So Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died. So Methuselah livedThe name "Methuselah" is derived from the Hebrew "מְתוּשֶׁלַח" (Methushelach), which can be interpreted as "man of the dart" or "his death shall bring." This name is significant in the genealogical record of Genesis, as Methuselah is a direct ancestor of Noah. The phrase "lived" here emphasizes the continuity of life and the fulfillment of God's command to "be fruitful and multiply" ( Genesis 1:28). Methuselah's life is a testament to the longevity granted by God before the Flood, symbolizing a period of grace and patience from God towards humanity. a total of 969 years
Methuselah's age, 969 years, is the longest recorded lifespan in the Bible. This extraordinary longevity is often seen as a symbol of God's blessing and the vitality of the antediluvian (pre-Flood) world. The number 969 itself, while not having a specific symbolic meaning, underscores the idea of completeness and fullness of life. In a historical context, such long lifespans are unique to the Genesis genealogies, reflecting a time when humanity was closer to the original creation and less affected by the corruption of sin. and then he died
The phrase "and then he died" is a recurring refrain in Genesis 5, highlighting the inevitability of death as a consequence of the Fall (Genesis 3:19). Despite Methuselah's long life, this phrase serves as a sobering reminder of the mortality that all humans face. It also marks the transition from the antediluvian world to the post-Flood era, as Methuselah's death is traditionally understood to have occurred in the same year as the Flood. This connection underscores the theme of judgment and renewal, as God prepares to cleanse the earth and start anew with Noah and his family. Persons / Places / Events 1. MethuselahMethuselah is a significant figure in the genealogies of Genesis. He is noted for having lived the longest of any human recorded in the Bible, reaching 969 years. His name is often associated with longevity and the antediluvian (pre-flood) world. 2. Genealogy of AdamGenesis 5 is a genealogical record tracing the lineage from Adam to Noah. Methuselah is a key figure in this lineage, being the grandfather of Noah. 3. The Antediluvian WorldThis refers to the period before the Great Flood. Methuselah's lifespan covers much of this era, and his death is traditionally believed to have occurred in the year of the flood. Teaching Points The Significance of LongevityMethuselah's long life serves as a reminder of the different conditions of the antediluvian world and God's sovereignty over life and time. God's Patience and JudgmentMethuselah's lifespan, ending in the year of the flood, symbolizes God's patience with humanity before executing judgment. It serves as a reminder of the balance between God's mercy and justice. Legacy and InfluenceMethuselah's position in the genealogy leading to Noah highlights the importance of legacy and the influence of one's life on future generations. It encourages believers to consider the impact of their faith and actions on their descendants. Faithfulness Across GenerationsThe lineage from Enoch to Methuselah to Noah illustrates a legacy of faithfulness. This encourages believers to cultivate a family culture of faith and obedience to God. Bible Study Questions 1. What does Methuselah's long life teach us about God's perspective on time and human life? 2. How does Methuselah's place in the genealogy of Genesis 5 connect to the theme of God's patience and eventual judgment? 3. In what ways can Methuselah's life and legacy inspire us to think about the impact of our own lives on future generations? 4. How does the faithfulness of Methuselah's family, particularly Enoch and Noah, challenge us to live faithfully in our own contexts? 5. Considering 2 Peter 3:8-9, how can we apply the lesson of God's patience in our interactions with others and in our personal spiritual journey? Connections to Other Scriptures Genesis 5:21-24These verses provide context for Methuselah's family, including his father Enoch, who "walked with God" and was taken by God, and his son Lamech, who is the father of Noah. This connection highlights the spiritual heritage and the significance of Methuselah's lineage. Hebrews 11:5This verse references Enoch's faith and his being taken by God, which indirectly connects to Methuselah as part of a family line characterized by faithfulness. 2 Peter 3:8-9These verses discuss God's patience and timing, which can be related to Methuselah's long life as a symbol of God's patience before the judgment of the flood. People Adam, Cainan, Enoch, Enos, Enosh, Ham, Japheth, Jared, Kenan, Lamech, Mahalaleel, Methuselah, Noah, Seth, ShemPlaces Tigris-Euphrates RegionTopics 969, Dieth, Hundred, Methuselah, Methu'selah, Methuselah's, Methushelah, Nine, Sixty, Sixty-nine, ThusDictionary of Bible Themes Genesis 5:27 5204 age
5726 old age, attainment Genesis 5:3-32 1655 hundreds and thousands
4016 life, human Genesis 5:22-29 5106 Noah Library With, Before, After
'Enoch walked with God,'--GENESIS v. 22. 'Walk before Me.'--GENESIS xvii. 1. 'Ye shall walk after the Lord your God.'--DEUTERONOMY xiii. 4. You will have anticipated, I suppose, my purpose in doing what I very seldom do--cutting little snippets out of different verses and putting them together. You see that these three fragments, in their resemblances and in their differences, are equally significant and instructive. They concur in regarding life as a walk--a metaphor which expresses continuity, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureAfter the Scripture.
