו, “this is my G’d and I will enshrine Him.” Lemech meant hat there were two reasons why he called “this one” Noach. This is reflected in the two cantillations on that very short word, i.e. it has both the tone-sign telisha and the tone-sign geresh. Do not be flippant about this as the entire Torah is full of all kinds of hints and allusions which have been written at the command of the Supreme Intellect. Anyone who delves into unraveling the secrets hidden in the text pays attention to every detail. This is why the sages said (Nedarim 37) that the cantillations also originated at Mount Sinai. When Nechemiah 8,8 speaks of ושום שכל ויבינו במקרא, “with careful analysis so that they could understand it,” he referred to 1) the text itself, 2) the cantillations.
And he called his name Noah, saying: "This same shall comfort us in our work and in the painful toil of our hands, which comes from the ground which Hashem has cursed."
verse value 3497 — יְהֹוָֽה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3497 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "Noah" (נֹ֖חַ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·from·the·painful·toil·of" (וּמֵעִצְּב֣וֹן, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "will·comfort·us" (יְנַחֲמֵ֤נוּ), "from·our·work" (מִֽמַּעֲשֵׂ֙נוּ֙), "and·from·the·painful·toil·of" (וּמֵעִצְּב֣וֹן). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "which" (root אשר, 313x in Genesis); "his·name" (root שם, 180x in Genesis). First appearance of the root נחם ("will·comfort·us") in Genesis. First appearance of the root מעשה ("from·our·work") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 9 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקְרָ֧א [and·called] (317) + אֶת־שְׁמ֛וֹ [his·name] (747) + נֹ֖חַ [Noah] (58) + לֵאמֹ֑ר [saying] (271) + זֶ֞֠ה [this] (12) + יְנַחֲמֵ֤נוּ [will·comfort·us] (164) + מִֽמַּעֲשֵׂ֙נוּ֙ [from·our·work] (506) + וּמֵעִצְּב֣וֹן [and·from·the·painful·toil·of] (264) + יָדֵ֔ינוּ [our·hands] (80) + מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה [from·the·soil] (145) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [which] (501) + אֵֽרְרָ֖הּ [cursed·it] (406) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 3497.
Onkelos
And he called his name Noah, saying: This one will bring us comfort from our work and from the toil of our hands, from the ground which Hashem has cursed.
Rashi
זה ינחמנו THIS WILL COMFORT US — He will ease from off us (ינחמנו) the toil of our hands. For until Noah came people had no agricultural instruments and he prepared such for them. The earth had brought forth thorns and thistles when they sowed wheat in consequence of the curse imposed upon Adam Harishon: in the days of Noah, however, this ceased (Tanchuma 1:1:11). This is what is meant by the word ינחמנו (viz., ינח מנו). If, however, you do not explain it in this manner, but from the root נחם “to comfort”, then the meaning you give to this expression (connecting it with the idea of “comfort”) will have no application to the name נח, and you would have to call him מנחם “Comforter”.
Ibn Ezra
The meaning of "this one shall comfort us from our work" — [Lamech] knew through Adam, for he [Adam] was a prophet, that through this child who was born, the ground would live again. Or they perceived this through wisdom. And so it was, for through him the world was sustained. He was also a man of the soil, as it is written (Genesis 9:20). It is also possible that his name was called Noah — like [the naming of] Jerubbaal — after he tilled the soil and it flourished. For "Noah" is the opposite of sorrow; the meaning is: "this one will comfort us and we will rest from the sorrow of our hands." "Comfort" (neḥamah) can also mean rest from the sorrow of the heart — for the Hebrews preserve the underlying meanings rather than the exact words. The proof: [the names] "Jerubboshet" (2 Samuel 11:21) and "Jerubbaal" (Judges 6:32). As for those who ask who the wife of Cain was and who the wife of Seth was — what is the point of that question? For it is written of Adam: "and he begot sons and daughters" (Genesis 5:4), and likewise of all the others.
Sforno
זה ינחמנו, Lemech prayed that this son would provide him with the ability to take a rest from his heavy labour. The root of the word נח is מנוחה, rest, (retirement). The word is also used in connection with giving one a respite from one’s enemies, as in Esther 9,16.
Chizkuni
זה ינחמנו מן האדמה, “this one will bring us consolation regarding the condition of the earth. Seeing that he had been born after the death of Adam, the curse decreed on earth as being effective during Adam’s lifetime could now be lifted. [According to my calculation Noach was born in the year 1056 after Adam had been created. Seeing that the Torah did not report anyone being born after Lemech, Noach’s father, who was born when Adam was still alive, there is no contradiction here. Ed.]
And Lamech lived after he fathered Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and fathered sons and daughters.
verse value 4164
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "five" (חָמֵ֤שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·lived·Lamech" (וַֽיְחִי־לֶ֗מֶךְ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 355: year, year. The root ילד appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons" (root בן, 248x in Genesis); "his·fathering" (root ילד, 193x in Genesis); "year" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'year', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַֽיְחִי־לֶ֗מֶךְ [and·lived·Lamech] (124) + אַֽחֲרֵי֙ [after] (219) + הוֹלִיד֣וֹ [his·fathering] (61) + אֶת־נֹ֔חַ [Noah] (459) + חָמֵ֤שׁ [five] (348) + וְתִשְׁעִים֙ [and·ninety] (826) + שָׁנָ֔ה [year] (355) + וַחֲמֵ֥שׁ [and·five] (354) + מֵאֹ֖ת [hundred] (441) + שָׁנָ֑ה [year] (355) + וַיּ֥וֹלֶד [and·fathered] (56) + בָּנִ֖ים [sons] (102) + וּבָנֽוֹת [and·daughters] (464) = 4164.
