How many years is a generation according to the Bible?

Answer 1

How many years is a Biblical generation?

"Forty years" is mentioned in The Bible forty times. The number "forty" is mentioned in the Bible one hundred and forty-six times.

AND THE LORD'S ANGER WAS KINDLED AGAINST Israel, AND HE MADE THEM WANDER IN THE WILDERNESS FORTY YEARS, UNTIL ALL THE GENERATION THAT HAD DONE EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD, WAS CONSUMED-Num 32:13. It may be noted that "forty years" and "the generation" is mentioned. FORTY YEARS LONG WAS I GRIEVED WITH THIS GENERATION-Ps 95:10. Again, it may be noted, "forty years" and "this generation." HARDEN NOT YOUR HEARTS, AS IN THE PROVOCATION, IN THE DAY OF TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS: WHEN YOUR FATHERS TEMPTED ME, PROVED ME, AND SAW MY WORKS FORTY YEARS. WHEREFORE I WAS GRIEVED WITH THAT GENERATION-Heb 3:8-10. Again, it can be noted, "forty years" and "that generation."

FOR DAVID, AFTER HE HAD SERVED HIS OWN GENERATION (note the word "generation") BY THE WILL OF GOD, FELL ON SLEEP-Acts 13:36. How long did David serve? It is written, THUS DAVID THE SON OF JESSE REIGNED OVER ALL ISRAEL. AND THE TIME THAT HE (David) REIGNED OVER ISRAEL WAS FORTY YEARS; SEVEN YEARS REIGNED HE IN HEBRON, AND THIRTY AND THREE YEARS REIGNED HE IN Jerusalem-1 Chr 29:26,27. AND THE DAYS THAT DAVID REIGNED OVER ISRAEL WERE FORTY YEARS: SEVEN YEARS REIGNED HE IN HEBRON, AND THIRTY AND THREE YEARS REIGNED HE IN JERUSALEM-1 Ki 2:11. Many times we are seeing the term "generation" being associated with "forty years."

AFTER THIS LIVED JOB AN HUNDRED AND FORTY YEARS, AND SAW HIS SONS, AND HIS SONS' SONS, EVEN FOUR GENERATIONS-Job 42:16. This verse would figure out to thirty-five years. We might consider that a generation is forty years, yet may be as little as thirty-five years.

VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, ALL THESE THINGS SHALL COME UPON THIS GENERATION. BEHOLD, YOUR HOUSE IS LEFT UNTO YOU DESOLATE-Mt 23:36,38.

AND JESUS WENT OUT, AND DEPARTED FROM THE TEMPLE: AND HIS DISCIPLES CAME TO HIM FOR TO SHOW HIM THE BUILDINGS OF THE TEMPLE. AND JESUS SAID UNTO THEM, SEE YE NOT ALL THESE THINGS? VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, THERE SHALL NOT BE LEFT HERE ONE STONE UPON ANOTHER, THAT SHALL NOT BE THROWN DOWN-Mt 24:1,2. The words "this generation," as appear in Mt 23:36, are the same words that appear in "this generation," in Mt 24:34; Mk 13:30; and Lk 21:32. It is written, VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, THIS GENERATION SHALL NOT PASS AWAY, TILL ALL BE FULFILLED. Jesus had said, "THESE THINGS SHALL COME UPON THIS GENERATION." One of the things was the temple would be destroyed. The question arises, was the temple destroyed within forty years? The answer is yes. The temple was thrown down approximately 70 A.D. Jesus was crucified approximately forty years earlier.

Clearly, we can see that a "Bible generation" is forty years.

A generation, as outlined in the Scriptures, was from the age of twenty years old and upward. Add forty years, and we come to sixty years old. From the age of twenty to sixty was considered as a generation.

YOUR CARCASSES SHALL FALL IN THIS WILDERNESS; AND ALL THAT WERE NUMBERED OF YOU, ACCORDING TO YOUR WHOLE NUMBER, FROM TWENTY YEARS OLD AND UPWARD-Num 14:29. EVERY ONE THAT PASSETH AMONG THEM THAT ARE NUMBERED, FROM TWENTY YEARS OLD AND ABOVE, SHALL GIVE AN OFFERING UNTO THE LORD-Ex 30:14. FROM TWENTY YEARS OLD AND UPWARD, ALL THAT ARE ABLE TO GO FORTH TO WAR IN ISRAEL-Num 1:3.

SURELY NONE OF THE MEN THAT CAME UP OUT OF EGYPT, FROM TWENTY YEARS OLD AND UPWARD, SHALL SEE THE LAND WHICH I SWEAR UNTO ABRAHAM, UNTO ISAAC, AND UNTO JACOB; BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT WHOLLY FOLLOWED ME-Num 32:11.

A biblical generation has been shown to be forty years. It can (in some cases) also be from the age of twenty years to sixty years. It is written AND THY ESTIMATION SHALL BE OF THE MALE FROM TWENTY YEARS OLD EVEN UNTO SIXTY YEARS OLD-Lev 27:3.

[ January 11, 2003, 03:49 AM: Message edited by: Matthew 16:24 ]

Answer 2

Unfortunately, the Bible does not give a direct answer to this common question. Yet it does leave us with some observations - although these have been broadly interpreted. When we study the Scriptures, it becomes clear that the length of a generation differs from one historic period to the next. We find that the generation of the earlier history of man were longer, because people lived longer and tended to marry later in life.

In one of the genealogies given in the New Testament, it says this: "So all the generation from Abraham to David are fourteen generation, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generation, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generation " (Matt. 1:17, NKJV). Each of these three groupings were summed up as 14 generations. However, each of these 3 sets of generations did not last the same number of years. In fact, the average generation in the period from Abraham to David was approximately 64 years, but the average generation from David to the Babylonian captivity and from that captivity to Christ was about 38 years. Quite a difference when counting over hundreds or thousands of years. Today, in our secular world, a generation may be as short as 18 years like the 'baby boomers' (1946-1964) and as long as the frequent 100 years - the most common time is 40 years.

Final thought, the term " generation " may have other meanings too. The 'generation' that sees Christ's return, for example, refers to all the people living at that time.