Cainan

Cainan, sometimes transliterated Kenan, is a figure in biblical genealogies described as a descendant of Adam. The name derives from the Hebrew Qenan, usually rendered Kenan in the Masoretic Text; its exact meaning is uncertain but is often linked to the idea of acquisition or possession.

In the Masoretic Hebrew Bible, the line from Arpachshad to Shelah does not include a son named Cainan. However, in some ancient Greek textual traditions, notably the Septuagint, and in the Gospel of Luke’s genealogies, Cainan appears as the son of Arphaxad and the father of Salah (Shelah), yielding a sequence such as Arphaxad—Cainan—Shelah.

Scholarly assessment generally regards Cainan as a textual or harmonization variant rather than a historically distinct figure with a separate life story. Modern critical editions of Luke 3:36 and related genealogical lists often treat Cainan as a variant reading that emerged from differences between Hebrew and Greek manuscript traditions. Some translations omit the name in Luke’s genealogy or bracket it as a manuscript variant.

In terms of significance, Cainan has little narrative material and is not treated as a biographical figure in canonical scripture. He appears mainly in discussions of textual history and genealogical transmission. Outside the biblical texts, references to Cainan are limited and arise primarily in later traditions or genealogical compilations, rather than in primary scriptural narratives.