Genesis 5:31 kjv
And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.
Genesis 5:31 nkjv
So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years; and he died.
Genesis 5:31 niv
Altogether, Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died.
Genesis 5:31 esv
Thus all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died.
Genesis 5:31 nlt
Lamech lived 777 years, and then he died.
Genesis 5 31 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 5:3-31 | ...and he died. | Recurring pattern of death in patriarchs |
| Gen 2:17 | but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. | God's initial warning of death's consequence |
| Gen 3:19 | By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return. | Declaration of human mortality after the Fall |
| Gen 6:3 | Then the Lord said, "My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years." | Divine limitation of lifespan post-Flood |
| Ps 90:10 | The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is toil and trouble... | Brevity of human life in later eras |
| Heb 9:27 | And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment... | Universality and certainty of death |
| 1 Cor 15:21 | For since by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. | Death's origin and ultimate defeat |
| Rom 5:12 | Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned... | Sin as the gateway to death for all humanity |
| Rom 6:23 | For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. | Spiritual death and the hope of eternal life |
| Job 14:1-2 | "Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not." | Fragility and transience of human life |
| Eccles 3:2 | a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; | Appointed times for life and death |
| James 4:14 | yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. | Ephemeral nature of life |
| Num 14:18 | The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation. | Reference to numerical fullness in judgment |
| Prov 10:27 | The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be shortened. | Divine influence on lifespan (later contexts) |
| Ps 39:4-5 | "O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you." | Recognition of life's brevity by humans |
| 1 Tim 6:7 | For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. | Universal nakedness and departure |
| 1 Pet 1:24 | For "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls;" | The temporary nature of physical existence |
| Ps 102:26 | They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, | Contrast of human transience with God's eternality |
| Isa 65:20 | No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill up his days; for the youth shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner hundred years old shall be accursed. | Future ideal of longevity in new creation (different context) |
| Rev 21:4 | He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." | Death's ultimate abolition in the new heavens and earth |
Genesis 5 verses
Genesis 5 31 Meaning
Genesis 5:31 records the complete lifespan of Lamech, father of Noah, stating that he lived for seven hundred seventy-seven years before his death. This verse functions as the concluding statement for Lamech's entry in the genealogical record of Adam's descendants, emphasizing the universal certainty of death for all pre-Flood patriarchs, despite their extraordinary longevity. It encapsulates the temporal limits of even the longest human lives under the shadow of the Fall.
Genesis 5 31 Context
Genesis chapter 5 details the "book of the generations of Adam," providing a highly structured genealogical record from Adam to Noah. Each entry consistently follows a pattern: naming the individual, stating their age when they fathered their first son, listing the remaining years they lived after that birth, and concluding with "and he died." This relentless repetition underscores the primary consequence of the Fall—death. Despite extraordinary lifespans in the pre-Flood era, all humanity ultimately succumbed to the grave. Lamech's entry is significant as he is the ninth in this lineage and the father of Noah, through whom God preserves humanity from the impending global flood. The mention of his death just before the flood highlights the close of the corrupted pre-Flood world. This patriarchal lineage from Adam to Noah carries the Messianic line, implying God's faithfulness in preserving the promise of a "seed" (Gen 3:15) even in a dying world, providing context for the unique role of Noah in salvation.
Genesis 5 31 Word analysis
- All the days: (כָּל־ יְמֵי - kal yemey) This phrase signifies the absolute totality and full extent of Lamech's life. It emphasizes that the stated number encompasses his complete earthly existence, leaving no part unaccounted for within the biblical record.
- Lamech: (לָמֶךְ - Lamek) This Lamech is distinct from the Lamech in Cain's line (Gen 4:18-24). He is part of Seth's righteous lineage (though not perfect), a father in the Messianic line that culminates in Noah. His name's meaning is debated but can relate to "powerful" or "strength." In his entry, he is noted for naming his son Noah (comfort/rest), expressing a hope that Noah would bring relief from the toil of the ground cursed by God (Gen 5:29).
