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NASB | Genesis 6:3 Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 6:3 Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive and remain with man forever, because he is indeed flesh [sinful, corrupt--given over to sensual appetites]; nevertheless his days shall yet be a hundred and twenty years." |
Bible Question: why the old testament man before Noah can live till hundreds years? but now the maximum is only one hundred year if we are strong enough? |
Bible Answer: Greetings Corin, The only Scriptural evidence there is that points to God's limiting mankind's lifespan from the great longevity of Methuselah (969 years) and Noah (950 years) to Abraham (175 years), Isaac (180 years), and then to Joseph (110 years), whose lifespan more closely resembles that of mankind today, is Genesis 6:3, where God said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." Now, several interpretations exist and are equally applicable for this verse, such as (1) this is a reference to death, meaning that man's years would be shortened since the human spirit that God placed in human beings would not always abide, or (2) this is simply a reference to God giving mankind 120 years before the judgment of the Flood. Either interpretation is possible, but Scripture most certainly does not conclude that those who die young are somehow being punished for sin in every circumstance. Psalm 90:10 indicates that at some point, the lifespan of mankind settled somewhere around 70 years of age, which is where it is now. But apart from the actual Biblical evidence given in Genesis 6:3, the only explanation that you will find for the reduction in the lifespan of mankind are theories. One such theory that you may hear often is that the climate of the earth changed after the Flood, since it is argued that rain did not fall on the earth until the Flood occurred, and there was only a 'mist' (Genesis 2:6).. But this theory is not entirely accurate when examined by what the Bible actually says; in Genesis 2:5, the Bible says that rain did not fall on the earth before He created MANKIND. The Bible does not say that rain did not fall on the earth before the Flood, only before God created mankind. So, that is one such theory that you might hear, but perhaps may not be entirely scripturally accurate when examined closely by what the Bible says. Blessings to you, Makarios |