Genesis 5:9 — Word Study
WLCוַֽיְחִ֥י אֱנ֖וֹשׁ תִּשְׁעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֖וֹלֶד אֶת־ קֵינָֽן׃
BSAWhen EnoshʼĔnôwsh [a man of humanity, son of Seth] waschâyâh▸ [ninety, a large quantity of years] 90tishʻîym years oldshâneh he became the father ofyâlad▸ [lived to beget, had as a son] KenanQêynân [Cainan, an antediluvian, son of Enosh]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַֽיְחִ֥י | and he lived | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine singular |
| אֱנ֖וֹשׁ | Enosh | Noun proper masculine |
| תִּשְׁעִ֣ים | ninety | 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 |
| קֵינָֽן׃ | Kenan | Noun proper masculine |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | When Enosh was 90 years old, he became the father of Kenan. |
| KJV | ¶ And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan: |
| ASV | And Enosh lived ninety years, and begat Kenan: |
| YLT | And Enos liveth ninety years, and begetteth Cainan. |
| WEB | Enosh lived ninety years, and became the father of Kenan. |
| BBE | And Enosh was ninety years old when he became the father of Kenan: |
Translations agree on the rendering of the key phrases, specifically יָלַד as became the father of in all versions listed.
The sentence has a main clause followed by a subordinate verb phrase, clearly stating the age of Enosh and the action he took.
5 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Ellicott & more — read them ›
clause
subjectאֱנוֹשׁ
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 5:9
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 from Adamgenerated
Genesis 5:9 presents a part of the genealogical record tracing the lineage from Adam through Seth to Enosh and Kenan. This section highlights the ages of these early figures and their roles as fathers, establishing the continuity of humanity before the Flood. The genealogy serves to connect significant ancestors and their contributions to the unfolding narrative of the Bible.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Chronicles 1:2 | Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, |
| 2 | 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 — 2 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — יָלַד, vai.Yo.ledgenerated
The Hebrew word יָלַד (yalad) means to bear, bring forth, or beget. It encompasses the act of giving birth as well as the broader concept of lineage declaration. In this verse, it indicates that Enosh fathered Kenan, marking a continuation of the family line.
The use of the Hiphil form indicates causation, emphasizing Enosh's role in bringing forth Kenan as his son. This verb is often used in genealogical contexts, underscoring the importance of ancestry in the biblical narrative.
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 main verb of the verse is וַיּ֖וֹלֶד, and he fathered, governing the action of the subject Enosh. The structure emphasizes the sequential nature of Enosh's life events, first living a certain number of years and then fathering Kenan.
The sentence is structured with a main clause that includes the subject and the action, followed by the object, creating a clear and straightforward genealogical statement.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates יָלַד as ἐγέννησεν, which also means 'he fathered' or 'he begot'. This choice reflects a direct correlation to the Hebrew meaning, maintaining the focus on lineage.
The Greek term does not introduce any new nuances but stays consistent with the Hebrew understanding of fathering a child.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Genesis 5:9 tells us that when Enosh was 90 years old, he became the father of Kenan. This verse is part of the genealogy that traces the descendants of Adam, showing the ages of these early figures and their roles as fathers.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Enosh was the son of Seth and the father of Kenan, living before the Flood.
Kenan means 'possession' and is noted as an antediluvian figure in the genealogy.
Genealogy establishes the continuity of the human race and the fulfillment of God's promises through specific lineages.
The ages highlight the longevity of early humans and emphasize the historical context of their lives.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What do you think the genealogies in the Bible teach us about God's plan?
- How can understanding the lineage of biblical figures help us in our faith today?
- In what ways do you see the significance of family and ancestry in your own life?
- What lessons can we learn from the lives of early figures like Enosh and Kenan?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Ambrose of Milan references this verse to discuss the nature of humanity and the elevation of the soul, emphasizing the significance of recognizing oneself as a human being.
