the far-off times—again, always with the implication that Genesis is telling these tales the right way. We should consider what effect these numbers would have on an ancient audience. Quite apart from whether there is some kind of symbolism and figure in these numbers, certainly on their face they create a sense of distance between the characters and the audience—for whom “three-score and ten” (Ps 90:10 AV) was a worthy achievement. Gordon Wenham mentions some explanations that have been proffered,