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Chapter 7

Years of the Generations in Genesis

1. Perspective on the Inerrancy of the Bible

An increasing number of modern theologians believe that the Bible contains errors. However, the Bible is the Word of the living God and is therefore 100% accurate and inerrant. This principle of inerrancy applies to the entire Bible. Accordingly, the genealogies in the Bible are also part of the accurate and inerrant Word of God; the records of the persons who appear in each genealogy, including their lives and years, are all without error.

There are some genealogies with omissions. For instance, there are omissions in the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Matthew 1:8. Three kings—Ahaziah (2 Kgs 8:25), Jehoash (2 Kgs 12:1), and Amaziah (2 Kgs 14:1)—are omitted between Joram and Uzziah. In Matthew 1:11, Jehoiakim is omitted after Josiah (2 Kgs 23:34; 1 Chr 3:16). These omissions imply that the genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew was not written for the purpose of preserving a complete historical record or for calculating years. Matthew recorded the names of important persons from each era that he deemed necessary for the purpose of the genealogy and omitted others. He composed three groups of 14 generations each and recorded a total of 42 generations. Matthew 1:17 states, “Therefore all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the time of Christ fourteen generations.”

We must not waver in our faith that the biblical genealogies are part of the perfect and inerrant Word of God. Not all genealogies were written for the mere purpose of recording and calculating the years; certain generations were intentionally omitted in order to communicate God’s specific will.

2. Years of the Generations in Genesis 5 and Genesis 11

Together, the genealogies in Genesis 5 and Genesis 11 contain 20 generations of patriarchs. The genealogy of the line of Seth, which covers the generations from Adam to Abraham, contains no chronological gaps.

In his study of the Genesis genealogies, Old Testament scholar and creation scientist Henry M. Morris based his calculations of the ten generations from Adam to Noah on the years of birth and death. He argues that there are no gaps in these genealogies:

There is no reason to think there are any “gaps” in this record, or that the years are anything other than normal years (except for the quizzical possibility that the original year was 360 days long, instead of the present 365¼). The record is perfectly natural and straightforward and is obviously intended to give both the necessary genealogical data to denote the promised lineage and also the only reliable chronological framework we have for the antediluvian period of history.3

Old Testament theologian Travis R. Freeman also believes that the genealogies in Genesis 5 and Genesis 11 flow without gaps or disconnections. Freeman states:

Some modern theologians believe not only that Genesis 5 and 11 contain the names of actual historical figures, but that those names form a continuous (without generational omissions) linear genealogy from Adam to Abraham. While they readily acknowledge fluidity as a fairly common occurrence in ancient genealogies, they reason that the occurrence of fluidity in some genealogies does not prove fluidity in all genealogies. They see the genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11 as two of the many exceptions to the fluidity rule.4

In his analysis of early biblical genealogies, Samuel R. Külling begins by acknowledging that many biblical genealogies, such as those in Ezra 7 and Matthew 1, contain gaps. He believes, however, that biblical genealogies come in more than one genre. He describes the genealogies of Genesis 5 and Genesis 11 as chronological genealogies because of the many numerical notations therein, especially the fathers’ ages at procreation, and claims that there are no gaps or omissions within each of the two genealogies. He emphasizes that the purpose of the passages in Genesis stating Abraham’s age at Isaac’s birth and Isaac’s age at Jacob’s birth was to create an accurate chronology.5

What, then, is the basis for the belief that the chronological records of the genealogies in Genesis 5 and Genesis 11 are inerrant? There are three arguments.

First, the genealogies in Genesis 5 and Genesis 11 accurately narrate the time of birth, age at procreation, and life span for all 20 generations of patriarchs. Such precise notations of years cannot be found in other genealogies and thus impart additional credibility to these records. The narrative of the 20 generations of patriarchs is an actual historical and chronological record. If the purpose had not been to record actual accounts, there would have been no reason for such a detailed narrative.

Second, the order of the 20 patriarchs in Genesis 5 and Genesis 11 does not contradict any other genealogy in the Bible. The order of names in the genealogies in Genesis 5 and Genesis 11 is perfectly consistent with the order of names in the genealogies in 1 Chronicles 1:1–4, 24–27.

