Methuselah, or Methuselah, was the son of Enoch. According to the Bible, Methuselah lived on earth for 969 years. Hence the expression “Methuselah age.” Methuselah was born when Enoch was 65, and Methuselah was 187 when his first child was born.
Reading this article, you will find that even though his birth marks the beginning of his father Enoch’s walk with God, the focus falls on the end of his life.
What does the name Methuselah mean in Hebrew?
The meaning of the name leads us in this direction: Metušélah means “his death will bring,” and the year of Metusala’s death was also the year the flood came upon the earth.
But what is most noteworthy is that Holy Scripture mentions that Methuselah in Bible holds the record for longevity. To live nine hundred and sixty-nine years is quite something.
Methuselah’s name comes from “muth,” meaning “death,” and also “shall,” meaning “to bring” or “to send.” Methuselah means, in translation, “his death will bring.”
Methuselah’s father received word from God that the world’s punishment would be unleashed in flood when this child died. You can imagine how carefully this child was raised. Every time he sneezed, the world panicked. When Methuselah in Bible died, the flood came. Even the fact that this man outlived everyone else of his time has a message for people: God is not in a hurry to punish but is patient.
What was Methuselah known for in the Bible?
Methuselah in Bible is the perfect example that the most critical aspect of life is to live with God, obeying and fulfilling His commandments, whether the years are many or few. They may be few on this earth, but they will not be numbered in the kingdom of Heaven.
Methuselah in Bible is known for being Enoch’s son and Noah’s grandfather. He lived 969 years, thus becoming the symbol of longevity.
Enoch, the seventh biblical patriarch, is his father, as we learn from the book of Acts. Thus, from the ancestor, Adam was born Seth. From Seth was born Enoch; from Enoch was born Cainan; from Cainan was born Maleleil; from Maleleil was born Jared, and from Jared was taken, Enoch. And from the right hand of Enoch shall be born Methuselah in Bible, and from Methuselah shall be born Lamech, and from Lamech shall be born the right hand of Noah.
How old was Methuselah when Noah was born?
Methuselah is a biblical character, Enoch’s son, and Noah’s grandfather of, Noah. According to the Old Testament, his family tree is the following:
Father: Enoch.
Children: Lamech and his other unnamed siblings.
Ancestor: Seth, followed by his grandson Noah.
Great Grandsons: Japheth, Shem, and Ham.
Descendant: Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus.
Methuselah in Bible was 369 years old when Noah was born: it is written that Methuselah, at the age of 187, begat Lamech. And Lamech, being 182 years, begat Noah. So 187+182=369 years old.
Noah announced the human nature which the Lord assumed from a Virgin and, for better recognition of the scriptural words, it must be known in what terms Lamech, his father, prophesied; “This shall comfort us in our work and the work of our hands, in the work of the earth, which the Lord God has cursed. Noah was an upright man, having the righteousness that comes from faith, and had a close relationship with God, as indicated by the expression “walked with God.”
Many commentators believe that this name received from his father, Lamech, is an expression of hope, or even a prophecy, that this child will be a way to lift the curse received by Adam due to his sin. Noah had a long life like the other patriarchs before the flood and his grandfather.
Methuselah age. Why do scholars say he was the oldest character in Bible?
Methuselah’s age is both a mystery and a record. This a record because according to Holy Scripture, Adam would have lived 930 years, Seth 912, and Enoch “only” 365. Methuselah had his first son Lamech when he was 187 years old. Methuselah’s son Lamech would have lived “only” 172 years, and Noah would have died at 950.
The longest-lived of the “line of Adam” is Methuselah, son of Enoch, with a lifeline of 969 years old. He is considered the most senior person in all human history because of his lifeline.
Born of a father who lived 360 years, Methuselah, the Bible says, died at the age of 969. Methuselah in Bible lived to be one hundred and eighty-seven years old, and then Lamech was born to him. After Lamech was born, Methuselah lived another seven hundred and eighty-two years, and sons and daughters were born to him. And of all the days of Methuselah in the Bible, which he lived, were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and then he died.
Because Methuselah lived the longest of the list mentioned in the Old Testament, the expression “Methuselah age” has come into common parlance when we refer to people living to old ages.
Primary Takeaways
- He had the longest life expectancy in all of human history.
- The world’s oldest tree is named after himself: Methuselah.
- Methuselah was among those who died the same year as the great flood.
Key Verse
“When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. After he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived for 782 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died.”Genesis 5:25-27 (NIV)
