Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died.
Parallel translations
- WEB All the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty-nine years, then he died.
- KJV And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.
- BSB So Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.
- NKJV So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died.
- NASB So all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Methuselah lives a total of 969 years and then dies. It records the longest human lifespan in Scripture, yet still ending in death.
Overview
Methuselah outlives everyone in the biblical record, reaching 969 years, but even he finally dies. His unmatched longevity, followed by death, magnifies the chapter's theme that death claims all. It underscores that long life cannot overcome the curse, a victory found only in Christ.
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 5:27 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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