Methuselah was the oldest person to live in the Bible. When did he die and why?

Methuselah lived to be 969 years old. He was the oldest man who ever lived according to the Bible. I’m a theologian, certainly not a mathematician. But I’ve tried to do some math from what we know of the genealogy in Genesis 5.

If I’m correct my calculations, Methuselah died the year of the flood. Moses was 600 years old when the flood came. That my data suggests that Methuselah died in the very same year. I’m reticent to show it to you because I am a terrible mathematician and I could very well be wrong.

Even if my math is wrong, Methuselah died before the flood began. He was not numbered among the eight people who entered the ark and were saved from the flood. Only Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their three wives were rescued from the flood.

Every human on the planet aside from these eight perished in the flood. It was probably most likely from drowning in the water. It reached incredible heights, and toppled the highest mountain in the region. Nobody would survive that without the help of a boat.

But no one built a boat except for Noah. None of the people believed Noah and so all of them perished in the flood. Even if someone did build a boat to survive, it would have to be large enough to carry food for a year and they would be unable to settle down on any land.

Table of Genealogies in Genesis