As old as Methuselah

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As old as Methuselah

Meaning

Very old.

Origin

Methuselah was a Hebrew patriarch who was supposed to have lived for 969 years.

Genesis 5:25 - And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:
Genesis 5:26 - And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:
Genesis 5:27 - And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.

The phrase 'as old as Methuselah' can be traced back to at least the 14th century. An allusion to it is cited as circa 1390 in F. J. Furnivall's Minor Poems, 1901:

"...if a Mon may libben heer As longe as dude Matussale."

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