Interesting Facts

• Mahalalel was born in the ninth jubilee, in the first week in the third year of this week, [395 A.M] [14, Jubilees 4:14b].
• He was the son of a union between a brother and sister, Kenan and Mualeleth [Jubilees 4:14a].
• According to Jasher, Mahalalel was the firstborn of Cainan and had three sons and two daughters: Enan, Mered, Adah, and Zillah [13, Jasher 2:15-16].
• The texts indicate that the angels descended on the earth during the lifetime of his son, Jared [18, Jubilees 4:15b].

Genealogy

• Mahalalel’s father was Kenan and his mother was Mualeleth [14, Jubilees 4:14a, 14b].
• His paternal grandfather was Enos and his paternal grandmother was Noam [Jubilees 4:13a, 13b].
• His maternal grandfather was also Enos, and his maternal grandmother was Noam, making his parents siblings [Jubilees 4:13a, 13b, 14a].
• His great-grandparents were Seth and Azura [Jubilees 4:11a, 11b].
• His great-great-grandparents were Adam and Eve.
• Mahalalel lived eight hundred and ninety-five years and begat Jared when he was sixty-five years old [17, 60, Genesis 5:15, 16-17, Jasher 2:37a, Jasher 5:3].
• According to Jasher, Mahalaleel also begat Enan and Mered, and daughters named Adah and Zillah [13, Jasher 2:15-16].
• Mahalalel died in the two hundred and thirty fourth year of the life of Noah [60, Jasher 5:3].

Historical Context

Mahalalel lived in a world where the division between the lines of Seth and Cain had long been established. The sources suggest that during the time leading up to his life, there was a significant increase in wickedness and rebellion against God [10, Jasher 2:3-5]. His grandfather, Enos, is noted as a time when men began to call upon the name of the Lord [10, Genesis 4:26b, Jubilees 4:12]. During the time of his father, Kenan, it is mentioned that Cainan (likely the same individual) became wise and ruled over spirits and demons, leading some men back to the service of God and prophesying the coming flood [12, 36, Jasher 2:11b-14]. Therefore, Mahalaleel’s life likely occurred during a period of ongoing spiritual conflict, with some individuals and lineages striving to maintain righteousness while others descended into further corruption. The knowledge of God’s impending judgment might have been present during his lifetime, particularly through the prophecies attributed to his father or others of his lineage.

Narrative

The personal narrative of Mahalaleel within the provided texts is primarily characterized by his inclusion in the genealogical records tracing the line from Seth to Noah. He is mentioned as the son of Kenan and Mualeleth [14, Jubilees 4:14b, Genesis 5:12], and the father of Jared [17, Genesis 5:15, Jasher 2:37a, Jubilees 4:15b]. According to Jasher, he had other children as well [13, Jasher 2:15-16]. The most significant event associated with his lineage during his lifetime appears to be the growing wisdom and leadership of his father, Kenan/Cainan [12, 36, Jasher 2:11b-14]. Mahalaleel himself is not credited with specific actions or dialogues in the excerpts provided from Genesis and Jubilees. However, the account in Jasher suggests that his father, Cainan, ruled over the earth and turned some towards God [36, Jasher 2:14], implying a potential influence of righteousness within his immediate family. Mahalaleel’s life, though not detailed with specific events, serves as a crucial link in the genealogy leading to Noah, the one who found grace in the eyes of the Lord before the great flood [63, 64, Genesis 6:8, Jasher 4:21, Jubilees 5:5]. His lifespan of 895 years [60, Genesis 5:17, Jasher 5:3] places him within the long-lived generation preceding the events that led to divine judgment.