Kenan
Encyclopedia
Kenan , or Cainan, was a Biblical
patriarch first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible
Book of Genesis as living before the Great Flood.
and an unnamed woman, and a grandson of Seth
. Born when Enos was ninety years old, Kenan had his only named son, Mahalalel
, when he was seventy. Other sons and daughters were born to Kenan before he died at 910 years of age.
According to Book of Jubilees, Kenan's mother was Noam, wife and sister of Enos; and Kenan's wife, Mualeleth, was his sister.
given in Luke
3 in the New Testament
. One of these is the son of Enos above; a second Cainan is listed as the son of Arpachshad
and father of Saleh
, who lived in the time between Noah
and Abraham
.
This Cainan also appears in the Septuagint (Greek) Old Testament, but is omitted by the Hebrew Masoretic text
. For this reason, this second Cainan is considered to be a scribal error by some scholars. Nevertheless, a substantial number of traditions about this other Cainan exist in the history of literature.
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
patriarch first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
Book of Genesis as living before the Great Flood.
Family
According to Genesis 5:9-14, Kenan/Cainan was a son of EnosEnos (biblical figure)
Enos or Enosh , in the Book of Genesis of the Hebrew Bible, is the first son of Seth who figures in the Generations of Adam, and consequently referred to within the genealogies of Chronicles, and of Genealogy of Jesus according to .-In the Hebrew Bible:According to Genesis, Seth was 105 years old...
and an unnamed woman, and a grandson of Seth
Seth
Seth , in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, is the third listed son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, who are the only other of their children mentioned by name...
. Born when Enos was ninety years old, Kenan had his only named son, Mahalalel
Mahalalel
Mahalalel, Mahalaleel, or Mihlaiel Hebrew מהללאל was a patriarch named in the Hebrew Bible.- Family :Mahalalel was a son of Kenan, son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam in the Old Testament of the Bible...
, when he was seventy. Other sons and daughters were born to Kenan before he died at 910 years of age.
According to Book of Jubilees, Kenan's mother was Noam, wife and sister of Enos; and Kenan's wife, Mualeleth, was his sister.
Postdiluvian Cainan
Two men named Cainan are mentioned in the genealogy of JesusGenealogy of Jesus
The genealogy of Jesus is described in two passages of the Gospels: Luke 3:23–38 and Matthew 1:1–17.* Matthew's genealogy commences with Abraham and then from King David's son Solomon follows the legal line of the kings through Jeconiah, the king whose descendants were cursed, to Joseph, legal...
given in Luke
Gospel of Luke
The Gospel According to Luke , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Luke or simply Luke, is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension.The...
3 in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
. One of these is the son of Enos above; a second Cainan is listed as the son of Arpachshad
Arpachshad
Arpachshad or Arphaxad or Arphacsad was one of the five sons of Shem, the son of Noah . His brothers were Elam, Asshur, Lud and Aram; he is an ancestor of Abraham. He is said by Gen...
and father of Saleh
Saleh
Saleh or Salih was a prophet of ancient Arabia mentioned in the Qur'an, who prophesied to the tribe of the Thamud. He is mentioned nine times throughout the Qur'an and his people are frequently referenced as a wicked community who, because of their sins, were ultimately destroyed...
, who lived in the time between Noah
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
and Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
.
This Cainan also appears in the Septuagint (Greek) Old Testament, but is omitted by the Hebrew Masoretic text
Masoretic Text
The Masoretic Text is the authoritative Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible and is regarded as Judaism's official version of the Tanakh. While the Masoretic Text defines the books of the Jewish canon, it also defines the precise letter-text of these biblical books, with their vocalization and...
. For this reason, this second Cainan is considered to be a scribal error by some scholars. Nevertheless, a substantial number of traditions about this other Cainan exist in the history of literature.