Methuselah: How Old Was He, and When Did He Die?
Methuselah’s is the longest of the lives listed in Genesis 5. Adding the ages in that chapter shows when he was born and when he died, and Sebastian C. Adams’ chart prints whose lives his overlapped.
In short: Methuselah lived 969 years (Genesis 5:27). By the ages in Genesis 5 he was born in the year of the world 687 and died in 1656, the year Adams’ chart gives for the Flood.
What Genesis says
25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech. 26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: 27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.
Genesis 5:25–27, King James Version
His years, worked out from Genesis 5
The year of the world is the running total of the fathers’ ages when their sons were born; a death year is the birth year plus the years lived. These are calculations from the ages in Genesis 5.
| Person | Age at his son’s birth | Born (year of the world) | Lived | Died (year of the world) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enoch | 65 (Methuselah) | 622 | 365 years | 987 (622 + 365; God took him) |
| Methuselah | 187 (Lamech) | 687 | 969 years | 1656 (687 + 969) |
| Lamech | 182 (Noah) | 874 | 777 years | 1651 (874 + 777) |
| Noah | 1056 | 950 years |
The Flood, in Noah’s six hundredth year, is the year of the world 1656 on Adams’ chart (1056 + 600).
Whose lives overlapped
On panels 1 and 2, in one line of lettering, Adams prints how long Adam was alive alongside each of his descendants:
ADAM talked with SETH 800 years, and with ENOS 695 yrs. and with CAINAN 605 yrs. and with MAHALALEEL 535 yrs. and with JARED 470 yrs. and with ENOCH 308 yrs. and with METHUSELAH 243 yrs. and with LAMECH 56 yrs.
Printed on Adams’ chart, panels 1 and 2
Calculation for Methuselah: 930 − 687 = 243. For Lamech, Noah’s father: 930 − 874 = 56.
Keep exploring
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Questions
How old was Methuselah when he died?
“And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.” (Genesis 5:27).
When was Methuselah born?
In the year of the world 687, by the ages in Genesis 5: Enoch was born in 622 and was sixty-five when Methuselah was born (Genesis 5:21).
Did Methuselah die in the year of the Flood?
By these figures, yes: 687 + 969 = 1656, the year Adams’ chart prints for the Flood (“DELUGE,1656. A.M.”). The number comes from adding the ages in Genesis 5.
How long did Methuselah and Adam live at the same time?
Adams’ chart prints 243 years beside Methuselah’s name. Calculation: Adam lived 930 years (Genesis 5:5) and Methuselah was born in 687, so 930 − 687 = 243.
Who were Methuselah’s father and son?
His father was Enoch (Genesis 5:21) and his son was Lamech, born when Methuselah was a hundred eighty and seven years old (Genesis 5:25).
Related topics
Text by Heritage Chronology Press. Scripture from the King James Version. Dates and words as printed on Sebastian C. Adams’ chart; some other chronologies place certain events at different dates. Table and overlaps: Study Edition, Panel 1, printed pp. 26–27 (“Lives shared across generations”). Spotted an error? Tell us at [email protected].