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What’s up with the crazy-long lifespans in the Bible? What are we to think when we read that Adam lived to 930, Noah to 950, and Methuselah (the record-holder) to 969?

How would that even work? Did they Benjamin Button their way through childhood (30-year-old toddlers)?

...Probably not. But let’s look at some common interpretations…

The traditional view is that the pre-Flood world was a very different era, and people actually lived that long. In this view, God originally created humans to live forever, and the first generations of people were closer biologically to those original, physically perfect bodies. As centuries passed, we “devolved” as the curse of the Fall took its toll.

But it’s interesting that reported lifespans took a steep dive after the Flood. Genealogies of people born after the Flood reveal a lifespan decline from the 400s to our current average of 70–80, over the course of about 1,000 years.

One theory for this is the “Genetic Bottleneck”. The Flood reduced the population down to just eight people. The relatively pristine human gene pool was now forced into inbreeding and accelerated genetic mutations, affecting the body’s ability to repair itself as it aged.

The “Vapor Canopy” theory is also interesting. You may remember from Genesis 1 that the Earth was covered in water until God “separated” it, putting some of it in the sky. This “vapor canopy” is argued to have protected the earth from the sun’s radiation, as well as created a stable, tropical climate for the entire earth. When this water was released at the Flood, it permanently altered the environment, and the radiation started to wreak havoc on our bodies.

And if those theories don’t tickle your fancy, there’s another way to look at it: the Bible is not a textbook. It’s a collection of historical accounts (like the Gospels), as well as poetry, letters, wisdom literature, and symbolic writings. Scripture can be without error, revealing to us what God wants us to know, while communicating through the literary methods of ancient people.

Christians don’t always agree which parts of the Bible should be taken literally, but I think we can agree that our salvation is through Christ alone (Acts 4:12), and does NOT hinge on whether we believe a man named Mahalalel lived to 895. Unfortunately, no one from that era is still around for comment. ...At least, that we know of!

Genesis 5:27

Thus all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died.

Psalm 90:10

Our days may come to seventy years,

or eighty, if our strength endures;

yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,

for they quickly pass, and we fly away.