Genesis 5:17
ESV
Thus all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years, and he died.
NIV
Altogether, Mahalalel lived a total of 895 years, and then he died.
NASB
So all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years, and he died.
CSB
So Mahalalel’s life lasted 895 years; then he died.
NLT
Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died.
KJV
And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
NKJV
So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years; and he died.
What does Genesis 5:17 mean?
The ages at death of the patriarchs listed in this book of Adam thus far are as follows: Adam-930, Seth-912, Enosh-905, Kenan-910, and now Mahalalel-895. The presence of physical death is, so far, the most obvious consequence of the fall. Regardless of how long these early patriarchs lived, they all died. The only exception seems to be Enoch, who found himself gone from this life and face-to-face with God all the same (Genesis 5:24). The repetitive comment, "and he died" is no accident.When one lines up the birth and death dates of these patriarchs, it becomes clear that there is a significant overlap. In fact, other than Enoch, the only men in this line who are not still alive when Noah is born are Adam and his son, Seth! And, as we will see later on, Noah's father, Lamech, was born more than 50 years before Adam's death. This is crucial for understanding how deep the effects of sin were in the pre-flood world. Despite having eyewitnesses to God's creation, or their direct descendants, mankind will spiral out of control until God removes nearly everyone (Genesis 6:5–8).
Genesis 5:1-32 is a bridge of genealogy connecting the time of Adam and his son Seth to the time of Noah. This brings the Bible's historical record to the era of the flood. It provides a small, but helpful set of details: early humans lived a long time, had many children, and all died as a result of ubiquitous human sin. Enoch is the exception that proves the rule, commended for walking with God and seemingly taken away before his physical death. Despite the presence of early God-worshippers such as Adam and Seth, man will quickly descend into extraordinary wickedness, as seen in chapter 6. The coming of Noah at the end of this chapter prepares us for God's response to the sins of humankind.
Chapter 5 uses a simple genealogy of Adam's descendants through Seth to link the earliest humans with the time of Noah and the flood. In the generations after the garden, human beings live extraordinarily long lives, have great numbers of children, and continue to be in relationship with God though separated from Him physically and spiritually. The description of Enoch being ''taken'' by God is the exception that proves the rule: No matter how long a person lives, sin always leads to death.
