Question about Noah

[friend of]

If people lived for several centuries during Noah's day, how come he didn't have any grandkids? Only 8 were saved from the flood. So how long were Noah's kids married and why didn't they make children in what I would assume to be a rather long period of time before entering the ark?

 

[honey badger]

If people lived for several centuries during Noah's day, how come he didn't have any grandkids? Only 8 were saved from the flood. So how long were Noah's kids married and why didn't they make children in what I would assume to be a rather long period of time before entering the ark?

i would say that in light of the narrative not important ...

 

[Trusting in Him]

If people lived for several centuries during Noah's day, how come he didn't have any grandkids? Only 8 were saved from the flood. So how long were Noah's kids married and why didn't they make children in what I would assume to be a rather long period of time before entering the ark?

Maybe Noah's children did have children, but their children were not saved. The bible does not tell us, if God wanted us to know, He would have told us. Why is this such a big deal to know this?

 

[Sabertooth]

If people lived for several centuries during Noah's day, how come he didn't have any grandkids?

No one knows for sure, but some hypothesize that developmental milestones might have been proportional to those longer lifespans.

Our current average lifespan is 72.
Suppose theirs was 900. (Noah lived to be 950.)
That is a factor of 12.5.
If that factor remained constant for other developmental milestones, our 20yo = their 250yo.

Related, the Bible says that Adam lived to 930yo. [Genesis 5:5] and doesn't say how many children he & Eve had.
We know of five by name: Cain & his wife, Abel, Seth & his wife.
Extra-Biblical tradition teaches that they had 32.
That isn't very many for that lifespan and could be evidence that Eve's ovulation cycle was longer than our current month.

 

[miamited]

Hi @friend of

Certainly an idea to ponder. We can certainly make some guesses, but be mindful that guessing is really all that we can do.

First, let's look at the facts as we find them in the Scriptures. Noah was 500 years old before he even had his own children. This would allow that he may have taught his sons to also wait awhile before beginning their families. So we don't really know how long the boys had wives before the flood came. It would have only been within 100 years of the oldest one's birth and the flood. We also know that Noah was 600 years old when the flood came, but that God had told him, when he first spoke to Noah about His judgment on mankind, that it would come in 120 years. This would mean that Noah knew, and likely also told his sons, that the living upon the earth were set to be destroyed, in roughly 100 years, when his sons were born. That might also have been a reason that they may have chosen to wait to have their own children. The account in the Scriptures would tend to show that Noah may well have been busy building the ark when his children were conceived.

The second 'guess' would be that God closed the wombs of the wives of his sons until after the flood waters came.

Just my thoughts on the subject.

God bless,
Ted

 

[honey badger]

No one knows for sure, but some hypothesize that developmental milestones might have been proportional to those longer lifespans.

Our current average lifespan is 72.
Suppose theirs was 900. (Noah lived to be 950.)
That is a factor of 12.5.
If that factor remained constant for other developmental milestones, our 20yo = their 250yo.

Related, the Bible says that Adam lived to 900yo. [Genesis 5:5] and doesn't say how many children he & Eve had.
We know of five by name: Cain & his wife, Abel, Seth & his wife.
Extra-Biblical tradition teaches that they had 32.
That isn't very many for that lifespan and could be evidence that Eve's ovulation cycle was longer than our current month.

Adam lived 930 years ... 70 years less than 1000 .... or a weak short of entering into Gods rest ...

 

[A_Thinker]

If people lived for several centuries during Noah's day, how come he didn't have any grandkids? Only 8 were saved from the flood. So how long were Noah's kids married and why didn't they make children in what I would assume to be a rather long period of time before entering the ark?

Perhaps they did have children prior to the flood ... perhaps not.

Perhaps God kept them childless until after the flood, ... when we know that they did have children ...

 

[Sabertooth]

Adam lived 930 years ...

[corrected, thx]

 

[Original Happy Camper]

In His word, God has committed to men the knowledge necessary for salvation. The Holy Scriptures are to be accepted as an authoritative, infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the revealer of doctrines, and the test of experience. "Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness; that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16, 17, R.V.).

some things we should not ponder on as GOD has not reveled them to us.

 

[Original Happy Camper]

Adam lived 930 years ... 70 years less than 1000 .... or a weak short of entering into Gods rest ...

good to see that you understand the "cosmic week" ie 7,000 years

2 Peter 3:8 King James Version (KJV)
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Genesis 2:17
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Adam lived 930 years ... 70 years less than 1000 .... or a weak short of entering into Gods rest ...