"In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God created He him."--Gen. v. 1. In the preceding pages we have shown that the translation, "in Our image," actually means, "after Our image." To make anything in an image is no language; it is unthinkable, logically untrue. We now proceed to show how it should be translated, and give our reason for it. We begin with citing some passages from the Old Testament in which occurs the preposition "B" which, in Gen. i. 27, stands before image, where …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit The Neo-Kohlbruggians.
"And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth."--Gen. v. 3. Many are the efforts made to alter the meaning of the word, "Let Us make man in Our image and after Our likeness," (Gen. i. 26) by a different translation; especially by making it to read "in" instead of "after" our likeness. This new reading is Dr. Böhl's main support. With this translation his system stands or falls. According to him, man is not the bearer …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit Walking with God. Gen 5:24
Walking with GOD. Gen 5:24 O! for a closer walk with God, A calm and heav'nly frame; A light to shine upon the road That leads me to the Lamb! Where is the blessedness I knew When first I saw the LORD? Where is the soul-refreshing view Of JESUS, and his word? What peaceful hours I once enjoyed! How sweet their memory still! But they have left an aching void, The world can never fill. Return, O holy Dove, return, Sweet messenger of rest; I hate the sins that made thee mourn, And drove thee from …
John Newton—Olney Hymns The Epistle of Saint Jude.
V. 1, 2. Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, but a brother of James, to those that are called to be holy in God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. This Epistle is ascribed to the holy Apostle, St. Jude, brother of the two Apostles, James the Less and Simon, by the sister of the mother of Christ, who is called Mary (wife) of James or Cleopas, as we read in Mark vi. But this Epistle cannot be looked upon as being that of one who was truly an Apostle, …
Martin Luther—The Epistles of St. Peter and St. Jude Preached and Explained Consolations against the Fear of Death.
If in the time of thy sickness thou findest thyself fearful to die, meditate-- 1. That it argueth a dastardly mind to fear that which is not; for in the church of Christ there is no death (Isa. xxv. 7, 8), and whosoever liveth and believeth in Christ, shall never die (John xi. 26). Let them fear death who live without Christ. Christians die not; but when they please God, they are like Enoch translated unto God (Gen. v. 24;) their pains are but Elijah's fiery chariot to carry them up to heaven (2 …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety "But it is Good for Me to Draw Near to God: I have Put My Trust in the Lord God, that I May Declare all Thy
Psal. lxxiii. 28.--"But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works." After man's first transgression, he was shut out from the tree of life, and cast out of the garden, by which was signified his seclusion and sequestration from the presence of God, and communion with him: and this was in a manner the extermination of all mankind in one, when Adam was driven out of paradise. Now, this had been an eternal separation for any thing that …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Influences that Gave Rise to the Priestly Laws and Histories
[Sidenote: Influences in the exile that produced written ceremonial laws] The Babylonian exile gave a great opportunity and incentive to the further development of written law. While the temple stood, the ceremonial rites and customs received constant illustration, and were transmitted directly from father to son in the priestly families. Hence, there was little need of writing them down. But when most of the priests were carried captive to Babylonia, as in 597 B.C., and ten years later the temple …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament The Promise to the Patriarchs.
A great epoch is, in Genesis, ushered in with the history of the time of the Patriarchs. Luther says: "This is the third period in which Holy Scripture begins the history of the Church with a new family." In a befitting manner, the representation is opened in Gen. xii. 1-3 by an account of the first revelation of God, given to Abraham at Haran, in which the way is opened up for all that follows, and in which the dispensations of God are brought before us in a rapid survey. Abraham is to forsake …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Appendix xii. The Baptism of Proselytes
ONLY those who have made study of it can have any idea how large, and sometimes bewildering, is the literature on the subject of Jewish Proselytes and their Baptism. Our present remarks will be confined to the Baptism of Proselytes. 1. Generally, as regards proselytes (Gerim) we have to distinguish between the Ger ha-Shaar (proselyte of the gate) and Ger Toshabh (sojourner,' settled among Israel), and again the Ger hatstsedeq (proselyte of righteousness) and Ger habberith (proselyte of the covenant). …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah Genesis
The Old Testament opens very impressively. In measured and dignified language it introduces the story of Israel's origin and settlement upon the land of Canaan (Gen.--Josh.) by the story of creation, i.-ii. 4a, and thus suggests, at the very beginning, the far-reaching purpose and the world-wide significance of the people and religion of Israel. The narrative has not travelled far till it becomes apparent that its dominant interests are to be religious and moral; for, after a pictorial sketch of …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Genesis 5:27 NIVGenesis 5:27 NLTGenesis 5:27 ESVGenesis 5:27 NASBGenesis 5:27 KJV
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