Q. In Genesis 5 the list of Adam’s descendants only gives some of the names. What is the reason for this?

A. Genesis is the book of beginnings. It’s the beginning of everything connected to the universe, including the fall of mankind and sin. The whole story of the Bible is the redemption of man and the universe from the ravages of that sin through the Messiah, who we know as Yeshua of Nazareth. In Genesis 3.15 God promises a redeemer , the “seed” of the woman. The Genealogy in Genesis 5 is the righteous line through whom the Messiah will come and that is why it is repeated in Luke 3.23-38, which is his mother’s line not Joseph’s. The Luke 3 list is the genealogy of the “seed of the woman” of Genesis 3.15. Another reason these names are listed is because it reveals God’s plan of redemption through the Messiah. If you look up the meaning of the names it tells the plan. I’m going to start with Adam through Noah, giving their meanings and then put it all together. Adam means “man”, Sheth (Seth) means “appointed”, Enosh means “mortal”, Kenan means “habitation”, Mahalaleel means “the blessed God”, Yered (Jared) means “shall come down”, Chanok (Enoch) means “teaching”, Methusalach means “his death shall bring”, Lemek (Lamech) means “captive” and Noach (Noah) means “rest.” So, putting these names together, Genesis 5 means “ man is appointed a mortal habitation but the blessed God shall come down teaching and his death shall bring the captives rest.” So, Genesis 5 starts the genealogy of the Messiah, the seed of the woman( the complete list of his mother Miriam (Mary)is given in Luke 3) and their names give the plan of redemption.