Commentary - Genesis 5:1-2

Bird's-eye view

This short passage serves as the formal heading for the first great genealogy of Scripture, the line of Seth. Moses begins this section not with the Fall, but with a deliberate echo of the creation account. He is resetting the stage, reminding the reader of humanity's original glory and high calling before tracing the consequences of Adam's failure. The phrase "This is the book of the generations of Adam" marks a new and formal section in Genesis. The central point is to establish the foundational truth of man's creation: we were made in the likeness of God, as male and female, blessed by Him, and given a corporate identity in our head, Adam. This high point of original creation provides the stark and necessary backdrop for the litany of death that follows in the rest of the chapter, and it establishes the pattern that will be broken and restored only by the last Adam, Jesus Christ.

By reminding us that God made man in His own likeness, Moses is setting up a crucial contrast with the very next verse, where Adam begets a son in his own, now fallen, likeness. This introduction is therefore a theological anchor. It grounds human identity, dignity, and purpose in our status as God's image-bearers. It defines humanity as a complementary pair, male and female, united under a single name. Everything that follows in the story of redemption is about recovering what is described in principle right here.

Outline

Context In Genesis

Genesis 5:1-2 acts as a crucial hinge in the early chapters of the book. It follows the narrative of the Fall in chapter 3 and the story of Cain and Abel in chapter 4, which graphically illustrates the deadly fruit of that Fall. After the darkness of Cain's rebellion and the establishment of his godless line, the birth of Seth is described as a new "appointment," a seed of hope (Gen 4:25). This passage formally introduces the genealogy of that promised line. By harkening back to the glory of Genesis 1, Moses deliberately bypasses the sin of Genesis 3 for a moment to re-establish the original blueprint. This section, the toledoth of Adam, is the first of several such genealogies that structure the entire book of Genesis. It provides the backbone of the redemptive story, tracing the line from the first Adam to Noah, through whom humanity would be preserved, and ultimately, it is the line that will lead to Christ.

Key Issues

The Book of Adam's Race

Before we get a long list of names and ages, culminating in the refrain "and he died," the Holy Spirit insists that we first remember where we came from. This is not just a list; it is a book. The Hebrew is sepher toledoth, the book of the generations. This is a formal, written, authoritative account. Scripture is here identifying itself as a book, a written record from the very beginning. This is the official family history of mankind, and it begins not with an ape, but with a glorious creature made in the very likeness of God. Modern man, in his rebellion, has tried to write his own book of generations, one that begins in a primordial soup and traces his lineage through the beasts of the field. The Bible will have none of it. Our story begins in the mind of God, and our identity is defined by Him.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.

The phrase "book of the generations" marks this as a formal, authoritative record. This is history, not myth. And the history of Adam's race begins with a foundational theological statement. Before we can understand who we are now, we must understand who we were then. Moses reaches back past the grime of the Fall to the glory of the creation. The central, defining fact of humanity is that we are made in God's likeness. This is not primarily about physical appearance. It means we were created to be God's representatives, His viceroys on earth. We were made to mirror His righteous character, His creativity, His dominion. Adam was a king, a priest, and a prophet under God. This is the high dignity that was ours by creation, and the dignity that was tragically marred when Adam chose to listen to the serpent instead of his Lord.

2 He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created.

The image of God in man is not monolithic or androgynous; it is expressed in a glorious, created polarity: male and female. This is fundamental. Humanity is a two-part harmony. This is not a social construct; it is a divine creation. And upon this binary reality, God pronounced His blessing. The blessing is His divine favor and empowerment to fulfill the creation mandate, to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth with worshipers who reflect His glory. Then comes a crucial point: He "named them Man." The Hebrew word is Adam. The name of the individual, the first man, is also the name of the race. He named them, the male and the female, Adam. This establishes the principle of federal headship from the very beginning. Eve was created from Adam and for Adam, and she finds her identity with him under this one, corporate name. Adam is the head, the representative, and what he does, he does on behalf of all those who are in him. This is the very principle that makes the saving work of the last Adam, Jesus Christ, possible. As we were all in the first Adam when he fell, so all who are elect are in the second Adam when He stands.

Application

This passage grounds our entire identity. In a world that wants to tell you that you are a cosmic accident, a collection of molecules, or that your identity is something you invent for yourself, the Bible says something radically different. It says you are a creature with a purpose, made by a loving Creator in His own image. Your dignity is not based on your accomplishments, your feelings, or the approval of others. Your dignity is inherent because you are an image-bearer of the living God.

This truth has massive implications. It means that every human life, from the womb to the tomb, has immense value. It also means that we must take our created nature as male and female seriously. God made us this way for a purpose, and our flourishing depends on joyfully embracing the goodness of His design, not rebelling against it. But most importantly, this passage, by reminding us of the glory we lost, should drive us to the cross. The first Adam failed as our representative. He plunged us into sin and death. But God, in His mercy, sent a second Adam. Jesus Christ is the perfect image of the invisible God (Col 1:15). In His life, He perfectly reflected the character of the Father, and by His death and resurrection, He makes it possible for us to be restored to that image. To be a Christian is to be remade into the likeness of Christ, who is the true likeness of God. Our original identity was glorious, but our new identity in Christ is even more so, because it can never be lost.