Onkelos
And Lamech lived after he fathered Noah five hundred and ninety-five years, and he fathered sons and daughters.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויחי למך שתים ושמונים שנה ומאת שנה, “and Lemech lived for one hundred and eighty two years, etc.” When you calculate from the creation of Adam until this point you will find that Noach was born 1056 years after Adam had been created. This number is arrived at by adding the 130 years which elapsed before Sheth was born, 105 years until Sheth fathered Enosh, 90 years until Enosh fathered Keynon; 70 years until Keynon fathered Mahalalel; and 65 years until Mahalalel fathered Yered. Add another 162 years until Yered fathered Chanoch; then it took another 65 years until Chanoch fathered Metushelach and 187 years until Metushelach fathered Lemech. This was followed by another 182 years until Lemech became the father of Noach, a total of 1056 years. When you consider that Adam died at 930 years of age it is clear that Noach never saw Adam, having been born 126 years after the death of the first human being. However, Noach’s father Lemech had still known the first human being, Adam, seeing he was 182 years older than his son Noach. Adam had been 874 years old when Lemech was born.
And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years; and he died.
verse value 3022
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "seven" (שֶׁ֤בַע, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·days·of·Lamech" (כׇּל־יְמֵי־לֶ֔מֶךְ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 355: year, year. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "all·the·days·of·Lamech" (כׇּל־יְמֵי־לֶ֔מֶךְ). The root שבע appears 3 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "year" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis); "all·the·days·of·Lamech" (root יום, 126x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'year', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 1 words. Full calculation: וַֽיְהִי֙ [and·it·was] (31) + כׇּל־יְמֵי־לֶ֔מֶךְ [all·the·days·of·Lamech] (200) + שֶׁ֤בַע [seven] (372) + וְשִׁבְעִים֙ [seventy] (428) + שָׁנָ֔ה [year] (355) + וּשְׁבַ֥ע [seven] (378) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundreds] (447) + שָׁנָ֑ה [year] (355) + וַיָּמֹֽת [and·died] (456) = 3022.
Onkelos
And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.
Rashbam
ויהי כל ימי למך, why did the Torah bother to provide us with the number of years these wicked people lived on earth? This listing of historical data is also the custom of the prophets, one after another [when they listed the years wicked kings reigned over Israel or Yehudah. Ed.] Their purpose in doing so was to tell us how many years had elapsed since the creation of Adam, the first human being until the time when the events recorded by the prophets occurred. When we add up the numbers provided by the Torah both here, and in the chapters after the deluge, we have a continuous historical record of the history of mankind, and more especially, that of the Jewish people. The prophets spell out specifically the number of years that had elapsed between the Exodus from Egypt and the building of the Temple by Solomon, the high point of Jewish history. Daniel augments the record by providing information about how many years elapsed between the destruction of the first Temple and that of the second Temple.
And Noah was five hundred years old; and Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
verse value 3492
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. Verse gematria: 3492 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "Noah" (נֹ֔חַ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Noah·was" (וַֽיְהִי־נֹ֕חַ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·Noah·was" (וַֽיְהִי־נֹ֕חַ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Noah·was" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "and·fathered" (root ילד, 193x in Genesis); "year" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis). First appearance of the root יפת ("and·Japheth") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'year', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַֽיְהִי־נֹ֕חַ [and·Noah·was] (89) + בֶּן־חֲמֵ֥שׁ [son·of·five] (400) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundred] (447) + שָׁנָ֑ה [year] (355) + וַיּ֣וֹלֶד [and·fathered] (56) + נֹ֔חַ [Noah] (58) + אֶת־שֵׁ֖ם [Shem] (741) + אֶת־חָ֥ם [Ham] (449) + וְאֶת־יָֽפֶת [and·Japheth] (897) = 3492.
Onkelos
And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Rashi
בן חמש מאות שנה FIVE HUNDRED YEARS OLD — R. Judan said: “How is it that all the previous generations had children at the age of hundred years and this one (Noah) at the age of 500 years? The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “If they (Noah’s children) be wicked, they will perish by the water of the Flood and it will grieve this righteous man; if they be righteous, I shall have to trouble him to construct several arks.” He therefore restrained him from having children until he was 500 years old, in order that Japhet, the oldest of his sons (cf. Rashi on Genesis 10:21) should not reach the punishable age before the Flood. For it is written (Isaiah 65:20), “For as a lad shall one die when he is one hundred years old”, meaning, that in the future time, he will only then be of punishable age, and this was so, too, before the giving of the Torah (Genesis Rabbah 26:2). את שם ואת חם ואת יפת SHEM, HAM AND JAPHETH — But was not Japheth the eldest? But you naturally first interest yourself in Shem who was a righteous man, who was born circumcised (a sign of righteousness) and from whom Abraham was to descend (Genesis Rabbah 26:3).
Chizkuni
ויהי נח בן חמש מאות שנה ויולד, “When Noach was five hundred years old, he begat;” people knew that the deluge was about to occur, as explained by Rashi already in connection with the attitudes displayed by the wives of Lemech (the descendant of Kayin); he therefore delayed becoming a father until G-d had promised him that he and his children would survive. [Up until then, the Torah had reported of people beginning to father children around the age of 100. Ed.] (based on an ancient version of Tanchuma)
Onkelos
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