Book of genesis, biblical text that opens the doors to the knowledge of God as the only creator and Lord of everything that exists. The text takes us among other topics: the origin of creation, the fall of man, but also introduces the seed of God's promise for salvation and redemption of his people.
Book of genesis
The book of genesis is the first text found in the sacred writings inspired by God. With this text begins the Pentateuch, also known as the five books of Moses. The book of genesis also corresponds to the first book of the Torah, which constitutes the basis and foundation of the Jewish doctrine. However, for the Jews this text receives the Hebrew name Bereshit which means -In the Beginning-. Because the Hebrews identify each of the five books of the pentateuch with the first word that begins the text.
The book of genesis contains the main teachings or dogmas of the doctrine of Christianity. Many Christian writers refer to this text as the seedbed of the Bible. Since the genesis shows us the seeds of teachings of the fall of man. As well as that of his restoration through God's promise for salvation and redemption of all his chosen people, who is Christ Jesus. Genesis 3:15 (NBV):
15 There will always be enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers. The descendant of the woman will crush your head, while you will only bite his heel.
Topics such as creation, the attribution of sin, justification, atonement, corruption, grace, authority, kingdom among many others. They are narrated in this text whose name comes from the Greek γένεση guénesis, which means origin, birth or creation, as Genesis 2:4 (DHH) says.
4 This is the story of the creation of heaven and earth. The man in the Garden of Eden. When the Lord God made heaven and earth
Date and Author of the Text
Both the doctrine of Judaism and Christianity coincide in awarding the authorship of the book of genesis to the patriarch Moses. They even attribute to him the responsibility of writing and compiling the first five books of the old testament or pentateuch of the Bible. As for the Bible, he wrote it in Acts 15: 1 (TLA)
15 In those days some men from the region of Judea came to Antioch. They taught the followers of Jesus that they should be circumcised, because the law of Moses ordered it. They also taught them that if they were not circumcised, God would not save them.
This passage of facts refers to God's covenant with Abram and the Jewish tradition of circumcision from chapter 17 of Genesis. Therefore, the Bible itself proposes Moses as the author of the book of Genesis, saying that circumcision was a custom taught by Moses.
Writing Period
For the date or date of writing of the book of genesis, historians are based on determining the period in which the life of Moses passed. The first reference as a starting point for this in the Bible is obtained from 1 Kings 6:1. Where it says that by the fourth year of Solomon's reign, 480 years had passed since the departure of the Jews from the region of Egypt.
The year before the fourth year of Solomon's reign was 966 BC. Starting from that year and adding the 480 years literally indicated in 1 Kings 6:1, the starting point of the exodus is obtained, which historians suggest as the year 1446 before Christ.
Now if during the exodus of the Jews, they wandered for 40 years in the desert, before entering the promised land. As well as the fact that Moses never got to enter the land promised by God to the Jews. History assumes that the best period for Moses to write what is known as the Pentateuch is between 1446 and 1406 BC.
Why is it important to study the Book of Genesis?
Much of the questions that people have about life, the book of genesis manages to give answers. Questions like:
- What is the origin of man? Where did I come from?: Genesis 1:27
- Why are we here? Why are we part of the World? We were created in the image of God to relate to God and each other: Genesis 1:27, Genesis 2:18-19, Genesis 2:23-25, Genesis 3:8
- Where we go? Is there a destiny after death?: Genesis 25:8
That is the great importance of studying this biblical text. For the man and woman of God it represents the best starting point in the knowledge of God and his purpose for all humanity. The book of Genesis is a text of beginnings, as its name indicates, whose meaning is origin, birth or beginning. It deals with topics such as
- The creation of heaven and earth
- Creation of every living thing on the face of the earth
- The fall of man by the origin or entry of sin into the world
- The origin of the house of Israel
- Establishment of the promise or pact of mercy of the Heavenly Father for the salvation of his children
- Other topics of great importance
As the believer goes deeper into the reading and study of the book of Genesis. He will be able to understand more and more his identity as a daughter or son of God. In the same way, you will be able to experience what the Lord expects from those who make pacts with him, starting to have trust in God.
History or content of the Book of Genesis
The text of Genesis has a total of 50 chapters, which can be divided into two main stories or parts. The first part is commonly known as primitive history, Genesis chapters from 1 to 11. Where the origin of humanity is shown until reaching the life of Abraham. Then begins the second part that narrates the birth of the people of Israel, Genesis chapters from 12 to 50.
In this part the book narrates from the life of Abraham, Isaac to Jacob. All of them generational ancestors of the twelve Jewish tribes. Along with these ancestors, the character of Joseph, son of Jacob, also gains great importance. He being a symbolic figure on the manifestation of God provider. The text closes with the announcement of the Exodus. Next, a video is placed where the first part of the Genesis story is briefly recounted and at the end another with the second part.
Genesis 1–4
It represents the introduction to the book of Genesis. Here the way in which God carried out the creation of the sky, the Earth, every living being that is in it is narrated. As well as the creation of Adam and Eve, the disobedience committed by them, with the result of their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Adam's offspring begins.
Genesis 5–11
Because of the wickedness of humanity, God establishes to flood the Earth with the Deluge. Noah obeys the order given by God to build the ark, he and his family are saved from the Flood. The descendants of those who inhabited the ark multiply and fill the Earth. Jehovah God confuses the people with different languages. Peoples are scattered throughout the Earth. The Tower of Babel is built in Babylon.
Genesis 12–23
The promise of Jehovah God about Abram is established, saying that from him a great offspring will be born that will bless the Earth. Abram moves with his wife, Sarai, to Hebron, later to Egypt. Jehovah makes a covenant with Abram and changes his name to Abraham. In the same way with his wife's name Sarai is renamed Sara. God promises Sarah a son. Abraham's nephew Lot is saved from the destruction of Sodom. God's promise to Sarah is fulfilled and she gives birth to Isaac, when she is already old. God counts his faithfulness to Abraham as justice.
Genesis 24–26
Jehovah God gives revelation to his servant Abraham so that his son Isaac will choose Rebekah as his wife. From the new relationship Esau and Jacob are born. Esau relinquishes his birthright to his younger brother, and Jehovah renews Abraham's covenant with Isaac.
Genesis 27–36
Isaac blesses Jacob as the firstborn, his older brother Esau hates him and plans to kill him. The Lord renews the promise of Abraham and Isaac with Jacob. Then Jacob arrives at Laban and serves him to marry his daughters Leah and Rachel. The Lord appears to Jacob and tells him to be called Israel. Jacob returns to Canaan and makes peace with Esau. Israel travels to Bethel, there the Lord renews his covenant with Jacob. Israel has twelve sons and a daughter Dinah.
Genesis 37–50
Of the twelve sons, Jacob favors the youngest and youngest of the offspring, Joseph. Out of jealousy, the brothers sell Joseph as a slave. Joseph is taken to Egypt, with the consent of God because he was in his purpose. José is falsely accused and is imprisoned. In prison he interprets the cupbearer's dream and that of a servant of Pharaoh, later to Pharaoh himself. So Joseph is appointed ruler of Egypt. With this authority, Joseph prepares Egypt for the famine seen in the dream. Joseph's brothers go to Egypt, for provision of food. Joseph tests his brothers and forgives them. Jacob's family moves to Egypt and Jacob blesses his children. Joseph prophesies and dies in Egypt.
Theological Message
As its name indicates, the book of Genesis talks about origins, the beginning of the heavens, the earth and the light where only darkness existed. He also speaks of the creation of the sun, moon, stars, seas, animals, man and woman in the likeness of God, that is, all the creative power of God. But after everything related to creation, the foundations of society, marriage, family, civilization, etc. begin to be established. Likewise, the book of Genesis marks the beginning or entrance of sin into the world and establishes God's promise of redemption.
The book of Genesis is fundamental to the understanding of the rest of the biblical writings. It contains a valuable and summarized theological message of the general biblical message. Which is basically about the relationship between God and his creation, mainly the relationship of the Creator with man. The message is also monotheistic, it establishes the doctrine of the existence of only one God, deserving of all honor and worship. It affirms in the same way that all creation participates in the divine nature because God is inseparable from it. The doctrinal message of Genesis therefore rules out polytheism and atheism.
The book of Genesis gives sovereignty and authority to a single God over all creation. Having therefore the authority to exercise his unlimited power, omnipotent to annul traditions, purposes of humanity, remove and put according to his divine will.
Something very important to finish about the theological context of the book of genesis. It is that it teaches us about the beginnings of the pacts that God establishes with his chosen ones, with promises of love, fidelity, protection, provision and salvation. In the same way, God establishes in his covenants what he expects his chosen ones to do.
