Introduction to Genesis
About Genesis[1] :
50 chapters, 1,533 verses, and 38,267 words.
The events in Genesis probably ended three centuries before the birth of Moses.
Genesis covers the most extensive period of any other book in the Bible.
Around 2,250+ years from creation to Joseph.
2,000 of these years are covered in the first 11 chapters of Genesis.
“The title “Genesis” comes to us by way of the Latin Vulgate (Incipit Liber Bresith id est Genesis), which in turn borrowed, or transliterated, from the Greek LXX, Genesis. This word is best reproduced in English by ‘origin.’”[2]
Theme to Watch For
The theme of Genesis is creation, fall, and the promise of redemption.
When was it written?
Genesis, if written by Moses, was done so in the 1500-1300 B.C.s
About the Author of Genesis
The author of Genesis is Moses. It should be noted that the authorship of Genesis is not explicitly stated in the book itself. However, there are many passages in Scripture that allude to the authorship of Moses. For example:
Exodus 24:3-4
Deuteronomy 31:24
Nehemiah 13:1
Matthew 19:7
Matthew 22:24
Mark 12:26
John 5:46
Moses served as a prophet and leader for the Israelites. He was born and raised in Egypt by his Hebrew biological mother and the daughter of Pharaoh. He spent the first 40 years of his life in Egypt (Acts 7:23) and the subsequent 40 years in Midian (Acts 7:30). It was here that he met his wife Zipporah and had two sons. During his time in Midian, God communicated with Moses via a burning bush, instructing him to return to Egypt to liberate the Israelites from captivity. Moses obeyed God. After leading the Israelites out of Egypt, they commenced their journey toward the Promised Land. This took 40 years because of disobedience. Throughout this 40-year period, Moses received the 10 commandments from God. You will read more about Moses In weeks three and four.
About the Audience
As he writes, Moses addresses the Hebrew people. He penned it while they were in the wilderness for forty years. He wrote this to remind them of their origin, who they worship, and their mission. This was necessary since he would not be able to accompany them into the Promised Land because of his transgression. They were to carry this with them into the land that God had promised them.
Historical Setting
The historical setting of the book of Genesis changes because it spans 2500 years. Not only that, but it also talks about different locations and cultures. Genesis was mainly placed in three geographical settings: the Fertile Crescent (Gn. 1-11), Israel (Gn. 12-36), and Egypt (Gn. 37-50).
“[The] contents of the book of Genesis cover the period of time from the creation until the death of Joseph. The period of time from creation until the time of Abraham is covered in a mere eleven chapters. We are not given enough information in the Bible to date creation. We are on slightly better grounds when it comes to the next section, the patriarchal narratives, though it is fruitless to attempt to be precise. At best, we can say that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived sometime around the first quarter of the second millennium B.C. We can only come to the same uncertain conclusion with regard to the time of Joseph.”[3]
Cultural Factors to Keep in Mind
In order to truly study Genesis, one must acknowledge the significant connections to the Ancient Near East (ANE). This includes creation, the story of the flood, and the idea that humankind, at one point, had one language (tower of Babel). ”As we turn to Genesis 12-50, ancient Near Eastern material continues to illuminate social customs, such as adopting a household servant and passing through animal parts. These ancient Near Eastern connections will be described and explained in the commentary.”[4]
“The book of Genesis (as the first part of the five-part Torah) has always been accepted as canon (in Jewish terminology it “makes the hands unclean,” since coming into contact with something holy can render a person ritually unclean.) Christians share the same canon as first-century Pharisees. The Sadducees, however, only accepted the Torah as authoritative, but this, of course, meant that they affirmed the book of Genesis. In brief, the canonicity of Genesis is without controversy. In Jewish circles, the first book of the Bible is known by its opening phrase bereshit (“in the beginning”). In the English Bible tradition, based on the Septuagint, the book’s name is Genesis, from a Greek word that means “origins.” These names are appropriate because this book is a book of origins, beginning with the origins of the cosmos and humanity and moving on to the story of the origins of the people of Israel in the call of Abraham and the promise that his descendants will be a “great nation” (Gen 12:2).”[5]
What is the genre?
When it comes to telling the account of creation and the first people in the human race, the book of Genesis is effectively a hybrid genre because it incorporates elements from several genres across its pages. These include poetry, narrative, and others.
Why was it written?
Genesis was written to inform the Hebrew people of three things:
Their origin (Genesis 1-2)
The need for their promised Messiah (Genesis 3)
Their purpose
Outline and the Structure of Genesis[6]
Introduction: 1:1–2:3
The toledot of the heavens and the earth: 2:3–4:26
The toledot of Adam: 5:1–6:8
The toledot of Noah: 6:9–9:29
The toledot of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth 10:1–11:9
The toledot of Shem: 11:10–26
The toledot of Terah: 11:27–25:11
The toledot of Ishmael: 25:12–18
The toledot of Isaac: 25:19–35:29
The toledot of Esau: 36:1–8
The second toledot of Esau: 36:9–37:1
The toledot of Jacob: 37:2–50:26
Even the reader of the English Bible without special training can, if reading closely, detect three major sections of the book of Genesis:
The Primeval History (1:1–11:26)
The Patriarchal Narratives (11:27–37:1)
The Joseph Story (37:2–50:26)
[1] https://www.biblecharts.org/thebible/interestingfactsaboutgenesis.pdf
[2] Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1–17, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 1.
[3] Tremper Longman III, Genesis, ed. Tremper Longman III, The Story of God Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 12.
[4] K. A. Mathews, Genesis 1-11:26, vol. 1A of The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996).
[5] Ibid, 6-7.
[6] Ibid, 11.
