Wikipedia's first sentence called it “nine hundred sixty and nine years”. Today it says “biblical patriarch and a figure in judaism”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “the longest lived of all figures mentioned in the Bible”. It now reads “Longest-lived Biblical figure”.
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Compared with the live article on 2026-08-04.
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The opening as it read in 2005
Methuselah (disambiguation) for other uses. Methuselah or Metushélach ( Hebrew מְתוּשֶׁלַח / מְתוּשָׁלַח "Man of the dart", or alternatively "when he dies, it shall be sent" Standard Hebrew Mətušélaḥ / Mətušálaḥ , Tiberian Hebrew Məṯûšélaḥ / Məṯûšālaḥ ) was the oldest person whose age is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible . He reportedly reached the age of 969 years. According to the Book of Genesis 5:27: And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died. ( ASV ) He is mentioned in Genesis as the son of Enoch and the father of Lamech (father of Noah ), whom he fathered at the age of 187.1His name has become a general synonym for any living creature of great age.2A close reading of the dates in the Old Testament reveals that Methuselah is said to have died the year of the Great Flood .3
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Extra-biblical tradition records that he died on the 11th of Cheshvan of the year 1656 ( Anno Mundi , after Creation), 7 days before the beginning of the Great Flood .According to Rashi on Gen. 7:4, The Holy One delayed the Flood specially because of the 7 days of mourning for the righteous Methuselah in his honour.Methuselah was son of Enoch and the grandfather of Noah .The name Methuselah has become a general synonym for any living creature of great age.Methuselah dying before the flood is based on the Masoretic Text of Genesis 5.He died after the flood based on the Genesis 5 numbers in the Lucianic Septuagint .
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Methuselah ( Hebrew : מְתֿוּשֶׁלַח / מְתֿוּשָׁלַח , Modern Mətušélaḥ / Mətušálaḥ Tiberian Məṯûšélaḥ / Məṯûšālaḥ , "Man of the dart/spear", or alternatively "his death shall bring judgment" ) is the man in the Hebrew Bible reported to have lived the longest.Extra-biblical tradition maintains that he died on the 11th of Cheshvan of the year 1656AM ( Anno Mundi , after Creation), at the age of 969, seven days before the beginning of the Great Flood .Methuselah was the son of Enoch , the father of Lamech , and the grandfather of Noah .The name Methuselah, or the phrase "old as Methuselah," is commonly used to refer to anything of great age.
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the longest lived of all figures mentioned in the Bible This article is about the biblical Methuselah.Fictional character Methuselah ( Məṯūšélaḥ , in pausa Məṯūšā́laḥ , "Man of the javelin " or "Death of Sword"; Mathousalá ) was a biblical patriarch and a figure in Judaism , Christianity , and Islam .Said to have died at the age of 969, he lived the longest of all figures mentioned in the Bible .According to the Book of Genesis , Methuselah was the son of Enoch , the father of Lamech , and the grandfather of Noah .Elsewhere in the Bible, Methuselah is mentioned in genealogies in 1st Chronicles and the Gospel of Luke .His life is described in further detail in extra-biblical religious texts such as the Book of Enoch , Slavonic Enoch , and the Book of Moses .Bible commentators have offered various explanations as to why the Book of Genesis describes him as having died at such an advanced age; some believe that Methuselah's age is the result of a mistranslation, while others believe that his age is used to give the impression that part of Genesis takes place in a very distant past.Methuselah's name has become synonymous with longevity, and he has been portrayed and referenced in film, television and music.
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Longest-lived figure mentioned in the Bible This article is about the biblical figure.Methuselah ( US : / m ə ˈ θ uː z ˌ l ɑː / ; Məṯūšélaḥ , in pausa מְתוּשָׁלַח Məṯūšālaḥ , "His death shall send" or "Man of the javelin " or "Death of Sword"; Mathousalas ) was a biblical patriarch and a figure in Judaism , Christianity , and Islam .He had the longest lifespan of all those given in the Bible , having died at the age of 969. According to the Book of Genesis , Methuselah was the son of Enoch , the father of Lamech , and the grandfather of Noah . Elsewhere in the Bible, Methuselah is mentioned in genealogies in 1 Chronicles , Genesis , and the Gospel of Luke . His life is described in further detail in other texts such as the Book of Enoch , Slavonic Enoch , and the Book of Moses . Bible commentators have offered various explanations as to why the Book of Genesis describes him as having died at such an advanced age; some believe that Methuselah's age is the result of a mistranslation, while others believe that his age is used to give the impression that part of Genesis takes place in a very distant past. Methuselah's name has become synonymous with longevity, and he has been portrayed and referenced in film, television and music.
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Longest-lived Biblical figure This article is about the biblical figure. Methuselah ( US : / m ə ˈ θ uː z ˌ l ɑː / ; Hebrew : מְתוּשֶׁלַח Məṯūšélaḥ , in pausa מְתוּשָׁלַח Məṯūšālaḥ , "His death shall send" or "Man of the javelin " or "Death of sword"; Greek : Μαθουσάλας Mathousalas ) was a biblical patriarch and a figure in Judaism , Christianity , and Islam . He is claimed to have lived the longest life, dying at 969 years of age. According to the Book of Genesis , Methuselah was the son of Enoch , the father of Lamech , and the grandfather of Noah . Elsewhere in the Bible, Methuselah is mentioned in genealogies in 1 Chronicles and the Gospel of Luke . His life is described in further detail in other texts such as the Book of Enoch , Slavonic Enoch , and the Book of Moses . Bible commentators have offered various explanations as to why the Book of Genesis describes him as having died at such an advanced age; some believe that Methuselah's age is the result of a mistranslation, while others believe that his age is used to give the impression that part of Genesis takes place in a very distant past. Methuselah's name has become synonymous with longevity, and he has been portrayed and referenced in film, television and music.
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Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “nine hundred sixty and nine years”. Today it says “biblical patriarch and a figure in judaism”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “the longest lived of all figures mentioned in the Bible”. It now reads “Longest-lived Biblical figure”. Read the current article and compare.
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
nine hundred sixty and nine years
Now
biblical patriarch and a figure in judaism
Sections that no longer exist
This section existed on October 6, 2023. It is gone today. The current article has no similar heading in its place, and the article is shorter overall. So this is not a heading that got renamed, and it is not a topic that got folded into a bigger section. 1 section of 400 characters or more gone since October 6 2023, with the article 636 characters shorter.
In popular culture
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