What Does Genesis 5:31 Mean in the King James?
And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The verse lets an extraordinary number pass by, then gives death the final verb.
THE MEANING
Lamech’s years are counted in detail, yet the sentence ends with the same boundary that marks every life in this genealogy: he dies. A long life remains finite; its measure does not erase its ending.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
A life that lasts longer is not a life beyond death.
THE ROOT
וַיָּמֹת
wayyāmōṯ
GROWS FROM
מות
m-w-t
To die; death.
“died” in this verse is wayyāmōṯ. The Hebrew verb וַיָּמֹת and the noun מָוֶת (māveṯ, death) grow from the same root: death is not separate from the act of dying. After the years are counted, the root’s final verb gives the count its boundary.
ALSO GROWS
māveṯ: Death
מָוֶת
The noun names the same ending that the verse gives as an action: Lamech dies.
mēṯ: Dead; a dead person
מֵת
This branch names the state that follows the verb וַיָּמֹת.
hēmîṯ: To cause to die; put to death
הֵמִית
The causative form shows another branch of the same root: bringing about death.
THE PATTERN
A life may be counted by its length, but every human measure still meets mortality.
And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:THE THREAD
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;The Hebrew word translated “die” comes from מות (m-w-t), the same root as Lamech’s “he died.” Genesis closes the count with that verb; Ecclesiastes places the same ending among life’s appointed times.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us