Genesis 5:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Summing these figures results in a total of 1287 years. When we also include the 969 years leading up to the Flood, as noted in Genesis 5:26-32 and Genesis 7:6, the total time from the creation of the world to the Flood amounts to 2256 years, based on the chronology found in the Greek and Church Slavonic versions of the Bible, corroborated by ancient Samaritan texts and Josephus Flavius. The Greek chronology suggests an additional 600 years compared to the Hebrew account, wherein the first six patriarchs are said to have become fathers a hundred years earlier than what is recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures. The challenge of fully reconciling this discrepancy does not obscure the essential truths conveyed in the Holy Scriptures.

The extended lifespans of the patriarchs, who lived before the Flood and continued until the time of Abraham—when human lifespan began to decline—have drawn skepticism from some. They struggle to accept the notion of individuals living for 900, 800, 700, 600, 500, 400, 300, and even 200 years, and have speculated that Moses, possibly following an Egyptian precedent, counted years as months in his accounts of the patriarchs’ ages. However, this interpretation finds no support in Moses’ writings, particularly when he delineates the Flood year, where a year is distinctly separate from a month of 30 days. He specifies, "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, ... on the seventeenth day of the month, on this day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth" (Genesis 7:11). It is thus implausible to reduce the span of years into a mere fraction before and after the Flood. In recording the Flood, Moses indicates approximately 12 months for that year. The Flood commenced on the 17th day of the second month—in contemporary terms, likely November—of Noah's 600th year and concluded on the 27th day of the second month in his 601st year (Genesis 8:13-14). In the duration between the onset and the conclusion of the Flood, Moses accounts for 150 days (or 5 months) of increasing waters, and subsequently describes the gradual receding of water on various dates, illustrating the timeline of the event. If we were to equate the patriarchs’ years with our months, it would misleadingly suggest that several patriarchs fathered children at impossibly young ages, such as Arphaxad, who allegedly had a son at just 12 years old—yet Genesis states he was 135 when he fathered Salah (Genesis 11:12-13), and Terah, Abraham’s father, lived 205 years, yet had a son in his sixth year (Genesis 11:26-32). Another inconsistency arises with Jacob, who at 130 years old expresses to Pharaoh that his years are fewer than those of his ancestors (Genesis 47:9). What significance would this lament hold if his fathers had lived merely 500, 300, or 200 months? In fact, he would then have outlived them all, including the patriarchs who preceded the Flood.

The remarkable lifetimes of the patriarchs underscore the special Providence of God. The longer these patriarchs lived, the more rapidly humanity multiplied, gaining wisdom and life experience, making them excellent leaders for younger generations, which was essential during such a primitive time. Their longevity served to preserve divine revelation and the sacred traditions of worship among the followers of the true God. In an era devoid of the written Word, the patriarchs represented the most authentic embodiment of God’s revelations. One individual could listen to the same divine truths and laws for centuries and relay them to others. For instance, Noah, who lived nearly 600 years prior to the Flood, could engage in dialogue with Maleel, and Maleel could converse with Adam. Methuselah, who perished in the year of the Flood, could share what he learned from Enos, Seth's son. This continuity ensured that not only later revelations from God but also the pristine revelations received by Adam in Paradise were carried into the post-Flood world, remaining untainted. Natural elements likely contributed to the patriarchs' longevity: the richness of nature, largely unaffected by sin, a simpler lifestyle harmonious with nature, and the primal condition of their bodies allowed for healthier living—fewer ancestors meant fewer hereditary influences corrupting descendants. All these factors lend advantage to the early ages compared to those that followed.

The historian meticulously details the lifetimes of the pre-Flood patriarchs—the timing of each one's birth, the duration of each life until the birth of their sons, who were intended to extend the blessed lineage, and consistently concludes with the phrase 'and he died.' This is the unyielding decree: humanity endures, continuously renewed through the birth of new generations. The lineage that prepared the holy seed for the spiritual rejuvenation of all humankind persisted unbroken. Nevertheless, the judgment decreed to Adam, "You are dust, and to dust you shall return," was to visit individuals, even those who "have not sinned in the likeness of Adam's transgression" (Romans 5:14). In this patriarchal age, however, there existed one man who transcended this inevitable law: Enoch. It is written, "And Enoch walked with God, and he was not found, for God took him" (Genesis 5:24). Enoch's special relationship with God suggests he was in profound spiritual communion, engaging in faith and love, winning divine favor that may have led to experiences of God’s presence akin to those enjoyed by Adam in Paradise. "And he was not found," signifies his departure from the earthly realm, "for God translated him." Regarding this transformation, the Apostle states, "By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, and was not found because God had taken him" (Hebrews 11:5), ushered directly into a state of glory without experiencing death or illness.

What purpose does this miraculous occurrence serve? It serves to inspire hope amidst the universal reality of death and decay, affirming the belief in eternal life and the hope for immortality. Additionally, the son of Sirach notes that "Enoch ... was taken as an example of repentance for his contemporaries" (Sirach 44:15). This indicates that those in Enoch's time could witness in him the significant reward for a life dedicated to repentance and moral struggle, encouraging them toward their own repentance. Enoch embodied not merely the message of repentance through his fate but was also a prophet leading others with his teachings. The Apostle Jude refers to Enoch’s prophetic declarations, stating, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgment on all and to convict the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way" (Jude 1:14-15). Although an apocryphal text attributed to Enoch contains fantastical notions, the prophetic proclamations cited by Jude likely derived through tradition rather than from those dubious texts, which intertwine fragments of truth with a multitude of falsehoods.