Tag Archives: Genesis 5:6

וַֽיְחִי־שֵׁ֕ת חָמֵ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים וּמְאַ֣ת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיֹּ֖ולֶד אֶת־אֱנֹֽושׁ׃ Opening the Text What does it mean for time to be counted, not just measured? This verse from Genesis 5:6 — the simple notice of שֵׁת’s lifespan and fatherhood — opens more than a genealogical record. It offers a portal into the architecture of biblical temporality. Time here is not a sequence of numbers; it is lived, layered, and linguistically arranged. Our journey begins with two verbs — וַֽיְחִי and וַיֹּולֶד — and a puzzling time construct that invites us to explore a phenomenon known as the split temporal clause in Biblical Hebrew: the division of numerical age into dual units, ordered for thematic, not just chronological, purpose.… Learn Hebrew