Kenan was the father of Mahalalel. He was the father of Jared, who became the father of Enoch. Enoch was the father of Methuselah. Enoch “walked with God” and is the first man to be translated directly to heaven without dying.
In this section, we see the redemptive branch of the human family tree continue. Mahalalel and Jared may not seem important in God’s story of salvation. But they are more than strange names in an ancient genealogy. They are part of God’s generational chain concluding with the birth of Jesus Christ. We can see this in Luke 3:37-38, where Jesus’ genealogy is traced all the way back to Adam.
Verse 22 says, Enoch walked with God. He had a special relationship with God. Enoch was a man of faith who obeyed God faithfully. Because of this, Enoch did not die physically. The author of Hebrews explains that it was By faith [that] Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God (Hebrews 11:5). Enoch was also vocal about his beliefs and relationship with God and warned those who pursued sin (Jude 1:14-16).
Biblical Text
12 Kenan lived seventy years, and became the father of Mahalalel. 13 Then Kenan lived eight hundred and forty years after he became the father of Mahalalel, and he had other sons and daughters. 14 So all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died. 15 Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Jared. 16 Then Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Jared, and he had other sons and daughters. 17 So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died. 18 Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and became the father of Enoch. 19 Then Jared lived eight hundred years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters. 20 So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died. 21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. 22 Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
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