Genesis 5, Genesis 11: Primeval Chronology

I have noticed some popular “primeval chronology” charts that find their way around the internet. They are designed to challenge the chronology of the Hebrew Masoretic Text, calling it “corrupted.” The Genesis 5 chronology also tweaks the LXX timeline to keep Methuselah from living through the flood. I have created this chart to remove those objectionable features while providing a comparison of the chronologies in the Hebrew Masoretic Text, the Samaritan Pentateuch, and the Greek Septuagint (LXX) text. The color coding and other clarity is much better in the originals, and I apologize for the lack of crispness of the scans.

Note: In Quaestiones Hebraicae in Geneseos, Jerome describes having a Samaritan Pentateuch manuscript matching the MT regarding the years of Methuselah and Lamech. “It remains, then, that there is an error in number [i.e., in the LXX, rlv]. Indeed, in the books of the Hebrews and the Samaritans, I found it thus written, and Methuselah lived 187 years and begat Lamech. And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech 782 years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died. And Lamech lived 182 years and begat Noah.”

You should be able to click on these to enlarge them for easier reading. I may have missed or confused the color coding at times, as I was doing this in the midst of distractions. If you have any comments, suggestions, or corrections, let me know.