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Introduction to Genesis

Part 1: General Introduction

Outline of Genesis

  1. From the Creation to the Tower of Babel
    • The account of the creation of the heavens and the earth (1:1–4:26)
    • The account of Adam (5:1–6:8)
    • The account of Noah (6:9–11:9)
    • The account of Shem (11:10–11:26)
    • The account of Terah (11:27–11:32)
  2. The accounts of the Patriarchs
    • The account of Abraham (12:1-25:11)
    • The account of Ishmael (25:12–25:18)
    • The account of Isaac, focusing on Jacob (25:19–35:29)
    • The account of Esau (36:1–37:1)
    • The account of Jacob, focusing on Joseph (37:2–50:26)

What is Genesis about?

Genesis begins with the early years of creation. It tells about God creating heaven, earth, and the first humans. It also tells about the first time humans sinned. This caused humans to be separated from God and to eventually die. Genesis 1-11 briefly tells about other important events that occurred over many hundreds of years. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/death)

Genesis is also about the beginning of God's people. Genesis 12-50 tells about how God remained faithful to Abraham and his descendants. Abraham's descendants became known as the Hebrews and later as the Israelites. These people would worship Yahweh and be his people.

Genesis ends with Abraham's descendants living in Egypt with the hope of returning one day to the Promised Land. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/promisedland)

How should the title of this book be translated?

"Genesis" means "beginning," so translators should express this idea in their title. Titles such as "The Beginning of Things" may be suitable. (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-names)

Who wrote Genesis?

The writers of both the Old and New Testaments presented Moses as being very involved with writing the book of Genesis. Since ancient times, both Jews and Christians have thought that Moses wrote Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Part 2: Important Religious and Cultural Concepts

What are the covenants mentioned in Genesis?

A covenant is a formal, binding agreement between two parties that one or both parties must fulfill.

God made three covenants in Genesis. In the covenant with Adam, God promised to bless Adam and cause him to prosper. Adam was not allowed to eat fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God promised that Adam would die if he disobeyed what he commanded.

In the covenant with Noah, God promised to never again destroy the world with a flood.

In the covenant with Abraham, God promised to make Abraham's descendants into a great nation. He also promised to protect them and to give them a land of their own.

What was God's purpose for the book of Genesis?

The book of Genesis says that God created a very good world. However, the world became cursed because human beings began to sin. But Genesis shows that God continues to have complete control over the world.

Genesis also describes the start of God's plan to bless the whole world again. This is shown when God makes a covenant with Abraham. With this covenant, God chose Abraham and his descendants to be his people. God promised to bless the world through Abraham's descendants.

What was the custom for inheritance as described by Genesis?

There are several passages in Genesis that show the customs of a father who is about to die passing on a blessing to his son. Abraham blessed his son, Isaac, and made him the ancestor of the people of Israel. However, Ishmael, Abraham's other son, did not receive that same divine blessing. Likewise, Isaac's older son Esau did not receive the blessing. Isaac's younger son, Jacob, received it instead. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/inherit and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/bless)

Also, it was the custom for a man to divide among his sons his material wealth and land. All his sons received equal portions except the oldest son. The firstborn son received twice as much. His portion was called a double portion. Esau gave up his right to receive the double portion.

How does Genesis present sin and evil?

Genesis presents sin as doing things that are against God’s word and God's ways. It presents evil as the opposite of good.

Sin and evil have affected all people. This started when Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden.

Part 3: Important Translation Issues

What is one way in which Genesis marks the beginning of important sections?

Genesis uses one Hebrew phrase that the ULB translates as "this is the record of," "these were the events concerning," or "these were the descendants of." The information in these sections may have come from sources much older than Moses. These passages are 2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10, 27; 25:12, 19; 36:1, 9; 37:2.

If the translator wants to translate in only two ways, we recommend for most passages a phrase such as, "this is the record about" or "this is information about." Some passages will be better translated, however, as "These were the descendants of."

Why are the beginnings of some narrative sections in Genesis difficult to translate?

Often in Genesis, the author first summarizes what is about to happen. Then in the following verses, the author tells the details of what happened. Probable examples of this style occur in Gen. 1:1, 6:22, 18:1, 21:1 and 22:1.

However, in many languages, it is preferred to write summaries at the end of a narrative. In this case, translators may choose a different approach. For example, in Gen. 1:1 ("In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"), translators may decide to translate like this: "This is about how God made the heavens and the earth in the beginning."

What is the difference between "people" and "peoples"?

The word "people" refers to the individuals who belong to a group, such as "the people of Israel." The word "peoples" refers to multiple groups of people. Each group might speak their own language, have their own customs, and worship their own gods. Some different peoples in the ancient Near East were those of Israel, Egypt, Edom, Moab, and Ammon.

What is the relationship between individuals and peoples that have similar names?

Many individuals in Genesis eventually had large numbers of descendants who were called after their ancestor's name. For example, Cush was the name of an individual. But, "Cush" also became the name of nation that his descendants formed. They were called "Cushites." If possible, when translating these names, the translator should make the individual's name and the nation's name similar. Examples of this are "Cush" and "Cushite" or "Moab" and "Moabite." Otherwise, the translator may say, "the descendants of Cush" or "the descendants of Moab."

What do the phrases "to this day" or "of today" mean?

These phrases were used by the narrator to refer to the time when he was writing. The translator should be aware that "to this day" and "of today" refer to a time already passed. The translator might decide to say, "to this day, at the time when this is being written," or, "to this day, at the time of writing." This Hebrew phrase occurs in Gen. 19:37, 19:38, 22:14, 26:33, 32:32, 35:20, 47:26, 48:18.