“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.” — Genesis 4:26 (KJV)
The Identity of Enosh
Enosh (spelled Enos in most of the King James Version, and Enosh in 1 Chronicles 1:1) was the son of Seth and the grandson of Adam and Eve. Born when Seth was 105 years old, Enosh represents the third generation of humanity. He lived for 905 years, witnessing nearly the entire history of the world before the Flood, including the life and translation of his descendant Enoch.
The Meaning of the Name
The name Enosh (Hebrew: אֱנוֹשׁ) carries a profound theological weight. While “Adam” refers to man in his connection to the earth (adama), Enosh refers to man in his frailty, weakness, and mortality.
- The Context of Mortality: Coming after the murder of Abel and the exile of Cain, the name signifies a realization of human limitation.
- The Reality of the Curse: It serves as a stark reminder that under the fall, man is “enosh”—frail and subject to death.
A Spiritual Turning Point
The most significant detail recorded about the days of Enosh is that “then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.” This is interpreted by biblical scholars in two primary ways:
- The Dawn of Public Worship: Many see this as the formal beginning of corporate worship. While individuals like Abel offered sacrifices, the generation of Enosh began to gather collectively to invoke the name of Jehovah (the Covenant God), distinguishing the godly line of Seth from the rebellious line of Cain.
- The Rise of Profanation: Ancient Jewish tradition (such as the Targums and Maimonides) suggests a more somber interpretation. They argue the word “began” can be translated as “profaned,” suggesting that in the days of Enosh, men first began to attribute the name of the Lord to created things (stars and idols), marking the origin of idolatry.
The Ancestor of the Messiah
Regardless of the spiritual climate of his generation, Enosh is preserved in the holy lineage. He is listed in the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Luke 3:38, which traces the Savior’s ancestry back to “Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.”