Methuselah: Story and Meaning Of The Oldest Man In The Bible | Pray.com (2024)

Summary

Jump to section

Who was Methuselah?Where is Methuselah in the Bible? Why did Methuselah live so long?As old as Methuselah

The expression ‘as old as Methuselah’ describes someone who’s very, very old.

And it makes sense when you learn about this interesting figure, Methuselah, from the Bible. According to Genesis, he lived to be an astonishing 969 years of age!

With a genealogy that connects all the way back to Adam and Eve and eventually leads to Noah, Methuselah is an important figure in the biblical family tree.

Methuselah's name is now culturally connected to the very idea of growing old, but what explains his incredible age? What does the Bible say about Methuselah and his relatives, and what can we learn from his story?

Let’s take a look back at Genesis to discover the answers to these questions.

Who was Methuselah?

Methuselah, meaning ‘man of the javelin’ in Hebrew, was a biblical patriarch and figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

He’s most notable for being the oldest person in the Bible (and the person with the longest human lifespan ever recorded under the literal interpretation), at a reported 969 years. And as the grandfather of Noah, his influence on the family tree cannot be understated.

Methuselah is a figure of the earlier Biblical Sagas, featured in multiple places within the Old Testament — most notably in the Book of Genesis, the Book of Chronicles, and the Gospel of Luke.

He also appears in extra-biblical texts such as the Book of Moses, the Book of Enoch, and the Slavonic Enoch.

Methuselah’s genealogy is described in Genesis. Enoch was the father of Methuselah, and Lamech was Methuselah’s son. Methuselah’s grandson Noah was, accordingly, the son of Lamech.

Methuselah is seven generations removed from Adam and Eve, and he is of the Seth lineage (a brother of Cain and Abel).

According to scripture, Methuselah died at the same time as the great flood. It’s not understood whether he died as a result of the flood or just before it.

Methuselah: Story and Meaning Of The Oldest Man In The Bible | Pray.com (1)

The Catholic encyclopedia summarizes his legacy outside of the Methuselah tree of genealogy, highlighting that the name itself has become synonymous with the very idea of living a long life.

Other examples of this cultural legacy include the record-setting 4,853-year-old bristlecone pine tree in California, aptly named ‘Methuselah.’

Like the many fascinating figures and stories from the Bible, like Samuel or Jonah, we can learn a lot from them about the context surrounding the Bible’s setting, as well as valuable moral and theological lessons.

No items found.

Where is Methuselah in the Bible?

No items found.

As mentioned, Methuselah is mentioned in the New Testament in the gospel of Luke, but he is most prominently discussed in the Hebrew Bible.

Let’s take a closer look at how Methuselah is described.

Genesis 5:21–27:

“When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah.”

This provides the basis of our understanding of Methuselah’s place in the family tree. It continues:

“When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. After he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.”

More straightforwardly, 1 Chronicle 1:3 lists Adam’s lineage all the way down to Noah.

“​​Adam, Seth, Enosh, 2 Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah.”

Luke 3:23–38 traces the lineage more exhaustively, recounting all the sons of the family tree from Jesus to Adam (condensed here from Noah to Adam).

Methuselah: Story and Meaning Of The Oldest Man In The Bible | Pray.com (4)

“Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Kenan, the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.”

Why did Methuselah live so long?

No items found.

Of course, today, we understand that the oldest human being ever verifiably recorded lived to be 122 years old. Naturally, not many people accept Methuselah’s age of 969 as literally true.

There are varying interpretations of Methuselah’s age.

Literal reading

Biblical literalists, who maintain every word of the Bible to be factually correct, propose that Methuselah did indeed live to be 969.

Explanations for this interpretation include some disproven theories about superior nutrition contributing to a long life and geological explanations like the existence of vapor canopies protecting the earth and its inhabitants from the effects of solar radiation.

However, most biblical literalists put forward a theological explanation — that lifespans were longer (or infinite) until God shortened them due to the emergence of sin.

Mistranslation theory

A more likely explanation for Methuselah’s unlikely age is the result of mistranslation. It’s possible that months were mistranslated as years, which would put Methuselah’s age at 78.
This, however, doesn’t account for the ages of other figures. For example, Enoch would have fathered Methuselah at the even more unlikely age of five, according to this theory.

It’s possible, then, that the numbers listed in Genesis used a shorthand that may have suggested a multiple of five or ten.

Mythological explanation

The story of Methuselah has many similarities to other, more ancient mythologies from across the globe.

The Sumerian mythological figure Ubara-Tutu, the ancient Mesopotamian figure Gilgamesh, and some Babylonian figures lived for ages and similarly met their demise in flood events.

Literary device

A final explanation of Methuselah’s age would be its use as a literary device to quickly connect Adam to the year of the flood.

As old as Methuselah

Methuselah was a biblical figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam who‘s noted for his incredibly advanced age of 969 years.

He was mentioned in Genesis, Chronicles, and Luke, with ancestry going back to Adam and Eve.

Some maintain his impressive age to be a result of theological forces. But it may also be due to mistranslation, as a convenience to quickly connect the story of Adam and Eve to Noah, or as part of the great tapestry of mythological figures worldwide.

As a grandfather to Noah and great-grandfather to Shem, Ham, and Japheth, he is an important figure in the Biblical family tree, whose name has become synonymous with the idea of growing very old.

To read other Bible stories and always stay connected to God’s word and the power of the Holy Spirit, download the Pray.com app in the iOS App Store or on Google Play.

No items found.

