ࠅࠉࠄࠉࠅ ࠊࠋ ࠉࠌࠉ ࠌࠕࠅࠔࠋࠇ ࠏࠔࠓࠉࠌ ࠔࠍࠄ ࠅࠔࠁࠏ ࠌࠀࠅࠕ ࠔࠍࠄ ࠅࠉࠌࠕ
Gen 5:27 [Samaritan Pentateuch]
And all the days of Metushelaḥ were seven hundred twenty years, and he died.
ויהיו כל ימי מתושלח עשרים שנה ושבע מאות שנה וימת׃
Gen 5:27 [Masoretic Text]
וַיִּהְיוּ֙ כָּל־יְמֵ֣י מְתוּשֶׁ֔לַח תֵּ֤שַׁע וְשִׁשִּׁים֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וּתְשַׁ֥ע מֵאֹ֖ות שָׁנָ֑ה וַיָּמֹֽת׃
And all the days of Metushelaḥ were nine hundred sixty-nine years, and he died.
| Number | Hebrew | Samaritan | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ויהיו | ࠅࠉࠄࠉࠅ | And they were |
| 2 | כל | ࠊࠋ | All |
| 3 | ימי | ࠉࠌࠉ | The days of |
| 4 | מתושלח | ࠌࠕࠅࠔࠋࠇ | Methuselah |
| 5 | עשרים | ࠏࠔࠓࠉࠌ | Twenty |
| 6 | שנה | ࠔࠍࠄ | Years |
| 7 | ושבע | ࠅࠔࠁࠏ | And seven |
| 8 | מאות | ࠌࠀࠅࠕ | Hundred |
| 9 | שנה | ࠔࠍࠄ | Years |
| 10 | וימת | ࠅࠉࠌࠕ | And he died |
Morphology
- וַיִּהְיוּ֙ (wayihyû) – Root: היה (h-y-h); Form: Qal imperfect, third masculine plural with vav-consecutive; Translation: “And they were”; Notes: Refers to the total years of Methuselah’s life.
- כָּל־יְמֵ֣י (kol-yəmê) – Root: יום (y-w-m); Form: Construct state noun, plural masculine; Translation: “all the days of”; Notes: Indicates the entirety of Methuselah’s lifespan.
- מְתוּשֶׁ֔לַח (məṯûšelaḥ) – Root: מתושלח (m-t-w-š-l-ḥ); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Methuselah”; Notes: The name of the individual being described.
- תֵּ֤שַׁע (tēšaʿ) – Root: תשע (t-š-ʿ); Form: Number, singular masculine; Translation: “nine”; Notes: The units of Methuselah’s age.
- וְשִׁשִּׁים֙ (wəšiššîm) – Root: ששים (š-š-y); Form: Number, plural masculine; Translation: “and sixty”; Notes: Part of the age count.
- שָׁנָ֔ה (šānāh) – Root: שנה (š-n-h); Form: Noun, singular feminine; Translation: “years”; Notes: The unit of time in the count.
- וּתְשַׁ֥ע (ûṯəšaʿ) – Root: תשע (t-š-ʿ); Form: Number, singular masculine; Translation: “and nine”; Notes: Additional years in Methuselah’s lifespan.
- מֵאֹ֖ות (mēʾôṯ) – Root: מאה (m-ʾ-h); Form: Number, plural feminine construct; Translation: “hundreds”; Notes: Refers to the centuries in Methuselah’s age.
- שָׁנָ֑ה (šānāh) – Root: שנה (š-n-h); Form: Noun, singular feminine; Translation: “years”; Notes: Repeated for clarity in the count.
- וַיָּמֹֽת (wayyāmōṯ) – Root: מות (m-w-t); Form: Qal imperfect, third masculine singular with vav-consecutive; Translation: “and he died”; Notes: Indicates Methuselah’s death.
Textual Commentary
According to the Samaritan Pentateuch, Methuselah lived for 720 years. This differs significantly from the Masoretic Text (969 years) and the Septuagint (LXX) (969 or 782 years, depending on the manuscript tradition).
This discrepancy is part of broader numerical variations in the genealogies of Genesis 5 between the Masoretic Text, Septuagint, and Samaritan Pentateuch. The Samaritan tradition generally has lower ages and different begetting ages for the antediluvian patriarchs.