And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel:

GENESIS 5:12KJV
Know the Bible

Genesis 5:12 (KJV)

What does Genesis 5:12 mean?

Genesis 5:12 records that Cainan lived for seventy years before he became the father of Mahalaleel. This verse is part of a genealogical list tracing the descendants from Adam onward, highlighting the ages at which each person had their first named son.

Genesis 5:12 is found in a section where the writer, traditionally understood to be Moses, is listing the generations from Adam. The focus here is on Cainan, a descendant of Adam, and the age at which he fathered Mahalaleel. This genealogy helps establish a timeline and connects the early generations of humanity, showing the continuity of the family line.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 5:12

  • כֵּינָן (Qēynān / Cainan): This is the name of the person being described. The name itself is not explained in the text, but it marks his place in the genealogy.
  • חָיָה (chayah / lived): This word means "to live" or "was alive." It emphasizes the span of Cainan’s life up to the birth of his son, not just his existence.
  • שִׁבְעִים (shiv‘im / seventy): This is the number seventy, specifying Cainan’s age at the time he became a father, which is notably older than typical modern ages for parenthood.
  • שָׁנָה (shanah / years): This word means "years," clarifying that the seventy refers to years of age.
  • יָלַד (yalad / begat): This verb means "to beget" or "to father." It highlights the act of Cainan becoming the ancestor of Mahalaleel.
  • מַהֲלַלְאֵל (Mahalalel): This is the name of Cainan’s son, included to show the next link in the genealogical chain.

Why Genesis 5:12 matters

  • Genesis 5:12 helps clarify the long lifespans and late ages of fatherhood described in the early chapters of Genesis, which are often surprising to modern readers.
  • This verse emphasizes the careful record-keeping and importance of lineage in the biblical narrative, connecting each generation by name and age.
  • Including Cainan and Mahalaleel in the genealogy helps trace the line from Adam toward later key figures, showing the continuity and faithfulness of the family line through many generations.

Where else these words appear

“Cainan” Hebrew H7018 · used in 6 verses

  • Genesis 5:9 And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan:
  • Genesis 5:10 And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters:
  • Genesis 5:14 And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.

“Mahalaleel” Hebrew H4111 · used in 7 verses

  • Genesis 5:13 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:
  • Genesis 5:16 And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:
  • 1 Chronicles 1:2 Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered,

“seventy” Hebrew H7657 · used in 90 verses

  • Genesis 4:24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
  • Numbers 7:79 His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
  • 2 Chronicles 2:2 And Solomon told out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to hew in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them.