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Author Topic:   Why, if god limited man's life to 120 years, did people live longer?
thestickman
Inactive Member


Message 1 of 230 (25565)
12-05-2002 10:00 AM


Well my name's Ryan and i'm new and currently consider myself to be agnostic. I am currently reading the bible and was struck, right near the beginning, with what seemed to be a glaring contradiction. In Genesis 6:3 'The the Lord said "I will not allow people to live for ever; they are mortal. From now on they will live no longer that 120 years"'. Now, after this there are examples of people living longer than 120 years (genesis 23:1 'Sarah lived to be 127 years old' being one of them). Now i know there are many believed contradictions in the bible and they are continually refuted (although not always with proper reasoning and fact) and I tried to find reasoning for this seemingly massive contradiction, but couldn't find any. So, any help?

Replies to this message:
 Message 2 by Brian, posted 12-05-2002 10:31 AM thestickman has not replied
 Message 3 by Primordial Egg, posted 12-05-2002 12:26 PM thestickman has not replied
 Message 7 by doctrbill, posted 12-05-2002 10:07 PM thestickman has not replied
 Message 8 by Skandoggy, posted 12-13-2002 10:43 AM thestickman has not replied
 Message 13 by Skandoggy, posted 12-14-2002 7:13 AM thestickman has not replied
 Message 14 by judge, posted 12-14-2002 7:22 AM thestickman has not replied
 Message 66 by NOT JULIUS, posted 11-29-2006 2:12 PM thestickman has not replied
 Message 67 by NOT JULIUS, posted 11-29-2006 2:15 PM thestickman has not replied
 Message 73 by timothy44, posted 12-09-2006 3:40 PM thestickman has not replied
 Message 81 by Origen, posted 12-29-2006 10:31 PM thestickman has not replied
 Message 103 by herrmann, posted 05-22-2007 8:50 PM thestickman has not replied
 Message 105 by carnutter23, posted 08-12-2007 7:31 PM thestickman has not replied
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 Message 112 by simple, posted 10-06-2007 5:07 AM thestickman has not replied
 Message 119 by Creationist, posted 12-02-2007 3:47 PM thestickman has not replied
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Brian
Member (Idle past 4949 days)
Posts: 4659
From: Scotland
Joined: 10-22-2002


Message 2 of 230 (25574)
12-05-2002 10:31 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by thestickman
12-05-2002 10:00 AM


quote:
Originally posted by thestickman:
Well my name's Ryan and i'm new and currently consider myself to be agnostic. I am currently reading the bible and was struck, right near the beginning, with what seemed to be a glaring contradiction. In Genesis 6:3 'The the Lord said "I will not allow people to live for ever; they are mortal. From now on they will live no longer that 120 years"'. Now, after this there are examples of people living longer than 120 years (genesis 23:1 'Sarah lived to be 127 years old' being one of them). Now i know there are many believed contradictions in the bible and they are continually refuted (although not always with proper reasoning and fact) and I tried to find reasoning for this seemingly massive contradiction, but couldn't find any. So, any help?
Hi,
Apparently this woman hadn't heard of god's age limit either:
BBC - 404: Not Found
I'm sure inerrantists will say something about physical and spiritual death in an attempt to hold ontotheir delusions.
Brian.
------------------
Remembering events that never happened is a dangerous thing!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by thestickman, posted 12-05-2002 10:00 AM thestickman has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 120 by imageinvisible, posted 12-06-2007 8:46 AM Brian has not replied

  
Primordial Egg
Inactive Member


Message 3 of 230 (25591)
12-05-2002 12:26 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by thestickman
12-05-2002 10:00 AM


quote:
Originally posted by thestickman:
Well my name's Ryan and i'm new and currently consider myself to be agnostic. I am currently reading the bible and was struck, right near the beginning, with what seemed to be a glaring contradiction. In Genesis 6:3 'The the Lord said "I will not allow people to live for ever; they are mortal. From now on they will live no longer that 120 years"'. Now, after this there are examples of people living longer than 120 years (genesis 23:1 'Sarah lived to be 127 years old' being one of them). Now i know there are many believed contradictions in the bible and they are continually refuted (although not always with proper reasoning and fact) and I tried to find reasoning for this seemingly massive contradiction, but couldn't find any. So, any help?
Isn't a day worth 1000 years in Genesis? That would make 120 "years", about 44 million proper years, which I don't think anyone's quite reached yet, not even in China.
PE
edited to add: but it does make Sarah pretty impressive
------------------
It's good to have an open mind, but not so open that your brains
fall out. - Bertrand Russell
[This message has been edited by Primordial Egg, 12-05-2002]

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by thestickman, posted 12-05-2002 10:00 AM thestickman has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 4 by Brian, posted 12-05-2002 2:07 PM Primordial Egg has not replied

