Genesis 5:4

The context

Genesis 5 is a genealogical list running from Adam to Noah, built on a repeated formula: a man lives, fathers a son, lives a further number of years, has other children, and dies. Verse 4 is the clause about other children in Adam's entry. The formula repeats with variations for each generation.

What it establishes

It establishes that the text assumes a family wider than the named line, and that the narrator's interest is in the line rather than in the whole family. The formula is schematic and deliberate.

What it does not establish

It does not give a complete family record. The names are not supplied, and the numbers belong to a stylised genealogy whose relationship to elapsed time is disputed. The verse is a formulaic notice, not a demographic report.

Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.

Cited in these answers

• Where did Cain get his wife?

Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.