Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Genesis 5:17 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 17. 17And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Mahalalel's entry closes at 895 years with the repeated words 'and he died,' returning the reader to mortality even after an extraordinarily long life.
Read It With
- Genesis 5:1–32
Read Genesis 5:15–17 together. The fatherhood notice, later years, other children, total, and death form one complete genealogical entry.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Mahalalel's death reinforces mortality before Jared and Enoch.
Read Genesis 5:15–17 together
Why these verses belong together: Mahalalel's fatherhood, later years, other children, total, and death form one complete genealogical entry.
Verse 15. 15 And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared:
Verse 16. 16 And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:
Verse 17. 17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
What Remains True
Mahalalel advances the family line toward Jared and Enoch, but his own entry closes with death; generational contribution and human limitation remain together.
How It Can Shape Life
- Serve the next generation without treating legacy-building as a way to escape mortality or control descendants.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 5:1–32 — Adam's Generations Carry Life Through Death to NoahSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Reader-facing Scripture wording, verse numbering, paragraph data, and supplied-word markup.
Exact location: Pinned eBible/CrossWire standardized 1769 KJV corpus, Genesis 5:1–32
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Toledot heading, Adam/humanity wording, image and likeness, formulaic genealogy, Enoch walking and taking, death refrain, and Noah-comfort wordplay.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 5:1–32
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Adam as humanity, image and likeness, Enoch idiom, Noah wordplay, name cautions, and translation alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 5 translator notes
Open NET Genesis 5 ↗