The Sumerian King List

It is written:

“So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died.” (Genesis 5:27)

Many through the ages have had a difficult time believe that the patriarchs of Genesis lived to be as old as they did. However, evidence from other ancient cultures confirms this truth of the Book of Genesis.

One such example comes from the Sumerian King List. To date, fifteen copies of this list have been found. It dates back to at least 1800 B.C. (No doubt being much older).

What is significance of this list?

“”The Sumerian King List is of interest to students of the Bible for at least two reasons: its mention of a major flood and the incredibly long reigns attributed to the kings. The brief mention of the flood in the Sumerian King List is reminiscent of the biblical flood story involving Noah (Genesis 6). Admittedly, the Sumerian King List gives no details of the flood, but the Sumerian flood, like the biblical flood, was viewed as an event of tremendous proportions, covering the land. The flood serves as a dividing line: the institution of kingship had to be reinstated after the flood, and kings are listed as being prior to the flood or after the flood…At most, one can say that the idea of a massive, ancient flood was widespread spread in antiquity…The other connection between the Sumerian King List and the Bible is the listing of the reigns of the kings, comparable to the genealogies in Genesis 5 and n. In both the Sumerian and biblical lists, approximately ten generations are listed prior to the flood. In both, the reigns or life spans are exceptionally long…In both traditions the time spans decline and generally are longer before the flood than after.” (Clyde E. Fant & Mitchell D. Reddish, Lost Treasures Of The Bible: Understanding The Bible Through Archaeological Artifacts In World Museums, 490-502 (Kindle Edition); Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company)

The Bible is true friends.