Methuselah The Great

 Methuselah The Great

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, May 14, 2025 (Donate)

Prior to the Flood, people lived to great ages. In fact, one still hasn’t died—Enoch. Enoch was taken to heaven without dying (Genesis 5:24, Hebrews 11:5). Elijah was also taken to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11).

Conversely, there have been a few people who had a horrible “opportunity” to die twice.  Lazarus, whom Jesus resurrected (John 11:39-44), the dead son that Elijah resurrected through the Lord (1 Kings 17:19-24), Elisha, through God, raising the son of a Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:32-37) and Eutychus though God by the embrace of Paul (Acts 20:9-12) had to once again undergo dying. Though in Christ, death has no sting for those who have received Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:55)—what a blessing!

An aged Methuselah as shown in Creation Museum; Photo by Bodie Hodge

Age

Of those who died, Methuselah is the longest-lived patriarch at 969 years. He even outlived Adam, who died at 930, and his grandson Noah, who died at 950. See the chart below:

	Patriarch	Age	Bible Reference
1	Adam	930	Genesis 5:4
2	Seth	912	Genesis 5:8
3	Enosh	905	Genesis 5:11
4	Cainan	910	Genesis 5:14
5	Mahalalel	895	Genesis 5:17
6	Jared	962	Genesis 5:20
7	Enoch	365 (translated)	Genesis 5:23
8	Methuselah	969	Genesis 5:27
9	Lamech	777	Genesis 5:31
10	Noah	950	Genesis 9:29

Name

It’s somewhat ironic that Methuselah, whose name partially resembles the Hebrew word for “death,” would be the one who lived the longest. The name is often interpreted to mean “man of the dart” or “man of the sword.”

Hebrew names in the Bible often carry significance, either inherently or retroactively. For example, Peleg means “division,” and he lived when the earth was divided linguistically at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 10:25). Abraham means “father of a multitude,” reflecting God’s promise (Genesis 15:5). Noah means “rest,” and through him, humanity found relief from the curse of the ground by the reduced the years they had work it (our ages declined significantly after Noah). 

Hebrew names can be deeply meaningful, though not all names in Scripture are given explicit definitions. The Bible doesn’t specify the meaning of Methuselah’s name like it does for Noah. Interpretations must therefore be made cautiously. 

Some derive meaning by examining the root words. For instance, muwth means “die/death” in Hebrew. Some suggest Methuselah’s name, derived from meth/muth and selah, hints at the coming Flood.

A leading Hebrew scholar of the 1700s, Dr. John Gill, affirmed this interpretation:

“...Enoch being a prophet gave him this name under a spirit of prophecy, foretelling by it when the flood should be; for his name, according to Bochart, signifies, 'when he dies there shall be an emission,' or sending forth of waters upon the earth, to destroy it.”
(Notes by Gill: Eupolemus apud Euseb. Evangel. Praepar. l. 9. c. 17. p. 419; Bochart, Thaleg. l. 2. c. 13. col. 88; Ainsworth.)[1]

Gill echoed earlier scholars such as Eusebius, Bochart, and Ainsworth. Commentators Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown agreed:

“This name signifies, ‘He dieth, and the sending forth,’ so that Enoch gave it as prophetical of the flood. It is computed that Methuselah died in the year of that catastrophe.”[2]

This interpretation is also based on the Greek form of Methuselah’s name as found in Luke 3:37: Μαθουσαλά (Mathousala), which the New Testament Greek Lexicon defines as:

“When he dies, there shall be an emission.”[3]

Thus, some scholars argue that Methuselah’s name prophetically signals the arrival of the Flood—"when he dies, it shall come."

However, not all scholars agree. Dr. Ben Shaw, a Hebrew scholar formerly of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, offers a linguistic rebuttal:

“…it is extremely unlikely that the name Methuselah has the significance that Gill and others give to it. It is unlikely for the following reasons. The name is made up of two parts: Methu and shelah.

The methu part does not come from the word for death, because that would require a long u vowel between the m and the t. As it is, if this part of the name has any significance, it may come from a rare noun meaning "man." The second part of the name cannot mean ‘it is sent’ or ‘there is an emission.’ Even supposing that the root meaning of the word is send (which is doubtful), it would have to be in a passive form, producing something like ‘shahluh.’ In order to produce the meaning, ‘when he dies, it is sent,’ the Hebrew would have to be something like ‘bematoshahluh.’ Again, if the name means anything in Hebrew (which is at best doubtful), it is probably something like ‘man of a spear.’”[4]

So, while it’s tempting to assign prophetic meaning to Methuselah’s name, it may be unwise to be definitive. Regardless, the Flood occurred the same year Methuselah died.

