What does Genesis 5:32 mean?

This chapter of genealogy ends with the birth of three more sons. The quick, detail-free nature of this chapter is on full display here, as we are only given the rough age when Noah fathered these particular sons. We are not told specifically how old Noah was when each of his sons were born, only that they were all born after he was 500 years old. This is not meant to imply that they were triplets, or that Noah's wife had all three within a twelve-month span. For the purposes of the story, all that matters is knowing that, around that age, Noah had the three offspring who would accompany him on the ark.

Interestingly, Noah is the first patriarch who is not explicitly described as having other sons and daughters. Technically, the Bible does not say that Noah did not have other children. And yet, all the other men listed were said to have had multiple other offspring. This might have been an act of mercy by God, along with the death of Noah's father, Lamech, prior to the flood. It would have been merciful, indeed, to spare Noah the pain of seeing any of his children killed in God's judgment.

Noah's birth will serve as introduction to the next chapter. There, God will respond to the pervasive, depraved evil of mankind (Genesis 6:5; Genesis 6:11).