How Old was Adam When He Died?

Adam was the first man God created. He was married to his wife, Eve, according to the Genesis 1-5 narrative. Adam lived a very long life and died at the age of 930 years old (Genesis 5:5).

This extreme age was not uncommon for people who lived before the global flood of Noah’s day (Genesis 6). God may have granted the early humans long life because they were responsible for reproducing and filling the world with inhabitants. Ancient environmental and genetic factors may have also played a role in the length of life. If you read the genealogy found in Genesis 5, you’ll read about several individuals who lived to be 800-1000 years old.

Although Adam lived a really long time, his life is not the longest in recorded history. That record belongs to Methuselah who died, 31 years short of 1,000, at 969 years old (Genesis 5:27). One of Adam’s descendants named Jared lived 962 years (Genesis 5:20).

Adam had many children, and not all of them are named in the biblical narrative. Most people know his son Cain and Abel. He also had a son named Seth, who was born when Adam was 130 years old. Genesis 5:5 informs us Adam fathered other sons and also some daughters.

“Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died” (Genesis 5:5, ESV).