TRV
Translation
King James Version
And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
American Standard Version
and all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
World English Bible Messianic
All the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred ninety-five years, then he died.
Geneva Bible (1599)
So all the dayes of Mahalaleel were eight hundreth ninetie and fiue yeeres: and he died.
Young's Literal Translation
And all the days of Mahalaleel are eight hundred and ninety and five years, and he dieth.
See on the biblical-era map
In the KJVVerse 123 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Genesis 5 verses 6–20
6 ¶ And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos:
7 And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters:
8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.
9 And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan:
10 And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters:
11 And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.
12 And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel:
13 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:
14 And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.
15 And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared:
16 And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:
17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
18 And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:
19 And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
We have here all that the Holy Ghost thought fit to leave upon record concerning five of the patriarchs before the flood, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, and Jared. There is nothing observable concerning any of these particularly, though we have reason to think they were men of eminence, both for prudence and piety, in their day: but in general,
I. Observe how largely and expressly their generations are recorded. This matter, one would think, might have been delivered in fewer words; but it is certain that there is not one idle word in God's books, whatever there is in men's. It is thus plainly set down, 1. To make it easy and intelligible to the meanest capacity. When we are informed how old they were when they begat such a son, and how many years they lived afterwards, a very little skill in arithmetic will enable a man to tell how long they lived in all; yet the Holy Ghost sets down the sum total, for the sake of those that have not even so much skill as this. 2. To show the pleasure God takes in the names of his people. We found Cain's generation numbered in haste (Gen 4:18), but this account of the holy seed is enlarged upon, and given in words at length, and not in figures; we are told how long those lived that lived in God's fear, and when those died that died in his favour; but as for others it is no matter. The memory of the just is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot.
II. Their life is reckoned by days (Gen 5:8): All the days of Seth, and so of the rest, which intimates the shortness of the life of man when it is at the longest, and the quick revolution of our times on earth. If they reckoned by days, surely we must reckon by hours, or rather make that our frequent prayer (Psa 90:12), Teach us to number our days.
III. Concerning each of them, except Enoch, it is said, and he died. It is implied in the numbering of the years of their life that their life, when those years were numbered and finished, came to an end; and yet it is still repeated, and he died, to show that death passed upon all men without exception, and that it is good for us particularly to observe and improve the deaths of others for our own edification. Such a one was a strong healthful man, but he died; such a one was a great and rich man, but he died; such a one was a wise politic man, but he died; such a one was a very good man, perhaps a very useful man, but he died, etc.
IV. That which is especially observable is that they all lived very long; not one of them died till he had seen the revolution of almost eight hundred years, and some of them lived much longer, a great while for an immortal soul to be imprisoned in a house of clay. The present life surely was not to them such a burden as commonly it is now, else they would have been weary of it; nor was the future life so clearly revealed then as it is now under the gospel, else they would have been impatient to remove to it: long life to the pious patriarchs was a blessing and made them blessings. 1. Some natural causes may be assigned for their long life in those first ages of the world. It is very probable that the earth was more fruitful, that the productions of it were more strengthening, that the air was more healthful, and that the influences of the heavenly bodies were more benign, before the flood, than afterwards. Though man was driven out of paradise, yet the earth itself was then paradisiacal - a garden in comparison with its present wilderness-state: and some think that their great knowledge of the creatures, and of their usefulness both for food and medicine, together with their sobriety and temperance, contributed much to it; yet we do not find that those who were intemperate, as many were (Luk 17:27), were as short-lived as intemperate men generally are now. 2. It must chiefly be resolved into the power and providence of God. He prolonged their lives, both for the more speedy replenishing of the earth and for the more effectual preservation of the knowledge of God and religion, then, when there was no written word, but tradition was the channel of its conveyance. All the patriarchs here, except Noah, were born before Adam died; so that from him they might receive a full and satisfactory account of the creation, paradise, the fall, the promise, and those divine precepts which concerned religious worship and a religious life: and, if any mistake arose, they might have recourse to him while he lived, as to an oracle, for the rectifying of it, and after his death to Methuselah, and others, that had conversed with him: so great was the care of Almighty God to preserve in his church the knowledge of his will and the purity of his worship.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 6–20. Public domain.