  
Brian
Member (Idle past 4949 days)
Posts: 4659
From: Scotland
Joined: 10-22-2002


Message 4 of 230 (25599)
12-05-2002 2:07 PM
Reply to: Message 3 by Primordial Egg
12-05-2002 12:26 PM


quote:
Originally posted by Primordial Egg:
quote:
Originally posted by thestickman:
Well my name's Ryan and i'm new and currently consider myself to be agnostic. I am currently reading the bible and was struck, right near the beginning, with what seemed to be a glaring contradiction. In Genesis 6:3 'The the Lord said "I will not allow people to live for ever; they are mortal. From now on they will live no longer that 120 years"'. Now, after this there are examples of people living longer than 120 years (genesis 23:1 'Sarah lived to be 127 years old' being one of them). Now i know there are many believed contradictions in the bible and they are continually refuted (although not always with proper reasoning and fact) and I tried to find reasoning for this seemingly massive contradiction, but couldn't find any. So, any help?
Isn't a day worth 1000 years in Genesis? That would make 120 "years", about 44 million proper years, which I don't think anyone's quite reached yet, not even in China.
PE
edited to add: but it does make Sarah pretty impressive

LOL it also makes her, at 127 years, a fetus!
------------------
Remembering events that never happened is a dangerous thing!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 3 by Primordial Egg, posted 12-05-2002 12:26 PM Primordial Egg has not replied

  
David unfamous
Inactive Member


Message 5 of 230 (25608)
12-05-2002 2:39 PM


If a day is a thousand years, nightime must've been terrible.

Replies to this message:
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John
Inactive Member


Message 6 of 230 (25611)
12-05-2002 2:49 PM
Reply to: Message 5 by David unfamous
12-05-2002 2:39 PM


quote:
Originally posted by David unfamous:
If a day is a thousand years, nightime must've been terrible.
Well, with all that incest, polygamy, and concubine taking maybe it wasn't so bad?
------------------
No webpage found at provided URL: www.hells-handmaiden.com

This message is a reply to:
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doctrbill
Member (Idle past 2755 days)
Posts: 1174
From: Eugene, Oregon, USA
Joined: 01-08-2001


Message 7 of 230 (25658)
12-05-2002 10:07 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by thestickman
12-05-2002 10:00 AM


quote:
Originally posted by thestickman:
Well my name's Ryan and i'm new and currently consider myself to be agnostic. I am currently reading the bible and was struck, right near the beginning, with what seemed to be a glaring contradiction. In Genesis 6:3 'The the Lord said "I will not allow people to live for ever; they are mortal. From now on they will live no longer that 120 years"'. Now, after this there are examples of people living longer than 120 years (genesis 23:1 'Sarah lived to be 127 years old' being one of them). Now i know there are many believed contradictions in the bible and they are continually refuted (although not always with proper reasoning and fact) and I tried to find reasoning for this seemingly massive contradiction, but couldn't find any. So, any help?
You didn't mention which translation you were quoting; and that, my friend, can make all the difference in the world. Check out these two alternatives:
"Then the LORD said, My Spirit shall not forever remain in man since he has gone astray; he is flesh, I will allow him another one hundred and twenty years." Modern Language Bible (formerly known as The Berkeley Version)
"Then Jehovah said, 'My Spirit must not forever be disgraced in man, wholly evil as he is. I will give him 120 years to mend his ways.'" Living Bible
The context of this statement is the story of Noah's Flood. Thus, many take it to be a long term warning of genocide to come.
This could be translated - "120 days," but that is another story.
PS. This should warm your agnostic heart:
- "Seventy years are given us! And some may even live to eighty. But even the best of these years are often emptiness and pain; soon they disappear, and we are gone." Psalm 90:10 Living Bible
db
[This message has been edited by doctrbill, 12-05-2002]

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by thestickman, posted 12-05-2002 10:00 AM thestickman has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 172 by nick4693, posted 06-23-2009 8:50 PM doctrbill has replied
 Message 177 by mike the wiz, posted 06-24-2009 1:42 PM doctrbill has replied

  
Skandoggy
Inactive Member


Message 8 of 230 (26494)
12-13-2002 10:43 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by thestickman
12-05-2002 10:00 AM


HOPE THIS REPLY HELPS: Some Bibles say that God said he would limit their lifespan till time indefinite - or an undefined time(not for EVER)
This Genesis account is all tied in with the hybrids - Nephamlim - who corrupted the people so successfully that God destroyed most of them in the Flood. It wouldn't surprise me to discover that he wanted to limit the lifespans of those particular persons.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by thestickman, posted 12-05-2002 10:00 AM thestickman has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 9 by John, posted 12-13-2002 10:57 AM Skandoggy has replied

