Credible Theories
Hebrew Bible · Genesis 5; 6:3

Lifespans cut to 120 years

ReferenceGenesis 5; 6:3
Writtenc. 900–450 BCE
SetBefore the Flood
My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

Translation: KJV

Read it literally

Methuselah lives 969 years; afterward the ages fall steadily. A limit imposed right after the Watchers episode, as if on purpose.

What scholars say

The long ages parallel the Sumerian King List's long reigns, which also drop after the Flood.

Strange time Giants and hybrids

Quick answers about Genesis 5

Where is Genesis 5 found?

Genesis 5; 6:3 (Hebrew Bible). Translation quoted: King James Version (1611; standard 1769 text), with Apocrypha.

When was Genesis 5 written?

c. 900–450 BCE.

What do scholars say about Genesis 5?

The long ages parallel the Sumerian King List's long reigns, which also drop after the Flood.

Rabbit holes in this passage

PersonMethuselahThe longest-lived man in the Bible, 969 years, and in the Enoch books the son who carried his father's secret writings.TextSumerian King ListA list of kings who ruled for tens of thousands of years before the Flood, after kingship 'descended from heaven' at Eridu.BeingThe Watchers (Grigori)Heavenly beings who never sleep, sent to watch humanity, who in the Enoch books came down, took wives, and taught forbidden arts.

Sources

  1. King James Version (1611; standard 1769 text), with ApocryphaPrimary text
  2. Genesis 5:21–27, King James VersionPrimary text
  3. The Sumerian King List, trans. Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature (ETCSL t.2.1.1), University of OxfordPrimary text
  4. 1 Enoch 6–8, trans. R. H. Charles, The Book of Enoch (1917)Primary text

Scholarly dates are rounded. The wording follows the named public-domain translation.

Updated