Gen 5:1–2: "the book of the generations of Adam"
Says 5:1 opens זֶה סֵפֶר תּוֹלְדֹת אָדָם, "this is the book of the generations of Adam" (BDB: "generations, esp. in genealogies = account of a man and his descendants"), joining the formula to a day of God's making as 2:4 does (xref.Gen.2.4.Gen.5.1.heb; note.language.Gen.2.4.toledot-boundary). The OSHB tags this first אָדָם as the personal name; in בְּיוֹם בְּרֹא אֱלֹהִים אָדָם, "in the day God created man," and in 5:2, וַיִּקְרָא אֶת־שְׁמָם אָדָם, "and he called their name man," it tags the common noun (BDB "man, mankind"). The BSB's footnote at 5:2 gives "Hebrew Adam." Where the personal name begins is set out in note.language.Gen.2.5-Gen.2.25.adam-ha-adam. Swete has Αὕτη ἡ βίβλος γενέσεως ἀνθρώπων, "of men," and in 5:2 τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῶν Ἀδάμ, the name.
Implies 5:1–2 take up 1:26–28: בִּדְמוּת אֱלֹהִים, "in the likeness of God"; זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בְּרָאָם, as in 1:27, זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בָּרָא; and וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם, as in 1:28, וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם (xref.Gen.1.27.Gen.5.1-Gen.5.3.heb; note.language.Gen.1.26-Gen.1.27.tselem-demut). Matt 19:4 and Mark 10:6 cite "male and female."
Uncertain What סֵפֶר, "book," means here: (1) a written list of the line, taken up into Genesis; (2) a heading naming the account that follows, as the formula does elsewhere. The noun usually means a written document; but here it may simply name the section. No lean is taken here.
Claims
- Saysזֶה סֵפֶר תּוֹלְדֹת אָדָם (BDB on the noun); the personal name in 5:1a, the common noun in 5:1b and 5:2 (OSHB; BSB footnote "Hebrew Adam"); see the Gen 2 adam note; Swete ἀνθρώπων and Ἀδάμ.
- Implies5:1–2 take up the likeness, "male and female," and the blessing of 1:26–28.
- Uncertain"Book": an earlier written list or a heading; no lean.
Citations
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 5:1–2 (WLC/OSHB; morph HNcfpc, HNp (H121), HNcmsa (H120), HNcmsa, HVNc/Sp3mp)
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 1:27–28; 2:4 (WLC/OSHB)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 s.v. H8435, p. 410, entry j.bn.al; BDB 1906 page image, archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, leaf n433
- BDB CC BY 4.0 s.v. H120, p. 9, entry a.bc.ab; BDB 1906 page image, archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, leaf n32
- LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 Gen 5:1–2. LXX read on the Swete page image, vol. 1 (1901), p. 7 (leaf n38).
- BSB public domain Gen 5:1–2, with the footnote at 5:2; Matt 19:4; Mark 10:6
Quotations from LXX (Swete) are used under CC BY-SA 4.0 · Credits
2026-11-10
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