  
John
Inactive Member


Message 9 of 230 (26497)
12-13-2002 10:57 AM
Reply to: Message 8 by Skandoggy
12-13-2002 10:43 AM


quote:
Originally posted by Skandoggy:
HOPE THIS REPLY HELPS: Some Bibles say that God said he would limit their lifespan till time indefinite - or an undefined time(not for EVER)
I checked five versions, including one in Hebrew, and they all say 'I will not abide with man forever, therefore his days shall be 120 years.' I'm not sure where you are getting this supposed equivocation.
------------------
No webpage found at provided URL: www.hells-handmaiden.com

This message is a reply to:
 Message 8 by Skandoggy, posted 12-13-2002 10:43 AM Skandoggy has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 10 by funkmasterfreaky, posted 12-13-2002 4:21 PM John has replied
 Message 19 by Skandoggy, posted 12-15-2002 1:24 PM John has replied

  
funkmasterfreaky
Inactive Member


Message 10 of 230 (26525)
12-13-2002 4:21 PM
Reply to: Message 9 by John
12-13-2002 10:57 AM


This is interesting though of course I don't see how an extra 7 years makes too much difference. The fact that man ceased to live 600-900 years seems much more significant. The fact that some lived a little over 120 years does not seem like a contradiction to me. Was 127 yrs the longest since then?
------------------
saved by grace

This message is a reply to:
 Message 9 by John, posted 12-13-2002 10:57 AM John has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 11 by John, posted 12-13-2002 10:57 PM funkmasterfreaky has replied

  
John
Inactive Member


Message 11 of 230 (26560)
12-13-2002 10:57 PM
Reply to: Message 10 by funkmasterfreaky
12-13-2002 4:21 PM


quote:
Originally posted by funkmasterfreaky:
This is interesting though of course I don't see how an extra 7 years makes too much difference. The fact that man ceased to live 600-900 years seems much more significant. The fact that some lived a little over 120 years does not seem like a contradiction to me. Was 127 yrs the longest since then?

Gen. 7:6 Noah is 600.
Gen 9:28 Noah lived 350 years after the flood
Gen 9:29 We get Noah's age at death of 950.
Gen 11:10-11 Shem has Arpachshad 2 years after the flood when he was 100 and then lived 500 years after that
Gen 11:12-13 Arpachshad begat Shelah at 35 and then lived 403 years.
Gen 11:14-15 Shelah begot Eber at 30 and then lived 403 years.
Gen 11:16-17 Eber begot Peleg at 34 and then lived 403 years.
Gen 11:18-19 Peleg begot Reu at 30 and then lived 209 years.
Good enough?
------------------
No webpage found at provided URL: www.hells-handmaiden.com

This message is a reply to:
 Message 10 by funkmasterfreaky, posted 12-13-2002 4:21 PM funkmasterfreaky has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 12 by funkmasterfreaky, posted 12-14-2002 2:53 AM John has replied

  
funkmasterfreaky
Inactive Member


Message 12 of 230 (26569)
12-14-2002 2:53 AM
Reply to: Message 11 by John
12-13-2002 10:57 PM


Most of these are people born before the flood. The change still occured as God had said in the lifespan. What is the argument here? This is weak. Not meant as insult but I do not see a real argument here. If you want to be completely literal then you have an argument. An argument that is too shaky for me.
------------------
saved by grace

This message is a reply to:
 Message 11 by John, posted 12-13-2002 10:57 PM John has replied

Replies to this message:
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Skandoggy
Inactive Member


Message 13 of 230 (26573)
12-14-2002 7:13 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by thestickman
12-05-2002 10:00 AM


I HOPE THIS REPLY HELPS YOU, RYAN: Some Bibles translate FOR EVER as INDEFINITELY - an undefined time. Also, this scripture is all tied in with the hybrids (Nephalim) who corrupted the people so successfully that God destroyed almost all of them in the Flood. It wouldn't surprise me if He restricted their lifespans to the stated 120 years.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by thestickman, posted 12-05-2002 10:00 AM thestickman has not replied

  
judge
Member (Idle past 6434 days)
Posts: 216
From: australia
Joined: 11-11-2002


Message 14 of 230 (26574)
12-14-2002 7:22 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by thestickman
12-05-2002 10:00 AM


I think the flood occurred 120 years after God said this. IOW God was saying 120 more years and then its gonna rain!
I had heard this explanation, but it would have to mean that the warning came when Noah was 480 years old. This would have to mean that Gen 6:1-3 , refers to a time before Gen 5:32, as this talks of Noah being 500 years old....Hmmmm....
[This message has been edited by judge, 12-14-2002]

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by thestickman, posted 12-05-2002 10:00 AM thestickman has not replied

  
joz
Inactive Member


Message 15 of 230 (26576)
12-14-2002 9:32 AM
Reply to: Message 12 by funkmasterfreaky
12-14-2002 2:53 AM


Actually bud only 2 out of the 7 were born pre-deluge, 2/7 is hardly most.....

This message is a reply to:
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Replies to this message:
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