GENESIS 6:3

Q: The Lord said man’s days would be 120 years. I have typically understood this to mean 

man would no longer live past 120 years. However, the Bible records numerous figures living past 120

 years after this time. What does that mean? 

 

The Daily Bible notes explain this to mean that God would wait 120 years before destroying all mankind 

(except for Noah's family) in the flood.

Alternatively, it may be a prophecy that lifetimes on earth would gradually decrease until they eventually 

reached a maximum of 120 years. If this is the proper understanding, then it would be similar to God's

 prophecy to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden that they would die on the day they ate of the forbidden

 tree. On the day they did eat, they not only experienced a form of spiritual death, but the aging process

 began in their bodies that would lead to their physical deaths many years later.