My grandma lived to be 97 years old. When she passed, we went to her funeral and celebrated a life well lived. Her faith, perseverance, and love inspired us all, family and friends alike.
As a young man when she died, I marveled at her age. Of course, reading the Bible, the first few chapters of Genesis recount how most people lived at least 800 years, more than eight times my grandma's age! At some point, God declares a limit to life, saying, “Their days will be 120 years.”
What is behind this change? And does this age limit still apply today?
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What Is the Context of Genesis 6:3 Limiting Lifespans to 120 Years?
Genesis 6:3 says, “Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh; his days shall be 120 years.’” God declares this just before the account of Noah and the Flood.
Leading up to chapter 6, Genesis 5 records the genealogy from Adam to Noah, and each man lived a long time. Adam reached 930 years; his son, Seth, 912. Methuselah was the longest living person, and he lived to 969 years.
However, when Genesis 6 begins, the writer notes how corrupt humanity had become. The first two verses describe how, as people began to have children, the “sons of God” took wives from the “daughters of men” and had children, men of legend. These first two verses have led to much debate among scholars and Christians. “Sons of God” often referred to angels, so were these angels or demons having children with women? Many theories abound involving giants and such things, but the fact remains that humanity became increasingly sinful and violent. Genesis 6:5 tells us, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
In context, God likely reacts to the “sons of God” (whoever they may be) engaging with human women and producing children. The text implies a connection between these unions and a more wicked population. God partly judges humanity by giving them a limit, 120 years, and a reason, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever.” As we remember, at creation, God breathed his spirit-life into humanity, making them a special people. The Lord had been patient and long-suffering while humanity lived for hundreds of years, but their sin piled up.
God’s response to wickedness resulted in the Great Flood when God saved Noah, his family, and a few of every animal on the Ark but destroyed all other life on earth with water.
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Did People in the Bible Continue to Live Longer Than 120 Years?
If we look at Genesis 6:3, which describes a limit to all human life, we see that people after Genesis 6:3 lived longer than 120 years. Genesis 6:3 wasn’t an immediate cap on human life but served as a turning point for a transition to 120 years. God declares an end to lives of hundreds of years.
After the Flood, Noah lived another 350 years, dying at age 950 (Genesis 9:29). His sons also lived hundreds of years. Shem lived to 600 (Genesis 11:10-11). Shem’s descendants (leading to Noah) showed a steady decline in years lived over the next generations. Arphaxad lived 438, Shelah 433, and Eber 464. The following generations declined even more: Peleg lived 239, Terah (Abram’s father) 205.
Abram became Abraham, and he lived 175 years, partly due to his faith and obedience. His son Isaac lived even longer, 180 years, and Jacob was renamed Israel and reached 147 (Genesis 47:28). By the time of Moses, several generations later, Moses lived 120 years and died still physically and mentally fit. At this point in biblical history, no one lived longer than 120 years.
This pattern reveals how God’s limit in Genesis 6:3 was a process. Moses also wrote Psalm 90:10, which confirms a new human lifespan. “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty.” The psalm reflects the reality of shorter lives in his day.
Historically, due to war and sickness, lifespans became even shorter on average until recently. Due to better healthcare and standard of living, more people live to 70 and 80 than they did previously.
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How Do Scholars Interpret Limiting Life to 120 Years?
Was Genesis 6:3 about judging all human lifespan or something else? Scholars look at several factors for differing perspectives.
A very common view is that Genesis 6:3 refers to a countdown to the Flood, not a new biological time limit. In context, this perspective makes sense. After God declares the 120-year limit, the text goes into the Flood story. Many scholars believe God meant an end to humanity, giving them 120 years to repent while Noah built the Ark and preached righteousness (2 Peter 2:5). Theologians like this view since several people lived longer than 120 years, even generations after the Flood. As a possible criticism, God didn’t destroy all humanity in 120 years but started over with Noah’s family, giving them a similar command to multiply with more children.
As we’ve already discussed, many scholars see Genesis 6:3 as a judgment for sin but with a gradual process over generations to the final 120-year limit, sometime after Isaac to Moses. Since human hearts were wicked, more time on earth would equal more sin, growing more evil over time, which we see in context before the Flood. In this view, God’s love and compassion held back human years to reduce the spread and depth of corruption. In addition, since he refers to his own Spirit being with humanity, God might be giving a limit to his own willingness to struggle with rebellious humanity and their increasing sin. God is extremely compassionate, but he eventually decides to judge and give no more chances.
At the same time, many take a more scientific or biological approach. After the Flood, the earth’s atmosphere changed. Before the Flood, it had never rained (Genesis 2:5-6). This would have changed the environment, resulting in new diets and oxygen content. The Flood likely altered the world’s living conditions, making it more hostile to long life. While the Bible doesn’t overtly detail such things, this theory helps explain the consistent decline after the Flood.
Like many things, God’s Word has complexity and can mean several things at once. Genesis 6:3 could refer to both the time leading to the Flood and the future limit of a lifespan, supported by a change in the environment by God’s hand, as well. These all lead to a deeper understanding of God and spiritual applications.
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Do People Today Live Longer Than 120 Years?
People don’t live longer than 120 years today. Medical advances, greater nutrition, and safer lifestyles have helped people live far longer than a couple centuries ago, but people still don’t live longer than 120 years. The longest confirmed human lifespan belongs to Jeanne Calment, a French woman who lived to be 122 years old, dying in 1997. Her age was documented and verified.
Most people live shorter lives. According to the World Health Organization, the average global life expectancy was 73 years in 2023. In wealthier nations, this average can reach 80 or so, but it remains rare to reach 100 years old. Those who live beyond 110 are considered outliers.
Interestingly, scientists who study aging believe the human body has a built-in biological clock for aging. We see these mysterious markers after birth and at adolescence. The body simply decides to change, including an aging process. Over time, cells become damaged, and our bodies lose the ability to self-repair. We call this aging. Healthy habits can delay it, but we can’t stop it entirely. Researchers suggest 120 years might be the maximum possible lifespan.
Every now and then, someone claims a person exists who lives beyond 120, especially in regions without any documentation. However, when researched, these ages can’t be proven.
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What Can We Learn from God Limiting Lifespans to 120 Years?
First, we learn that God’s sovereignty fully controls our lives. He sets the boundaries of human existence. He chooses kings and presidents and orders every individual’s steps (Proverbs 16:9). We might try to fight aging with medicine or technology, but our days are in God’s hands. He’s the Creator, and he alone determines how long we live. Whether as a lead up to the Flood or a limit to live, the 120-year limit reminds us we don’t rule over our lives or time. God does.
Second, the time limit teaches an important truth: sin leads to death. In Genesis, we see sin spreading rapidly in human hearts. God recognizes how “every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” Death wasn’t part of God’s original design or desire, but disobedience and lies brought sin and death into the world. Shorter lifespans mean less time to do evil and less suffering.
However, it wasn’t only a judgment but also a sign of God’s kindness and patience. He could have destroyed all humanity or given a far shorter time limit, but he renewed life through Noah and created more space for people to change. Despite how completely wicked humanity had become, God gave 120 years for Noah to preach and people to repent. Even though they chose not to, God’s love gave them that chance. We must realize how time is a gift, and God gives us chances now to follow him, turn from sin, and experience a relationship with him by walking in the Spirit.
Scripture teaches us how our lives are short, like a vapor or a breath (James 4:14). Anyone who has lived into adulthood begins to notice how quickly “time flies.” We often live as though we have endless time or as if we’re immortal, despite how all evidence points to the opposite being true. Live is fragile, and we’re not guaranteed tomorrow. We should treat each day as a gift and opportunity, sobering and joyful at once.
Even more important, God offers eternal life through His Son. Though sin brought death, and God won’t give countless chances, the Father loves us abundantly and sent his Son for us to live with him forever. Jesus conquered death. He died for our sins and rose again, providing forgiveness, purpose, and everlasting life for those who believe. Through Jesus, the shortness of this life—“their days will be 120 years”—can become the path to living forever with God.
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Originally published Friday, 28 March 2025.