How old is the earth according to the Bible?
The Bible does not state the earth’s age outright. Christians read Genesis 1 differently — some young-earth (~6,000 years), some old-earth (billions). The unmistakable teaching is that God created everything intentionally and good.
The Bible nowhere puts a number on the earth’s age. Adding up the genealogies of Genesis (as Bishop Ussher did in 1650) suggests a young earth; reading Genesis 1’s "days" as longer eras suggests an old one.
Faithful Christians hold both views and others. What Genesis insists on, against all rivals, is that God created freely, in order, and pronounced his work good — and that human beings bear his image.
The age of the earth is a question to study carefully, but it is not the foundation of the gospel. Christ rose from a real tomb in a real history; that is the rock our faith stands on.
Original BibleDawn answer · reviewed 2026-06. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.