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And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Ē´nosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.
Genesis 4:26 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB A son was also born to Seth, and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to call on Yahweh’s name.
  • KJV 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.
  • BSB And to Seth also a son was born, and he called him Enosh. At that time men began to call upon the name of the LORD.
  • NASB To Seth also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then people began to call upon the name of the Lord.
  • NLT When Seth grew up, he had a son and named him Enosh. At that time people first began to worship the Lord by name.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Seth fathers Enosh, and in his days people begin to call on the name of the Lord. It marks a recovery of public worship and prayer.

Overview

With the birth of Enosh, the narrative notes that people began to call on the Lord's name, signaling the rise of corporate worship and prayer. This godly line stands in deliberate contrast to the self-asserting line of Cain. It shows that even in a fallen world God preserves a people who seek Him, anticipating the worshiping community gathered ultimately in Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 17

  • Ps 116:17I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call on Yahweh’s name.
  • 1 Kgs 18:24You call on the name of your god, and I will call on Yahweh’s name. The God who answers by fire, let him be God.” All the people answered, “What you say is good.”
  • Joel 2:32It will happen that whoever will call on Yahweh’s name shall be saved; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as Yahweh has said, and among the remnant, those whom Yahweh calls.
  • Zeph 3:9For then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that they may all call on Yahweh’s name, to serve him shoulder to shoulder.
  • Gen 12:8He left from there to go to the mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to Yahweh and called on Yahweh’s name.
  • Jer 33:16In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell safely; and this is the name by which she shall be called: Yahweh our righteousness.”
  • Gen 26:25He built an altar there, and called on Yahweh’s name, and pitched his tent there. There Isaac’s servants dug a well.
  • Luke 3:38the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
  • Deut 26:17–18You have declared today that Yahweh is your God, and that you would walk in his ways, and keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his ordinances, and listen to his voice.
  • Acts 2:21It will be that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
  • Rom 10:13For, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
  • Acts 11:26When he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they were gathered together with the assembly, and taught many people. The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
  • 1 Cor 1:2to the assembly of God which is at Corinth; those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, both theirs and ours:
  • Isa 63:19We have become like those over whom you never ruled, like those who were not called by your name.
  • Isa 44:5One will say, ‘I am Yahweh’s;’ and another will be called by the name of Jacob; and another will write with his hand ‘to Yahweh,’ and honor the name of Israel.”
  • Isa 48:1“Hear this, house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, and have come out of the waters of Judah. You swear by Yahweh’s name, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness
  • Eph 3:14–15For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Genesis videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Genesis 4:26YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on GenesisMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.

How Genesis 4:26 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.