This verse echoes sentiments found elsewhere in Scripture, that human life is inherently short and frail (James 4:14 Luke 12:19–20). Regardless of a person's years on earth, death comes "soon," from the perspective of history. He did not physically die immediately, but he did die. A recurring statement in the genealogy of Genesis 5 is "and he died." Adam, the first man, forfeited his life because he had sinned, and he also forfeited a peaceful life in the garden of Eden. The inevitable arrival of death is constant, even if lives might stretch longer. There's a subtle humor in this, the oldest known psalm, referring to the limit of human years. Many of these passed away without ever seeing the Promised Land they'd hoped for (Numbers 14:33–35). 26 It was reported to the king of Assyria: The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. Those who journeyed through the wilderness experienced hard trials and eventually died. 25 When they first lived there, they did not worship the LORD so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people. Moses' reference to life's brevity is especially poignant because of what he saw during Israel's wilderness wanderings. The fact that many, many more people died young, of preventable causes, is why the "average" age, not the "potential" age, was so much lower. Even in ancient times, a person who did not pass away due to disease, accidents, or war could expect to see that 70- or 80-year-old mark. However, that does not mean a 40-year-old in Moses' day would have looked like an 80-year-old today. Average lifespans in the ancient world were much lower than they are today. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. "Average lifespan" is a term often misunderstood. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control against such things there is no law. For most, however, the wear and tear of life in a fallen world means a shorter life, usually around 70 or 80 years. Those outliers represent those fortunate enough to have all the right factors combine, to say the least. The oldest verified woman, as of this writing, died at the age of 122. This has some support from history-the oldest verified males outside of the Bible all fall just short of 120 years. Some interpret Genesis 6:3 to suggest the typical maximum for human life, after the flood, is 120 years. Early people enjoyed extremely long lives, by today's standards. Scripture does not directly claim God has capped human lifespans.
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