For it is the mark of a wise man to separate oneself from the pleasures of the flesh, to elevate the soul, and to withdraw from the body; for this is truly to recognize oneself as a human being.Early Church Fathers on Genesis 5 →
Commentators on this verse — 5 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Genesis 5:9 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan. According to the Septuagint a hundred and ninety years; it can hardly be thought but that he had sons or daughters before, but this is only taken notice of for a reason before given.
Read John Gill on Genesis 5 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan: Cainan - or Kenan (1 Chronicles 1:2; cf. Luke 3:37), possessor, or, according to Gesenius, a smith.
Read Robert Jamieson on Genesis 5 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsGenesis 5:9 And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan:Ver. 9. Enos begat Cainan.] Enos, that is, Sorry-man, begat Cainan, that is, A man of sorrows. Thus the fathers, though long-lived, were not unmindful of their mortality and misery.
Read John Trapp on Genesis 5 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(9) Enos lived ninety years.—This proves that the years could not have been mere revolutions of the moon, as some have supposed. So Cainan was only seventy years of age at the birth of his son, and Mahalaleel sixty-five. In the LXX. no patriarch has a son until he is at least 162 years of age, so that the supposition there would be more tenable.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Genesis 5 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges9. Kenan] The first syllable of this name is the same in Hebrew as the name “Cain,” and it is presumably akin in meaning as well as in form (see note on Genesis 4:1).
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 Enosh was 90 years old, he became the father of Kenan.
Enosh lived ninety years, and became the father of Kenan.
When Enosh was 90 years old, he became the father of Kenan.
When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan.
Tyndale line
¶ And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan:
And Enosh lived ninety years, and begat Kenan:
And Enosh lived ninety years, and begat Kenan:
And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan.
Also Enosh liued ninetie yeeres, and begate Kenan.
Strictly literal
And Enosh lived ninety years, and begot Cainan.
And Enos liveth ninety years, and begetteth Cainan.
And Enos lives ninety years [[or one hundred and ninety years]], and begets Cainan.
And Enosh lived ninety years, and begat Kenan.
When Enosh had lived ninety years, he became the father of Kenan.
From the Latin
And Enos lived ninety years, and begot Cainan.
Simplified
When Enosh was 90, he had Kenan.
And Enosh was ninety years old when he became the father of Kenan:
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 is supported by the Septuagint, which matches six of the seven words. The Samaritan Pentateuch differs slightly, using the word יוליד (bear) instead of the Masoretic's וַיּוֹלֶד (and he fathered), but the overall meaning remains consistent across these texts.
וַֽיְחִ֥י אֱנ֖וֹשׁ תִּשְׁעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֖וֹלֶד אֶת־ קֵינָֽן׃
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 אנושׁ תשׁעים שׁנה ויוליד את קינן
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 5:9
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
The Hebrew word אֱנוֹשׁ (*'Enowsh*) refers to Enosh, the son of Seth, and is noted in Genesis 4:26. It is linked to the meaning 'man' and is also called Enos in the New Testament. The entries consistently identify Enosh as a significant figure in the genealogy from Seth.
אֱנוֹשׁ n.pr.m. son of Seth
base
H583 אֱנוֹשׁ son of Seth
583 'Enowsh en-ohsh'
the same as 582; Enosh, a son of Seth; --Enos.
see HEBREW for 0582
אֱנוֹשׁ (e.nosh) — Enosh.
A man living at the time before the Flood, first mentioned at Gen.4.26;
son of: Seth (H8352);
father of: Kenan (H7018); also called Enos at Luk.3.38;
Also named: Enōs (Ἐνώς "Enos" G1800)
§ Enos = "man"
son of Seth
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
Same as ENOS. (1 Chronicles 1:1)
תִּשְׁעִים (tish`iym) means 'ninety' and is derived from the root word for 'nine.' It is used as a numeral in the Old Testament, specifically denoting the quantity ninety. The entries consistently define it as a number without any significant disagreement.
תִּשְׁעִים 20 n.indecl. ninety
base
H8673 תִּשְׁעִים ninety
8673 tish`iym tish-eem'
multiple from 8672; ninety:--ninety.
see HEBREW for 08672
תִּשְׁעִים (tish.im) — ninety.
ninety
Adj — AdjHAcmpa
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
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