King James Bible Dictionary

Genesis 2:4, "These are the generations," means the "history." 5:1, "The book of the generations," means a family register, or history of Adam. 37:2, "The generations of Jacob" = the history of Jacob and his descendants. 7:1, "In this generation" = in this age. Psalms 49:19, "The generation of his fathers" = the dwelling of his fathers, i.e., the grave. Psalms 73:15, "The generation of thy children" = the contemporary race. Isaiah 53:8, "Who shall declare his generation?" = His manner of life who shall declare? or rather = His race, posterity, shall be so numerous that no one shall be able to declare it.

In Matthew 1:17, the word means a succession or series of persons from the same stock. Matthew 3:7, "Generation of vipers" = brood of vipers. 24:34, "This generation" = the persons then living contemporary with Christ. 1 Peter 2:9, "A chosen generation" = a chosen people.

The Hebrews seem to have reckoned time by the generation. In the time of Abraham a generation was an hundred years, thus- Genesis 15:16, "In the fourth generation" = in four hundred years (comp. verse 13 and Exodus 12:40). In Deuteronomy 1:35 and 2:14 a generation is a period of thirty-eight years.

In the long-lived patriarchal age a generation seems to have been computed at 100 years, (Genesis 15:16) comp. Genesis 15:13 and Ecclesiastes 12:40 But subsequently the reckoning was the same which has been adopted by modern civilized nations, viz. from thirty to forty years (Job 42:16) (Generation is also used to signify the men of an age or time, as contemporaries, (Genesis 6:9; Isaiah 53:8) posterity , especially in legal formul', (Leviticus 3:17) etc.; fathers, or ancestors. (Psalms 49:19)

GENERA'TION, noun The act of begetting; procreation, as of animals.

1. Production; formation; as the generation of sounds or of curves or equations.

2. A single succession in natural descent, as the children of the same parents; hence, an age. Thus we say, the third, the fourth, or the tenth generation Genesis 15:16.

3. The people of the same period, or living at the same time.

O faithless and perverse generation Luke 9:41.

4. Genealogy; a series of children or descendants from the same stock.

This is the book of the generations of Adam. Genesis 5:1.

5. A family; a race.

6. Progeny; offspring.