Copy as
BedeAD 735
Commentary on Genesis (Hexaemeron)
Adam lived for one hundred and thirty years, and he begot a son in his own likeness and image, and he named him Seth. Adam indeed was created in the likeness and image of God, because he was made immortal in both soul and body. However, after he corrupted the image and likeness of God in himself by sinning, he begot a son in his own likeness and image, that is, mortal, corruptible, capable of reason, bound by the guilt of his transgression, and to be freed only by the grace of his Creator. It should be noted that where our Codices, translated from the Hebrew source, say Adam lived for one hundred and thirty years and begot Seth, the ancient translation has, instead of one hundred and thirty, two hundred and thirty; where our Codices continue, "And the days of Adam after he begot Seth were eight hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters," that one has seven hundred instead of eight hundred. And where it concludes, "And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died," it places the same total, and such a distinction of numbers is preserved in all generations up to the flood between the two editions, so that before the birth of a son each one in the Septuagint is said to have had one hundred years more, and after the birth one hundred years less than in the Hebrew truth. But in the conclusion, both editions place an equal number; except only in the sixth generation; where in both Codices, Jared is found to have begotten Enoch at one hundred and sixty-two years, and after his birth to have lived eight hundred years: and in the ninth, where, according to the Hebrew truth, Lamech begot Noah when he was one hundred and eighty years old, and after he was born, he is found to have survived for five hundred and ninety-five years. However, in the Septuagint, the years before Noah was born are found to be one hundred and eighty-eight, and after he was born, five hundred sixty-five; thus it happens that Lamech is found to have lived twenty-four years longer in Hebrew than in the Septuagint Codices: by which difference of interpretations, it is made that the lifetime of Methuselah seems to extend fourteen years beyond the flood, and so the years before the flood according to the Hebrews are one thousand five hundred and fifty-six; according to the Septuagint, which the chronographers follow, two thousand two hundred and forty-two: although the most learned Augustine professes that even in the Septuagint translation, Methuselah is found in fewer but more accurate Codices to have died six years before the flood: who, when he most diligently investigated the cause of the aforementioned discord in interpretations, and did not wish to derogate from the faith of the Septuagint translators, whom the apostles and evangelists are proven to have followed in many places; and he himself believed they used more a prophetic gift than the office of interpretation in translating the Scriptures; he concluded in this way, saying: "Therefore it is more credible for someone to say that when these first began to be copied from the library of Ptolemy; at that time, something like this could have happened in one Codex, but first copied from there, from which it spread more widely, where indeed the error of the scribe could have happened. However, it is not absurd to suspect this in that question about the life of Methuselah." And after some: "I would not doubt at all that it is rightly done, he says, when something different is found in both Codices, since both cannot be according to the faith of the transactions, that the truth be believed rather to the language from which it is translated into another by interpreters." Therefore, according to Hebrew truth, Adam lived one hundred and thirty years and begot Seth. Seth lived one hundred and five years and begot Enos. Enos lived ninety years and begot Cainan. Cainan lived eighty years and begot Mahalalel. Mahalalel lived sixty-five years and begot Jared. Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years and begot Enoch.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
Copy as
Continue studying Genesis 5:17 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Genesis 5:17 precisely records the culmination of Mahalaleel's exceptionally long life, stating his age at death as 895 years. This verse, like all others in the antediluvian genealogy of Genesis 5, serves as a poignant and consistent reminder of humanity's enduring mortality. It underscores the universal consequence of the Fall, where death inevitably claims every life, setting a somber yet foundational tone for the unfolding narrative of human history and the ultimate need for redemption.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Genesis 5:17, as part of the larger genealogical record, employs several significant literary devices. The most prominent is Repetition, particularly the stark, formulaic phrase "and he died." This refrain, appearing consistently after each patriarch's lifespan, functions as a solemn, almost liturgical, drumbeat throughout the chapter, underscoring the inescapable reality of death as the universal consequence of the Fall. This consistent pattern also creates a sense of Formulaic Language or Litany, imbuing the seemingly dry genealogical list with profound theological weight and rhythm. There is also an element of Anticlimax in each entry: after hundreds of years of life, fathering children, and continuing the lineage, the grand sweep of time culminates abruptly and universally in death. This stark contrast between immense longevity and inevitable demise highlights the pervasive power of mortality. Finally, the names themselves, like Mahalaleel ("Praise of God"), can be seen as Symbolism, offering glimpses of faith or hope amidst a narrative dominated by the shadow of death, suggesting that even in a fallen world, God's name was honored.