Genesis 5:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The total of these years comes to 1287. When we extend this figure to include the 969 years before the Flood (Gen. 5:26-32, Gen. 7:6), we find that there were 2256 years from creation until the Flood, according to the chronology found in the Greek and Church Slavonic texts of the Bible, which aligns with ancient Samaritan records and the writings of Josephus. The Greek accounts often indicate that the lifespans of the first six patriarchs are recorded as occurring about 600 years earlier than those in the Hebrew Bible. Yet, the discrepancy in the chronological details does not undermine the essential truths conveyed in the Holy Scriptures.

The long lives of the patriarchs prior to the Flood, and those who lived until Abraham, have been the subject of skepticism. Some find it unfathomable that individuals could live for such extended periods—900, 800, 700, 600, 500, 400, 300, and even 200 years—and propose that Moses may have meant months rather than years in his account. However, Moses distinguishes clearly between a year and a month in his descriptions. He states, “In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, ... on the seventeenth day of the month, on this day all the springs of the abyss opened” (Gen. 7:11). There is also no justification for reducing the length of the Flood year to merely three months before it began or eight months after its cessation. In his account, Moses specifies a full twelve months for the duration of the Flood, which began on the 17th day of the second month (likely November) of Noah’s 600th year and concluded on the 27th day of the same month in his 601st year (Gen. 8:13-14). Additionally, during the Flood, he records a total of 150 days—or five months—of rising waters, followed by the accounts of the waters receding in a gradual manner, ultimately leading to the earth being freed from the waters by the first day of the first month. If one were to assert that the years of the patriarchs equate to our months, it would imply that some became fathers far too young, with examples such as Arphaxad, who allegedly bore Salah at only twelve years of age (whereas Genesis states he was 135), and Farrah, Abraham's father, purportedly having a son in the sixth year of life. Furthermore, Jacob, at 130 years of age, laments before Pharaoh about the brevity of his days, asserting that his years did not match those of his forebears (Gen. 47:9). If the years of his fathers were only months, this complaint would lose its significance; he would surpass not only his immediate ancestors but also the patriarchs of old in terms of longevity.

The remarkable lifespans of the patriarchs underscore the evident hand of Divine Providence. The longer the patriarchs lived, the more rapidly humanity multiplied and the richer their accumulated wisdom became, positioning them as crucial guides for the subsequent generations. This was especially vital in the primitive era of humankind, which required trustworthy custodians of divine revelation and sacred traditions. During a time when the written word of God did not exist, these patriarchs embodied the living embodiments of God’s revelations. A single person could convey divine truths and commandments to others over centuries. For instance, Noah, who lived around 600 years before the Flood, could interact with Maleel, who in turn could speak with Adam. Methuselah, who perished in the year of the Flood, could relay his experiences of divine revelations he heard from Enos, son of Seth, to those of his generation. Thus, both the later revelations and the original truths imparted to Adam in Paradise were preserved in their untainted form and passed into the post-Flood era. Apart from God’s unique providence, natural elements also played a role in the long lives of the patriarchs. The bountiful forces of nature, not yet corrupted by sin, combined with a lifestyle closely aligned with nature and the inherent conditions of the human body—retaining largely primitive virtues—enabled them to live these lengthy lives. The fewer the ancestors, the less hereditary degradation afflicted their descendants, allowing for a richer quality of life in those early times.

Moreover, when documenting the pre-Flood patriarchs, the historian acknowledges their birth years, their life spans leading to the birth of their successors who continued the blessed lineage, and concludes each life story with the phrase ‘and died.’ This represents an unchanging principle: while humanity itself does not extinguish, generational life is perpetually refreshed by the birth of new offspring. The lineage from which the divine progeny was nurtured for the spiritual rejuvenation of all humanity did not perish. Yet, the judgment proclaimed to Adam, “Thou art dust, and unto dust shalt thou return,” was inevitably to be realized for individuals, even though they “have not sinned in the likeness of Adam’s transgression” (Rom. 5:14). Enoch is the sole exception in this patriarchal lineage. Of him it is said, “And Enoch pleased God, and was not found, for God had taken him” (Gen. 5:24). The Hebrew text elaborates, “and Enoch walked with God,” indicating his intimate fellowship with God, drawing near in faith and love and winning His favor, which may have included special divine manifestations similar to those experienced by Adam in Eden. “And he was not found,” signifies his absence, “for God had translated him.” The Apostle expounds, “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him” (Heb. 11:5) into a state of blessedness. This miraculous event parallels what subsequently occurred with the prophet Elijah, who was taken from the earth without dying (2 Kings 2:10) and foreshadows what will happen to those who are alive at the second coming of Christ; they will be transformed along with those raised from the dead in an instant, at the last trumpet, becoming imperishable (1 Cor. 15:51-52). Enoch was directly elevated into glory without experiencing death or illness, a miracle meant to inspire faith in eternal life in the midst of universal mortality and decay. Furthermore, the son of Sirach mentions that “Enoch... was taken as a pattern of repentance for his contemporaries” (Sir. 44:15), indicating that those around him could see the high reward of a life dedicated to repentance and struggle against sin. Enoch not only lived as an example of repentance but also proclaimed it as a prophet, as exemplified by the apostle Jude, who cites his prophetic words: “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him” (Jude 1:14-15). Although an apocryphal text attributed to Enoch contains fanciful notions about the stars and angels intermingling with humans, the prophetic utterances quoted by Jude undoubtedly were transmitted through tradition rather than sourced from that work, which clouds truth with error.