How Old Was Noah: Check Out The Age Of Noah at the Time of the Flood?

By Aarush Sharma On Nov 26, 2022

Noah is the tenth and final patriarch of the Abrahamic religion. His story can be found in the Hebrew Bible (Genesis, chapters 5–9), the Quran, and Baha’i writings.

Noah appears in a number of other books of the Bible, including the New Testament and related deuterocanonical books.

How Old Was Noah When He Died?

Genesis 5-10 provides a timeline of Noah’s family, allowing us to see how old Noah was when he died, as well as how old he was at key points throughout his life.

Noah was born to Lamech, the son of Methuselah and the grandson of Enoch, according to Genesis 5:28-30. Lamech was 128 years old when he had Noah, and the name apparently refers to a Hebrew word for “relief” (Genesis 5:29). Lamech died when he was 777 years old, making Noah 595 years old.

Noah had his first of three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, when he was 500 years old (5:32). According to Genesis 9:24, Ham was the youngest, and Genesis 10:21 appears to indicate that Japheth was Shem’s older brother.

The key point is that Shem was 98 years old when the flood occurred and 100 when he had his first son (Genesis 11:11), which means Noah had to be 502 years old when Shem was born. As a result, Japheth was the oldest son, with Shem born two years later.

Noah lived for 350 years after the flood and died at the age of 950. (Genesis 9:28-29). This means he lived long enough to not only see the land restored after the flood but also to see all three of his sons start families and multiply. His son Shem established the family line that led to Abraham, which is where the term “Semite” comes from (descendants of Shem).

Why Did Everyone Have a Shorter Lifespan After the Time of Noah?
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Genesis 5 traces Adam’s lineage from his son Seth to Noah.
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The next chapter begins, “then the people began to multiply…” and God’s response is, “My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh.”

Their normal lifespan in the future will be no more than 120 years” (Genesis 6:2). So, sometime during Noah’s or his sons’ generations, God decided that 120 years was the maximum lifespan that people could have.
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Of course, a number of Israelite patriarchs lived for much longer. Abraham lived to be 175 years old (Genesis 25:7), and Isaac lived to be 180. (Genesis 35:28). “Yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever,” Moses lived to be 120 years old (Deuteronomy 34:7).

The fact that the Bible felt the need to emphasize how healthy Moses was when he died could indicate that in his time, living that long and well was unusual. No such remarks are made about Abraham or Isaac—in fact, we know Isaac had poor eyesight in his old age, which his son Jacob famously used to fool him (Genesis 27). So, in Moses’ case, this could be God giving someone long life and great health so that he can complete the tasks that God had planned for him.

However, these examples of old age may indicate that the 120-year limit did not begin immediately. It’s possible that there was a gradual genetic breakdown, with each generation living a shorter life. Some biblical scholars argue that the first few generations of humans must have had perfect genetics because Genesis mentions some inbreeding without it causing problems. Adam’s three sons almost certainly married their sisters.

Although Abraham married his half-sister Sarah (Genesis 20:11-13), their son Jacob is not described as having the genetic problems that inbred children have today.

If God created humans with perfect genetics and then, like the rest of creation after the fall (Genesis 3:17-19), something in humanity was broken and tainted, it’s possible that the changes took a few generations to become apparent.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Old Was Noah When He Built the Ark?

Noah is the Tenth and Final of the Pre-flood (Antediluvian) Patriarchs, the Son of Lamech, and an Unnamed Mother. He is 500 Years Old When His Sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth Are Born.

How Old Were Noah and His Sons?

Genesis 5:32 Says Noah Became the Father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth When He Was 500 Years Old, but It Doesn’t Say How Old They Were. (in Genesis 7, Noah Was 600 Years Old at the Time of the Flood.)

How Old Was Noah at the Time of the Flood?

According to the Seventh Chapter of Genesis, Noah Was 600 Years Old When the Flood Occurred. The Total Number of Years Equals 1656. Abraham left Chaldea 422 Years and 10 Days After the Aforementioned Noahic Flood.