Who Was Noah's Father According to the Bible?
- Joel Ryan Contributing Writer
- Updated Feb 08, 2024
Even those who are not Bible students have probably heard the story of Noah’s ark at some point. Over the years, many have studied Noah and know a thing or two about his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, but what about Noah’s father, Lamech? According to the Bible, who was Noah’s father, and what can we learn from him?
Does the Bible Tell Us Who Noah’s Father Was?
Shortly after the first sin and Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3) and the fallout of Cain murdering his brother Abel (Genesis 4), Genesis provides an account of Adam and Eve’s lineage.
In Genesis, we read that after Cain had killed his brother, Abel, he fled to the land of Nod, east of Eden. There, he would marry and have children. Cain’s descendants are recorded in Genesis 4:16-24. However, rather than blessing the line of Cain, God instead favored the line of Seth—Adam’s third son, who was born after the death of Abel (Genesis 4:25-26).
From Seth's line, we find that a man named Lamech, the son of Methuselah and grandson of Enoch, would eventually give birth to a son at 182 years old. Lamech gave him the name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed” (Genesis 5:25-32).
According to Genesis, Noah’s father would live another 595 years, making him 777 years old when he died (Genesis 5:30-31).
However, Noah’s father is not the only descendant of Adam to bear the name Lamech.
One of the descendants of Cain was also given the name Lamech. This Lamech would be the first man in the Bible to take multiple wives (Genesis 4:19). Unlike his ancestor, his life was marked by violence and vengeance (Genesis 4:23-24).
The two Lamechs recorded in Genesis could not have lived more different lives. Lamech, the descendant of Cain, propagated the cycle of sin and violence that began with his ancestor. Lamech, the father of Noah, raised an heir of righteousness whom the Lord would greatly favor.
Do We Know Whether Noah’s Father Was in the Ark?
Due to humanity’s depravity and wickedness, God had chosen to “blot out” everything He had created from the face of the earth by sending a Great Flood to cover the surface of the earth (Genesis 6:7, 7:4). In His grace, however, He would start anew with Noah and his family, sparing them from judgment aboard a giant ark built to escape the flood.
But what about Noah’s father, Lamech? Was he also on the ark of excluded along with the rest of humanity?
Here’s what the Genesis account tells us.
When the rains fell upon the earth, “Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark” (Genesis 7:13-16).
That’s it.
Apart from the animals who joined Noah’s family, there is no mention of Noah’s father, grandfather, brothers, sisters, or anyone else entering the ark.
The Bible confirms the ark’s passenger list with those who existed the ark. From Noah’s three sons, “the whole earth was populated” (Genesis 9:19).
Therefore, it is safe to assume that Noah's father was not on the ark when the floods came. The most logical reason for his absence is that Lamech had died before the Great Flood. The Genesis account supports this conclusion.
In Genesis 5, we read that Lamech was 182 years old when Noah was born (Genesis 5:28). He then lived 595 more years (Genesis 5:30). In Genesis 6, we then learn that “Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of water came upon the earth” (Genesis 6:6). If we do a little math, we can estimate that Lamech died roughly five years before the flood, accounting for his absence.
Was Noah’s Father an Unrighteous Man?
Another possible explanation for why Noah’s father was not on the ark is that he was not considered righteous in God’s eyes.
Of course, to answer this question, we must look at what the Bible tells us about Lamech and accept that, despite our best conjectures, we may never know the extent of Lamech’s true character, which is okay.
Throughout the Bible, God reveals what He wants humanity to know about Himself and His plan for creation. Some details He leaves out. His reasons are His own.
We know from Genesis, however, that God specifically chose to start over with a single family whose head He saw as upright. That man was Noah.
Was every single member of Noah’s bloodline as upright after his death? Of course not, but that is where God’s promises and sovereign power prove greater than even humanity’s most sinful sons.
Does the fact that God chose to start anew with Noah and not Lamech imply that Lamech was also unrighteous? Not necessarily.
It is important to remember that Lamech’s grandfather Enoch had previously “walked with God” (Genesis 5:24). For whatever reason, Enoch would become one of only two men in the Old Testament to walk with God and then be taken by God, having never tasted death (Genesis 5:24).
