Genesis 1 - 19

Introduction to Genesis

The first eleven chapters of Genesis trace events such as Creation, the Fall, the flood, and the establishing of the nations. The accounts of four great people complete the book in chapters 12–50: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.

Genesis comes from the Greek word geneseos, meaning “origin, source, generation, or beginning.” Geneseos is a translation of the Hebrew word toledot (“generations”).

Author

Although Genesis does not directly name its author, Jesus and the writers of scripture clearly believed that Moses was the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible, often referred to in the New Testament as “the Law,” Mark 10:5; Luke 24:44).

Occasion

Genesis spans more time than any other book in the Bible. In fact, it covers more than all the other sixty-five books of the Bible put together (approximately 2,400 years). The total duration is from the time of creation to the time when the Israelites arrive in Egypt and grow into a nation (about 1800 BC). The date of Genesis is sometime after the Exodus, during the fifteenth century BC.

Themes

God’s choice of a nation through which He would bless all nations is a theme throughout Genesis. It is the passing on of blessings from one generation to another.

Longman, Tremper, III, ed. 2009. Genesis Thru Numbers. Vol. 1. Layman’s Bible Commentary. Barbour Publishing.