Seth
The Appointed OneThe third named son of Adam and Eve, born after Abel's death, through whom the godly line continued to Noah and ultimately to Christ
Seth was born after Abel's murder, and Eve named him Seth ('appointed') because 'God has granted me another child in place of Abel.' Through Seth came the godly line that called on the name of the LORD, contrasting with Cain's violent lineage. His descendants include Enoch (who walked with God), Methuselah (the longest-lived human), Noah (through whom humanity was preserved), and ultimately Abraham, David, and Jesus Christ. Seth represents God's faithfulness in preserving a remnant and continuing His redemptive plan despite human sin. His line is traced in both Genesis 5 and Luke 3 as the ancestry of Christ.
Original Name
שֵׁת (Shet)
Meaning
Appointed, Granted, Substituted
Etymology
Eve named him Seth (Shet) from the verb 'shit' meaning 'to set, place, or appoint,' saying God had 'appointed' (shat) another seed in Abel's place. The name declares God's sovereign provision of a replacement for the murdered righteous son.
Linguistic Insights
Seth's name (Shet) involves a wordplay with 'shat' (appointed/granted). Eve's statement 'God has appointed (shat) me another seed (zera)' echoes Genesis 3:15's promise of the woman's seed crushing the serpent. Seth is explicitly said to be born in Adam's 'likeness' (demut) and 'image' (tselem) - the same words used of Adam's creation in God's image, showing the continuation of the divine image through fallen humanity. The phrase 'to call on the name of the LORD' (liqro beshem YHWH) in Seth's time marks the beginning of formal worship. Seth's line in Genesis 5 emphasizes 'and he died' for each patriarch except Enoch, showing death's reign until Christ.
Translation Notes
- •Hebrew 'Shet' from 'shit' (to appoint/place)
- •Eve sees Seth as divinely appointed replacement
- •His line preserved through Flood to Christ
- •Genesis 5 traces the godly line through Seth
Related Terms
Born to Adam and Eve after Abel's death
Genesis 4:25Named 'Seth' - appointed as replacement for Abel
Genesis 4:25Born in Adam's likeness and image
Genesis 5:3Fathered Enosh at 105 years old
Genesis 5:6In his time, people began calling on the LORD's name
Genesis 4:26Died at 912 years old
Genesis 5:8Genesis 4:25
"Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, 'God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.'"
Genesis 4:26
"Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD."
Genesis 5:3
"When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth."
Luke 3:38
"The son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God."