Jared
“Descent”
Summary
An antediluvian patriarch in the line of Seth, the father of Enoch and one of the longest-lived humans in Scripture at 962 years.
☩The Patriarch
Jared was the fourth patriarch in the line of Seth, the son of Mahalaleel and father of Enoch. He was born when his father was 65 years old, and at age 162 became the father of Enoch, the man who 'walked with God.' Jared lived 962 years, making him the second-longest-lived human recorded in Scripture after Methuselah. His name is also rendered 'Jered' in some translations, particularly in Chronicles. He appears in Luke's genealogy of Jesus as an ancestor of Christ through the line of Mary.
☩Significance of the Name
The name Jared means 'descent' in Hebrew, and some scholars have suggested this may indicate a degeneration of the human race, with the first five generations being righteous and their successors generally not, except for the notable exceptions of Enoch and Noah. The Rabbinical tradition offers an allegorical interpretation, treating certain names in genealogies as titles of Moses—with Jared signifying that he 'caused the manna to descend.'
Related Verses7 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Jared," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Jared," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Jared," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 4.James Hastings (ed.), "Jared," in Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1906–1908).