Genesis - long lives

[Guest]

In Genesis wonder why such variety and astonishingly long lives?  Adam 930 years! Noah 500 years. Lamech 777 years. 

These are specific figures. Men living for centuries. I cannot imagine it. How did the writer if Genesis possibly know all this? 

Also, if eventually God set a maximum lifespan for man at 120 years, how come hardly anyone in history has ever achieved it? Is it even worth it, considering the immense discomforts of old age. The way we deteriorate is horrific. 

 

[George]

1 hour ago, Melinda12 said:

In Genesis wonder why such variety and astonishingly long lives?  Adam 930 years! Noah 500 years. Lamech 777 years. 

After the flood, the ages dropped significantly.   This is shown in other ancient civilizations concerning extended lengths of time.

Also, when the Lord returns and sets up His Kingdom, the changes to the earth will also bring back the ages similar to Genesis.  We find this in Isaiah ... 

Isaiah 65:20  No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.

God bless,

George

 

[Tzephanyahu]

2 hours ago, Melinda12 said:

In Genesis wonder why such variety and astonishingly long lives?

Shalom @Melinda12

Great question.  

Prior to the Flood, it is theorised that the earth's environment was much different than today.  With the aid of a theoretical Vapour-Canopy, long life could have been sustained from vegetation, animals and even humans - similar to a greenhouse effect. 

The atmosphere would have been richly dense with oxygen which would have also enabled dinosaurs like Pterodactyls to fly (as they couldn't do this in our current atmosphere).  Now, as all reptiles never stop growing until they die, their dramatically prolonged life would easily explain the huge sizes of the other dinosaurs.  Some interesting experiments in this area to demonstrate this effect are being carried out by the Creation Evidence Museum with their 'Hyperbaric Biosphere', but it's still in early stages.

3 hours ago, Melinda12 said:

Is it even worth it, considering the immense discomforts of old age. The way we deteriorate is horrific.

So humans would have also benefited from this oxygen rich and warm environment and ultra nutritious vegetation to extend their lives.  This is ignoring the effects of generational sin and it's effect on a child's genetics.  Anyway, we shouldn't think that they wondered around with a walking stick for hundreds of years.  Rather, it's more likely that a human would mature as they do today but stay in their prime for longer - before showing signs of ageing.  So, at 600 years old you might be like today's equivalent of a 40 year old.  At 900 you might show signs of ageing equivalent to today's 80 year old etc.

On a side note, one day you'll see it for yourself!  When Israel are called back to the land, they will be given the same extended life that man once had (as detailed in Isaiah).  Perhaps the New Jerusalem will have it's own atmospheric environment or maybe it will be because of His power directly...

I hope that gives you a different perspective. 

Love & Shalom 

[Guest]

Imagine what we could achieve and do with centuries upon centuries of healthy life. Incredible. Never to worry about disease and death.  That is what we are promised by Jesus Christ if we are saved. Wow!

[Who me]

The basic reason for the long lives in genesis and recorded in other ancient accounts is genetics.

Various mutations have damaged our genetics as has inbreeding resulting in vastly shorter lives.

If you are interested creation.com has an article on this subject on there web page for today.

[other one]

12 hours ago, Melinda12 said:

In Genesis wonder why such variety and astonishingly long lives?  Adam 930 years! Noah 500 years. Lamech 777 years. 

These are specific figures. Men living for centuries. I cannot imagine it. How did the writer if Genesis possibly know all this? 

Also, if eventually God set a maximum lifespan for man at 120 years, how come hardly anyone in history has ever achieved it? Is it even worth it, considering the immense discomforts of old age. The way we deteriorate is horrific. 

 

Noah lived 950 years and his son Shem was 602 when he died.  How did the writer of genesis now all this.

Methuselah was Enoch's son and lived at the same time as Noah for about 600 years...

Well Abraham was about 58 years old when Noah died and Shem lived about 35 years longer than Abraham.

Jacob was nearly 50 when Shem died.

They knew all this because they were alive together and passed down information

Life spans got shorter with each generation after the flood.   The Sumerian's were writing in the same area and at the same time that the Bible speaks of Nimrod and Babel which is also during the time when Noah-Shem and Abraham were alive....    

Genesis speaks very little about the people and their doings outside of the linage of Jesus.

BTW the 120 years is not the life span of a human, but the length of time that God gave man before he killed them all but Noah's family

If my memory serves me it was said that man was given 72 years and perhaps a few longer...  I'd have to look that up to be sure.

[johnthebaptist]

15 hours ago, Melinda12 said:

In Genesis wonder why such variety and astonishingly long lives?  Adam 930 years! Noah 500 years. Lamech 777 years. 

These are specific figures. Men living for centuries. I cannot imagine it. How did the writer if Genesis possibly know all this? 

Also, if eventually God set a maximum lifespan for man at 120 years, how come hardly anyone in history has ever achieved it? Is it even worth it, considering the immense discomforts of old age. The way we deteriorate is horrific. 

 

Psalms 90:10 says we live to be seventy or eighty.