And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call on the name of the LORD.
A.
Genesis 4:6-8 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? …
Enos.
Deuteronomy 26:17,18 Thou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice: …
1 Kings 18:24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
Psalm 116:17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.
and he called him Enosh
The name Enosh means "man" or "mortal," highlighting the human condition and the frailty of life. This naming reflects an awareness of human mortality and dependence on God. Enosh's birth signifies a new beginning and a renewed focus on spiritual matters, as his generation is noted for initiating a public worship of God.
At that time men began to call upon the name of the LORD
This phrase indicates a significant development in the spiritual life of humanity. "Calling upon the name of the LORD" suggests a formal and communal act of worship, prayer, and reliance on God. It marks the beginning of organized worship and a collective acknowledgment of God's sovereignty. This act of calling upon the LORD is seen throughout Scripture as a sign of faith and devotion, as seen in the lives of the patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It also foreshadows the New Testament emphasis on calling upon the name of Jesus for salvation, as seen in Romans 10:13. This moment in Genesis represents a turning point where humanity begins to seek a deeper relationship with God amidst a world increasingly marked by sin.
• God graciously provided another child to Adam and Eve after the tragedy of Abel’s death (Genesis 4:25).
• The birth confirms that the line promised in Genesis 3:15 continued through Seth, not the murderous Cain.
• Scripture treats Seth as a real, historical person; his name appears in genealogies that lead straight to Jesus (Luke 3:38; 1 Chronicles 1:1).
• Each new life in this family tree testifies to God’s faithfulness to preserve a people for Himself despite human sin (Genesis 5:3–8).
• Naming a child in Scripture often carries spiritual insight. Here, Seth chooses a name that highlights human frailty and dependence on the Creator (Psalm 103:14; Job 14:1–2).
• By giving his son this name, Seth acknowledges that humanity’s hope rests not in human strength but in God’s mercy (Psalm 90:1–2).
• The pattern of parents naming children with God-centered intent continues throughout Scripture (Genesis 5:29; 1 Samuel 1:20; Matthew 1:21).
• The phrase marks a turning point: a new generation arrives, and with it a fresh spiritual movement.
• While Cain’s descendants were pioneering cities and technology (Genesis 4:17–22), Seth’s line pioneers public worship.
• The contrast underscores two diverging paths—self-reliance versus God-dependence (1 John 3:12; Jude 11).
• “Call upon the name of the LORD” speaks of deliberate, vocal, gathered worship—prayer, proclamation, and sacrifice (Genesis 12:8; Psalm 116:17).
• This is the first recorded corporate worship after Eden, showing that true faith did not vanish with Abel.
• The LORD (YHWH) revealed Himself personally; these early believers addressed Him by His covenant name long before Sinai (Exodus 3:15).
• Throughout the Bible, calling on the LORD marks those who trust Him for salvation (Joel 2:32; Romans 10:13; Acts 2:21).
• The same invitation stands today: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).
Genesis 4:26 records a literal moment in early history when a fresh branch of humanity, springing from Seth through his son Enosh, turned publicly and dependently to the LORD. The verse highlights God’s faithfulness to preserve a worshiping people, humanity’s need to acknowledge its weakness, and the enduring call to seek salvation in the LORD’s name.
(26) He called his name Enos.--Heb., Enosh, that is, man. We thus find language growing. Up to this time there had been two names for man: Adam, which also in Assyrian--another Semitic dialect--has the same meaning, as Sir H. Rawlinson has shown: and Ish, a being. (See on Genesis 2:23.) We have now Enosh, which, according to Frst and others, signifies mortal; but of this there is no proof. Most probably it is the generic word for man. and is used as such in the Aramaic dialects. Thus in Syriac and Chaldee our Lord is styled bar-enosh, the son of man: not the son of a mortal, but the son of man absolutely.Then began men (Heb., then it was begun) to call upon the name of the Lord (Jehovah).--That is, the notion of Divinity began now to be attached to this name, and even in their worship men called upon God as Jehovah. Eve, as we have seen, attached no such idea to it; and when, in Genesis 4:3, we read that Cain and Abel brought an offering to Jehovah, these are the words of the narrator, who in the story of the fall had expressly styled the Deity Jehovah-Elohim, that is, Jehovah-God, or more exactly, "the coming God," in order to show that Elohim and Jehovah are one. Two hundred and thirty-five years had elapsed between the birth of Cain and that of Enos, and men had learned a truer appreciation of the promise given to their primal mother, in Genesis 3:15, than she herself had when she supposed that her first child was to win back for her the Paradise. Probably they had no exact doctrinal views about His person and nature; it was the office of prophecy "by divers portions" to give these (Hebrews 1:1). But they had been taught that "He who should be" was Divine, and to be worshipped. It is the hopeless error of commentators to suppose that Eve, and Enos, and others, knew all that is now known, and all that the inspired narrator knew. They thus do violence to the plainest language of Holy Scripture, and involve its interpretation in utter confusion. Read without these preconceived notions, the sense is plain: that the name Jehovah had now become a title of the Deity, whereas previously no such sacredness had been attached to it. It was long afterwards, in the days of Moses, that it became the personal name of the covenant God of the Jews.