Genesis 6:3: 120 Years

Question

“My spirit shall not abide in man forever, for that he also is flesh; therefore shall his days be a hundred and twenty years.”(Genesis 6:3)

The verse seems very difficult for me to understand. Would you explain it to me understand it easily?

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    According to Rashi and the Ramban the verse is not referring to the length of man’s years in the world. Rather, it is referring to the fact that God was warning the people of the world that they had one hundred and twenty years to change their ways – otherwise He would destroy them.

    According to the Ibn Ezra it is a reference to the life span of human beings, and he writes that from the time of the Flood, mans’ lifespan would be gradually reduced until it reached one hundred and twenty years.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team