Person Old and New Testament
Methuselah
Also known as Methuselah =ESV, NIV; Mathusala =KJV
Methuselah, the son of Enoch, was the oldest person mentioned in the Bible, living 969 years. Mentioned in 7 verses across 3 books, first at Genesis 5:21.
Why it matters. The oldest person mentioned in the Bible.
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Methuselah
Methuselah, the son of Enoch and the grandfather of Noah, is recognized as the oldest person mentioned in the Bible. He lived an astonishing 969 years (Gen.5.27). Methuselah's father, Enoch, walked with God and was taken by Him at the age of 365 (Gen.5.21-24). Methuselah's long life is seen as a symbol of God's patience and mercy in delaying the judgment of the flood until after his death. His name is mentioned in the genealogies of both Chronicles (1Ch.1.3) and Luke (Luk.3.37), emphasizing his importance in the lineage of the Messiah. Although little is known about Methuselah's personal life or character, his exceptional longevity stands as a testament to God's sovereignty and the reliability of His word.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 7 verses across 3 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.