Of Enoch, the New Testament author of Hebrews even writes:
“By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:5-6)
The author of Hebrews continues his dissertation by praising Noah’s faith:
“By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” (Hebrews 11:7)
Some have noted that nothing is written in Hebrews about Lamech or Methuselah, the father and grandfather of Noah. Instead, the Bible says that Enoch and Noah shared an intimate relationship with God in that each “walked with God.” (Genesis 5:24; 6:9). The same is not written about Methuselah or Lamech.
Were Noah’s father and grandfather excluded from the hall of faith in Hebrews because they lacked faith or failed to receive God’s divine seal of approval?
While we can conclude that Lamech and Methuselah were sinful as “all who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23-24), we don’t have enough information to draw certain conclusions about their faith or character. Both men could have had a personal relationship with God or believed in God yet lived sinful lives. We simply do not know.
Of course, one additional clue in Genesis may point to Lamech having faith like that of his grandfather and son. At Noah’s birth, Lamech had said, “This one will give us rest from our work from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed” (Genesis 5:29).
At the very least, Lamech’s understanding of humanity’s broken relationship with God and expressing hope for his son’s future suggests that Lamech had not outright abandoned God. Furthermore, through Noah, the “heir of righteousness,” God would bring comfort to the fallen creation.
How much did Lamech understand God’s plan for humanity and his son’s role in that redemptive plan? We do not know.
In any case, whether Lamech was a righteous man in his time or not, when the rains came, Noah stood alone amongst humanity as blameless before God (Genesis 7:1). Furthermore, in His sovereign, redemptive plan, God chose to start over with Noah. That’s what we know.
What Does Knowing Who Noah’s Father Was Teach Us?
Many readers tend to skim or gloss over these lists of difficult-to-pronounce names in biblical genealogies. In many cases, most names in the biblical genealogies are not featured prominently in any major stories. That is certainly true of Lamech.
So why should readers know who Noah’s father was, and is there anything Lamech can teach us?
First, when it comes to a lesser-known figure like Noah’s father, it is important to remember the wisdom of the apostle Paul, who warned believers about getting caught up in myths and endless genealogies that “give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith” (1 Timothy 1:4).
The focus of Noah’s story and the Great Flood must always be on God’s mercy, God’s promises, and the Lord’s saving grace through Noah and his family.
Furthermore, the ark itself is but a shadow of the ultimate salvation still to come through God’s son Jesus Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God, who “took away the sin of the world” and “conquered death once and for all.”
We can speculate all we want about Lamech’s faith and how he may or may not have trained his son in God’s ways. However, the Bible doesn’t give enough details about Noah’s father for us to know what kind of man he was.
So why care about Noah’s father at all?
The only reason we know who Lamech is is because of his son. However, Noah’s father is also mentioned as an ancestor of Jesus Christ (Luke 3:23-38). The significance of being part of this line cannot be understated.
As we see throughout Scripture, God’s promises last for generations. Sometimes, it takes generations for those promises to come to fruition. God’s timing is always His own.
To some, Lamech is just another name amongst a long list of fathers and sons. He may have never done anything spectacular or remarkable in his life. In every way, Noah’s father could have been an average, ordinary man. However, in God’s grace, he was nevertheless included in God’s promise that through the lines Seth, Enoch, Lamech, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Judah, David, and ultimately Jesus Christ, true hope, salvation, and redemption would come to humanity.
Alone, Lamech may seem insignificant. As part of God’s greater redemptive plan for His creation, he is but another chosen instrument of God’s saving grace.
Furthermore, it is worth noting that Noah’s father would live seven hundred and seventy-seven years on the earth. To some, that may seem like just a large number. However, the significance of seven, let alone 777, is difficult to ignore.
Throughout the Bible, seven is God’s number for completion. In many ways, with the passing of Noah’s father only a few years before the Great Flood, the first era of creation had truly concluded. With Noah, God had chosen to start fresh and start anew. But again, even Noah is but a shadow of the saving work God would perform through His Son Jesus Christ, in whom “all things are made new” (Revelation 21:5).
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Halfpoint
This article is part of our People from the Bible Series featuring the most well-known historical names and figures from Scripture. We have compiled these articles to help you study those whom God chose to set before us as examples in His Word. May their lives and walks with God strengthen your faith and encourage your soul.
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