I am reviewing carefully the places in Scripture where I might find old age mentioned for the first time. Adam lived for 930 years, yet he is not called an old man. Methuselah’s life was 969 years, and he is not called an old man. I am coming down all the way to the flood, and after the flood for almost three thousand years, and I find no one who has been called old. Abraham is the first one, and certainly he was much younger than Methuselah, but he is called an old man because his old age had been anointed with rich oil. In fine, it is written there in the Scripture, “Abraham died at a good old age; full of days.” His was a good old age because it was full of days, for the whole of his life was day and not night.
(v. 8) And Abraham died in good old age, an old man and full, and he was gathered to his people. A wrong addition is made by the Septuagint translators, that Abraham died lacking: for it is not fitting for Abraham to fail and diminish. Also, what we have proposed, an old man and full in good old age: in the Greek manuscripts it is written, full of days. While it seems to explain the meaning, because he has passed away full of light and the works of the day: nevertheless, it is more fitting for the spiritual interpretation if it is simply stated as full.
[AD 420] Jerome on Genesis 25:8