There is a deeper meaning behind the names listed in the genealogy in Genesis 5. If you translate each name into its meaning you get a message that has been at the heart of the Bible since it was first written.
- Adam = Man
- Seth = Appointed
- Enosh = Mortal
- Kenan/Cainan = Sorrow
- Mahalalel = The Blessed God
- Jared = Shall come down
- Enoch = Teaching
- Methuselah = His death shall bring
- Lamech = The disparing
- Noah = relief (or comfort)
So reading the meaning of the names together gives us:
Man (is) Appointed Mortal Sorrow, (but) The Blessed God Shall come down Teaching, (and) His death shall bring The Despairing comfort.