Jewish History: Biblical History: People before Adam:
Were there people before Adam?
The Talmud (Chagigah 14a; Avos de-Rabbi Noson 31:3) speaks about
"974 generations" before the world was created, but it explains
that the people who would have lived in those "generations" were
in fact not physically created, or were quickly destroyed. The 974 generations are based on
Psalms 105:8, which can be interpreted as meaning that the Torah was given after 1000 generations; since Moses was the 26th generation after Adam, there must have been 974 generations before Adam.
Ask a follow-up question
