Genesis 5:1—6:10 Catholic Bible study Lesson 5

In the Beginning:
The Book of Genesis

Lesson 5 The Wickedness of Man Was Great
the book of Genesis 5:1—6:10

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for the book of Genesis
cross references in the book of Genesis
next lesson: The Great Flood & God’s Covenant with Noah

This material coordinates with Lesson 5 on pages 27–30 in the study book In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.

“And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done.”—the book of Genesis 1:31—2:2

welcome to our in-depth study of the book of Genesis
We invite interested groups and individuals to check out the sample first lesson from this 28-lesson Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study. These online study pages link to free lesson videos, an online glossary, and a list of cross references in the biblical text. Other study aids include maps, charts, illustrations, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis has been granted an imprimatur and can be purchased from our website shop. If you have a Bible-related question or comment, click on one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons on any online study page.

open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the book of Genesis 4:1–26
Lesson 4 Cain Rose Up Against His Brother introduces a common theme in the Old Testament, that of brother fighting against brother. God is depicted as the primary father figure, a role that he’ll continue to fill in the New Testament. Christians who aren’t familiar with the Scripture often mangle the details of the story of Cain and Abel. The mark of Cain, for instance, is a protective mark given by God and not an indicator that Cain is being punished—though killing Abel is a definite sin. Cain’s punishment isn’t immediate death but exile. This is the same punishment his parents received for their disobedience, and it won’t be the last time that God inflicts exile on his people as a punishment for sin. Scripture fails to indicate exactly what was wrong with Cain’s offering, and while many people have speculated about this, the bottom line is that we just don’t know why God expected something better from Cain. It’s of some interest that before Cain kills Adam, God cautions him about sin lurking at his door.

genealogy notes—everything begins with Adam
In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis includes six family trees that show the lineage of the people of God. These visualizations make it easier to see the relationship between Old Testament figures beginning with Creation and stretching through all of the sons and grandsons of Jacob. Each genealogical chart takes up where the previous one left off. The red line that moves through these charts traces the descendants of Adam through to the grandsons of Perez in the tribe of Judah. This is the same family line that later will include Jesse and his son David, a line into which Jesus eventually will be born. Click on the first family tree (right) to enlarge it. The original genealogical chart is on page 29 in the study book In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.

sin always equates to death (55:37)
Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps addresses what’s going on with the exceptionally long life spans recorded in this section in the book of Genesis. Because there’s less sin and corruption at this early stage in salvation history, the author of the book of Genesis seems to be suggesting that this slows down the effect of sin, which is death. It still turns out, however, that the serpent was lying when he told Eve that she and Adam could eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and not die. As long as humanity sins, death is inevitable, and how God goes about redeeming men and women is the underlying theme woven throughout Scripture. The genealogy in this section of the book of Genesis is what Matthew calls “filler-adjacent,” and takes the story from Adam to Noah and out of the age of myth.

The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study from Turning to God’s Word match the Scripture ranges for the sets of questions in In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis. You can follow along with the video overview as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 5, “The Wickedness of Man Was Great,” on pages 27–30 in the study book.

something interesting about biblical genealogies
The genealogy in the fifth chapter in the book of Genesis begins with the words: “This is the book of the generations of Adam.” It introduces a listing of the people that God claims as his own family. While the preceding chapter provided a listing of Cain’s descendants, Cain’s lineage wasn’t introduced in the same way. It’s worth noting that language associated with more formal genealogies appears in Scripture even earlier than the listing of Adam’s lineage. The second account of Creation in the book of Genesis 2:4 begins: “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.” The beginning or generation of the heavens and the earth is viewed by the author of the book of Genesis as the first and foremost beginning, a necessary Creation before Adam and his line.

how to approach genealogies in Scripture
Biblical genealogies are used to focus on what’s important in the Scripture. Although Enoch is included in the genealogy with a large number of other humans who are described as dying in the book of Genesis 5:21-24, the description of Enoch varies to include the information that Enoch “walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” In the video overview, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses why it matters and how to understand differences in the genealogical pattern used to advance the story of salvation history.

WHAT DO YOU THINK is important in this first family tree from the book of Genesis?
One of the most obvious things that shows up in the genealogy in the fifth chapter in the book of Genesis is a repetition of names.

? Consider what might explain why some of the people in Seth’s line have the same names as some of their earlier relatives in Cain’s line.
? What’s the name of Cain’s descendant born into the same generation as Seth’s great-great-great-grandson, and how do these two men differ?
? According to the biblical text, what’s the most significant thing about Seth’s great-great-great-grandson?
? What might explain why it takes six generations before anyone in Seth’s line uses a name previously used in Cain’s line?
? Consider whether the people in Seth’s line are choosing to name their sons after people in Cain’s line as a means of honoring Cain’s descendants.
? How does the man named Lamech born into Seth’s line differ from Cain’s great-great-great-grandson Lamech?
? What’s the most significant thing about the Lamech who’s descended from Seth?

favor with God—you could look it up in our archives
The book of Genesis 6:8 records that Noah found favor with the LORD. In the Gospel According to Luke 1:30, the Blessed Virgin Mary finds favor with God. To learn more, read Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week. Find out more about the connection between the Rosary and the Bible in Scripture and the Rosary: New Testament Mysteries, Old Testament Parallels. The study is out of print, but free digital lessons rotate on the website throughout the year.

scholars speculate—ideas about the Nephilim
Many people are taken aback by the Nephilim mentioned in the book of Genesis 6:4. “Who Are the Nephilim?” on page 30 in the study book In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis looks at how Fathers of the Church explained this odd verse. Scholars have made a number of speculations about the Nephilim. Following are possible ways of thinking about this strange people mentioned only once in Scripture.

