Seth

This article is about the Biblical Seth. For other meanings, see Seth (disambiguation).

Seth or Shet (שת "Placed; appointed", Standard Hebrew Šet, Tiberian Hebrew Šēṯ), mentioned in the Book of Genesis of the Hebrew Bible, is the third son of Adam and Eve and brother to Cain and Abel.

According to the Bible, all contemporary humans are descended from Seth through his great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson Noah. Seth is 105 when his first son Enos is born, and he dies at the age of 912.

In rabbinic literature, the name Seth (Hebrew: Sheth) is explained as meaning "foundation." According to this tradition, Seth was perceived as the "Foundation of the World," since he was the first person born of human parents and the ancestor of all mankind.

In their attempt to link the early Genesis genealogies with the Babylonian pantheon, nineteenth century scholars identified Seth with Shitti, an epithet for Marduk.

In Islam he is known as Sheeth and is regarded as a Prophet.