- were: (הָיוּ - hayu) A simple verb of existence, indicating the culmination and completion of the specified time period.
- seven hundred seventy-seven: (שֶׁבַע מֵאוֹת שֶׁבַע וְשִׁבְעִים - sheva me'ot sheva veshiv'im) This numerical figure is highly symbolic. The number seven (שֶׁבַע - sheva) frequently denotes completeness, perfection, or divine judgment/oaths in biblical contexts. Here, its triplication (7x100 + 7x10 + 7) amplifies this sense of ultimate fullness. For Lamech, it suggests the absolute measure of a period coming to a divinely determined end. Some interpretations view this specific number as reflecting a "seven-full" generation, signifying either the climax of sin and the fullness of wickedness preceding the flood or the complete fulfillment of God's patience leading to judgment. It might also starkly contrast with Lamech from Cain's line who boasted of seventy-sevenfold vengeance, possibly implying ultimate judgment or consequences in the Sethite Lamech's completed life. This lifespan represents the final extreme longevity before God intervenes drastically in the world's lifespan in Gen 6.
- years: (שָׁנִים - shanim) The standard unit for measuring these extraordinarily long lifespans, confirming the literal reading of time periods in Genesis 5.
- and he died: (וַיָּמֹת - vayyamot) This is the refrain of Genesis 5, repeated for every patriarch except Enoch, who was "taken" by God. This phrase acts as a solemn, unchanging drumbeat, underscoring the absolute universality and certainty of physical death as the inescapable consequence of the Fall (Gen 3:19). It serves as a stark reminder that even individuals with exceptional longevity could not escape mortality. The consistency of this phrase across all entries establishes death as a reigning power over humanity in the pre-Flood world, laying the groundwork for the radical divine intervention (the Flood) required to reset the corrupted world and pave the way for a new covenant.
Genesis 5 31 Bonus section
- Proximity to the Flood: According to many biblical chronologies derived from the Masoretic Text, Lamech's death occurred just five years before the Great Flood commenced, emphasizing his lifespan as effectively the final "long life" of the pre-diluvian world order. This proximity suggests a dramatic culmination.
- Numerical symbolism of 777 vs. 666: While the number 7 often represents completeness and divinity, and is multiplied to emphasize it in 777, it stands in stark contrast to 666, often associated with human imperfection and rebellion in Revelation. In Lamech's context, 777, following a lineage deeply fallen yet marked for divine continuity, might symbolize a complete 'appointed time' or a full measure before significant divine action, distinct from outright rebellion.
- Lamech's Prophetic Naming: Genesis 5:29 reveals Lamech named Noah, saying, "Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our painful toil." This statement offers a glimmer of hope amidst the chapter's deathly cadence, indicating a longing for deliverance, which Noah's role in saving humanity and instituting the first covenant (Gen 9) partially fulfills. Lamech, dying shortly before the Flood, did not witness this relief fully, but his hopeful declaration echoes.
Genesis 5 31 Commentary
Genesis 5:31 succinctly closes the record of Lamech's life, affirming his long years but ultimately highlighting his surrender to death. The repetitive phrase "and he died" serves as the persistent and grim reminder throughout Genesis 5 of humanity's fall from grace and the subsequent dominion of death. Lamech's immense age, 777 years, symbolizes a period of completeness or a critical juncture in the antediluvian world's history, perhaps marking the saturation of wickedness before the Flood, which would occur shortly after his demise. Despite living for centuries, a duration incomprehensible to post-Flood humanity, Lamech was no exception to the curse that promised return to dust. His death sets the stage for his son, Noah, who becomes the bridge between the condemned old world and the renewed creation after the Deluge, emphasizing God's selective preservation amidst judgment. The verse is a profound theological statement on the limits of human existence and the sovereign power of death over a fallen humanity.