Science & Scripture · Biology

A person once lived long enough to see nine generations of descendants alive at once.

Biology 59 passages in this field

Show this passage in

WEB

The cited passage

What current science says

Humans can't live long enough for that many generations in a normal family tree. Even if each generation had a child at age 25, nine generations span 200+ years. Human lifespans top out around 120 years, so no one can naturally survive long enough to see nine living generations of their descendants.

What the text says

When Lamech was born, nine generations were alive at once. Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, and Lamech were all alive at the time of Lamech's birth. Adam lived to see his great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson.

Share

Three honest ways to read this passage

GEBible doesn't pick one of these for you. Each entry shows the passage, what it says, and what current science says — nothing more.