5:1ff The Bible contains several lists of ancestors, called genealogies. There are two views concerning these lists: (1) They are complete, recording the entire history of a family, tribe, or nation; or (2) they are not intended to be exhaustive and may include only famous people or the heads of families. He “begat” could refer not just to a son, but also to a more distant descendant.
Why are genealogies included in the Bible? The Hebrew people passed on their beliefs through oral tradition. For many years in many places, writing was primitive or nonexistent. Stories were told to children who passed them on to their children. Genealogies gave a skeletal outline that helped people remember the stories. For centuries these genealogies were added to and passed down from family to family. Even more important than preserving family tradition, genealogies were included to confirm the Bible’s promise that the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, would be born into the line of Abraham.
Genealogies point out that people are important to God as individuals. Therefore, God refers to people by name, mentioning their life span and descendants. The next time you feel overwhelmed in a vast crowd, remember that the focus of God’s attention and love is on the individual—and on you!
5:3-5 All human beings are related, going back to Adam and Eve. All people form a family that shares one flesh and blood. Remember this when prejudice enters your mind or hatred invades your feelings. Each person is a valuable and unique creation of God.
5:21-24 At first glance it looks as if Enoch fared worse than the other patriarchs: He lived on earth only 365 years! Hebrews 11:5 explains what verse 24 means: Enoch was taken directly to heaven without seeing death. Enoch, then, lived longer than any of the other patriarchs, for he never died at all.
5:25-27 How did these people live so long? Some believe that the ages listed here were lengths of family dynasties rather than ages of individual men. Those who think these were actual ages offer three explanations: (1) The human race was genetically purer in this early time period with less disease to shorten life spans; (2) no rain had yet fallen on the earth, and the “waters which were above the firmament” (1:7) kept out harmful cosmic rays and shielded people from environmental factors that hasten aging; (3) God gave people longer lives so they would have time to “replenish the earth” (1:28).