Bereshis 5:3

3 And Adam lived a hundred and thirty shanah and fathered in his own demut and after his tzelem (image) and called shmo Shet:

Bereshis 5:3 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 5:3

And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years
The Septuagint version, through mistaken, gives the number two hundred and thirty years: and begat [a son];
not that he had no other children during this time than Cain and Abel; this is only observed to show how old he was when Seth was born, the son here meant; who was begotten in his own likeness, after his image;
not in the likeness, and after the image of God, in which Adam was created; for having sinned, he lost that image, at least it was greatly defaced, and he came short of that glory of God, and could not convey it to his posterity; who are, and ever have been conceived in sin, and shapen in iniquity; are polluted and unclean, foolish and disobedient; averse to all that is good, and prone to all that is evil: the sinfulness of nature is conveyed by natural generation, but not holiness and grace; that is not of blood, nor of the will of man, nor of the flesh, but of God, and produced of his own will, by his mighty power impressing the image of his Son in regeneration on his people; which by beholding his glory they are more and more changed into by the Spirit of God. The Jewish writers understand this in a good sense, of Seth being like to Adam in goodness, when Cain was not: so the Targum of Jonathan,

``and he begat Seth, who was like to his image and similitude; for before Eve had brought forth Cain, who was not like unto him---but afterwards she brought forth him who was like unto him, and called his name Seth.''

So they say ^F26 Cain was not of the seed, nor of the image of Adam, nor his works like Abel his brother; but Seth was of the seed and image of Adam, and his works were like the works of his brother Abel; according to that, "he begat (a son) in his own likeness". And they assert ^F1, that Adam delivered all his wisdom to Seth his son, who was born after his image and likeness; and particularly Maimonides ^F2 observes, that all the sons of Adam before Seth were rather beasts than men, and had not the true human form, not the form and image of men; but Seth, after Adam had taught and instructed him, was in human perfection, as it is said of him, "and he begat in his likeness": but the text speaks not of the education of Seth, and of what he was through that, but of his birth, and what he was in consequence of it; and we are told by good authority, that "that which is born of the flesh is flesh", carnal and corrupt, and such are all the sons of Adam by natural generation; see ( Job 14:4 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F26 Pirke Eliezer, c. 22.
F1 Shalshalet Hakabala, apud Hottinger. Smegma, p. 212.
F2 More Nevochim, par. 1. c. 7.

Bereshis 5:3 In-Context

1 This is the Sefer Toldot Adam. In the yom that barah Elohim Adam, in the demut Elohim He made him;

2 Zakhar and nekevah He created them; and blessed them, and called the shem of them "Adam," in the yom when they were created.

3 And Adam lived a hundred and thirty shanah and fathered in his own demut and after his tzelem (image) and called shmo Shet:

4 And the days of Adam after he had fathered Shet were shemoneh me’ot shanah; and he fathered banim and banot:

5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty shanah: and he died.