Genesis 6: The Lines of Seth

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November 7th, 2009 Minister Fortson Leave a comment Go to comments

This theory is very popular among theologians, mostly because it is comfortable and non-controversial. In this chapter we’ll thoroughly explore the origin of this theory and how it fits into Genesis 6. You have probably been taught this theory and chances are your pastor has been taught this theory, so lets explore its origin.

“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” – Genesis 6:1-4

The Lines of Seth theory is an attempt to explain who the sons of God are in Genesis 6:2-4. The theory states that the “sons of God” are actually the sons of Seth, and the “daughters of men” are actually the daughters of Cain. The giants formed by this union are the result of God forbidding the mixing of the two groups. Consequently, because of their disobedience, God wants to destroy the world with a flood.

This theory on the flood has gained momentum over the centuries and has been made popular because of the very strange alternative explanation, which we will explore later. In the 3^rd century A.D., a man by the name of Sextus Julius Africanus (200 – 275 A.D.) started teaching the Lines of Seth view of Genesis 6. As a result it has been widely passed down from generation to generation. Over the years, quite of few prominent church fathers have held this view:

Cyril of Alexandria
St. Augustine

Were The Sons of Seth Godly

The sons of Seth may have been Godly, but there is no indication in the scripture that they are called the sons of God or that they are chosen over the descendants of Cain. Genesis 6 makes absolutely no references to Cain or Seth. In order for the theory to fit, you will need to change the word for God (Elohim) into the word Seth.

Cain did kill Abel, so it is assumed that his line is ungodly, but God forgave Cain and placed a mark of protection on him. Contrary to popular belief, this mark wasn’t the result of a curse (Genesis 4), but a sign of God’s grace. The theory also runs into two more Biblical problems when we get to Luke and John.

“Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.” – Luke 3:38

Luke is tracing the bloodline of the Messiah back until he reaches God. Notice that Luke refers to Seth as “the son of Adam” and then to Adam as the son of God. In Hebrew, Adam means “man”, so Luke is calling Seth the son of a man. This doesn’t seem to be coincidental in the least bit. Before the death and resurrection of Christ, the only two men referred to as sons of God were Adam and Jesus. John testifies to this also.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” – John 1:12

One of the conditions to becoming a son of God is receiving Christ. He obviously had not yet come to die for our sins before Genesis 6. Something else that is worthy of pointing out is that if the phrase referred to the sons of Seth, it means that they initiated the disobedience to God, not Cain’s line. The scripture indicated that the sons took wives of all that they chose. There are also two more questions that arise from this theory:

Why did all of Seth’s lineage except for Noah’s family die in the flood?
Why were they hanging out with Satan in Job 1 and 2?

We can clearly see that the evidence so far argues against the sons of God being the sons of Seth. Another major stumbling block for the theory is lack of scriptural support. Seth may have been the replacement for Abel’s death, but nowhere does it say that his entire line was godly.

Genealogy of Seth

Seth is the son that God blesses Adam and Eve with, after Cain kills Abel. There is no mention that Seth’s line will be godly or that he is somehow chosen. Lets start with Seth and work our way to Noah.

Adam – Man
Seth – Appointed
Enos – Mortal
Cainan – Sorrow
Mahalaleel – Blessed God
Jared – Come Down
Enoch – Teaching, Educated, or Dedicated
Methuselah – His Death Shall Bring
Lamech – Despairing, Poor, or Made Low
Noah – Rest or Comfort

We know that Seth’s line is continued through Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, but what we don’t know is whose line their wives came from. There is no Biblical evidence to support the theory that Seth and Cain’s line could not mix. It is entirely possible that Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth had wives that came from the line of Cain. Genesis 4:26 also offers us an interesting insight to something else about Cain’s line.

“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

Supporters of the Lines of Seth view use this verse to support the theory that Seth’s line was godly because Enos began calling upon the name of the Lord. If that’s true, whom did Adam, Cain, Abel, and Seth call upon?

The traditional Jewish interpretation of this verse, though, implies that it marked the beginning of idolatry, i.e. that men started dubbing “Lord” things that were mere creatures. This is because the previous generations, notably Adam, had already “begun calling upon the name of the Lord”, which forces us to interpret huchal not as “began” but as the homonym “profaned”. In this light, Enos suggests the notion of a humanity (Enoshut) thinking of itself as an absolute rather than in relation to God.

As we start to unravel the myth of Seth’s line being righteous, we begin to see that this wasn’t the traditional Jewish belief. Seth’s son Enos is viewed as the first idolater and the rest of Seth’s sons initiate disobedience to God by making wives of Cain’s daughters. These are not the actions that we would expect from a godly line.

Genealogy Of Cain

Cain seems to get a bad rap for his actions, but as I’ve pointed out, God forgave him. Not only did God forgive him, but He placed a mark on Cain and promised to avenge him sevenfold. Its true that Cain made a mistake, but that doesn’t make his entire line ungodly as some would have you believe. Lets look at what the Bible says about Cain’s lineage.

Cain – Something Produced or Spear
Enoch – Teaching, Educated, or Dedicated
Irad – Donkey, City of Witness, or Fugitive
Mehujael – Struck by God
Methusael – Man Who Asked God
Lamech – Despairing, Poor, or Made Low
Jubal – Ram
*Naamah (daughter) – Pleasant
Tubal-Cain – Worldly Possession

This is where the genealogy of Cain ends. Some scholars would have us believe that because Cain killed Abel, his entire line is cursed, but that simply is not true. There are some that say you can trace the Antichrist through Cain’s line, further adding to the false theory that Cain’s line is ungodly. In order to believe that the Antichrist emerges from Cain’s line, you have to ignore the following points of scripture

Cain’s line was wiped out in the flood.
Tubal-Cain is the last male named in the line of Cain.

If Cain’s genealogy ends with Tubal-Cain, how is it then possible to trace the Antichrist through his lineage? If we are to buy into Cain’s line being ungodly, the following questions need to be answered:

Why were Seth’s sons taking wives of their choosing?
Why were Seth’s sons disobeying a command of God?

Seth’s line seems to be acting against the will of God if you believe this theory. They initiate the disobedience, and then start taking wives of their choosing. It seems as though the “daughters of Cain” had no say in the matter, and the sons of Cain didn’t participate in this event. Everyone in Cain’s line seems to be completely innocent.

Minister Fortson.com