“…nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
Genesis 6:3
This passage has commonly been understood one of two ways: 1) As an indication of the amount of years left between God’s decision to do something about man’s wickedness and the start of the flood; or 2) A limitation on the lifespan for humankind, so our age would not exceed 120 years. Let’s explore both interpretations.
120 Years Before the Flood
We do know that 100 years passes between the time Noah has his children (Gen. 5:32) and the time the flood begins on the earth (Gen. 7:6). Additionally it seems plausible that God’s proclamation in this verse could have taken place 20 years prior to the birth of Noah’s children, as Genesis 5 is essentially a listing of descendants and does not necessarily come before Genesis 6 chronologically. If so, this could account for the 120 years. Noah would have needed some time to build the ark of course; though at some point his three sons could assist. With this interpretation, the 120 year waiting period is also considered to be due to God’s grace and mercy, and as such would probably be understood as a time to repent. However, we read nothing in the text of repentance of others, nor even of Noah or his family calling others to repent with the flood coming. This may seem unkind or odd, however it brings to mind a verse from Revelation 22:11, which states:
“Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.”
The above words are explained to St. John after his vision of the apocalypse, and infer that at that point it is too late to make any behavioral changes as Christ would be returning soon (from the standpoint of the vision.) Perhaps this was the case with Noah; God may have informed him not to call others to repentance as judgment was nigh. Either that, or any calls to repentance are simply not recorded. Even so, ultimately no one else was saved in the ark aside from Noah and his family.
Lifespan Reduced to 120 Years
Alter’s commentary points out this reduction in man’s lifespan isn’t the first, but the second; the first having been pronounced at the expulsion from the garden, at which point man was prevented from living forever by losing access to the tree of life. Now after 10 generations of patience after the first sin of disobedience, during which time the whole earth became corrupt and filled with violence, (Gen. 6:11) God hands down another reduction in our years. Why? Because look what happens when we live so long – we finely craft our wickedness evermore. As God said in Gen. 6:5, every intent of the thoughts of our hearts is evil continually. Thus it would stand to reason that a shorter lifetime means a lesser degree of wickedness we can attain to (or you might say, the less trouble we can get ourselves into.)
It is worth noting that at the end of the Torah, Moses lives to the age of 120. Moses’ age, coupled with the fact that in modern times we still do not live past 120, is a strong argument for this interpretation. Ultimately either explanation of the 120 years is plausible, however given the context I would lean toward the reduction of lifespan.
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July 27, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Aimee
As far as whether or not Noah preached repentance you have to wonder who wouldn’t have been asking him why he was building a monstrous boat. And when he told them it was because it was going to rain… Since there had never been rain before, I’m sure the gossip would have gotten around faster than we think about what was happening.
I really don’t know what I think about our years being cut down to 120 years. I have heard of people supposedly passing that age. I think that God was giving them 120 to repent before the flood. Check this lady out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Calment
September 7, 2009 at 2:16 am
James
According to the study of a Hebrew scholar I read a few years back, Noah was actually building a “box.” The Hebrew word used simply meant box, so Noah was building a monstrous box! The Old English word for box was ark and it has remained in modern English translations of the Bible due to tradition. Of course, this is of no consequence to your point, but just some information I decided to share. But while we’re on the subject, how much different would our Christian culture be now if the flood story that we grew up with was known as “Noah’s Box.”
November 4, 2011 at 12:35 pm
God is Good
Jeanne Calment lived to be 122.
In my understanding it means that the average age for humans will not excede 120 years old.
November 4, 2011 at 6:14 pm
jhonse
Yes that is how I understand it as well. A general “120″ year approximate limit.
January 22, 2012 at 2:23 pm
Jeff Long
The 120 years can’t possibly mean a reduction in lifespan. In chapter 11 of Genesis there’s a long genealogy between Shem and Abram where almost every person mentioned lives longer than 120 years, Shem lived to be 500, and several lived to be older than 400.
January 22, 2012 at 2:53 pm
jhonse
Sure it can. When God declares something it is not always immediate, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen starting with the very next person born. Moses ultimately lived 120 years, and that’s pretty much how long we live now. When God told Adam in the garden that if they ate of the fruit they would surely die, some may speculate this meant some other thing like spiritual death, but because they had access to the tree of life they were going to live forever (which is why they were specifically banished from the garden.) but he did not immediately die. He lived 900+ years.
