Adam met not only his son Seth, grandson Enosh, great-grandson Kenan, and great-great-grandson Mahalalel, but also his son Jared, grandson Enoch, great-grandson Methuselah, and great-great-grandson Lamech. So Lamech was his sixfold great-grandson.
Adam was just 874 years old when he was born. But when Lamech was 56 years old, Adam finally died. Unfortunately, he didn't get to know Noah anymore, because he was born 126 years after his death.

Abraham knew primeval history third-hand

Noah saw six of his nine forefathers laid to rest by God. The other three, Adam, Set and Enoch, he only knew from the tales of his father Lamech. He and his son Shem heard all of prehistory second-hand. And Shem died only at the age of 600 years, when Abraham was already 150 years old and Isaac 50 years old.

The Oldest Man: Signs of God's Patience

Methuselah became the oldest man on earth. Nevertheless, his father Enoch survived him, because he "walked with God" (Genesis 5,22:300) and was caught up to him after father and son had spent 57 earth years together. Adam died 365 years before Enoch ascended to heaven. Exactly at the age of 365 Enoch was caught up to God, which can be seen as a picture of being able to live with God all XNUMX days of the year. This life with God will be lived by the remnant of the last generation, who will then – like Enoch – be caught up to heaven.

Enoch was a prophet because he gave his son a special name: Methuselah. That meant something like: "If he dies, it will happen" - or more literally: "Die and send". Because he actually died in the year of the flood, it is clear how his name is to be understood. Surely he became the oldest man because God was patient for so long or wanted to give more emphasis to the call to repentance!

Shem, the second born

When Noah was 500, he begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Genesis 1:5,32). However, from chapters 7,11:11,10 and 600:100 we learn that Shem was born a little later. For it says the flood occurred when Noah was 1; However, Shem only turned 9,24 two years after the flood, when he fathered his first son. Thus, Noah's age refers only to the procreation of his eldest son Japheth. Ham was the youngest (Genesis 1:10,21). Because Genesis XNUMX:XNUMX is ambiguous in the Hebrew, the only way to translate this verse correctly is to take this fact into account.

As the King James Version correctly says: "And also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber. Hebers, that is, all Hebrews] and brother of Japhet the Elder, children were born.” That the three brothers are always mentioned in this particular order must have something to do with the importance each of their descendants had in the history of Israel.

The gospel of the names

Chuck Missler quoted in A Hidden Message - The Gospel of Genesis the Jesus text from Matthew 5,17.18:XNUMX: »Do not think that I came to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to dissolve, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter nor tittle of the law shall pass away, until it all comes to pass.' One might say, not even an I-dot or a T-dash.

Chuck Missler has examined the Hebrew word roots of the patriarchs' names and came up with a most interesting attempt at translation. Adam means man, Set determines/bring, Enosh mortal, Kenan (from China) Lamentation, Mahalalel consists of mahalal Praised and el God, Jared means descent, Enoch dedicated/teaching, Methuselah consists of courage death and shalach send/bring, Lamech despairs/taste and Noah rest.

To put it plainly: “mortality and lamentation are certain to human beings; but the blessed God descends (with) the lesson (that) his death brings rest to the despairing.« [or: Man established mortality and lamentation. Praise be to God for the descent of the consecrated: his death gives us a taste of rest.] A wonderful messianic promise fulfilled in Jesus. As Seventh-day Adventists, we can also discover a hidden Sabbath message here.