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Genesis 5:4

EOB (Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible):

After Adam had Seth, he lived for another eight hundred years and had more sons and daughters.

EOB Footnote:

The MT specifies “eight hundred years” for the period after begetting Seth, while LXX-A reads “seven hundred years.” This 100-year difference is part of a systematic pattern in the Genesis 5 genealogy where the LXX consistently shows longer ages at fathering and correspondingly shorter remaining lifespans compared to the MT. The DSS do not preserve this verse. The phrase “and he fathered sons and daughters” appears in both traditions with no significant variation.

Other Translations:

KJV (King James Version):

And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters.

WEB (World English Bible):

After he became the father of Seth, Adam lived eight hundred years, and became the father of sons and daughters.

Benton LXX (Vaticanus):

And the days of Adam, which he lived after he begot Seth, were seven hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters.

Douai-Rheims (Vulgate):

And the days of Adam, after he begot Seth, were eight hundred years: and he begot sons and daughters.

Apostoliki Diakonia (LXX):

The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were eight hundred years, and he fathered sons and daughters.

YLT (Young Literal Translation )(MT):

And the days of Adam after he had fathered Seth were eight hundred years, and he fathered sons and daughters.

BBE (Bible in Basic English):

After Adam became the father of Seth, he lived for eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters.

EOB COMMENTARY:

EOB Commentary:

Commentary on Genesis 5:4

The Continuation of Adam’s Line and the Mystery of Unnamed Descendants

This verse, noting that Adam lived eight hundred years after begetting Seth and had other sons and daughters, carries significant theological weight despite its apparent simplicity as genealogical data.

Patristic Interpretation: The Church Fathers understood this passage as demonstrating both the blessing of fruitfulness given to humanity and the spreading of the human race from a single origin. Saint John Chrysostom observes that the extraordinary longevity of the antediluvian patriarchs served divine providence, allowing for the rapid multiplication of humanity and the preservation of sacred tradition through fewer generations. The unnamed sons and daughters remind us that Scripture records what is necessary for salvation history while countless souls remain known only to God.

Christological Significance: The genealogy of Adam finds its ultimate purpose in the genealogy of Christ. Saint Luke traces our Lord’s lineage back through Seth to Adam, whom he calls “the son of God” (Luke 3:38). Adam’s continued begetting of children after the Fall demonstrates that despite sin’s entrance, God’s original blessing of fruitfulness remained operative, preserving the line through which the Second Adam would come. The eight hundred years of Adam’s continued life after Seth can be seen typologically, as the number eight in Orthodox understanding signifies the age to come, resurrection, and new creation, all fulfilled in Christ.

Liturgical and Spiritual Connections: The Sunday of the Holy Forefathers and the Sunday of the Holy Ancestors, celebrated before the Nativity of Christ, commemorate all the righteous ones from Adam onward who awaited the Messiah. These unnamed sons and daughters of Adam are among those who “died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off” (Hebrews 11:13). The Orthodox funeral service and memorial prayers reflect this understanding that all humanity shares in Adam’s nature and awaits the general resurrection.

The verse also speaks to Orthodox anthropology. Every human being, whether named in Scripture or not, bears the image of God inherited from Adam. The multiplication of Adam’s descendants, even after the Fall, demonstrates that the divine image, though wounded, was not destroyed. This provides the foundation for the Orthodox understanding of theosis, for what Christ assumed in the Incarnation was this very nature passed down from Adam through all generations.

The silence regarding the names of these other children teaches spiritual humility. Not all are called to prominence in salvation history, yet all are precious to God and called to holiness.

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