(1 Chr 1:1) Adam, Seth, Enosh

(1 Chr 1:2) Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared

(1 Chr 1:3) Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech

(1 Chr 1:4) Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth

(1 Chr 1:24) Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah

(1 Chr 1:25) Eber, Peleg, Reu

(1 Chr 1:26) Serug, Nahor, Terah

(1 Chr 1:27) Abram (Abraham)

Moreover, the genealogies in Genesis 5 and Genesis 11 are in agreement with the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Luke 3. In Luke 3:34–38, however, there is a difference in the case of one person. Cainan is listed between Arphaxad (Arpachshad) and Shelah in Luke 3, but not in Genesis 11. The appearance of Cainan, however, does not affect the calculation of years (see Excursus 5: “Perspective on Cainan”).

Unless there is definite proof that there is a gap in the chronological order of the years, it is far more accurate to base calculations on the Hebrew text than on noncanonical records that could be incomplete or inaccurate.

Third, the genealogy in Matthew 1 and the genealogies in Genesis 5 and Genesis 11 are separate genealogies recorded for different purposes. The genealogy in Matthew has omissions compared to other historical records in the Bible because the purpose of this genealogy was not to just narrate a historical bloodline. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Matthew was calling attention to the fruition of God’s plan for redemption.

The genealogy in Matthew contains three groups of 14 generations of persons who played critical roles in shedding light on God’s work of redemption until it reached its zenith with the coming of Jesus Christ (Matt 1:17). It is not an exhaustive list of all the generations in biblical history. Matthew also began the genealogy of Jesus Christ with Abraham so that the Jewish audience may understand that Jesus is their Messiah and accept Him. In light of this, the genealogy in Matthew placed its focus on the continuity of faith rather than on a narration of the births and lives of every descendant. It was written from the redemption perspective.

Therefore, skepticism regarding the historicity and accuracy of the genealogies in Genesis 5 and Genesis 11 based on the genealogy in Matthew 1 is unfounded. If we use the records in Genesis 5 and Genesis 11 for our calculations, we will once again realize the astounding inerrancy of the Bible and the profoundness of the spiritual world.

3. A Point of Reference for Calculating the Years

Although there are many genealogies in the Bible, not every genealogy records the years of birth or death; thus, reference points are necessary. Selecting precisely recorded dates as reference points and using them to perform calculations forward and backward in time will help to build a complete chronological timeline. One such biblical reference point is the year of the exodus.

(1) The year of the exodus is 1446 BC.

The year of the exodus is an important reference point for calculating the generations of the patriarchs who lived prior to the exodus. The first record that assists in calculating the year of the exodus is found in the records of the kings in 1 Kings 6:1:

Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord.

Furthermore, 2 Chronicles 3:1–2 confirms the specific date that Solomon began to build the house of the Lord: the second day in the second month.

Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 2And he began to build on the second day in the second month of the fourth year of his reign.

It is commonly known that Solomon succeeded the throne in 970 BC and began the construction work for the temple in 966 BC, the fourth year of his reign. Thus, calculations show that the year of the exodus was 1446 BC (966 + 480 = 1,446). While there are theologians who believe that the exodus occurred in the thirteenth century BC, the vast majority of conservative theologians agree that it is more biblically correct to view the time of the exodus as 1446 BC.

(2) The Israelites were in Egypt for 430 years.

It is clearly recorded in the Book of Exodus as follows:

Exodus 12:40–41 Now the time that the sons of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. 41And it came about at the end of four hundred and thirty years, to the very day, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.

So if the year of the exodus was 1446 BC, then the year that the Israelites entered Egypt was 1876 BC (1,446 + 430 = 1,876).

(3) The time period between Abraham’s birth and Israel’s migration to Egypt was 290 years.

Abraham had Isaac at the age of 100 (Gen 21:5). Isaac had Jacob at the age of 60 (Gen 25:26). Jacob migrated to Egypt at the age of 130 (Gen 47:9). Thus, 290 years passed between Abraham’s birth and Jacob’s migration to Egypt (100 + 60 + 130 = 290). By adding 1,446 (the year of the exodus), 430 years in Egypt, and 290 years between Abraham’s birth and Israel’s migration into Egypt, we obtain the year of Abraham’s birth: 2166 BC (1,446 + 430 + 290 = 2,166).6

Hence, unspecified dates of events and births can be accurately calculated by using reference points in the Bible. By building a chronological timeline for the 20 generations of patriarchs from Adam to Abraham, we are able to calculate the year of birth for the last person (Abraham). By using the year of Abraham’s birth as a reference point, we can also accurately calculate the years during which the 20 generations of patriarchs lived.

From this point, we will continue to examine God’s divine administration for redemption as revealed through the genealogies in Genesis 4–5 and Genesis 10–11.