Bring Godly Wisdom into Your Week

Sign up for a free PRAYaccount and you’ll begin receiving our Weekly Wisdom Devotionals, sent to your inbox every Tuesday.

Hallelujah! Good news coming your way

Oops! Something went wrong when trying to add that email address.

By providing my email I agree to allow Pray.com to use my email for marketing purposes, and I agree to the terms and conditions.

No items found.

AUTHOR

Pray.com Editorial Team

Launched in 2017 with a mission to grow faith and cultivate community, Pray.com is the world’s No. 1 app for daily prayer and faith-based media content. Pray.com is the easiest way to incorporate prayer into your daily life and grow your faith journey. Pray.com provides people from all walks of life inspiration through Daily Prayers, Bible in a Year Programs, and Bedtime Bible Stories.

Methuselah: Story and Meaning Of The Oldest Man In The Bible | Pray.com (2024)

FAQs

What does Methuselah represent in the Bible? ›

Methuselah, meaning 'man of the javelin' in Hebrew, was a biblical patriarch and figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He's most notable for being the oldest person in the Bible (and the person with the longest human lifespan ever recorded under the literal interpretation), at a reported 969 years.

Who was Methuselah and what did he do? ›

He was the father of Lamech and the grandfather of Noah. According to the biblical account, he came of hardy stock: all his forebears lived to an age between 895 and 962 years except his father, Enoch, who lived to be 365. (In the genealogy of Cain in Genesis 4, there is a Methushael who also fathers a Lamech.

What Scripture talks about Methuselah? ›

Genesis 5:25-27 “When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. After he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.”

What is the real meaning of Methuselah? ›

This Biblical name means "one who was sent" or "man of the dart." In the Hebrew Bible, Methuselah was the longest-living human being, having lived to be a whopping 969 years old. The years may fly by as your precious Methuselah grows up, but one thing is certain: your unconditional bond will last forever!

What was God's promise to Methuselah? ›

God planned to bring the flood after all the men who walked in the ways of the Lord had died (besides Noah and his family). Methuselah lived until the ark was built but died before the flood, since God had promised he would not be killed with the unrighteous.

Did God take Methuselah to heaven? ›

Methuselah was the son of Enoch, a man who walked with God so nearly, so dearly, that God ushered him into heaven without the experience of death.

What powers did Methuselah have? ›

Unlike many Titans, Methuselah lacks any elemental powers, instead relying on his massive size and strength to "bulldoze" other Titans in battle. He can use his powerful jaws and massive horns to inflict a great deal of damage and destruction. He can also effortlessly carry an entire human population on his back.

Who walked with God and never died? ›

The text reads that Enoch "walked with God: and he was no more; for God took him" (Gen 5:21–24), which is interpreted as Enoch entering heaven alive in some Jewish and Christian traditions, and interpreted differently in others. Enoch is the subject of many Jewish and Christian traditions.

Who went to heaven without dying? ›

Sacred Scripture teaches that Enoch and Elijah were assumed into heaven while still alive and not experiencing physical death.

What age does the Bible say you can live to? ›

Now God declares that He will place a natural limit of 120 years on that mortal existence. Looking at life spans for those born after the flood, this seems to be the case. While not a literal maximum, life spans after the flood rapidly decrease until few live longer than 100 years.

Did people really live to be 900 years old? ›

This is evident in an ancient list of the kings of Sumer (a region in what is modern-day Iraq) that describes rulers who allegedly lived for tens of thousands of years. The earliest king on this list to be confirmed as having an actual historical existence is Enmebaragesi, who was recorded to have lived for 900 years.

What does Methuselah symbolize in the Bible? ›

Muth means death" and Shalach "to bring or send forth." Scholars define Methuselah as signifying "his death shall bring forth" or "when he is gone, it will come." The prophetic sense is that the judgment of God on that depraved (and worsening) generation would be delayed until Methuselah's death.

What is the sword of Methuselah? ›

The Sword of Methuselah, also known as Enoch's Sword, is a powerful blade that possesses the power to defeat any being on Earth, including demons, such as Moloch. However, whoever uses the sword to take a life shall have their own soul taken in exchange by the sword.

Why was Enoch removed from the Bible? ›

Apart from this community, the Book of Enoch was excluded from both the formal canon of the Tanakh and the Septuagint and therefore, also from the writings known today as the Deuterocanon. The main reason for Jewish rejection of the book is that it is inconsistent with the teachings of the Torah.

What does the name Methu mean in Hebrew? ›

The word metu may be derived from the word mot meaning death and the "u" is a suffix that means "their" - "their death". There is no way to know for certain if the final vowel in metu was an "o" or an "u" as the vowel pointings that make that distinction are of fairly recent origin.

What does the name Methus mean? ›

Strong's dictionary states that this name means "man of the dart". According to Strong, the root for metu is the word mat (#4962) which means "man" and the word shelach (#7973) means a weapon or missile (hence the translation of dart).

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Clemencia Bogisich Ret

Last Updated:

Views: 5465

Rating: 5 / 5 (80 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Clemencia Bogisich Ret

Birthday: 2001-07-17

Address: Suite 794 53887 Geri Spring, West Cristentown, KY 54855

Phone: +5934435460663

Job: Central Hospitality Director

Hobby: Yoga, Electronics, Rafting, Lockpicking, Inline skating, Puzzles, scrapbook

Introduction: My name is Clemencia Bogisich Ret, I am a super, outstanding, graceful, friendly, vast, comfortable, agreeable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.