How come people in the bible lived to be 900?

Question

And in the 1800's we were lucky to make it to 60, and now we live till around 80-100?

Answer 1

Because it is a myth descended from Sumerian myth that also has the great figures of old living to extremely old ages.

Answer 2

The same way Icarus flew close enough to the sun for his wings to melt.

Answer 3

So many wacky answers to this question. However, one must wonder how great the translators who assembled the bible were are translating dates and times. They were Romans likely using a Julien style system of tracking time...

Answer 4

Did people really live hundreds of years according to Genesis?

Genesis 5



Adam lived 930 years (Gen. 5:5) - "And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died."

Seth lived 912 years (Gen. 5:8) - "And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died."

Methuselah lived 969 years (Gen. 5:27) - "And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died."

    After the fall, the genetic line of Adam and his descendents was very pure, so their health would have been incredible.  Living that long would not have been a problem.   Also, some theologians think that there was a canopy of water that engulfed the entire earth and that it was released at the time of the flood.  "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life , in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened," (Gen. 7:11).  The "floodgates of the sky" are sometimes alluded to as great amounts of water suspended in the sky.  Also, no rain is recorded in the Bible until after the flood which seems to support this idea.  This canopy, if it is true, might have provided some sort of protection from the sun's harmful rays.  We can't know for sure and it is only a theory. Nevertheless, after the flood, the lifespan of people on earth was drastically reduced.  "Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years," (Gen. 6:3).  Whether or not this reduced canopy had any affect on human lifespan may never be known.  

  

Answer 5

Before the Flood, there were many more nutrients in the food and a very different earth that had more physical protection.

Notice in the Bible that immediately after the Flood, lifespans immediately went down to around 70 to 120 years old.

Answer 6

they don't know what a year was.

Answer 7

They were closer to God. God Is Life Itself.

Answer 8

Back then, hardly any one could live past the age of thirty, let alone 900.  Also, the concept of time was not quite understood by some cultures except for the Romans and a few higher civilizations.  So forty years felt like 900 to them.

Answer 9

most creationist will say because there was water on top of the atomoshpere bloacking radiation

igoring everything scientifically wrong with that, look at death rates today and see how many is from skin cancer from solar radiation not 100 percent

Answer 10

Don't question the Word of God!! Just believe.

Answer 11

They didn't.  They were just written that way.

Religion is superstition.

Answer 12

Before the flood there was a moisture canopy around the earth and life was easier with no pollution.  The moisture canopy also explains why there was no rainbow until after the flood.  There was no need for rain until after the flood.  

Answer 13

Adam and Eve were created perfect. They were supposed to live forever. When they disobeyed God, sinned entered into the human family. Being so close to perfection the first people lived 800 and 900 years. As you read on into the bible you see people started living shorter lives 700, 600, 500, 400, 300 on down until  now when mankind lives very short lifes. Medical advancements have increased life spans but only for a few years.

Answer 14

well, increases in diseases and the environment can change how long the average life span is.... also according to the Bible after the whole flood incident to prolong what was happening for him to want to destroy the Earth from happening again he decided to make it so they will for the most part not live past 120 (he makes acceptations on that rarely) and since then the age slowly went down and as hygiene and medicine changes the average age goes slightly up, or in the case of the dark ages where hygiene was really poor the average life span went down.