God's Limit on Human Lifespan in Genesis
Genesis and the Limit on Human Lifespan
The biblical account in Genesis provides the foundation for understanding God's limit on human lifespan. Genesis 6:3 states, "So the LORD said, 'My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days shall be 120 years'" [1]. This verse has been interpreted in various ways throughout history.
The interpretation of Genesis 6:3 is not uniform. Some understand it as a declaration that God's Spirit would no longer strive with humanity due to their wickedness, while others see it as a limitation on human lifespan [4]. Abraham Ibn Ezra, a Jewish rationalist commentator, notes that some explain this verse as referring to a limit on human lifespan, but he disagrees, pointing out that individuals after the flood, like Shem, lived beyond 120 years [3]. In contrast, the Tyndale House commentary suggests that Genesis 6:3 may have introduced a new restriction on human lifespan, limiting it to 120 years [4].
The longevity of the early descendants of Adam is a notable feature in Genesis 5. The chapter lists ten individuals in direct succession, with lifespans far exceeding what is typically observed, ranging from 365 to 969 years [5]. Adam lived for 930 years, as stated in Genesis 5:5 [2]. The reason behind their extended lifespans is not explicitly stated in the text, but Nachmanides, a Jewish kabbalistic commentator, attributes it to the initial perfection of humanity, suggesting that their natural longevity was a result of their original creation [6].
The early Church Fathers also grappled with the interpretation of Genesis 6:3. Augustine, in "The City of God," argues that the 120 years mentioned in Genesis 6:3 should not be understood as a prediction of a new maximum human lifespan. He points out that people lived more than 500 years after the flood, and instead, interprets the 120 years as related to the time remaining until the flood [9].
The biblical account does not provide a clear explanation for the decline in human lifespan after the flood. Various commentators have offered different perspectives on this issue. Matthew Henry, a Nonconformist/Puritan commentator, notes that Noah lived 950 years, and attributes his long life to his piety [8]. Calvin, in his commentary on Genesis, discusses the patriarchs' longevity in the context of their faith and the blessings they received [7].
The diversity of interpretations on Genesis 6:3 and the longevity of early humans reflects the complexity of understanding God's limit on human lifespan. While some see it as a direct limitation on human lifespan, others interpret it within the broader context of God's relationship with humanity and the consequences of their actions.
The biblical text itself provides a straightforward statement about human lifespan in Genesis 6:3, but the understanding of this verse has evolved over time through various interpretations. The early descendants of Adam lived for centuries, and their longevity is a distinctive aspect of the Genesis narrative. The decline in human lifespan after the flood remains a topic of discussion among commentators, with different traditions offering distinct perspectives.
In the end, the biblical account presents a nuanced view of human lifespan, with Genesis 6:3 serving as a pivotal text in understanding God's limit on human life. The various interpretations of this verse and the surrounding narrative reflect the ongoing effort to comprehend the complexities of human existence and the divine plan.
Sources
- Genesis “Genesis 6:3 (BSB) — So the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days shall be 120 years.””
- Genesis “All the days that Adam lived were nine hundred thirty years, then he died. -- Genesis 5:5”
- Sefaria (Jewish (Rationalist)) “Abraham Ibn Ezra on Genesis 6:3: THEREFORE SHALL HIS DAYS BE A HUNDRED AND TWENTY YEARS. Some explain that this refers to man’s life span. 11 Henceforth man’s life span will be limited to 120 years. If we find some living longer than this, 12 Chap. 11 lists the descendants of Noah. All of them lived more than 120 years and were born subsequent to this decree (Cherez). they are but a few. Our verse speaks of most people. However, this interpretation is not correct. Behold, Shem lived for six hundred years. Also, the generations that followed him lived many, many years beyond a hundred and twent”
- Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 6:3: 6:3 will not put up with: Many think that this is an announcement of God’s decision to withdraw the restraining influence of his Spirit from human society and allow human wickedness to run its full course. Others think it means that God would withdraw his life-giving breath from humans at an earlier age (ruakh, the Hebrew term for “spirit,” can also mean “breath”; see 6:17; 7:22; see also Ps 104:29-30). • normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years (literally his days will be 120 years): It is possible that this was a new restriction on the number of years indi”
- Genesis (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Genesis 5:5: all the days . . . Adam lived--The most striking feature in this catalogue is the longevity of Adam and his immediate descendants. Ten are enumerated (Gen. 5:5-32) in direct succession whose lives far exceed the ordinary limits with which we are familiar--the shortest being three hundred sixty-five, [Gen 5:23] and the longest nine hundred sixty-nine years [Gen 5:27]. It is useless to inquire whether and what secondary causes may have contributed to this protracted longevity--vigorous constitutions, the nature of their diet, the temperature and salubrit”
- Sefaria (Jewish (Kabbalistic/Philosophical)) “Ramban (Nachmanides) on Genesis 5:4: AND THE DAYS OF ADAM AFTER HE BEGOT SETH WERE EIGHT HUNDRED YEARS. Because of the long lives of these first men, Scripture states their ages before they begot children and also afterwards, and then sums them all up in the end until the generations which followed the flood. The reason for their longevity is that the first man, the handiwork of the Holy One, blessed be He, was made in absolute perfection as regards beauty, strength, and height. Even after it was decreed upon him that he be mortal, it was in his nature to live a long time. But when the flood c”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 2 (Gen 24-50), section 24.12: But he does not compare himself with his fathers in sufferings, as if they had been treated with greater indulgence; for we know that they had been tried to the utmost with all kinds of temptations: he merely states that he had not attained their age; as if he had said, “I, indeed, have arrived at those years which, by others, is deemed a mature old age, and which complete the proper term of life; but the Lord so prolonged the life of my fathers, that they far exceeded this limit.” He makes mention of evil days, in order to show”
- Genesis (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Genesis 9:28: Here see, 1. How God prolonged the life of Noah; he lived 950 years, twenty more than Adam and but nineteen less than Methuselah: this long life was a further reward of his signal piety, and a great blessing to the world, to which no doubt he continued a preacher of righteousness, with this advantage, that now all he preached to were his own children. 2. How God put a period to his life at last. Though he lived long, yet he died, having probably first seen many that descended from him dead before him. Noah lived to see two worlds, but, being an heir of the righte”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 24.--HOW WE ARE TO UNDERSTAND THIS WHICH THE LORD SAID TO THOSE WHO WERE TO PERISH IN THE FLOOD: "THEIR DAYS SHALL BE 120 YEARS.": But that which God said, "Their days shall be a hundred and twenty years," is not to be understood as a prediction that henceforth men should not live longer than 120 years,--for even after the deluge we find that they lived more than 500 years,--but we are to understand that God said this when Noah had nearly completed his fifth century, that is, had lived 480 years, which Scripture, as it frequently”