Did Adam, Seth, & Methuselah of the Bible Really live that long? Why?

Question

Adam lived to be 930 years old, Seth for 912 yrs. and Methuselah for 969 yrs. (just 31 yrs. short of a 1,000). Were thosed years similar in length to ours today, or were they shorter periods, perhaps equivalent to our months, as some have suggested? God had made humans to live forever, but then, Eve screwed it up for the human race by all this? eating the fruit from the forbidden tree and gave it toi Adam. We could have lived forever folks! What's your views on

The Bible points to literal years similar in length to ours. Had the ancient year been only as long as our month, the following men would have become fathers at an impossibly early age--Kenan before he was 6 yrs, of age, and Mahalalel and Enoch just over the age of five!

Answer 1

These were the first humans. No diseases, no polution, no stress, no worry, no predators, no clocks, no ladder to climb, no disappointments, none fo the things that trouble us today. So yeah, I think they did live that long.

Answer 2

The problem here is literalism. IMHO the Bible is best used as a collection of moral thoughts and parables on how to live and ethical life. Its not best used as a historical, literal account of actual, physical events. If we are all direct descendants of Adam, who lived to be 930 years old, and the creation was really only 6000-odd years ago, why don't we all live to be 900+ years old?

Do you really believe that the length of years fluctuates that wildly? Do you reject the idea of the Sun as the center of our solar system, or are you still convinced that the Sun rotates around the Earth and the length of years can change?

And if people really ever lived that long, what happened (remember, Seth was born AFTER the Fall) to drastically shorten human life.

Think about these things. Believe what you will, I'm not calling you an idiot for being religious, but use your brain a little.

Answer 3

I'd go along with your theory that the periods we are calling years were really some shorter measure. A lot of older, pre-judaic societies used a lunar calendar for temporal reckoning.

Translation of ancient languages is inexact at best. Plus, teh stories in the bible are derived from older, orally transmitted legends and clearly subject to misinterpretation and alteration.

By that reasoning, these guys lived to be in their 80's or 90's by our definition of years, which by any measure is still fairly old in most parts of the world, and would certainly have been remarkable back in the periods referenced in the old testament. The average lifespan was probably around 35 - 40 for most people, maybe less if you were killed in battle, succumbed to disease, or were eaten by a wild animal.

Answer 4

Creationists believe that in the antediluvian (pre-flood) world, a canopy of water covered the earth, creating a greenhouse effect and also filtering out harmful ultraviolet and infrared rays from outer space. It is noteworthy that after the flood life expectancy gradually declined until it was stated in Psalm 90 that "the years of a man's life are 70 years, or if by reason of strength 80 years." This indicates that was the average life expectancy when this Psalm was penned by Moses (although he himself and Aaron lived to 120 years, yet this was exceptional).
See Genesis 11:10-32 and note the gradual decline in life expectancy.

Answer 5

Yes, we were created to live forever. The ages of the ancients were 365-day years all right, just like ours, and, yes, if Eve hadn't "screwed up", they (and us) would live forever.....providing someone else didn't screw up later. But before you take it out on Eve, remember she was deceived while Adam chose to suffer her fate with her rather than be without her. And before you take it out on either one of them, think of all the times we've "screwed up" since then. We wouldn't have fared any better had we been the first inhabitants of the earth.

Answer 6

and enoch who lived 365 years and was translated that he did not see a flesh death. God took him for he was righteous.

yes they lived that long. the flesh without poisons in our environment and diets is rather hardy. God also was more present during those days and his spirit dwelt with mankind. He then removed himself and man's days were cut down to 120. which we know to be true since there are people who live that long.

Answer 7

2 Peter 3:8But ,beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing,that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years,and a thousand years as one day.Gen 2:17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it :(for in the day )that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surly die.This say's it a day with the LORD is a thousand years ,in that DAY you will die.No one ever lived longer than a thousand year's or one day.Adam was NOT the first man and earth is million's of year's old.

Answer 8

No, they didn't live that long. The biblical writers were using symbolism that was common at their time, but is relatively unknown to us now. By saying they lived that long was to say they were extremely blessed by God. Its like a simile or a metaphor from that time period.

Answer 9

Those tales, like much else in the bible, are fiction. For genetic reasons, it is not possible for a human being to live much over 130 years.

Answer 10

My view?

Them living that long is just as likely as Rip VanWinkle sleeping for 100 years.

A fairytale is a fairytale, no matter how many base their lives on it.