Troublesome Topic: Can a Genealogy Tell a Story?

Short answer:  Only if we add a few things, but this must be done carefully.

Long answer:

In order for a genealogy to tell a story we must choose verb and noun forms of the names that fit a story format. We must also add things like prepositions, pronouns, etc. in order for it to make sense to us. If 10 different people set out to convert any biblical genealogy into a story, there would be 10 different products at the end with some similarities and some differences. Whoever does so must guard against allowing a desired story line to shape the meanings they choose and what is added in.

The people at Koinonia House (http://www.khouse/1996/44) have come up with the following “story” produced by their choice of meanings for the names in the genealogy of Genesis 5. Eric Ludy has done this work for both genealogies of Jesus given in the New Testament; it can be found at https://ellerslie.com/the-lineage-of-majesty/ I will choose the Genesis 5 genealogy as an example because it is much shorter.

Here is what they came up with:

Adam              Man

Seth                 [is] appointed

Enosh              mortal

Kenan              sorrow [but]

Mahalalel         the blessed God

Jared                [shall] come down

Enoch              teaching [that]

Methuselah      [his] death shall bring

Lamech           [the] despairing

Noah               comfort

If you read just the right-hand column you get a story that summarizes the Bible. In the rendition presented above, most of the names are expressed in a way that is not open to challenge or debate. However, you will notice below that my version of the “story” differs primarily because of the chosen meaning of two of the names.

Here are the meanings of those names, to the best of my ability to uncover them:

Adam = “Red & man”

Seth = “appoint/apply”

Enosh = “man, mortal man, mortal”

Kenan = from a Hebrew word meaning “to nest,” which is from an earlier word meaning “to build.” Others show it to mean, “buyer, or possession,” from a word meaning “to purchase or capture.” (I don’t see sorrow). Abarim-publications gives six possible roots from which the name Kenan can be derived. None of them mean Sorrow (although one does mean “lament”). The meaning of “lament” is very different from the rest of the meanings which seem to be more closely tied to the root meaning of “to nest or to build.”

Possible meanings of Kenan:

1 = acquire, purchase or create

2 = reed, shaft, beam, rod

3 = fit together, fabricate, forge (related to metal working)

4 = a dirge or lament \ the chanting of a sad dirge

5 = nest or cell, to make a nest

6 = to make or become straight

Mahalalel =     “the praise of God”

Jared    =          “Come down \ go down \ descend”

Enoch =           “train up or dedicate,” root meaning of “initiate,” (“teach” is acceptable)

Methuselah = “man of the dart, man of the weapon or man of the sprout; He has sent his death (Hitchcock) or to send forth death.”

The meanings of Methuselah are about a weapon, the type of weapon that has a shaft and is sent forth (such as an arrow or spear). I don’t see how it can be translated “his death will bring.”

Lamech  =       “Poor, Made low “

Noah =            “comfort”

Taking what I consider to be the most likely meanings of all these names, I could possibly make Genesis 5:3-29 into the following story:

Adam              man [is]

Seth                 appointed [to be]

Enosh              mortal [and to]

Kenan              a sad dirge, but

Mahalalel         the praise of God [will]

Jared                Come down [to]

Enoch =           begin to train

Methuselah = the man with a weapon who sends forth death [how to be]

Lamech  =       lowly [and how to]

Noah =            comfort

Man (Adam) is appointed (Seth) to be mortal (Enoch) and to a sad dirge (Kenan) but the praise of God (Mahalalel) will come down (Jared) to begin to train (Enoch) the man with a weapon who sends forth death (Methuselah) how to be lowly (Lamech) and how to comfort (Noah).

CONCLUSION:  Telling a story was not the primary purpose of a genealogy. However, I think it is possible for a genealogy to tell a story but in order to do so a few changes or additions need to be made, requiring interpretation. Therefore, in making a genealogy into a story we need to be very careful to not twist anything unnecessarily.

The next lesson is: A Summary of the Genealogies of Jesus in Matthew and Luke

The next lesson in the topic Lessons from Genesis by Chapter is: Why Did Noah Wait 500 Years before Having Children?