Age of the earth with years provided by the Bible

Ussher’s 4004 BC

Archbishop James Ussher published Annales Veteris Testamenti in 1650, placing creation at 4004 BC. The date became so widespread that most accept it without questioning. Working from the same Masoretic text, this article’s calculation gives 4,227 BC, a gap of over 200 years.

The primary divergence is the Egyptian sojourn. Exodus 12:40 reads: “Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.” Ussher uses 215 years for the Egyptian stay. He follows the Septuagint reading that adds “and in Canaan” and splits the 430 years between two sojourns. The Hebrew text places all 430 years in Egypt.

See the Ussher Chronology Table for the full comparison row by row.

Creation to Flood

All figures represent the age of the father at birth of the named son. Each table has three date columns:

• C = BC date anchored to the Edict of Cyrus at 539 BC (Ezra 1:1 )
• N = BC date anchored to the Nineveh solar eclipse of 763 BC (Assyrian Eponym List)
• AM = Anno Mundi, the internal biblical year count from Adam, independent of both external anchors

The Hebrew meanings of these ten names are examined in the names of Genesis 5.

Flood to Abraham

Terah’s age at Abraham’s birth: Terah dies at 205 (Genesis 11:32), Abraham leaves after Terah’s death (Acts 7:4), Abraham is 75 at departure (Genesis 12:4 ). Therefore 205 minus 75 equals 130.

Abraham to Egypt

Temple to Babylon

Full timeline

Two external anchors

All figures in the tables above are taken directly from the KJV text. No external chronologies or commentaries are used in the calculation. The AM column stands on its own. Two external anchors are applied for comparison only.

Cyrus (C): The Edict of Cyrus at 539 BC, the first year of his reign over Babylon, directly referenced in Ezra 1:1. This date is derived from counting backward through Babylonian king lists from the Nineveh eclipse.

Nineveh (N): The solar eclipse of 763 BC recorded in the Assyrian Eponym List. As an astronomically fixed date it is the harder of the two anchors. The Cyrus date is itself downstream of this eclipse, making Nineveh the upstream anchor for both columns.

The 22-year gap: The two anchors produce BC dates that differ by 22 years throughout the timeline. The tension exists between the Assyrian Eponym List and the Babylonian king list chain that produces the 539 BC date for Cyrus. Both records are external to Scripture; the AM column is unaffected.

Hard numbers (no ambiguity): Tables 1 through 3 total 2,298 years. The fixed periods in rows 4, 5, and 7 add 980 years. Combined: 3,278 years, approximately 89% of the total.

Variable: The kings list (Table 4, 410 years, approximately 11% of total) carries small uncertainties from co-regencies and rounding between reigns.

Known uncertainties: Calendar type (360-day vs 365.25-day year) and months not accounted for in whole-year figures.

The Septuagint divergence

The Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures completed roughly 250 BC, gives significantly different ages for several patriarchs. The pattern is consistent: the LXX adds 100 years to the age at fathering for multiple pre-flood patriarchs.

The Septuagint also includes Cainan (Καϊνάν ) between Arphaxad and Salah in the post-flood genealogy (Luke 3:36 follows this tradition). The Masoretic text omits this generation entirely.

The net result: the Septuagint places Adam approximately 1,500 years earlier than the Masoretic text. The Dead Sea Scrolls genealogy manuscripts split three ways: Masoretic, Septuagint, and neither.

The chronology in this article uses the Masoretic (KJV) figures. The Septuagint numbers would lengthen the pre-Abrahamic span but leave the Abraham-to-Cyrus calculation unchanged.

References

1. James Ussher, Annales Veteris Testamenti (1650): biblical chronology placing creation at 4004 BC; diverges from the Masoretic calculation by over 200 years primarily at the Egyptian sojourn.
2. Assyrian Eponym List: records the Nineveh solar eclipse of 763 BC, providing the N anchor for the timeline.
3. Babylonian king lists: source chain for the Cyrus date of 539 BC, downstream of the Nineveh eclipse.
4. Septuagint (LXX, c. 250 BC): adds 100 years to multiple pre-flood patriarchal ages; includes Cainan between Arphaxad and Salah.
5. Dead Sea Scrolls: contain genealogy manuscripts agreeing with the Masoretic text, the Septuagint, and neither.