IN a day of the cosmic week of 7,000 years

 

[honey badger]

good to see that you understand the "cosmic week" ie 7,000 years

2 Peter 3:8 King James Version (KJV)
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Genesis 2:17
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.



IN a day of the cosmic week of 7,000 years

on the sixth day ( labor ) they receive a double portion ....

 

[TobiaAJoshua]

No one knows for sure, but some hypothesize that developmental milestones might have been proportional to those longer lifespans.

Our current average lifespan is 72.
Suppose theirs was 900. (Noah lived to be 950.)
That is a factor of 12.5.
If that factor remained constant for other developmental milestones, our 20yo = their 250yo.

Related, the Bible says that Adam lived to 930yo. [Genesis 5:5] and doesn't say how many children he & Eve had.
We know of five by name: Cain & his wife, Abel, Seth & his wife.
Extra-Biblical tradition teaches that they had 32.
That isn't very many for that lifespan and could be evidence that Eve's ovulation cycle was longer than our current month.

so are you saying Noah would stay, stay a developmental five year old, like say for 10 years?

I don't know know if I agree with you. I think they just age far slower once they reached adulthood

but like you said, we don't know for sure because the Scripture never gave details.

 

[DamianWarS]

If people lived for several centuries during Noah's day, how come he didn't have any grandkids? Only 8 were saved from the flood. So how long were Noah's kids married and why didn't they make children in what I would assume to be a rather long period of time before entering the ark?

ancient accounts like this one are written are goal-driven and the details are somewhat fluid and there to support the goal. Today western society is more fact-driven and it matters how and when the details are presented and if anything is missing. That simply wasn't a value for ancient groups and if we want to understand the text we need to understand how the text is motivated.

if we say Moses wrote it we are talking like close to 1000 years before that would have happened (and that's if Moses wrote it) and when we're talking about that length of time that details that matter makes it and the details that don't matter are dropped because they serve no purpose (they don't build to the goal). This is the same with all ancient accounts like this one but we believe in divine authority with these accounts so even more so we know that the details that made it are there with specific focus and purpose.

The accounts themselves are to show a greater point and their literalness is really not the message. I'm not challenging the literalness just that it's the least important part of the account and rather than asking what Noah had for breakfast on the day of the flood we should study the text to understand its goal and motivation and then what greater meanings the account has.

 

[jd01]

If people lived for several centuries during Noah's day, how come he didn't have any grandkids? Only 8 were saved from the flood. So how long were Noah's kids married and why didn't they make children in what I would assume to be a rather long period of time before entering the ark?

I would not worry about it too much. Noah and the flood is an ancient folk tale, not actual history.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

If people lived for several centuries during Noah's day, how come he didn't have any grandkids? Only 8 were saved from the flood. So how long were Noah's kids married and why didn't they make children in what I would assume to be a rather long period of time before entering the ark?

They were saved to bring in the line of the Messiah and were fruitful and multiplied. They certainly had grandchildren when they came of age. Consider reading the genealogy in Luke.

23 Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah, 27 the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

If people lived for several centuries during Noah's day, how come he didn't have any grandkids? Only 8 were saved from the flood. So how long were Noah's kids married and why didn't they make children in what I would assume to be a rather long period of time before entering the ark?

Sorry I missed the part about " before they entered the ark". That is easy, Sarah was barren until the age of 90 so its possible God did the same here.
Blessings

 

[friend of]

Sorry I missed the part about " before they entered the ark". That is easy, Sarah was barren until the age of 90 so its possible God did the same here.
Blessings

God made all 3 of Noah's children's families barren? That seems like a stretch.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

God made all 3 of Noah's children's families barren? That seems like a stretch.

Until a certain age. Also, it is possible there were many other children and grandchildren but they were not found righteous. My take anyway.

 

[Jonaitis]

If people lived for several centuries during Noah's day, how come he didn't have any grandkids? Only 8 were saved from the flood. So how long were Noah's kids married and why didn't they make children in what I would assume to be a rather long period of time before entering the ark?

The story was written that way.

 

[friend of]

This would mean that Noah knew, and likely also told his sons, that the living upon the earth were set to be destroyed, in roughly 100 years, when his sons were born.

Couldn't Noah's grandchildren just go in the ark with the rest of them?