Gen 5:1-32, Gen 10:1-32, Gen 11:10-32 (for Dec. 3 class)

The three genealogies in Genesis 1-11 serve to establish the breadth of time and space occupied by Adam's descendants. They maintain a historical record of lineage from Adam to Abram, as well as placing the not yet founded nation of Israel in the context of the surrounding nations. The genealogies in Gen. 5:1-32 and Gen. 11:10-32 are very similar in form and function, while the account in Gen. 10:1-32 is quite different.

The listings in Gen. 5 and Gen. 11 both start with the "generations" or "account" of a single man. in Gen. 5, the man was Adam. In Gen. 11, the man was Shem. In both cases we are presented the lineage from a man to his son, and from the son to his son. In both cases there is the relatively simple pattern: "X lived Y years, and became the father of Z; and X lived Y' years after he became the father of Z, and had other sons and daughters". The first differs slightly in that it adds the total lifespan of each person, and adds the phrase "and then he died". However, both of these clearly record a history of the lineage from significant characters to other significant character generations later. In Gen. 5, the history is traced from Adam to Noah. In Gen. 11, the history is traced from Noah to Abram. For early readers this was significant because it recorded the entire history from the first man to Israel's birth. Later readers were able to use continued records to trace the lineage for Adam to David. Finally, in Luke 3 and Matt. 1, there are listings connecting Adam and Abraham to Jesus Christ.

It is clear that these two listings in Gen. 5 and Gen. 11 are highly linear. The words "he had other sons and daughters" serves to emphasize there were plenty of anonymous characters that were irrelevant with respect to the record. Out of the characters that are named, most are mentioned within the above mentioned pattern, downplaying their significance. Each of them is unique, having his own lifespan recorded, but also similar to the others in the rest of the pattern of living, having children, living some more, then dying. The pattern however, is broken when we reach a character who has a significant story. In Gen. 5, the pattern is broken when Lamech gives birth to Noah, saying "This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the LORD has cursed." This is further emphasized when the list is broken when it begins Noah's account by mentioning the names of not one but three of his children. Again in Gen. 11 the list is broken when not one but three of the children of Terah are mentioned. Although Terah was not the "hero" in the same sense that Noah was, his account was significant because he set the backdrop of time and place for the hero and his companion, his son Abram and his grandson Lot. These patterns shows a very particular purpose for these sections: to connect the gaps between characters in a narrative that spans thousands of years. In skimming over these listings too quickly we miss out on God's patience when he waits through the generations until the right person comes along.

The other genealogy, in Gen. 10, are similar to the other two in that it sets the scene for a significant story, connecting it with the previous narrative. The list in Gen. 5 sets up the story of Noah from the previous story of Adam and his sons, with the repetition on death reaching a sort of local maximum in the Flood, and his father's prophecy creating an portend for Noah. The list in Gen. 10 continues from Noah's line and sets the backdrop for the story of Abram setting a clear time and place as the beginning of his journey. The account in Gen. 10 paves the way for the story of the Tower of Babel. This is a different type of story compared to Noah and Abram. Instead of being the account of one significant character, it is an account of a mass of anonymous characters; it is the account of the separation of man into many nations. As a prequel for this story, the genealogy in Gen. 10 does not connect us linearly from Noah to a particular descendant, but rather it branches and connects us from Noah to the mass of nations in the story of Babel. As Lamech gave an introduction to Noah, and Terah introduced Abram, so the end of this account also introduces the next story: "These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations; and out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood".

Where the Gen. 5 takes us to a depth of 11 generations and Gen. 11 takes us to a depth of 9 generations, each listing father and son, Gen. 10 takes us to a depth of 3 generations for the descendants of Ham and Japheth, and 6 generations for the descendants of Shem. Instead of giving us a particular depth, we get a sense of breadth covering the family trees of not one character but three. For each of the three characters, we are not introduced to only one son, but all the sons. Out of the many sons, we actually find out about a number of their sons as well. Here we are not introduced to anonymous "other sons", but to fathers of nations. Much more detail is given compared to the other two passages. We are told of those who were great, like Nimrod. We are given a sense of place in geographic location. To early readers this may have given a sense of place with respect to their surrounding nations. It sets up the history of the Canaanites with respect to the history of Israel. To later readers like ourselves, we are introduced to nations that have, by their own strength, risen and fallen and disappeared with time.

Each of the genealogical listings in Genesis serves to connect people and events that are separated in space and time, preparing us for the next significant character or event. They serve to carry the pace. Hundreds if not thousands of years and generations are passed over quickly from one significant story to another. It is very easy to pass over this text even more superficially in our reading. However, without recognizing the sheer breadth of peoples or the depth of time in which God acts, we miss the significance in His patience waiting through time, His care in selecting individuals, and the intimacy of His relationship with individuals among the multitudes.