And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

GENESIS 9:29KJV
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Genesis 9:29 (KJV)

What does Genesis 9:29 mean?

Genesis 9:29 records that Noah lived a total of 950 years before he died. This verse marks the end of Noah’s life, summarizing his long lifespan after the events of the flood.

Genesis 9:29 is part of a genealogy section in the book of Genesis, where the focus is on Noah’s lifespan and his death. The verse is a simple historical note, closing the story of Noah, who played a central role in the flood narrative and the repopulation of the earth. The statement is made by the narrator of Genesis, not by a specific character, and serves to transition from Noah’s generation to those who came after him.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 9:29

  • "days" (יָמִים, yamim): This word refers to the total span of Noah’s life, not just individual days, but the full measure of his years.
  • "died" (מֵת, met): The Hebrew word here is a straightforward term for physical death, emphasizing the finality of Noah’s earthly life.

Why Genesis 9:29 matters

  • Genesis 9:29 highlights the extraordinary lifespans attributed to early biblical figures, which is a feature of the genealogies in Genesis and often prompts questions about ancient timekeeping or symbolic meaning.
  • The verse acts as a closing statement for Noah’s story, signaling a shift in focus to his descendants and the unfolding story of humanity after the flood.
  • By recording Noah’s death, Genesis 9:29 underlines the continuity of life and death even for major figures, connecting Noah to the broader pattern of mortality seen throughout Genesis.

Where else these words appear

“Noah” Hebrew H5146 · used in 39 verses

  • Genesis 5:29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.
  • Genesis 7:9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
  • Genesis 9:8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,

“nine” Hebrew H8672 · used in 57 verses

  • Genesis 5:5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
  • Deuteronomy 3:11 For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.
  • 2 Kings 25:8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:

“fifty” Hebrew H2572 · used in 141 verses

  • Genesis 6:15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
  • Numbers 4:35 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation:
  • 1 Chronicles 5:21 And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand.