Did men really live into their 900s before the flood?
Author’s note: On occasion I receive letters from readers with questions. Sometimes I answer them privately, but sometimes the question is of such a nature that I feel a wider audience might find it interesting. This column is in response to a question.
For those who reject the inspiration of the Bible, the lifespans of man prior to the flood, as recorded in Genesis 5, provide rich fodder for their skepticism and full rejection of the text. Man living into his 900s is unknown to anything we have ever witnessed or known. That being the case, what is recorded in Genesis 5 must be a Jewish myth, or so critics argue.
I must admit at the outset that I cannot prove anything regarding the lifespan of man in the antediluvian world, but I can raise some possible explanations that are reasonable conjectures.
As with many things in the Bible, we must walk by faith and not be sight (2 Cor. 5:10). God chose not to explain the lifespan of man prior to the flood, and we must accept it as He revealed it to us.
A variety of explanations have been offered through the years. Some have suggested that the numbers in Genesis 5 are months and not years. However, if this is the case Seth fathered his first child around age 5. Others have suggested that the genealogy is not meant to be a generation-by-generation genealogy, but each successive person was intended to represent a “clan.” There is no textual foundation for this speculation.
Death a result of sin
The lifespans of the antediluvians averaged over 900 years (912 to be exact) suggesting that environmental conditions were vastly superior to our age.
Adam and Eve were created to live eternally. The introduction of sin brought on death (Romans 5:12). However, the degenerating processes had only begun to take place with them and their immediate descendants. This could also account for their longer life spans.
There would also be a lack of disease at this early time. Since Adam and Eve fell from a perfect state, it would have taken some time for disease to increase. This could have also contributed to the longevity of the patriarchs. If the earth were to be populated by humankind (Gen. 1:26), then long lifespans at the beginning were somewhat of a necessity. Otherwise, it would have taken an enormous amount of time to fulfill the commandment to fill the earth with people.
The canopy above the earth
The “canopy” above the earth provides another possible contributor. The climate prior to the flood was vastly different and a possible contributor. During the creation, it was said that the waters above were separated from the waters below, and during the flood, it is said that water came from both places (Genesis 1:7; 7:10).
The implication is that there was a canopy of water that protected human life from cosmic radiation and regulated climate. A “greenhouse effect” would have been created by this canopy above the earth assuring a perennial spring-like climate for the entire earth. A vapor canopy would thus provide an ideal environment for abundant animal and plant life and for longevity and comfort in human life.
The antediluvian environment that was very different from what we might have imagined or have experienced. If we could only go back in time and see this amazing system functioning to support all forms of life as well as contributing to man’s longevity, we would witness the glory of God at work.
This entire system ended with a worldwide cataclysmic flood.
A change in diet
I do not propose this as a definitive explanation, but as a possibility.
There was a change in the diet plan after the flood. Before flood the divinely appointed food was vegetarian, no meat was allowed, but after the flood, meat was allowed as a part of man’s diet (Gen. 9:3). This is one of the most significant changes that directly affected man.
Today we find so many arguments stating the effect of meat eating on health. In fact, God may have allowed this habit to specifically shorten man’s lifespan. Longer lifespan begat much sin – so much that God was forced to destroy the earth, so God may have purposefully shortened man’s lifespan to limit sin.
Human genetic code
Another consideration is that, in the first few generations after creation, the human genetic code had developed few defects. Adam and Eve were created perfect. They were surely highly resistant to disease and illness. Their descendants would have inherited these advantages, albeit to lesser degrees. Over time, as a result of sin, the human genetic code became increasingly corrupted, and human beings became more and more susceptible to death and disease. This would also have resulted in drastically reduced lifespans.
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We can’t really be sure why people lived so long in Genesis 5. The main impact of the passage is to contrast the godly line of Seth with the ungodly lineage of Cain, to explain why humanity fell so far from the will of God. I cannot prove the genealogy in Genesis 5 to be literal; neither can the skeptic prove that it was false. I accept it by faith in the Holy Spirit-inspired Scriptures arising from the mind of God.
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