Why were people said to be some 800 years old in Biblical times?

Question

Was there a different way of telling age?

Answer 1

We are genetically supposed to live at least that long. If you wish to know more learn about telemeres and the aging process. Science is about to open this door again that has been closed for a long time, and if you wish to understand, telemeres is the place to start. This will happen in the very near future.

Answer 2

No, they really did live to those ages. God limited man's length of life after they continued to sin. So if you read, you'll notice the length of their life gradually declined.

God then reduced it to around 70 years of age. Though people will also live over 70, this is when we are near the ending stage of life and from there it's much more decline. Very few live to 100.

Also, Adam and Eve, before they sinned would have lived forever. Once they sinned, death entered the world and though they still lived for a tremendous amount of time, the amount of sin that filled the world was an offense to God. So these incredible long lives were reduced by him.

After the flood also, the world was radically altered and the environment was not what it was beforehand. So from that point, life length reduced dramatically. Compared to them, our lives are a blink in the eye. But if God had not done this, imagine the majority of people and their behaviours today living 800 years? Something has to wake people up and the prospect of death and age is very sobering.

If you read Isaiah 65, there is a time coming when people will live for far longer again, so it will be greatly extended (someone of 100 will be like a child). Only when we pass from this era into the new one. It is a glorious time to look forward to, but until then, we groan under the weight of todays trials. I am certain this time is close.

Answer 3

The same reason Krakens, Unicorns, Sea Monsters and Mermaids were accepted as being real for thousands of years..... people did not have the knowledge they do now and they believed any outlandish stories they were told. There wasnt a different way of telling age, the bible was written long after these supposed 800 year old humans existed and accepted as fact by people who had absolutely no scientific knowledge at all and is still believed by scientifically ignorant people today.

PS in response to the assertion that people lived longer back when there was no pollution etc that statement is incorrect. Human lifespan has significantly INCREASED since antiquity because our medical skills increased and our quality of life as well. Way back when many easily cured ailments of today were fatal such as tooth infections, gallstones, fevers etc. People live far longer today than they did hundreds of years ago because our medical knowledge has increased.

PSS in response to the post below, if there was no death in the world till adam and eve sinned and god created all life on the planet as we know it now and evolution did not occur than what would carnivorous animals have eaten if death didnt exist??? and why does all scientific evidence point to the fact that humans lived only into thier 20s and 30s several hundred years ago??

Answer 4

Yeah yeah ... we are now using the Gregorian Calendar and they were using a calendar back then that only had 360 days ... big whoop. Instead of being 990 years old they were 978 years old. wow ... big diff. What they had back then was the Sorcerer's Stone but in the Bible they called it Manna in the desert ... I have an alchemist up the street from my house that knows how to make the Sorcerer's STone and he believes that it extends your life indefinitely. Whom am I to argue with him since he looks 60 but is actually closer to 90. He printed a book on how to do it and I really want to get that book and make one myself. There are a LOT of things that were happening in Jesus's time that COULD be happening right now if we were as smart as Jesus but we;ve lost the old ways and the old intellect. Modern as we are we still die at 80. But with the Sorcerer's Stone you would be living to 300 or more years. Look at Lee who was born in 1670 and died in 1932 or St Germain who was born in the 1500's and reportedly died around 1930. Is history totally wrong or did these people know something that we DO NOT ! It's not a trick of math or anything ... it's just the normal life of people when you do NOT have corporations poisoning you with these aging chemicals like MSG and all the preservatives and the steroids in milk and the stuff they feed cattle and pigs. It's NOT rocket science. They are poisoning us!!! I AM Dartagnon

Answer 5

It seems to me that at that time people probably used the same word for years and months, maybe referring to both as "cycles"

800 cycles as years is quite a long time, but in months (moon cycles) this gives us about 60 years, which makes a lot of sense.

Still, at that time and place, being 60 years was too old, as people must have had a very high mortality rate.

Answer 6

the earth is slowly moving away from the sun so the days may have been a lot shorter. also the earth is losing magnitism. this may have an effect. some scientists believe in hyperbaric conditions which basically means that the earths atmosphere was much denser and super rich in oxygen.

the earth was so different back then and likely why they lived so long. notice that after the flood the life of people were greatly deminished. so it is possible that the flood caused changes to occur in the world such as reduction of the density of atmosphere.

good question by the way.

Answer 7

I am amused by some of the believers' answers. According to christian theology, it can't be due to sin because we are all condemned by Adam's fall. Saying that god modified humans is to say that Adam's design wasn't correct. Blaming it on the severe pollution of ancient Egypt and Babylon is absurd. Saying it was a different length of year means that there is even less than 6,000 years to fit all of human history into.

Why can't these people admit that the more idiotic parts of bible have as much validity as the ban on eating pork. They could even blame it on the Jews. Maybe if Mel Gibson makes another movie.

Answer 8

NEW MOON TO NEW MOON WAS TIME IN THE BIBLE

God made Adam in his image. He was to life forever if he did not touch the tree in the middle of the garden. He almost lived his first day of 1000 years, but none of them
did, but in the life sustaining earth even after sin they cane close.
Noah gave the exact time and was 375 man days in the flood. Now the life sustaining earth is lost in the flood. Heaven and earth must be made new again 2Pet.3:13;
Rev.20:1-6,12,13;
Adam's offsprings get their chance at 1000 years without the sin he caused.

Answer 9

They did live much longer back then.

After the Great Flood of Noah the atmosphere changed and people began dropping in years, everything changed.

God Bless & have a safe and
HAPPYB NEW YEAR !

Answer 10

Jews at that time had no concept of time, at least not as well as other cultures (such as the Babylonians, Egyptians, etc.). Keep in mind, such things as astrologers were not well accepted among Jews, and astrology is where you begin to develop a concept of the year.