Genesis 5:12 — Word Study
WLCוַֽיְחִ֥י קֵינָ֖ן שִׁבְעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֖וֹלֶד אֶת־ מַֽהֲלַלְאֵֽל׃
BSAWhen KenanQêynân [Cainan, an antediluvian] waschâyâh▸ [seventy years old, a span of life] 70shibʻîym years oldshâneh he became the father ofyâlad▸ [lived to be the father of, begat] MahalalelMahălalʼêl [praise of God, Mahalaleel]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַֽיְחִ֥י | and he lived | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine singular |
| קֵינָ֖ן | Kenan | Noun proper masculine |
| שִׁבְעִ֣ים | seventy | Adj |
| שָׁנָ֑ה | year[s] | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
| וַיּ֖וֹלֶד | and he fathered | Verb, Hiphil, sequential imperfect third person masculine singular |
| אֶת־ | the object marker | Particle |
| מַֽהֲלַלְאֵֽל׃ | Mahalalel | Noun proper masculine |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | When Kenan was 70 years old, he became the father of Mahalalel. |
| KJV | ¶ And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel: |
| ASV | And Kenan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalalel: |
| YLT | And Cainan liveth seventy years, and begetteth Mahalaleel. |
| WEB | Kenan lived seventy years, then became the father of Mahalalel. |
| BBE | And Kenan was seventy years old when he became the father of Mahalalel: |
Where they part company is וַיּ֖וֹלֶד — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence has a main clause followed by a subordinate clause that provides additional information about Kenan's actions.
4 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
subjectקֵינָן
verbחָיָה
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Genesis 5:12
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Genealogy of the Patriarchsgenerated
Genesis 5:12 is part of a genealogical list that traces the descendants from Adam through the antediluvian patriarchs. This record emphasizes the ages of these figures and their roles as fathers, establishing a lineage that is significant in biblical history. Kenan, in this verse, is noted for his age and his role as the father of Mahalalel, continuing the line of descent leading to later biblical figures.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luke 3:37 | the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — וַיּ֖וֹלֶד, vai.Yo.ledgenerated
The Hebrew word יָלַד (yalad) means to bear, bring forth, or beget. It is used to describe the act of giving birth or establishing lineage. In this verse, it indicates Kenan's role in the continuation of his family line.
The parsing shows that it is a verb in the Hiphil stem, which often emphasizes causation. Here, it signifies that Kenan caused Mahalalel to come into being, marking an important moment in the genealogical record.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verbs וַיְחִ֥י and וַיּ֖וֹלֶד govern the main actions in the verse, with the subject קֵינָ֖ן performing these actions. The structure emphasizes Kenan's life and his role as a father.
The sentence follows a straightforward sequence: it begins with Kenan's age, followed by his act of fathering Mahalalel, presenting a clear and chronological flow of information.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates וַיְחִ֥י as ἔζησεν — he lived — which captures the essence of living but may not fully convey the nuances of vitality and revival found in the Hebrew.
For וַיּ֖וֹלֶד, the Greek uses ἐγέννησεν — he fathered — which aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning, emphasizing the act of begetting.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Genesis 5:12 tells us that Kenan lived to be 70 years old and then became the father of Mahalalel. This verse is part of a genealogy that traces the lineage from Adam, highlighting the ages and roles of these early figures.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It signifies the continuation of Kenan's lineage, marking an important step in the genealogy leading to later biblical figures.
The age emphasizes the longevity of these early patriarchs and their significance in biblical history.
Mahalalel means 'praise of God', reflecting a common theme in biblical names.
Kenan is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Luke 3:37, linking the Old Testament lineage to the New Testament narrative.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What can we learn from the ages of the patriarchs in the genealogy?
- How does Kenan's role as a father reflect the importance of family lineage in the Bible?
- Why do you think names in the Bible often have significant meanings?
- In what ways does understanding genealogies enhance our reading of Scripture?
Commentators on this verse — 4 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Genesis 5:12 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel. Here the Septuagint version adds an hundred years, as before.
Read John Gill on Genesis 5 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel: Mahalaleel - praise of God.
Read Robert Jamieson on Genesis 5 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsGenesis 5:12 And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel:Ver. 12. And begat Mahalaleel,] i.e., Praised be God; a good name; imminding him of a good duty. God is to be incessantly praised for his excellency, thanked for his benefits. “ Thou art good, and doest good.”
Read John Trapp on Genesis 5 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges12. Mahalalel] As a Hebrew name this would mean “the praise of God”; but see note on the etymology of proper names in prehistoric times, Genesis 4:17. For Mahalalel the versions give a different form. LXX Μαλελεήλ; Vulg. “Malaleel.”
Read Cambridge on Genesis 5 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
When Kenan was 70 years old, he became the father of Mahalalel.
Kenan lived seventy years, then became the father of Mahalalel.
When Kenan was 70 years old, he became the father of Mahalalel.
When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel.
