Arcana Coelestia (Elliott): AC 404

Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 404

404. Verse 18 And to Enoch was born Irad. And Irad beget Mehujael, and Mehujael beget Methushael, and Methushael beget Lamech.

All these names mean heresies which descended from the first of them, which was called 'Cain'. But because nothing more is now extant than just the names of them there is no need to say anything further. Something could possibly be deduced from the derivations of the names - Irad, for example, means, He-goes-down-from-the-city,^a that is, from the heresy called Enoch,and so on.

Notes

^a Hebrew scholars today are uncertain of the meaning of the name "Irad." The definition given here is arrived at by combining the noun 'ir which means a "city" with yaradh which means "to go down."

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