Methuselah
the one who lived 969 years
Who was Methuselah?
- Son of Enoch and father of Lamech. He was Noah’s grandfather. Genesis 5:21, 25, 28-29
- Genesis says he lived nine hundred sixty-nine years: the longest life in the Bible. Genesis 5:27
- Luke names him among the ancestors of Jesus. Luke 3:37
What the Bible says
Genesis 5:21, 25, 28-29
21And Henoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Mathusala. 25And Mathusala lived a hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech. 28And Lamech lived a hundred and eighty-two years, and begot a son. 29And he called his name Noe, saying: This same shall comfort us from the works and labours of our hands on the earth, which the Lord hath cursed.
Genesis 5:27
And all the days of Mathusala were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.
Luke 3:37
Who was of Mathusale, who was of Henoch, who was of Jared, who was of Malaleel, who was of Cainan,
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
The path of Methuselah
- Before Jesus. He was the son of Enoch, the one who walked with God. Genesis 5:21, 24
- Before Jesus. Going by the ages in Genesis, Methuselah was 300 years old when God took his father Enoch. Genesis 5:21, 23-24
- With Jesus. At 187, Methuselah became the father of Lamech. Genesis 5:25
- With Jesus. After that he lived 782 more years, and had other sons and daughters. Genesis 5:26
- Afterward. Lamech became the father of Noah. So Methuselah was Noah’s grandfather. Genesis 5:28-29
- Afterward. When Noah was 500 years old, Shem, Ham and Japheth were born, Methuselah’s great-grandsons. Genesis 5:32
- Afterward. Genesis says that he lived 969 years, and then he died. Genesis 5:27
- Afterward. The First Book of Chronicles names him again in the list of families that begins with Adam. 1 Chronicles 1:1-4
- Afterward. Luke names him in the list of Jesus’ ancestors. Luke 3:37
Words of Methuselah
The Bible records no words of his.
Not to be confused with
- Methusael was from Cain’s family and was the father of another Lamech. Methuselah was from Seth’s family, and his son Lamech was the father of Noah. Genesis 4:18; Genesis 5:25, 28-29
What people ask
Did he really live 969 years?
That is what Genesis says. A NAB note explains that these very long ages have a symbolic value more than a historical one. Genesis 5:27; NAB note on Gn 5, 1-32
Is he the man who lived the longest in the Bible?
Yes. No other age in the Bible is as long. Jared, his grandfather, lived 962 years, and Noah, 950. Genesis 5:20, 27; Genesis 9:29
What else does the Bible tell about him?
Almost nothing: whose son he was, whose father he was and how many years he lived. It tells no story about him. Genesis 5:21-27
Is Methuselah in the family of Jesus?
Yes. Luke names him among the ancestors of Jesus, between Enoch and Lamech. Luke 3:37
Did Methuselah die in the flood?
The Bible does not say. By its ages, he died in the year of the flood, but the text only says that he lived 969 years and died. Genesis 5:27; Genesis 7:6
Who were his great-grandsons?
Shem, Ham and Japheth, the three sons of Noah, who were saved with him in the ark. Genesis 5:25, 28-29, 32; Genesis 7:13
Little known No other person in the Bible lives so many years. Genesis 5:5-31; Genesis 9:29 His grandfather Jared lived 962 years: it is the second-longest life. Genesis 5:20 A…
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