Mahalalel was the son of Cainan (Kenan)
and the father of Jared.
His name means
“praise of God” or “the blessed God.”
He stands in the line from
Adam through Seth
that leads to Noah.
Though little is recorded about his personal life,
he forms another important link in the early genealogy of the faithful.
Mahalalel occupies a quiet place in the genealogy of Genesis 5, yet his name itself is a testimony. Meaning “praise of God,” it reflects the worship that characterized the line of Seth. In a world that was steadily moving toward the corruption that would bring the flood, this line continued to preserve the knowledge of the Lord and the hope of the promised offspring. Mahalalel’s inclusion in both the Old Testament record and the genealogy of Jesus affirms that God works through successive generations to keep His redemptive purpose moving forward.
Mahalalel’s life is almost entirely unrecorded, yet his name and his place in the genealogy speak quietly of God’s ongoing purpose. In the long years of his life the line of those who called upon the Lord continued. His story reminds us that the advance of God’s redemptive plan often happens through ordinary generations whose main work is simply to remain faithful and to pass the knowledge of God to the next. Each name matters, because each one carries the promise forward until the appointed time of fulfillment.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.