Tyndale line
¶ And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel:
And Kenan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalalel:
And Kenan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalalel:
And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel:
Likewise Kenan liued seuentie yeeres, and begate Mahalaleel.
Strictly literal
And Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Mahalaleel.
And Cainan liveth seventy years, and begetteth Mahalaleel.
And Cainan lives seventy years [[or one hundred and seventy years]], and begets Mahalaleel.
And Kenan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalalel.
When Kenan had lived seventy years, he became the father of Mahalalel.
From the Latin
And Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Malaleel.
Simplified
When Kenan was 70, he had Mehalalel.
And Kenan was seventy years old when he became the father of Mahalalel:
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text reads: וַֽיְחִ֥י קֵינָ֖ן שִׁבְעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֖וֹלֶד אֶת־ מַֽהֲלַלְאֵֽל׃. The Septuagint matches this closely, with six of the seven words aligned, while the Samaritan Pentateuch differs in one word, using יוליד (bear) instead of וַיּ֖וֹלֶד.
וַֽיְחִ֥י קֵינָ֖ן שִׁבְעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֖וֹלֶד אֶת־ מַֽהֲלַלְאֵֽל׃
6 of the 7 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
ויחי קינן שׁבעים שׁנה ויוליד את מהללאל
1 word differs from the Masoretic Text: יוליד (bear)
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Genesis 5:12
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
חָיָה (chayah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to live or have life, encompassing both literal and figurative senses. It includes various nuances such as reviving, preserving life, and restoring health. The entries detail its use in different stems, with Qal focusing on living and being quickened, while Piel and Hiphil emphasize giving life and reviving. No specific verse references are provided.
חָיָה 283 vb. live
Qal 203
live
be quickened, revive
Pi.
preserve alive, let live
give life
quicken, revive, refresh
Hiph.
preserve alive, let live
quicken, revive
base
H2421 חָיָה live .. live
. be quickened, revive
. . preserve alive, let live
. give life
. quicken, revive, refresh
. . preserve alive, let live
. quicken, revive
2421 chayah khaw-yaw'
a primitive root (compare 2331, 2421); to live, whether
literally or figuratively; causatively, to revive:--keep
(leave, make) alive, X certainly, give (promise) life, (let,
suffer to) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken,
recover, repair, restore (to life), revive, (X God) save
(alive, life, lives), X surely, be whole.
see HEBREW for 02331
see HEBREW for 02421
חָיָה (cha.yah) — to live.
1) to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to live
1a1a) to have life
1a1b) to continue in life, remain alive
1a1c) to sustain life, to live on or upon
1a1d) to live (prosperously)
1a2) to revive, be quickened
1a2a) from sickness
1a2b) from discouragement
1a2c) from faintness
1a2d) from death
1b) (Piel)
1b1) to preserve alive, let live
1b2) to give life
1b3) to quicken, revive, refresh
1b3a) to restore to life
1b3b) to cause to grow
1b3c) to restore
1b3d) to revive
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to preserve alive, let live
1c2) to quicken, revive
1c2a) to restore (to health)
1c2b) to revive
1c2c) to restore to life
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singularHc/Vqw3ms
קֵינָן (Qeynan) refers to Kenan, a figure from the antediluvian period, specifically the son of Enosh and father of Mahalalel. The name is associated with the meaning 'possession.' It appears in Genesis 5:9 and is also referred to as Cainan in the New Testament (Luke 3:37). The word is derived from a root meaning 'fixed.'
קֵינָן n.pr.m. a Sethite
base
H7018 קֵינָן a Sethite
7018 Qeynan kay-nawn'
from the same as 7064; fixed; Kenan, an
antediluvian:--Cainan, Kenan.
see HEBREW for 07064
קֵינָן (qe.nan) — Kenan.
A man living at the time before the Flood, first mentioned at Gen.5.9;
son of: Enosh (H0583);
father of: Mahalalel (H4111); also called Cainan at Luk.3.37;
Also named: Kainan, Kainam (Καϊνάν, Καϊνάμ "Cainan" G2536H)
§ Kenan = "possession"
1) son of Enosh and father of Mahalaleel
1a) also 'Cainan'
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
(possession) = CAINAN, the son of Enos. (1 Chronicles 1:2)
buyer; owner
→ See CAINAN
שִׁבְעִים (shib`iym) means 'seventy' in Hebrew. It is derived from a root meaning 'seven' and is used to denote the number seventy, often referenced in contexts involving counting or enumeration.
שִׁבְעִים 91 n.pl. seventy
base
H7657 שִׁבְעִים seventy
7657 shib`iym. shib-eem'
multiple of 7651; seventy:--seventy, threescore and ten
(+ -teen).
see HEBREW for 07651
שִׁבְעִים (shiv.im) — seventy.
seventy
Adj — AdjHAcmpa
sev'-n-ti (shibh`im; hebdomekonta).
See NUMBER.
