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There is no precise biblical answer to this question, but we can offer some ideas. First
of all, when God made Adam and Eve they were sinless and, basically, physically perfect.
When sin entered the world there was an obviously harmful effect upon their bodies; they died.
Genetically speaking, when they were first made their health was so good that their natural
inclination was to live a long time. But since sin is in the world and it has an effect on
people (we get sick, grow old, and die), some have said that genetic mutations (which occur
with the birth of every new person) are passed down from parent to child. With each passing
generation, new genetic problems are introduced and an accumulation of them over many generations
has contributed to our shortened life spans.
Another theory is that before the flood there was a canopy of water vapor encompassing the
whole world. Some theologians think there was no direct sunlight on Earth, and that
instead the sun's rays were refracted through this water vapor canopy and a diffused light
passed through the clouds and lit the world. This refraction produced plenty of light for
our planet, but as the theory goes, it also filtered out some harmful cosmic rays that
contributed to us dying sooner than we should. In the flood of Noah's time, the Bible says
that the floodgates of the sky were opened (Gen. 7:11). This implies that a great amount
of rain fell; hence, the idea of a canopy of water vapor suspended in the sky. After
the flood the canopy disappeared and the full brunt of cosmic rays fell upon the earth,
so people's life spans were shortened. At least, this is how the theory goes.
Finally, in Genesis 6:3 God says, "My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that
he also is flesh: yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years." It might be possible
that God shortened the lifespan of man because of man's great wickedness. After all, the
flood came soon after this statement of God. It is also possible that the 120 years was
prophetic... that's how many years were left until the flood was to occur.
So, though we don't know exactly why the people of the Old Testament lived so long, we can
offer some good explanations.