CONTRADICTION · DOCTRINAL
Lifespan limit set by God?
Genesis 6:3 ⟷ Genesis 11:12-16
... yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
Post-Flood descendants living hundreds of years, exceeding the supposed limit.
This contradiction is relevant because it tests the transparency and consistency of God’s declarations. If He set a limit of 120 years yet people lived longer after the Flood, it challenges the trustworthiness of the narrative and the Bible’s claim to divine inerrancy.
THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
Some explain as predicting the time until the Flood, not a direct lifespan cap. Others say it’s a gradual limit. Thus, no direct conflict with later long lifespans, just a misunderstood context.
THE ISLAMIC POSITION
If God clearly states a limit, why do later figures surpass it? Such contradictions force contrived interpretations. Instead of divine clarity, we find human confusion. This inconsistency undermines claims of perfect preservation and coherence.
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Lifespan limit set by God?