Seth

Portrait of Seth

Seth was the third son of Adam and Eve, born after Cain murdered Abel. In Genesis 4, Eve named him Seth, meaning โ€œappointed,โ€ because God had given her another offspring in place of Abel. His descendants formed the godly line that included Enosh, Enoch, Methuselah, and Noah, preserving faith amid growing human wickedness. This lineage is significant in Scripture because it traces the continuation of humanityโ€™s redemptive history from Adam through the flood and onward.

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Biography

Age
912 years
Father
Adam
Mother
Eve
Children
Enosh
Era
Pre-Flood

Family

Parents
Adam Eve
โ†“
Seth
โ†“
Children
Enosh
Old Testament Patriarchs Other Genesis

Did You Know?

1

Seth's name derives from the Hebrew word for 'appointed' or 'granted,' reflecting Eve's declaration that God had provided him as a replacement for the murdered Abel (Genesis 4:25).

2

According to Genesis 5:6-8, Seth fathered Enosh at age 105 and then lived another 807 years to reach 912, placing his death just 14 years before Noah's birth and allowing overlap with nine generations of his descendants.

3

Genesis 4:26 notes that it was in the days of Seth's son Enosh that people first 'began to call upon the name of the Lord,' marking the Sethite line as the origin of formal worship practices in the pre-Flood era.

4

The entire surviving human race after the Flood descends exclusively through Seth via his descendant Noah, as the Cainite line is extinguished, a detail emphasized in the genealogies of Genesis 5 and 1 Chronicles 1:1-4.

5

Luke's genealogy of Jesus (Luke 3:38) traces Christ's lineage all the way back through Seth to Adam, underscoring Seth's role as the biblical link between the first human family and the messianic line.

Key Passages

Birth of Seth

Genesis 4:25-26

Seth's birth shows God's mercy sustaining humanity's hope and sparking renewed worship after devastating loss.

A25nd Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

Read full chapter: Genesis 4 โ†’

Genealogy of Seth

Genesis 5:3-8

This genealogy shows God's faithful preservation of a godly line through Seth, offering hope across generations despite human mortality.

A3nd Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:

4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: 5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. 6 And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: 7 And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: 8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.

Read full chapter: Genesis 5 โ†’

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