To
determine the chronology of events from the creation of Adam to the birth of
Abraham is more complicated than one might imagine. To begin with, the
chronology of the Masoretic Text (MT) of the Old Testament in Hebrew differs
significantly from that of the Septuagint version of the Old Testament in
Greek. One must choose between the two.
James Ussher based his chronology on the Masoretic Text. In this essay, we will look at the chronology as found in the Septuagint (LXX). This chronology, whether in Hebrew or Greek, comes primarily from Genesis 5 and 11.
Lived Total
Creation 5500 4004
Seth 5270 4358 205 707 912 105
Enosh 5065 4160 190 715 905 90
Kenan 4875 3965 170 740 910 70
Mahalalel 4705 3810 165 730 895 65
Jared 4540 3578 162 800 962 162
Enoch 4378 4013 165 200 365 65
Methuselah 4213 3244 187 802 969 187
Lamech 4026 3273 188 565 753 182
Noah 3838 2888 502 450 950 502
Shem 3336 2736 100 500 600 100
Flood 3238 2349
Kainan 3101 2641 130 330 460 x
Shelah 2971 2511 130 330 460 30
Eber 2841 2437 134 270 404 34
Peleg 2707 2368 130 209 339 30
Reu 2577 2238 132 207 339 32
Serug 2445 2115 130 200 330 30
Nahor 2315 2107 79 129 208 29
Terah 2236 2031 70 75 205 70
Abraham 2166 1996
Creation to flood MT: 4004-2349, 1655 years; LXX: 5500-3238, 2262 years; +607 years
Flood to Abraham MT: 2349-1996, 353 years; LXX: 3238-2166, 1072 years; +719 years
Creation to Abraham MT: 4004-1996, 2008 years; LXX: 5500-2166, 3334 years; +1326 years
5500 Creation
3238 Flood
2166 Abraham born
2066 Isaac born
2006 Jacob born
1876 Jacob in Egypt
1446 Exodus
James Ussher based his chronology on the Masoretic Text. In this essay, we will look at the chronology as found in the Septuagint (LXX). This chronology, whether in Hebrew or Greek, comes primarily from Genesis 5 and 11.
Lived Total
Creation 5500 4004
Seth 5270 4358 205 707 912 105
Enosh 5065 4160 190 715 905 90
Kenan 4875 3965 170 740 910 70
Mahalalel 4705 3810 165 730 895 65
Jared 4540 3578 162 800 962 162
Enoch 4378 4013 165 200 365 65
Methuselah 4213 3244 187 802 969 187
Lamech 4026 3273 188 565 753 182
Noah 3838 2888 502 450 950 502
Shem 3336 2736 100 500 600 100
Flood 3238 2349
Kainan 3101 2641 130 330 460 x
Shelah 2971 2511 130 330 460 30
Eber 2841 2437 134 270 404 34
Peleg 2707 2368 130 209 339 30
Reu 2577 2238 132 207 339 32
Serug 2445 2115 130 200 330 30
Nahor 2315 2107 79 129 208 29
Terah 2236 2031 70 75 205 70
Abraham 2166 1996
Creation to flood MT: 4004-2349, 1655 years; LXX: 5500-3238, 2262 years; +607 years
Flood to Abraham MT: 2349-1996, 353 years; LXX: 3238-2166, 1072 years; +719 years
Creation to Abraham MT: 4004-1996, 2008 years; LXX: 5500-2166, 3334 years; +1326 years
5500 Creation
3238 Flood
2166 Abraham born
2066 Isaac born
2006 Jacob born
1876 Jacob in Egypt
1446 Exodus
Source: Henry B. Smith, Jr., “The
Case for the Septuagint’s Chronology in Genesis 5 and 11,” Proceedings
of the Eighth International Conference on Creationism (2018).
All rights reserved. Fair use
encouraged.
