Genesis 6:3
“And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.”
KJV
Read in Genesis 6Meaning
The statement marks divine patience as finite, while the exact force of the 120 years remains debated.
Read carefully
The 120 years have been read as lifespan, countdown to judgment, or both; the text should not be made more precise than it is.
Reflection
Divine patience is not presented as endless; the narrative moves toward accountability and judgment.