Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Genesis 5:4 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 4. 4And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
After Seth's birth, Adam lives eight hundred more years and fathers other sons and daughters, showing that the named line is selective rather than exhaustive.
Read It With
- Genesis 5:1–32
Read verses 3–5 together. Verse 3 names the son who carries the genealogy, verse 4 acknowledges a larger family, and verse 5 totals Adam's life and records his death.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The notice of other children prevents the selected named line from appearing exhaustive.
Read Genesis 5:1–5 together
Why these verses belong together: The heading, creation echo, Seth's image-and-likeness descent, larger family, and Adam's death establish the chapter's meaning and formula.
Verse 1. 1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
Verse 2. 2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
Verse 3. 3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
Verse 4. 4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:
Verse 5. 5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
What Remains True
A biblical genealogy may focus on one line without denying the lives and dignity of unnamed family members.
How It Can Shape Life
- Do not confuse being unnamed in a record with being unimportant to God or to the real human community behind the record.
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 ↗