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Genesis 5:17, with its precise recording of a long life concluding in death, powerfully illustrates the profound theological truth that mortality is the inescapable destiny of all humanity after the Fall. It is a continuous echo of God's curse in Eden, reminding readers that death is a direct consequence of humanity's rebellion against a holy God. Yet, within this somber reality, the meticulous recording of lifespans demonstrates God's sovereign oversight of history and His faithful preservation of a lineage, setting the stage for His redemptive plan. Despite the extraordinary longevity, the ultimate brevity of human life from an eternal perspective is emphasized, fostering a longing for a hope that transcends the grave.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Genesis 5:17 challenges us to confront the undeniable reality of our own mortality, regardless of how long or short our lives may be. The stark declaration "and he died" serves as a profound call to introspection, compelling us to consider the ultimate purpose of our finite days. In a world often preoccupied with temporal achievements and fleeting pleasures, this verse redirects our gaze toward an eternal perspective. It urges us to live with intentionality, recognizing that every moment is a gift and that our earthly existence, however extended, is but a vapor in the grand scheme of eternity. This realization should not lead to despair, but to a profound urgency to seek God, to steward our time wisely, and to invest in that which has lasting significance, allowing the certainty of death to sharpen our focus on the hope that transcends the grave.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why are the lifespans in Genesis 5 so much longer than lifespans today?
Answer: The Bible does not explicitly state the reasons for the extreme longevity of the antediluvian patriarchs. Various theories attempt to explain this phenomenon, including different environmental conditions before the Flood (e.g., a protective atmospheric canopy or a more stable climate), greater genetic purity in the early generations of humanity, or simply God's sovereign design for that specific period of history to allow for rapid population growth and the development of early civilization. The primary theological point, however, is not why they lived so long, but that even with such extended lives, death remained the final outcome for all, underscoring the pervasive nature of the Fall.
What is the significance of the repeated phrase "and he died" throughout Genesis 5?
Answer: This repetitive phrase is a powerful literary and theological device. It underscores the pervasive and inescapable reality of death as the universal consequence of sin introduced by Adam in Genesis 3. It serves as a solemn refrain, emphasizing that no matter how long a person lived—even for nearly a millennium—the curse of mortality ultimately claimed them. This highlights the profound and universal impact of the Fall on all humanity, setting a somber tone that points to the need for a divine intervention to overcome death.
Does Mahalaleel's name, "Praise of God," carry special meaning in the context of his death?
Answer: While the text does not explicitly elaborate on the connection, the name "Mahalaleel," meaning "Praise of God," in a lineage consistently marked by death, can be interpreted in a few ways. It might stand as a poignant contrast, highlighting a life dedicated to God's praise even amidst the grim reality of mortality. Alternatively, it could subtly testify to the enduring faith of a remnant who continued to worship God in a world increasingly steeped in sin. It serves as a reminder that even in the face of death, God remains worthy of praise, and His purposes continue to unfold through generations that acknowledge Him.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Genesis 5:17, with its stark declaration of death, powerfully highlights the universal problem that only Jesus Christ can ultimately solve. The relentless refrain "and he died" underscores humanity's profound bondage to mortality, a bondage initiated by Adam's sin. Jesus Christ is the ultimate answer to this pervasive reign of death, as He Himself conquered both sin and death through His perfect life, atoning crucifixion, and triumphant resurrection. This verse, by emphasizing the inescapable reality of physical death, implicitly points to the desperate need for a Redeemer who would be the resurrection and the life, offering eternal life to all who believe in Him. Christ's victory over the grave means that for those who are in Him, death is not the final word, but a passage to eternal life and fellowship with God, fulfilling the deep longing that this chapter's relentless mortality evokes. As 1 Corinthians 15:26 declares, death, the last enemy, will ultimately be destroyed through Christ's finished work.