Adam’s height has been widely speculated throughout history. Unfortunately, the Bible does not tell us about the specific height of Adam, however, many people have concluded that Adam was about 15 feet tall.
Based on factors like Adam’s age, the atmospheric conditions of his lifetime, and others, people believe that Adam was a huge person.
Although it might not have incredible spiritual significance or theological meaning, it is an interesting fact to know.
The Biblical text does not say anything about Adam’s height. However, it does tell about how Adam was created, which might give some clue to how tall Adam was.
What Does the Bible Say About Adam’s Height?
The Bible does not say anything about the height of Adam, the first human being. The creation story is full of interesting details. They create a picture for us of the conditions of the Garden of Eden, and it explains how things came into existence. However, the story does not give us specific information about Adam’s appearance. It tells us that God created Adam and Eve in His own image.
Being created in God’s image is believed to mean one of two things. First, the image of God is believed to be a physical thing. People believe that we look like the form of God. Our body composition is similar to that of God’s.
The second thing that being made in God’s image is meant to mean is that people were created with aspects, like God. According to Biblical theology, God is comprised of three aspects: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
God is the creator, and Jesus is the Son. The Holy Spirit is the Helper that is present today, and likewise, people might be made with three aspects as well. People are made with a body, a soul, and a spirit. The human body is the part that needs food, sleep, and water. It is the case of everything else. The soul is our mind, will, and emotions, and lastly, the spirit is the aspect that connects directly with God.
People might think that being made in the image of God means that we look exactly like God, but others believe that the image of God is different.
Ultimately, the Bible does not speak about the height of Adam, but based on research, we can make a guess based on a few historical factors.
One Prominent Theory About Adam’s Height
The Old Testament does not say anything about Adam’s height, but there is one popular theory about Adam’s stature. The question of Adam and his height has been discussed for a long time and this theory believes to have discovered the answer. The theory states that due to Adam’s age, archaeological evidence, the conditions of the atmosphere, and other giants in the Bible Adam possessed extraordinary height.
Within the theory, it is believed that Adam would have been around 15 feet tall, which is almost 3 times as tall as the national average in the United States.
Reasons for this Theory
Adam’s Age
In the theory, a reason for Adam’s extreme height was his inflated age. Adam had a long lifespan. According to Genesis 5:5 KJV, he lived 930 years before he died, and he wasn’t even the oldest person recorded in the ancient texts. People usually have a period of five years where they grow the most, between years 15 and 20.
If Adam lived to 930 years old, by proportion, that period would have been about 10 times as long, meaning he would have grown even taller. Beyond that, it is assumed that God created Adam, already aged.
Adam would have already been given a certain amount of height when he was created, plus whatever height he gained as he got older.
Adam’s age is just one of the factors that support the theory of Adam’s extreme height.
Archeological Evidence
Another factor that suggests this theory might be correct, is the archeological evidence. People do not have the fossils of Adam. However we do have fossils that date back to around the time of Adam.
There are fossils of living creatures that were also extremely large. For example, we have a fossil record of a dragonfly with a wingspan of two feet. If creatures were massive back then, maybe Adam was also.
The archeological evidence points to enlarged creatures in the time of Adam, so Adam may have been huge too. That is another key to this theory, but there are many more.
The Nutrition of the Garden of Eden
Another suggestion of the theory of Adam’s enhanced height is the nutrition of the Garden of Eden, where Adam lived. According to the Holy Bible, the Garden was full of vegetation for Adam and Eve to eat. It wasn’t just the forbidden fruit and the tree of life in the Garden. Being the first man and first woman, their diet would have been much cleaner than the ones we have today.
Height is affected by our diet, so Adam and Eve’s diet was probably conducive to physical growth. The fruits and vegetables of the Garden may have allowed Adam and Eve to grow to a height that was irregular.
Their diet is another factor in the theory of Adam’s large size.
Atmospheric Conditions of the Earth Before the Great Flood
The atmosphere of the Earth that Adam and Eve inhabited was believed to be much different than the one we experience today. It is believed that before the Great Flood in the Book of Genesis, there were increased oxygen levels in the atmosphere.
Science tells us that an increase in oxygen is beneficial for our health, so the supercharged atmosphere of the time may have allowed Adam and Eve to become extremely tall.
This part of the theory is hand-in-hand with the age portion of the theory. The increase in oxygen would have slowed down aging, which would have allowed people of the time to live much longer than today.
The Presence of Giants in the Bible
Another portion of the theory suggests that Adam being tall would not be as irregular as it is today. There are multiple accounts in the Bible of people who were abnormally tall. Giants are referenced multiple times. Here are some of those Biblical references:
Numbers 13:32 tells a story of the Israelites encountering mighty men of great height.
The Word of God mentions the Amorites of Canaan were the size of cedar trees in Amos 2:9.
In Deuteronomy 3:11 we find out that King Og of Bashan, a Rephaite had a bed that was 13 feet long. It might a assumed that if the King matched the size of this bed, he would be a giant.
David fought Goliath in 1 Samuel, under the rule of King Saul. Goliath was over 9 feet tall. Based on Biblical evidence people with enhanced physical attributes during that time were not uncommon.
Clearly, people being huge was not as irregular as it is today. Adam might have been one of the people who were big.
Currently Tall People
Beyond Adam’s time, there are still giant people today. The tallest person today is nearly 9 feet tall. Although that is drastically shorter than Adam was proposed to be, people being tall is not unheard of.
We have no clue what the average height was for that time period, so Adam might have been tall compared to his contemporaries.
Modern humans being tall is not an abnormal thing today, so it might have been common back then too. The human race does adapt to the conditions around them, so Adam might have needed to be taller.
Islamic Support of This Theory
According to Islamic tradition, Adam was also a giant. However, according to the tradition, Adam was 90 feet tall. That is a far cry from the 15 feet that this theory suggests, but both theories claim that Adam was extremely tall.
There might be a correlation between the scientific evidence and the Islamic tradition, so Adam was probably very tall.
The Old Testament and New Testament don’t give us clear evidence about how tall Adam was, but based on scientific research and the limited information the Bible gives us, Adam was probably much taller than the average human being today.
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