→ The senate of the Israilites composed of seventy elders Ex 24:1,9; Nu 11:16,24,25
→ The seventy disciples sent forth by Jesus (though the best Greek mss. have “seventy-two”) Lu 10:1-17
→ The Jews in captivity in Babylon for seventy years Jer 25:11,12; 29:10; Da 9:2; Zec 1:12; 7:5
→ See ISRAEL
→ 70 Weeks in the vision of Daniel Da 9:24
שָׁנָה (shaneh) means 'year' and is derived from the root meaning to change or revolve. It encompasses various aspects of time, including divisions of time, measures of age, and even a lifetime. The Aramaic equivalent is שְׁנָה (she.nah), also meaning 'year'.
שָׁנָה 877 n.f. year (etym. v. √[v.ek.aa])
base
H8141 שָׁנָה year (etym. v. √[8138a])
8141 shaneh shaw-neh'
(in plura or (feminine) shanah {shaw-naw'}; from 8138; a year
(as a revolution of time):--+ whole age, X long, + old,
year(X -ly).
see HEBREW for 08138
שָׁנָה (sha.neh) — year.
1) year
1a) as division of time
1b) as measure of time
1c) as indication of age
1d) a lifetime (of years of life)
Aramaic equivalent: she.nah (שְׁנָה "year" H8140)
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa
The Hebrew word יָלַד (*yalad*) means to bear, bring forth, or beget, and it encompasses various forms of childbirth and lineage declaration. It can refer to both the act of giving birth and the role of a midwife. The entries also note its use in contexts of distress and wicked behavior, as well as in reference to birthdays.
יָלַד 497 vb. bear, bring forth, beget
Qal
bear, bring forth
less often beget
of both parents
Niph. be born
Pi. cause (or help) to bring forth, viz., assist or tend as midwife
Pu. be born
Hiph.
beget (a father a child)
bear
Hoph. day of one's being born = birthday
Hithp. declared their pedigree
base
H3205 יָלַד bear, bring forth, beget .. bear, bring forth
. less often beget
. of both parents
. be born
. cause (or help) to bring forth, viz., assist or tend as midwife
. be born
. . beget (a father a child)
. bear
. day of one's being born = birthday
. declared their pedigree
3205 yalad yaw-lad'
a primitive root; to bear young; causatively, to beget;
medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show
lineage:--bear, beget, birth((-day)), born, (make to) bring
forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be
delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch,
labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be
the son of, (woman in, woman that) travail(-eth, -ing woman).
יָלַד (ya.lad) — to beget.
1) to bear, bringforth, beget, gender, travail
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to bear, bring forth
1a1a) of child birth
1a1b) of distress (simile)
1a1c) of wicked (behaviour)
1a2) to beget
1b) (Niphal) to be born
1c) (Piel)
1c1) to cause or help to bring forth
1c2) to assist or tend as a midwife
1c3) midwife (participle)
1d) (Pual) to be born
1e) (Hiphil)
1e1) to beget (a child)
1e2) to bear (fig. -of wicked bringing forth iniquity)
1f) (Hophal) day of birth, birthday (infinitive)
1g) (Hithpael) to declare one's birth (pedigree)
Conj | V-Hiphil-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Hiphil · sequential imperfect third person masculine singularHc/Vhw3ms
אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).
אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
base
H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
853 'eth ayth
apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of
entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more
definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or
namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).
see HEBREW for 0226
אֵת (et) — [Obj.].
sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative
Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)
HTo — ParticleHTo
מַהֲלַלְאֵל (Mahalal'el) means 'praise of God' and refers to two individuals in the Old Testament: an antediluvian patriarch, the great-grandson of Seth, and a man from Judah mentioned in Nehemiah. The name is derived from roots meaning 'to praise' and 'God.' It appears in Genesis 5:12 and Nehemiah 11:4.
מַהֲלַלְאֵל n.pr.m. (praise of God)
great-grandson of Seth
a man of Judah
base
H4111 מַהֲלַלְאֵל (praise of God) . great-grandson of Seth
. a man of Judah
4111 Mahalal'el mah-hal-al-ale'
from 4110 and 410; praise of God; Mahalalel, the name of an
antediluvian patriarch and of an Israelite:--Mahalaleel.
see HEBREW for 04110
see HEBREW for 0410
מַהֲלַלְאֵל (ma.ha.lal.el) — Mahalalel.
A man living at the time before the Flood, first mentioned at Gen.5.12;
son of: Kenan (H7018);
father of: Jared (H3382); also called Mahalaleel (NIV: Mahalel) at Luk.3.37;
Also named: Maleleēl (Μαλελεήλ "Mahalaleel" G3121)
§ Mahalaleel = "praise of God"
1) son of Cainan and the 4th in descent from Adam in the line of Seth
2) a descendant of Perez, the son of Judah
מַהֲלַלְאֵל (ma.ha.lal.el) — Mahalalel.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Neh.11.4;
father of: Shephatiah (H8203N)
§ Mahalaleel = "praise of God"
1) son of Cainan and the 4th in descent from Adam in the line of Seth
2) a descendant of Perez, the son of Judah
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm