Re: Geezer Patriarchs

Karen G. Jensen (kjensen@calweb.com)
Fri, 7 Nov 1997 00:22:04 -0600

Thu, 6 Nov 1997 00:17:12 -0800 J.A.Alley wrote:

>Just a thought...
>
>I've heard it said that they might have used the lunar cycle as a
>"year" in the primitive pre-flood days (similar to the native
>Americans' "moons" as a measurement of time), while the post-flooders
>gradually shifted to a solar year. If this is true, than someone
>living for 900 "years" would be closer to 90. Is this plausable?

This has been suggested. Let's think about it.

There are about 13 "moons" in a year, so you would divide the age ("years")
given for each patriarch by 13. Methuselah would have a lifespan of 969/13
= about 74 years, Lamech lived 777/13 = about 60, etc. This sounds
reasonably plausible to us, given our present lifespans.

But if you apply this consistently in Genesis 5 & 11, what happens? Enoch
would be born when Jared was 162/13 = 12, ...and Enoch would have
Methuselah when he was only 65/13 = 5!

I don't think so.

Karen