- In Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction, Lawrence Boadt writes: “Originally the story explained why there had been giants in the old days—a widespread ancient belief, as we can see from other references to giants in the book of Deuteronomy 2:20 and 3:11. The Yahwist [a term describing one or more of several authors considered by some scholars to be responsible for the first five books of the Old Testament] views the existence of these monsters as a sign of the gross abnormality caused by sin in the world.” Boadt goes on to write that this view of the Nephilim helps the ancients to justify the world as fully meriting the destruction and purification brought by the flood—coming up very soon in our study of the book of Genesis.
- In A Path Through Genesis, Bruce Vawter suggests: “It is very probable that the passage [the book of Genesis 6:4] had a different meaning before it was adopted in the book of Genesis. In the Book of Job 1:6 and 2:1—and elsewhere in the Bible—”sons of God” means “angels” (either good or bad). It was a common persuasion in ancient times that giants had once existed on the earth, to whom a superhuman origin was ascribed. The pagans considered these mythical giants to have been the offspring of gods who had mated with mortal women. (We remember the Titans of Greek mythology). The Hebrews, of course, believed in only one God. If they had adopted this legend, therefore, they would have looked on the superhuman parents of the giants as angels, not gods. So this passage was interpreted commonly in former times. The Jews before the time of Christ believed it, and the LXX [the Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament] translated “sons of God” as “angels.” Many of the Fathers of the Church adopted this interpretation, and it was a general belief during the Middle Ages. Numerous modern Catholic commentators are convinced that this was the original sense of the passage.”
- Learn why Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps holds the opinion that the Nephilim are mentioned in this section of the book of Genesis because they are less and not more important to practical aspects of salvation history.

read the Catechism—what is typology?
Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps explains that Noah is one of a number of Old Testament types of Jesus Christ. Paragraphs 128 and 130 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church discuss relevant points about typology:

128 The Church, as early as apostolic times, and then constantly in her Tradition, has illuminated the unity of the divine plan in the two Testaments through typology, which discerns in God’s works of the Old Covenant prefigurations of what he accomplished in the fullness of time in the person of his incarnate Son.

130 Typology indicates the dynamic movement toward the fulfillment of the divine plan when “God [will] be everything to everyone.” Nor do the calling of the patriarchs and the exodus from Egypt, for example, lose their own value in God’s plan, from the mere fact that they were intermediate stages.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about the way Noah is introduced?
Almost everyone knows the story of Noah, but it’s easy for people to overlook some of the important details about Noah that are found in the fifth and early part of the sixth chapter in the book of Genesis.

? What is the prophecy associated with Noah’s birth?
? Based on what you already know about Noah’s role in salvation history, how might Noah fulfill this prophecy?
? Consider why all three of Noah’s sons are named in the genealogy in this section of the Bible.
? There are two biblical precedents in which a man’s three sons are listed by their names. They can be found in the fourth and fifth chapters in the book of Genesis. What are these precedents? (You may find it somewhat easier to see the precedents on the genealogical chart reprinted here from page 29 in the study book In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis than trying to locate them in the biblical text. That biblical text does explain, however, that Naamah is a daughter born into the line of Cain and not a son. Click to enlarge the genealogical chart.)
? Consider which precedent is a better parallel to Noah’s life.
? How does Noah resemble his ancestor Enoch?
? How does this similarity foreshadow the role that Noah will play in salvation history?

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however.

the book of Genesis 5:1—paragraph 2335
the book of Genesis 5:1–2—paragraph 2331
the book of Genesis 5:24—paragraph 2569
the book of Genesis 6:4—paragraph 990
the book of Genesis 6:5—paragraph 401
the book of Genesis 6:9—paragraph 2569

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons or places mentioned in the biblical text under more than one name or more than one spelling. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun that appears in the biblical text for every lesson in In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.

to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a particular passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the relevant cross references—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. A link to that list can be found at the top of every online study page; the list features links to cross references in the primary biblical text in the study book In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following link is to a reading from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open the link and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV reading provides an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical text. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the book of Genesis 5:1—6:10 (NIV)

close with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers, you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can use the following prayer based on this lesson’s text from the book of Genesis.

O God, immediately after the Fall of Adam and Eve,
you set in motion your divine plan
to save the men and women you had created.
Grant us the patience to view our lives
in light of the fullness of time.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, who was present
with you and the Spirit when time began. Amen.

Lesson 6 The Great Flood & God’s Covenant with Noah—the book of Genesis 6:11—9:17
Lesson 4 Cain Rose Up Against His Brother—the book of Genesis 4:1–26

you also may like our study of the book of Revelation
The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness, a 23-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, examines ways in which our traditional Christian view of heaven is built on Hebrew apocalyptic visions recorded in the Old Testament. This recently revised study includes maps and additional commentary and takes a close look at the role of the prophets in present-day Christianity. Illustrations by Tami Palladino depict the often-misunderstood images in the book of Revelation. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in our study In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis. Information about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer questions and offer support. Contact us if you’d like to start a Turning to God’s Word study or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online study pages for In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces these with more accessible English. The few significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.