Book of Genesis: Literary Characteristics
This text is a prologue to the five books of the Mosaic Law, but so is the entire Old Testament. In it all the events take place throughout the dispensations of God towards the first man and the first patriarchs of the bible, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham. Events in fact, very relevant and significant as the creation, the entry of sin into the world, the flood, the promise of God with Abraham, among others. However, a text can have a better understanding if its structure and literary characteristics are known. In this opportunity we will see the characteristics and then how the book of Genesis is structured
Divided into sections, on Genealogies or lineages
Each of these sections is titled or begins depending on the version of the Bible that is read, with the word descendants, lineage or genealogy of a biblical character. This can be seen in Genesis 5:1, 6:9, 10:1, 11:10, 11:27, 25:12, 25:19, 36:9-10 and 37:2
The Life of the Second Son in Preference to the Firstborn
There is a literary aspect to the narrative of this text, and that is the importance of the birthright of sons in families. However, God's predilection of a second son before the firstborn is frequently repeated. Examples like:
- Seth before Cain
- Shem before Japheth
- Isaac before Ishmael
- Jacob on Esau
- Judas before all his other brothers
- Joseph the youngest, chosen by God before the older brothers
- Ephraim before Manasseh
This divine choosing of men from their families is a theological characteristic clearly evidenced in the text. Evidence that denotes that the outstanding of man does not come from his own nature, but from the divine anointing of God. The Lord manifests with this that from the fallen nature of man, he raises a new humanity totally consecrated to God. A people that is predestined to form the kingdom of God.
Numbers with Symbolic Meanings
Another characteristic that can be found in the narrative of the text is the repetition and frequent use of certain numbers. Representing a symbolic meaning in this way, these numbers are:
- Seven
- Ten
- Desserts
- Forty
- Seventy
Narrative Prose
The literary form used in the book of Genesis is mostly narrative prose. With some narrative passages in the form of short poems. The longest of these poems is what is known as the blessing of Jacob, in Genesis 49:2-27
Better are the blessings of your father, Than those of the mountains of old, Than the abundance of the eternal hills.
May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph,
On the forehead of the chosen among his brothers!
Genesis 49:26 (NIV)
The narrative prose of this text is rich in lyrics and figurative language, with one of the finest literatures that can exist. Genesis 3:6
6 The woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good to eat, and that it looked good and was desirable for gaining wisdom, so she took some of its fruit and ate. She then she gave to her husband, and he also ate. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they became aware of her nakedness. Therefore, to cover themselves they interwoven fig leaves.
It is inspired by God
There is no doubt for the believer that the book of Genesis and all the texts of the Bible are inspired by God. It is no coincidence that relational literary form can be found from the Old to the New Testaments. Neither does the relationship between Genesis and Revelation; the beginning and the end. Nor is it a coincidence that much of the biblical characters in the first three chapters of Genesis. They figure in the last three chapters of the apocalyptic text. It is a whole narrative so finely intertwined, that we can only feel amazed at such a predominance of the Lord.
The Lord himself is the one who shows us that all sacred writing is inspired by God. That men when writing spoke of God inspired by his Holy Spirit. 2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness,
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2 Peter 1:21 (NIV) 21 For prophecy did not originate from human will, but the prophets spoke from God, moved by the Holy Spirit.
All these literary characteristics are of great interest to the text and provide signs for its interpretation.
Structure and organization of the Book of Genesis
The book of genesis can be said to have two ways of being structured. One of them is regarding the literary context of what is narrated about the Jewish lineage and generations. And a second way of organizing it in terms of the topics covered in the text. Let's look at each of these schemes below.
Literary Structure
From the literary point of view and as could already be seen in the characteristics mentioned above. The book of genesis is organized or divided into sections that mention the lineage or generations of the first men of the Jewish culture. In this sense, the schematic structure is as follows:
- The introduction, from Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:3
- The body of the text, from Genesis 2:4 to Genesis 50:26. The body is divided into 10 sections on genealogies namely:
- The man in the earthly paradise, Genesis 2:4 – 4:26
- Lineage of Adam, Genesis 5:1 – 6:8
- The Line of Noah, Genesis 6:9 – 9:29
- Lineage of Shem, Ham and Japheth Genesis 10:1 – 11:9
- Shem his Lineage, Genesis 11:10-26
- Lineage of Terah, Genesis 11:27 – 25:11
- Genealogy of the son of Abraham: Ishmael, Genesis 25:12-18
- Isaac the lineage of the son of Abraham, Genesis 25:19 – 35:29
- The Lineage of Esau, Genesis 36:1 – 37:1
- Lineage of Jacob, Genesis 37:2 – 50:26
Book of Genesis – Thematic Structure
Regarding the structuring of the book of genesis according to the theme. The text deals with three main themes that are: The creation, the original or primitive history and the history of the patriarchs. Each of these themes is further subdivided into more specific sub-themes. So this way of organizing genesis goes deeper than the previous one, which is quite generic.
