Commentary - Genesis 5:28-31

Bird's-eye view

This short passage marks the climax of the genealogy of the line of Seth, the godly seed promised through Eve. In the midst of the monotonous and somber refrain, "and he died," which punctuates this chapter, we find a sudden burst of prophetic hope. Lamech, a man of faith, names his son Noah in a direct response to the curse God placed upon the ground in Genesis 3. He sees in his son a prefigurement of the rest that God's people crave. This passage, therefore, is not merely a genealogical data point; it is a profound statement of faith in God's unfolding plan of redemption. It sets the stage for the great de-creation and re-creation of the flood, and it points typologically to the ultimate rest that would be brought by the true and better Noah, the Lord Jesus Christ. The very numbers involved, particularly Lamech's age of 777, stand in stark contrast to the boastful vengeance of the other Lamech from the line of Cain, highlighting the difference between the city of man and the city of God.

In essence, we are shown that even under the heavy weight of the curse, with death reigning supreme, the light of the gospel promise was not extinguished. It was carried in the hearts of men like Lamech, who looked forward, named their children in faith, and trusted that God would one day provide a final and lasting comfort from the toil of sin.

Outline

Context In Genesis

Genesis 5 provides the genealogy from Adam through the line of Seth, the appointed seed who replaced the murdered Abel. This chapter stands in deliberate contrast to the genealogy of the ungodly line of Cain in chapter 4. Cain's line is characterized by murder, pride, technological advancement apart from God, and boastful vengeance, culminating in Lamech the bigamist. Seth's line, on the other hand, is the line of promise, the people who "began to call upon the name of Yahweh" (Gen 4:26). Chapter 5 traces this line through ten generations, from Adam to Noah, forming a crucial bridge from the Garden to the Ark. The constant refrain "and he died" underscores the reality of the curse of sin. However, the exceptions are notable: Enoch, who walked with God and was taken, and now Noah, whose very name is a prophecy of hope against the curse. This passage concludes the pre-flood genealogy of the faithful and prepares the reader for the universal corruption that will necessitate the judgment of the flood in chapter 6, a judgment from which only Noah and his family will be saved.

Key Issues

A Prophecy of Rest

The genealogies of Scripture are far more than a dry list of names and dates. They are the skeletal structure upon which the story of redemption is built. They trace the line of the promised seed of the woman, and they remind us that God's plan unfolds in real history, through real families. After the hubris and violence of Cain's line, culminating in his descendant Lamech's song of the sword, we come to the line of Seth. This line is also marked by the curse, as the drumbeat of "and he died" reminds us with every generation. But in our text, something different happens. A father, another Lamech, looks at his son and, by faith, speaks a word of prophecy that cuts straight through the gloom.

This is not wishful thinking. This is not a sentimental hope that his boy will have an easier life. This is a theological statement, grounded in the history of God's dealings with mankind. Lamech remembers the curse, he feels its weight in the sweat of his brow, but he also remembers the promise. And so he names his son in accordance with that promise, anticipating a day of relief, a day of rest, that God Himself would provide.

Verse by Verse Commentary

28 And Lamech lived 182 years and became the father of a son.

The verse begins with the standard formula of this chapter. Lamech, the ninth patriarch in the line of Seth, reaches the age of 182. The long lifespans of the antediluvian world are a testimony to the lingering strength of God's original creation, even as the curse of death was actively at work. But the main point here is the continuation of the line. Despite the reign of death, God is faithful to preserve the seed of the woman. A son is born, and with this son, the history of the world is about to pivot.

29 Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the pain of our hands arising from the ground which Yahweh has cursed.”

This is the heart of the passage. The naming is an act of profound faith. The name Noah (Noach) is closely related to the Hebrew word for rest (nuach). Lamech is not just picking a pleasant-sounding name; he is making a declaration. He explains his reasoning, and it is explicitly theological. He identifies the problem: "our work and the pain of our hands." This is not the good and satisfying work of the original creation mandate, but rather the grinding, frustrating toil that is a direct result of "the ground which Yahweh has cursed" (Gen 3:17). Lamech understands his predicament. He knows that the futility he experiences every day while farming is not a random fact of nature, but a judicial act of God. This is sound theology.

And in the face of this curse, he prophesies that his son Noah will bring rest or comfort. How did Noah do this? In one sense, he did it through the flood. The flood was a judgment, but it was also a cleansing. It gave the land a sabbath. After the flood, God re-establishes a covenant with Noah and promises not to curse the ground in the same way again (Gen 8:21), providing a stable order in which man's work could be fruitful. Noah also, as a man of the soil, discovered viniculture, which can bring gladness to man's heart (Psalm 104:15). But this is only a partial, typological fulfillment. The ultimate rest from the curse of sin and death would come through the true Noah, Jesus Christ, who says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt 11:28). Lamech's prophecy shoots like an arrow straight through the coming flood and lands at the foot of the cross.

30 Then Lamech lived 595 years after he became the father of Noah, and he became the father of other sons and daughters.

Again, the formula continues. Lamech lived to see the prophecy begin to take shape. He lived long enough to see his son grow into the righteous man who would be chosen by God. He also had other children, reminding us that the story focuses on the chosen line, but the world was being populated. These other sons and daughters would perish in the flood, a sobering reminder that being born into the covenant line does not guarantee salvation. Faith is required.

31 So all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died.

The final refrain is sounded: "and he died." Lamech's faith did not exempt him from the physical consequences of Adam's sin. Death still reigns. But his age is striking: 777 years. In Scripture, the number seven represents perfection, completion, and covenant. To have it tripled is emphatic. We cannot help but contrast this Lamech with the Lamech from Cain's line. The Cainite Lamech boasted that if Cain was avenged sevenfold, he would be avenged seventy-sevenfold (Gen 4:24), a number of arrogant, sinful pride. Here, the Sethite Lamech's life is stamped with God's own number of perfection, 777. It is a quiet, gracious sign from God, marking the godly line with a signature of grace in contrast to the boastful pride of the ungodly.

Application

Lamech's world is our world. We still live on the ground which the Lord has cursed. Though Christ has come, the effects of the fall are all around us and within us. Our work is often frustrating. Our bodies ache. Our plans are thwarted by disease, disaster, and death. We feel the "pain of our hands" in our jobs, in our homes, and in our hearts. The temptation is to despair, or to seek rest in distractions and false comforts.

Lamech teaches us a better way. He looked at the curse squarely in the face, called it what it was, and then looked forward in faith to God's promised deliverance. He named his son "Rest" when there was no rest to be seen. This is the nature of faith. We are called to do the same. We are to look at the brokenness of the world and, instead of despairing, look to our true Noah, the Lord Jesus. He is the one who gives us rest from the guilt and power of sin right now. And He is the one who will one day return to wipe away every tear and make all things new, removing the curse forever. In that day, we will enter His eternal Sabbath rest.

Until then, our work is not the meaningless toil of the curse. Because of Christ's finished work, our labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Cor 15:58). We work now not to escape the curse in our own strength, but as children of the promise, waiting for the final rest that our Savior has secured for us.