How long did people live in the Bible?
The oldest was Methuselah, 969 years. Lifespans fall from over 900 years before the flood to about 120 by the time of Moses.
In the order they appear. Ages are read from the Berean Standard Bible; for Genesis 11, the age at a son’s birth plus the years after.
Where each age is given
| Person | Age | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Methuselah | 969 | Genesis 5:27 |
| Jared | 962 | Genesis 5:20 |
| Noah | 950 | Genesis 9:29 |
| Adam | 930 | Genesis 5:5 |
| Seth | 912 | Genesis 5:8 |
| Kenan | 910 | Genesis 5:14 |
| Enosh | 905 | Genesis 5:11 |
| Mahalalel | 895 | Genesis 5:17 |
| Lamech | 777 | Genesis 5:31 |
| Shem | 600 | Genesis 11:10–11 |
| Eber | 464 | Genesis 11:16–17 |
| Arphaxad | 438 | Genesis 11:12–13 |
| Shelah | 433 | Genesis 11:14–15 |
| Enoch | 365 | Genesis 5:23 |
| Peleg | 239 | Genesis 11:18–19 |
| Reu | 239 | Genesis 11:20–21 |
| Serug | 230 | Genesis 11:22–23 |
| Terah | 205 | Genesis 11:32 |
| Isaac | 180 | Genesis 35:28 |
| Abraham | 175 | Genesis 25:7 |
| Nahor | 148 | Genesis 11:24–25 |
| Jacob | 147 | Genesis 47:28 |
| Ishmael | 137 | Genesis 25:17 |
| Sarah | 127 | Genesis 23:1 |
| Aaron | 123 | Numbers 33:39 |
| Moses | 120 | Deuteronomy 34:7 |
| Joseph | 110 | Genesis 50:26 |
| Joshua | 110 | Joshua 24:29 |
| Eli | 98 | 1 Samuel 4:15 |
Questions
Who was the oldest person in the Bible?
Methuselah, who lived 969 years (Genesis 5:27).
Why did people in the Bible live so long?
The Bible does not explain it. Lifespans fall steadily after the flood, from Noah’s 950 years to around 120 by the time of Moses, and readers have proposed reasons from a changed world to symbolic numbers.
How long is a generation in the Bible?
It varies. Forty years is a common span (the wilderness generation in Numbers 32:13), and Genesis 15:13–16 treats 400 years as four generations.