创世记五章题到很多人名和年岁，却不是历史的记载。整本圣经是一本生命的书，这一章连同其所有人名和年岁，乃是向我们表明生命的路。
创世记五章是美妙的一章。别卷书没有这样的记载。一个人活了若干岁，生了一个儿子，又活了若干岁，生儿养女，然后死了。他的儿子又活了若干岁，生了一个儿子，又活着生儿养女，然后死了。这是创世记五章的记载，看起来非常的重复。创世记五章满了难念的人名，和他们所活的年岁；以及“活了、”“生了、”“死了”这些辞，这三个辞在本章一再重复。
还有，你曾否注意过，“活”字在每个人身上都用过两次？例如，亚当“活”到一百三十岁生了塞特，亚当共“活”了九百三十岁。接着亚当之后，塞特“活”到一百零五岁生了以挪士，然后又“活”了八百零七年。在本章中，活了，生了，活了，生了，死了，这循环共重复了八次。创世记五章虽然题了十代，但我们必须减去以诺，他是一个特殊的例子；还有，挪亚的死没有记在本章。因此，本章有八代是活了，生了，活了，生了，并且死了。
创世记四章和五章的记载有很大的差别。创世记四章告诉我们某人活过，却没有告诉我们他们活了多少岁。从某种意义来说，创世记四章所题的人，在神看来不算是活的，他们的生命是空的。然而，创世记四章告诉我们，那些人发明了许多事物─宗教、城的设计、城的建筑、农业、音乐以及武器。第四章也说到那些人所作的恶事。何等希奇，创世记五章并没有告诉我们那些人的作为和活动。那些人活了很高的寿数，大部分超过九百岁。他们到底作了些甚么？那些人活了，生了，活了，生了，然后死了。除此以外，毫无迹象说到他们作了些甚么。他们所作的就是活和生。
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The Genealogy of the Saved Ones (1) – Gen. 5:1-5
Genesis chapter five mentions many names and ages, yet it is not merely a historical record. The whole Bible is a book of life, and this chapter, with all its names and years, shows us the way of life.
Genesis chapter five is a marvelous chapter. No other book contains such a record. A man lived a certain number of years, begot a son, lived more years, begot sons and daughters, and then died. His son also lived a certain number of years, begot a son, lived more years, begot sons and daughters, and then died. This is the record of Genesis chapter five. It seems very repetitive. The chapter is filled with difficult names and the years they lived, as well as the words “lived,” “begot,” and “died”. These three words are repeated again and again in this chapter.
Also, have you noticed that the word “lived” is used twice for each person? For example, Adam “lived” one hundred and thirty years and begot Seth; altogether Adam “lived” nine hundred and thirty years. After Adam, Seth “lived” one hundred and five years and begot Enosh, and then he “lived” another eight hundred and seven years. In this chapter, the cycle of lived, begot, lived, begot and died is repeated eight times. Although Genesis chapter five records ten generations, we must subtract Enoch, who was a special case, and Noah, whose death is not mentioned here. Therefore, in this chapter eight generations followed the cycle of lived, begot, lived, begot and died.
There is a great difference between the record in Genesis chapters four and five. Chapter four tells us that certain people lived, but it does not tell us how many years they lived. In God’s eyes, in a certain sense, the people mentioned in chapter four were not truly living — their lives were empty. Yet chapter four tells us they invented many things: religion, city design, city building, agriculture, music and weapons. Chapter four also records their evil deeds. How striking! In contrast, Genesis chapter five does not tell us what people did or accomplished. Many of them lived to a great age, most of them more than nine hundred years. But what did they actually do? They lived, begot, lived, begot and then died. Other than this, there is no indication of what they accomplished. What they did was simply to live and to beget.