And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.

GENESIS 5:29KJV
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Genesis 5:29 (KJV)

What does Genesis 5:29 mean?

Genesis 5:29 says that Lamech named his son Noah because he believed Noah would bring comfort or relief from the hard labor and suffering caused by the curse God placed on the ground. Lamech connects Noah’s birth to hope for a change in the difficult conditions humanity faces because of that curse.

In this verse, Lamech is speaking about his newborn son to those around him. The situation is set after generations of people have struggled with the consequences of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, which led to God cursing the ground. Lamech’s words show a longing for relief from the exhausting work and pain that have marked human life since then, and he expresses hope that Noah will be part of that relief.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 5:29

  • נֹחַ (Noach, "Noah"): This name sounds like the Hebrew word for "rest" or "comfort," which is why Lamech links his son's name to the idea of comfort in his statement.
  • יְנַחֲמֵנוּ (yenaḥamenu, "comfort"): This word often means to comfort or bring relief, and here it highlights Lamech’s hope that Noah will somehow ease the burden caused by the curse.
  • מַעֲשֵׂה (ma'aseh, "work") and עִצָּבוֹן (ʿiṣāvon, "toil"): These words refer to the difficult labor and pain that people experience as they work the ground, directly connecting back to the language of the curse in Genesis 3.
  • אֲדָמָה (adamah, "ground"): This word refers to the earth or soil, emphasizing that the hardship comes from the ground itself being cursed, not just from human effort.

Why Genesis 5:29 matters

  • Genesis 5:29 clarifies that Noah’s name is intentionally tied to the hope of relief from the curse, not just a random choice, showing how names in Genesis often carry deep meaning.
  • The verse connects the story of Noah to the broader theme of God’s curse and humanity’s struggle, setting up Noah’s later role in the flood and the renewal of the earth.
  • This verse shows that people in early Genesis were aware of their difficult situation and longed for restoration, giving a glimpse into their hopes and expectations for the future.

Where else these words appear

“toil” Hebrew H6093 · used in 3 verses

  • Genesis 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
  • Genesis 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

“because” Hebrew H4480 · used in 25 verses

  • Genesis 2:6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
  • Leviticus 11:13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
  • 1 Kings 6:16 And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place.

“Noah” Hebrew H5146 · used in 39 verses

  • Genesis 5:30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:
  • Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
  • Genesis 9:17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

“cursed” Hebrew H779 · used in 52 verses

  • Genesis 3:14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
  • Deuteronomy 27:15 Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.
  • Joshua 9:23 Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.