Chapters 6 and 7 of Genesis tell of a Great Flood that God visited upon the earth because the people had sunk so low in depravity and evil that there was no return for them. He considered completely demolishing all of humankind, but he had a single man and his family who were faithful to Him. Noah, his wife, their three sons and their wives were thus chosen to survive the flood and repopulate the earth. This family was in the unique position in history to have known what it was like before the Flood from first-hand observation.
What we read about in the book of Genesis up to this point almost completely boggles the mind. People lived for hundreds of years! This was so intriguing to me that I made a chart using the dates listed in Genesis 5. All of those listed are in the bloodline of Jesus, according to Luke 3, but not necessarily the first-borns.
I have made this one assumption in order to make the numbers easier to deal with: In relation to all else, the time that Adam was created is designated as year 0. Here are the references:
Adam lived to be 930 years old. He was 130 years old when Seth was born.
And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years and begat a son, in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth. And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters; and all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. Genesis 5:3-5
Seth was born 130 after Adam was created. He co-existed with Adam, the first man, for 800 years. His lifespan was 912 years. He died 1042 years after Adam’s creation. He was 105 when his son, Enos (Enosh) was born.
And Seth lived 105 years and begat Enos: and Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died. Genesis 5:6-8
Enos was born 235 years after Adam was created. He coexisted with Adam, the first man, for 695 years. He was 90 years old at the birth of his son, Kenan (or Cainan in some versions). His lifespan was 905 years.
And Enos lived 90 years and begat Kenan: and Enos lived after he begat Kenan 815 years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Enos were 905 years: and he died. Genesis 5:9-11
Kenan was born 325 years after Adam was created. He coexisted with Adam, the first man, for 605 years. He was 70 years old when his son, Mahalalel was born. His lifespan was 910 years.
And Kenan lived 70 years, and begat Mahalalel: and Kenan lived after he begat Mahalalel 840 years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Kenan were 910 years: and he died. Genesis 5:12-14
Mahalalel was born 395 years after Adam was created. He coexisted with Adam, the first man, for 535 years. He was 65 years old when his son Jared was born. His lifespan was 895 years.
And Mahalalel lived 65 years, and begat Jared: and Mahalalel lived after he begat Jared 830 years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years: and he died. Genesis 5:15-17
Jared was born 460 years after Adam was created. He coexisted with Adam, the first man, for 470 years. He was 162 years old when his son, Enoch, was born. His lifespan was 962 years.
And Jared lived 162 years, and he begat Enoch: and Jared lived after he begat Enoch, 800 years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Jared were 962 years: and he died. Genesis 5:18-20
Enoch was born 622 years after Adam was created. He coexisted with Adam, the first man for 308 years. He was 65 years old when Methuselah was born. His lifespan was 365 years. The scripture does not say that he died, but that he walked with God and God took him.
And Enoch lived 65 years and begat Methuselah: and Enoch walked with God after he begat Methusalah 300 years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Enoch were 365 years: and Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. Genesis 5:21-24
Methuselah was born 687 years after Adam was created. He coexisted with Adam, the first man, for 243 years. He was 187 years old when Lamech was born. His lifespan was 969 years, the longest of anyone in the Bible. He was named by Enoch, his father. His name may have been prophetic, since Enoch walked with God, in that his name may have meant something like ‘when I die, vengeance comes,’ although no one really knows the true meaning. In the Jewish tradition, Methuselah died on the day that the flood started.
And Methuselah lived 187 years, and begat Lamech: and Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech 782 years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Methusalah were 969 years: and he died. Genesis 5:25-27
Lamech was born 874 years after Adam was created. He coexisted with Adam, the first man, for 56 years. He was 182 years old when Noah was born. His lifespan was 777 years, dying 5 years before his father, Methuselah.
And Lamech lived 182 years and begat a son: and he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground, which the Lord hath cursed. And Lamech lived after he begat Noah 595 years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Lamech were 777 years: and he died. Genesis5:28-31
Noah was born 1056 years after Adam was created, 126 years after Adam died. He was 500 years old when his Sons were born. The scripture does not say here how old he was when he died, but this information appears later. All of the others have references to other sons and daughters, but evidently, these three sons were the only ones for Noah.
And Noah was 500 years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Genesis 5:32
And Noah lived after the flood 350 years. And all the days of Noah were 950 years: and he died. Genesis 9:28-29
NOTES: Here are some things to notice about the above scriptures:
I added some calculations, such as, how long each person coexisted with Adam and how long after Adam’s creation each person was born. These figures are not overtly stated in the scripture, so why do I think this is important? Think about it: Adam and Eve were the only people alive to have spoken with God face-to-face, as a man speaks with a friend. His unique experience could only bolster the faith of those close to him as he passed down stories of his time in the Garden and the true character of The Creator. All of these people had the opportunity to speak with Adam face-to-face. They were only one person removed from the Creation of mankind.
The scriptures say that all of them begat other sons and daughters, except for Noah. Scripture only mentions the three sons, all born when he was 500 years old. Does this mean that they were triplets? After such exact dates given with the others, it is hard to reconcile it as just being vague because it seemed unimportant.
The scriptures are careful to say that all of them died, with the exception of Enoch because he walked with God. There are some interesting conundrums here. Elsewhere in the Bible, it says that:
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after that the judgement … Hebrews 9:27
So if Enoch never died, how can this be true. Well, … yea, let God be true, but every man a liar… Romans 3:4
If you recall, another man, also, did not die: Elijah the prophet was taken up to heaven in a flaming chariot. (2 Kings 2:11)
The book of Revelation (Chapter 11:1-14) talks about two witnesses who come from heaven to earth who are both killed by the beast during the time of the tribulation. Some believe that these two are Enoch and Elijah.
And there you have it. Next time, we will look at the lifespans after the flood and try to conjecture why they decreased the way that they did. Don’t worry, all of this is leading to the founders of the cultures of the world.