Mahalalel
Mahalalel or Mahalaleel[lower-alpha 1] was a patriarch named in the Hebrew Bible. The King James Version spells his name Mahalaleel[1] in the Old Testament and Maleleel[2] in the New Testament.
Mahalalel | |
|---|---|
| Spouse(s) | Dinah |
| Children | Jared more sons and daughters |
| Parent(s) | Kenan |
| Relatives | Enos (grandfather) |
Family
Mahalalel was a son of Kenan, son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam in the Old Testament of the Bible. He was also the father of Jared.
In the Judeo-Christian myths[3][4] Mahalalel is an ancestor of Noah, and thus, of all humanity.
He appears in the Book of Genesis 5:12-17, and according to the book, he lived 895 years, placing him eighth in the records for the unusually long lifespans for the antediluvian patriarchs.
Later references to Mahalalel include 1 Chronicles 1:2, Jubilees 4:14–15 and Gospel of Luke 3:37. Enoch’s first dream vision in 1 Enoch 83 recounts the dream that Enoch had in the house of Mahalalel his grandfather, and which Mahalalel explains to him.[5]
Additionally, Mahalalel is also mentioned in Islam in the various collections of tales of the pre-Islamic prophets, which mentions him in an identical manner.
| Adam | Eve | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cain | Abel | Seth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Enoch | Enos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Irad | Kenan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mehujael | Mahalalel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Methushael | Jared | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adah | Lamech | Zillah | Enoch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jabal | Jubal | Tubal-Cain | Naamah | Methuselah | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lamech | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Noah | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shem | Ham | Japheth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Allusions
The pet cat that comes to the manor in the storm in Joyce Carol Oates's novel Bellefleur is named Mahalaleel.
References
- Genesis 5:12
- Luke 3:37
- Grabbe, Lester L. (25 October 2007). "Some Recent Issues in the Study of the History of Israel". Understanding the History of Ancient Israel. British Academy. pp. 57–58. doi:10.5871/bacad/9780197264010.003.0005. ISBN 978-0-19-726401-0.
The fact is that we are all minimalists—at least, when it comes to the patriarchal period and the settlement. When I began my PhD studies more than three decades ago in the USA, the 'substantial historicity' of the patriarchs was widely accepted as was the unified conquest of the land. These days it is quite difficult to find anyone who takes this view.
- Brettler, Marc Zvi (1 January 2010). How to Read the Bible. Jewish Publication Society. pp. 49–50. ISBN 978-0-8276-1001-9.
The Book of Genesis is often divided into two parts: chapters 1-11, Universal Myth; and chapters 12-50, Patriarchal History. ... The appellation "Universal Myth" is the less problematic of the two. ... they are neither "patriarchal" nor are they "history" in the commonly understood sense of the word.
- See the translation by R. H. Charles (1917) at sacred-texts.com