Enoch’s Prophecy

Methuselah’s father, Enoch—not Cain’s son but Noah’s great-grandfather—was said to be a prophet (Jude 1:14). There exists a so-called Book of Enoch, which is not inspired Scripture. It is a post-Flood work—or at least had been seriously edited after the Flood, as it references geography that didn’t exist until after the Flood. So, it has been edited or rewritten significantly to arrive at what we have today.

While Jude 14–15 does quote a phrase also found in the Book of Enoch (1:9), it simply means that the quote used by Jude was inspired by God; the rest of the Book of Enoch was not.

So, is the version of Enoch we have today really from the pre-Flood prophet? No—except for possible snippets. It’s not part of the biblical canon and refers to Mt. Sinai, which didn’t exist in Enoch’s time (it is mountain made as a result of the Flood).

What we do know is that Enoch was responsible for the naming of his son (no doubt with his wife!). Thus, it is possible that Enoch prophetically named Methuselah, as some believe.

The Death Of Methuselah

If you match the ages of the patriarchs, Methuselah died in the same year as the Flood.

Illustration by Bodie Hodge

Though some mistakenly think he died in the Flood, this is unlikely. Methuselah was raised by Enoch, a godly man whom God took without death. It's unlikely Enoch would have raised an unrighteous son. In fact, Methuselah may have actually helped Noah in the construction phase of the Ark. But his death would have preceded the Flood.

7-Day Mourning Period

Some have suggested that Methuselah died immediately before the Flood. Whether this is true or not, we cannot be certain. God instructed Noah and His family to board the Ark seven days in advance was for several reasons (Genesis 7:1,4,10). Obviously, one reason was to complete the final phase of loading the animals (Genesis 7:2-9). Also, this was a final test of faith for Noah and his family with the final boarding being on the seventh day (Genesis 7:11-16). 

But keep in mind that it was common for prominent people to have designated times of mourning after they passed (Genesis 27:41, Genesis 50:4, Deuteronomy 34:8, 2 Samuel 11:27, etc.), though, there were surely many who had mourning periods that are simply not mentioned in the Bible. In light of this, some have suggested that these seven days were also a grieving period for Methuselah. While speculative, it would be a fitting tribute.

Less Than Ten

With the passing of Methuselah and the recent passing of Lamech (just a few years before), we pause to realize that there were only 8 righteous people left on earth. In other words, less than ten people were saved on the Ark. 

Do you remember Abraham and his discussion with the Lord over Sodom (where Lot was living when judgment was decreed per Genesis 18:26-32)—Abraham’s pleading from 50 down to 10 righteous. Abraham did not proceed to go less than ten righteous people when pleading for Sodom. Why? I suggest Abraham knew that judgment would come if there were less than ten which is a reflection of his knowledge of the Flood.

Methuselah and Lamech had recently died, and this left eight in the shadow of Noah’s righteousness. So, judgment was coming, but the Lord also prepared a means of salvation for Noah and his family on the Ark, as He did by sending the angels to bring out Lot and his family from Sodom.

Conclusion

Even someone mentioned only seven times in Scripture—mostly in genealogies—can yield valuable truths when studied. It can also leave wondering about the intricacies of his name too!

My hope is that you will be inspired to get into the Bible and discover more about hosts of others, whose names we may not be able to pronounce very well, but gain gleanings that most gloss over.

Many names appear in Scripture, even strange ones like Methuselah, but keep in mind these names are still part of the Holy Bible and profitable for understanding doctrines (2 Timothy 3:16). And consider this final thought: we are all descendants of Noah—which means we are all descendants of our great, great, great…grandfather Methuselah—I hope you enjoyed reading this cousin!  

Originally here: https://answersingenesis.org/bible-timeline/genealogy/when-did-methuselah-die/; Updated and expanded; Republished by permission. 

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[1] John Gill commentary notes on Genesis 5:21.

[2] Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, Commentary notes on Genesis 5:21.

[3] New Testament Greek Lexicon as listed under Methuselah, 3103, http://www.biblestudytools.com/search/?q=methuselah&s=References&rc=LEX&rc2=LEX+GRK.  

[4] Personal Correspondence by the author with Dr. Ben Shaw over the name Methuselah, 7-8-2010.