January 23, 2012 at 11:43 am
Daniel Schmude
The best case for the 120 year lifespan theory is found by plotting the lifespans of the patriarchs, before and after Noah. Don’t include Enoch, because he was taken up to heaven during his life. What you’ll find is that all the patriarchs lived to around 900 or so before the flood. Then after the flood, there lifespans decrease towards 120 at a natural rate of exponential decay. They did not know about the natural rate of exponential decay in those days.
March 13, 2012 at 10:48 am
joshua
Nice exercise, although the exponential fit is only slightly better than a simple linear decrease, with both having a lot of scatter (in only 10 sample points).
The real question in this regard, is whether there is any reason that lifespans should decrease exponentially to 120 year? Why would God – who in this infinite wisdom has decided that humans are no longer allowed to age over 120 – apply this limitation in as an exponential decay? Surely he could just as well have applied it immediately, linearly or via some erratic way that is totally obscure to us mere humans.
Your last sentence appears to convey wonder at the ‘fact’ that although ‘they’ did not know the concept of exponential decay in those days, it is still described in the bible. Given the position that there is no requirement that the decrease should be an exponential decay – it is as far as we know a coincidence – your wonder seems misplaced.
March 13, 2012 at 7:43 pm
jhonse
Joshua,
I guess I can see multiple reasons why God may allow life spans to decrease slowly instead of immediately. For one, humans were still learning much about the world, their environment, etc. and it would have been great wisdom of God to allow the earlier humans to live longer, to attain a greater degree of mastery in all sorts of areas of life and learning by living longer. To cut that short too quickly could have stunted progress.
I also see it as part of God’s mercy, as fathers needed to adjust how they train up their children, and at what age people would have children as well. To adjust this quickly would be compacting life as they knew it into a much shorter time frame.
A large reason I began this commentary blog is to wonder, to ponder, etc at the possibilities of understanding the scriptures. I do not strive to teach the standard interpretations if avoidable, and as well as avoid teachers and pastors who approach the scriptures like they have all the answers. Quite simply, no one has all the answers. I hope that helps you see where I am coming from. If you are looking for other unorthodox insights, by all means, check out more of my site!
March 7, 2012 at 11:10 am
paul
12 is the number of the Kingdom of God, His perfect government. The hebrew word translated as ´strive´ in gen.6:3 also means ´to judge´.
This verse is a prophetic passage whereby God tells us that after striving with Him there will be rest in His Kingdom of his Son like Jacob wrestling with God and afterwards receiving His blessing and name-change into Israel which stands for all those who have ceased striving and entered into the promised land by faith, this promised land is Jesus Christ.
March 26, 2012 at 11:27 pm
The Genesis 6:3 Problem? | The BitterSweet End
[...] things about this scripture, that needs to be answered. (Here some are TWO Examples 1 and Example 2 of people trying to answer this same question, but not doing the same amount of [...]
March 30, 2012 at 3:40 pm
jhonse
Thank you for your reference and link. Good luck with your site!
March 27, 2012 at 8:33 am
thebiblereader
Hi,
Just wanted to say thank you for putting up this post. I did my own post on gen 6:3. And your post was very helpful. I even linked your post to mine as form citation.
http://bittersweetend.wordpress.com/2012/03/27/the-genesis-63-problem/#comment-373
May 13, 2012 at 1:26 pm
ronniemitchell
In reality it’s not how long we live but how well we live. By one man’s sin {Adam} all die and by one man’s righteousness {Jesus Christ} all are made alive. Romans 5:12-19 Knowledge alone cannot save us, we can miss heaven by 18 inches that’s the distance between the head and the heart. Bible knowledge in the head without the Salvation through the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ cannot translate to the righteousness of God in the heart. Romans 6:23 and Romans 3:23 Education without Salvation is Damnation. God bless you in Jesus name
May 23, 2012 at 5:28 pm
jhonse
I am not sure why you have left this comment. I agree we need the Holy Spirit and more than just head knowledge. But it is possible to have both and not live out our morals, this is a great problem in the church today.
