Genesis 5:18Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Adding these years totals 1287 years. Additionally, including the 969 years prior to the Flood, as outlined in Genesis, we find that the period from creation to the Flood totals 2256 years. This is consistent with the chronology in the Greek and Church Slavonic texts of the Bible, and corroborated by ancient sources like the Samaritan texts and Josephus. The Greek accounts present approximately 600 years more than the Hebrew because the first six patriarchs are recorded as having fathered children a century earlier than in the Hebrew Scriptures. The challenge of reconciling this discrepancy does not obscure the pure teaching of the Gospel found in the Holy Scriptures.

The longevity of these pre-Flood patriarchs, extending beyond the Flood until Abraham, has prompted skepticism among some who find it hard to believe that individuals could live for centuries. Some propose that Moses may have counted years as months, following the example of the ancient Egyptians who simplified their calendar. However, this interpretation lacks any support from Moses's accounts. For instance, he clearly differentiates between years and months in detailing the duration of the flood, stating, “In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, ... on the seventeenth day of the month, all the fountains of the great abyss were opened” (Gen. 7:11). Furthermore, Moses cannot be shown to have abbreviated a year into a few months on either side of the Flood. He accounts for approximately 12 months during the year of the flood and gives precise timing about when the waters receded. If we were to equate the years of the patriarchs with our months, it would create absurdities where certain patriarchs would have become fathers at impossibly young ages. For instance, Arphaxad, who lived to be 500, would have had to father Salah at just 12 years old, contrary to the account that states he was 135 at that time (Gen. 11:12-13). Similarly incongruous would be the case of Farrah, Abraham’s father, who reportedly had a son at the age of six (Gen. 11:26-32).

Furthermore, when Jacob lamented his life’s brevity at 130 years before Pharaoh, expressing that his days fell short of his ancestors, one must wonder how this complaint holds weight if those ancestors had lived only a fraction of that time expressed in months. If that were the case, Jacob would not only have surpassed his immediate predecessors but also the pre-Flood patriarchs in terms of longevity. The substantial lifespans of these patriarchs may indicate a unique action of God's Providence, facilitating the rapid multiplication of humanity, enriching them with wisdom and experience, and rendering them effective leaders for succeeding generations. This was especially crucial in humanity’s primitive state. Such long lives greatly contributed to safeguarding divine revelation and sacred traditions among the true worshippers of God. During a time when God’s word was not inscribed, the patriarchs served as living embodiments of God’s revelations, imparting unaltered truths and guidance through generations. For example, Noah, who lived nearly 600 years before the Flood, would have been able to converse with Maleelil and Maleelil with Adam, while Methuselah, who died in the Flood year, could have shared revelations he received from Enos, Seth’s son. As a result, not only more recent divine revelations but also those initial truths Adam received in Paradise could have remained intact in the post-Flood world.

In addition to divine Providence, natural factors likely contributed to the longevity of these patriarchs, such as a world rich in resources, less corrupted by sin, coupled with a lifestyle aligned closely with nature. The primitive state of humanity, characterized by fewer ancestors, would have meant less hereditary deterioration passed on to descendants, presenting a clear advantage in ancient times.

The historian outlines the lifespan of each pre-Flood patriarch, noting their age at fatherhood and the continuation of their lives leading up to the birth of their sons, who were destined to carry on the blessed lineage. This account consistently concludes with the phrase “and died,” a testament to humanity’s mortality. However, while mankind may perish, the renewal of life continues through the birth of new generations. The lineage tasked with nurturing the holy seed intended for the spiritual renewal of humanity did not cease. Adam's judgment that he would return to the earth was fulfilled in individuals, even though they “had not sinned in the likeness of Adam's transgression” (Rom. 5:14). Yet, there was one man among the patriarchs exempted from this universal fate: Enoch. It is written that “Enoch pleased God, and he was not found, for God took him” (Gen. 5:24). The Hebrew text specifies that “Enoch walked with God,” indicating a deep spiritual connection, marked by faith and love, which likely led to God’s special favor, possibly including divine appearances reminiscent of those experienced by Adam in Paradise.

This explains how he “was not found,” for he was transformed by God. As the Apostle writes, “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). Enoch’s experience parallels that of Elijah, who was taken up into heaven without dying (2 Kings 2:10), and foreshadows the fate of those believers alive at Christ’s return, who will be caught up and changed into incorruption, as declared in scripture (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). Through this miraculous event, Enoch was taken straight into glory without experiencing death or illness. This serves to inspire those facing the reality of death and decay, affirming the hope of eternal life.

Moreover, the son of Sirach notes that “Enoch ... was taken as an example of repentance for his contemporaries” (Sir. 44:15). This indicates that Enoch provided a living illustration of the rewards attached to a life of sincere repentance and struggle against sin. Enoch not only exemplified repentance through his life and fate but also actively preached as a prophet, as evidenced by the apostle Jude’s quotation of his prophetic declaration: “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgment upon all” (Jude 1:14-15). Although there exists an apocryphal work attributed to Enoch, filled with errors and speculative ideas, it is evident that Jude's references to Enoch’s prophecies were derived from a tradition rather than from that unreliable text, where some truths are intermingled with falsehoods.