The Creation, Genesis 1:1 – 2:3
The theme of creation comprises the entire chapter 1 of the book of genesis, plus three verses of the second. Throughout 34 verses, the author, inspired by the Holy Spirit, shows us God as the sole creator and Lord of all that exists through writing. Genesis 2:1-3 (NIV)
1-3 Thus God finished the creation of heaven and earth and everything that exists, and on the seventh day he rested. God blessed that day and set it apart for all to worship.
Original or Primitive History, Genesis 2:4 – 11:26
From chapter two to eleven, the book of genesis walks through eight sub-themes that go from the history of man in paradise to the beginning of the expansion of nations on earth. Subtopics that are further subdivided into even more specific topics. The schematic structure of the topic of early history is shown below:
- Adam and Eve in Eden, Genesis 2:4-25
- The Fall and Its Consequences, Genesis 3
- The Progress of Sin, Genesis 4:1-16
- The Genealogy of Cain, Genesis 4:17-26
- The Genealogy of Seth, Genesis 5
- God's Response to Human Wilderness, Genesis 6:1-8
- The Great Flood, Genesis 6:9 – 9:29 Theme that is divided in turn into:
- Preparation for the Flood, Genesis 6:9 – 7:10
- Judgment and Redemption – The rising of the waters, Genesis 7:11-24
- Judgment and Redemption – The descent of the waters, Genesis 8:1-19
- A New Promise, Genesis 8:20-22
- Renewed Blessings and New Ordinances, Genesis 9:1-7
- A new relationship, Genesis 9:8-17
- A new temptation, Genesis 9:18-23
- The final word, Genesis 9:24-29
- The Expansion of the Nations, Genesis 10:1 – 11:26, a topic that is divided into three more specific ones:
- The spread of the nations, Genesis 10
- The confusion of languages, Genesis 11:1-9
- The first Semitic genealogy, Genesis 11:10-26
Patriarchal History, Genesis 11:27 – 50:26
The third main theme of the book of Genesis concerns the lives of the early patriarchs of the Christian Bible; Abraham and Jacob. Five main themes are developed in this part of the book, ranging from the life of Abraham through the descendants of Ishmael, the life of Jacob, the descendants of Esau and the life of Joseph. Here is a schematic summary of this part of the text:
- The life of Abraham, Genesis 11:27 – 25:11, a theme that is divided into four stages of the patriarch:
- Story of Abraham, Genesis 11:27-32
- The call and response of Abraham, Genesis chapters 12 to 14
- Abraham's faith and the covenant with God, Genesis chapters 15 to 22
- Final Acts of Abraham, Genesis 23:1 – 25:11
- Descendants of Ishmael, Genesis 25:12-18
- The Life of Jacob, Genesis 25:19 – 35:29, this theme is subdivided into three stages of the patriarch:
- Jacob at home, Genesis 25:19 – 27:46
- The patriarch Jacob on a journey, Genesis chapters 28 to 30
- Jacob home again, Genesis chapters 31 to 35
- The Descendants of Esau, Genesis 36:1 – 37:1
- The life of Joseph, Genesis 37:2 – 50:26, divided into four subtopics:
- The Career of Joseph, Genesis 37:2 – 41:57
- Jacob's migration, Genesis chapters 42 to 47
- The final days of Jacob, Genesis 48:1 – 50:14
- The final days of Joseph, Genesis 50:15-26
Key Verses of the Book of Genesis
Of the entire structure or conformation of the text of Genesis, the following key verses stand out about the origin of humanity and the world, such as:
- God is the beginning of everything: Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth
- We are the image and likeness of God: Genesis 1:26 And God said: We create man in our image, according to our likeness
- Male and female he created them: Genesis 1:27
- God shows the principle of what would be the sacrifice of giving one's life for the life of others, Genesis 22
- The first sign of God's promise of redemption against the forces of evil is shown, Genesis 3:15. It is recommended to also read Romans 16:17-20
- Shows the deepest concept of the meaning of faith, Genesis 15:6. The 11th chapter of Hebrews on the heroes of the faith, refers to the characters of the book of Genesis.
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