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Ishmael - Appendix 2 |
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__________________________________________Age art birth assuming_______Age at death assuming |
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Not too much weight should be placed on the above figures. For one thing only nine persons are involved which would probably not be considered as sufficient to give a reliable average. For another thing, age at death could be affected by many factors. People die at all ages so that to get a good average the life spans of many more persons would have to be considered. |
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Whatever view is taken of the above ages, it is clear that there is no artificiality about them; they contain a good deal of variety and are clearly not rounded off figures. |
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After the flood the ages of the patriarchs reduce over time (Genesis 11) which suggests that either for some reason man's life span was reducing or the earth was slowing down. The following table would suggest the former was the most likely reason. This is because if the ages at birth look reasonable, the ages at death do not and vice versa. |
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Noah has been left out of the above calculations as his life straddles the flood. However this could also be said of Shem and may account for his age being out of line with the other post flood persons. Terah's age at the birth of his sons is also doubtful (see Genesis 11:26) |
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