Bible Word of the Day
Antediluvian (Pre-Flood Peoples of the Earth)
Meaning
The word antediluvian refers to mankind before the Biblical flood. Noah was an antediluvian and so were his sons and their wives. They were commonly divided into two ancestral lines, one of Cain and one of Seth, however as we see in the Bible, both lines intermarried and there was really no difference between them. The only two of note are Enoch, who walked with God and was taken at or near 300 years of age and Noah. During this period mankind was most noted for their wickedness and therefore God saved only Noah and his family, killing the rest of mankind in the flood because of their wickedness.
However, there were also noted for their size and longevity. The average lifespan of the antediluvian was over 800 years with life spans of 912-930 years recorded in the Bible. Coincidentally a non-Biblical Sumerian list of kings of this time shows their kings living and reigning for close to a thousand years as well. Another factor we see in this population are the giants. These people were reported to be from ten to twenty plus feet tall. The Bible speaks of giants and descendants of the giants. Interestingly, there have been numerous human skeletons found of people who were over twelve to fifteen feet tall.
“There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Book of Genesis 6:4-5)
“The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. ‘Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.” (Book of Genesis 6:11-14)