September 4, 2012 at 7:52 pm
BLOG 1: What did God mean when he said, “their days will be a hundred and twenty years? « Scotti's Source
[...] “We do know that 100 years passes between the time Noah has his children (Gen. 5:32) and the time the flood begins on the earth (Gen. 7:6). Additionally it seems plausible that God’s proclamation in this verse could have taken place 20 years prior to the birth of Noah’s children, as Genesis 5 is essentially a listing of descendants and does not necessarily come before Genesis 6 chronologically.” –Pondering Scripture [...]
September 14, 2012 at 9:07 pm
boyscout
Why did God say “my Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years”? It’s because when men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.
That wicked generation was destroyed by the flood except Noah and his family. Now why would God impose the reduction of life span on Noah’s descendants whom didn’t commit, or the bible didn’t record, the same sins as the men in Noah’s days? The bible actually recorded that the descendants of the 3 sons of Noah, according to their lines of descent, had their own territories and nations. That is, they didn’t intermarry as men did in Noah’s days.
October 6, 2012 at 9:15 pm
Ron
Try looking at Genesis 6:3 in terms of Jubilee years and see what you come up with.
October 20, 2012 at 3:04 pm
jhonse
Thanks Ron, I will look into that. I have not heard that before.
October 18, 2012 at 12:33 am
Squirt
Atheist has come to me and said that the God I believe in, and the bible I say to be 100% accurate said that it said life Span of man was 120, but that there has been people who lived past the age of 120. I drew blanks.
October 20, 2012 at 3:08 pm
jhonse
Accurate and literal are not the same thing. To my understanding, yes, there have been people that lived past 120 years, but the vast majority of people live much less than that. In fact David in the Psalms said that man’s life was but seventy years, which is pretty accurate, but no one says this means exactly 70 years or 120 years, that is what we read into it. I believe the bible is inspired, but I am not one to call it “The inerrant word of God”. For instance I think some writers in the OT and NT both had some opinions that made their way into it. Plus there are lots of other scriptures that were not included in the Canon. I do not find the need to believe 100% in the accuracy, etc of the bible to be required to still believe the heart of it. I still believe in miracles, the parting of the Red Sea, the virgin birth, etc, but I do not believe every word written in it is specifically from God.
October 21, 2012 at 4:39 pm
Ron
The OT Jews and the early Church Fathers (1st & 2nd century) believed that God was going to allow man (in sin) to live on the earth for 6,000 years – six milleniums. The heavens, earth, and all life was created in six literal days on the seventh day He rested. And the seventh millennium will begin the reign of Christ, a time of rest.
If you multiply the 120 by Jublilee years (50 years) you will reach 6,000. So what kind of “Biblical” years was God speaking of? Many after the flood lived long after 120, even Noah lived an additional 300 years past the flood. So what was God speaking about? How long would His Spirit strive with man’s flesh on earth?
Blessings on all of you,
Ron
February 16, 2013 at 6:59 pm
Cathy
Why does the life expectancy fluctuate in modern time?
Not by much, I know that pharmaceuticals and nutrition play an enormous role, but why does God allow any increase in wicked man?
April 11, 2013 at 11:29 pm
jhonse
Cathy, perhaps He does so to give us time to do good.
April 12, 2013 at 12:01 am
Cathy
Perhaps, we are waiting for God’s judgement! We have turned away from God and are now living in disobedience to his Word and Commandments….like the days of Noah and Sodom and Gommorah!
His Second Coming is near….so look up!!!
April 12, 2013 at 3:11 pm
jhonse
Cathy, I do not personally subscribe to the idea things on earth are going to get worse and worse until the end. Those who believe in God have the Spirit of God in them, and that is a light that darkness cannot overcome. I believe that God is doing great things in many people in many nations now, and I believe God wants to see some of that come to fruition before He returns.
April 12, 2013 at 8:30 pm
Cathy
We do not know what Gods Plan for his Creation will be, except what is written in Holy Scripture. The Book of Revelation voices His intent! This book is not to scare us, but prepare us! Whether you believe in Rapture or Futurism (the plan by the Counter-Reformation work of the Jesuits), the Second Coming of Christ is impending. Abberant Society is increasing at RAPID speed and this acceleration can only mean one thing….soon, the sheep will be separated from the goats! We have Assurance of Eternal Life because of Christ Alone and all who believe!