Last updated: February 2, 2026
What does the Bible tell us about the age of the Earth?
The Bible describes creation occurring over six literal days, each marked by "evening and morning."
"God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day."
"And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day."
"For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."
Analysis: The Hebrew word "yom" (day) is consistently used with ordinal numbers (first, second, etc.) and the phrase "evening and morning," which in Hebrew always refers to literal 24-hour days. The Sabbath commandment explicitly connects God's six days of work to human work patterns.
The Bible provides detailed genealogies from Adam to Jesus, allowing for calculation of Earth's age.
"When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; so all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died."
"Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli... the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God."
Analysis: Genesis 5 and 11 provide specific ages for patriarchs when they fathered their next descendant. Luke 3 traces Jesus' lineage back to Adam. These genealogies, when calculated, suggest creation occurred roughly 6,000-10,000 years ago, depending on potential gaps.
The Bible indicates that death entered the world through Adam's sin, suggesting no death before the Fall.
"Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned."
"For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive."
"And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day."
Analysis: If millions of years of death, disease, and extinction occurred before humans, this differs from the biblical teaching that death entered through Adam's sin and that creation was "very good."
Scripture refers to creation as recent and within human memory or historical scope.
"But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.'"
"For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be."
"For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made, so they are without excuse."
Analysis: Jesus places humans at "the beginning of creation," not after billions of years. Paul suggests God's attributes have been visible "since the creation," implying human observation from near the beginning. These passages suggest a recent creation with humans present from early on.
The Sabbath commandment directly connects God's creation week to human work patterns.
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God... For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day."
"It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed."
Analysis: The Sabbath commandment makes a direct parallel between God's six days of work and human six days of work. Young-earth interpreters argue that if God's days were millions of years, the parallel structure would be undermined; they maintain the pattern requires literal days.
Young-earth interpreters cite the following biblical evidence for a recently created Earth:
Traditional Interpretation: For most of church history, Christians understood Genesis to teach a recent creation in six literal days. This interpretation was standard among church fathers, reformers, and biblical scholars until the rise of geological uniformitarianism in the 19th century.
Scientific Challenges: The young earth interpretation differs from multiple lines of scientific evidence including radiometric dating, stellar distances, geological layers, ice cores, and evolutionary biology. This creates tension between literal biblical interpretation and scientific consensus on Earth's age.