The Book of Genesis

Introductory Notes
Dr. Ronald B. Allen

The Book of Genesis should be thought of as a biped, a book in two parts. The first,
shorter part may be termed The Prologue (chs. 1-11).

In the grand prologue we read of the creation of the heavens and the earth, the great
acts of God which culminate in His finest work, the creation of man as male and female.
These chapters are the "first beginnings" in the Bible, the necessary background for the
principal story.

The second, longer part may be termed Beginnings (chs. 12-

50). It is here where we read of God's gracious covenant with
Abraham (and Sarah); these stories form the true beginning of the
Bible story.

Notes on the Book of Genesis, Allen Page 1

 THE BOOK OF GENESIS--PART ONE

A SHORT INTRODUCTION

There is a sense in which we may say that the Bible has two beginnings. The first

beginning is this section, chapters 1-11 of Genesis. These chapters are the Prologue to the Bible

as a whole, as well as the prologue to the Book of Genesis. The second beginning is in Genesis

12-50 (below). It is there that the record is begun of God's dealings with the people whom He

fashioned to be the nation Israel, the people of God—the family from which the Savior would

one day come.

The first beginning (chs. 1-11) serves to help the reader to comprehend the magnitude of
the events of chapters 12-50, God’s working in the lives of a particular family to bring about His
will among the nations.

One needs to know that the God who bursts into the lives of Abram and Sarai is the

Creator of the universe. This is no petty deity of man's feeble imagination, no idol worshiped by

tarnished souls. He is the living Yahweh, the Creator, Savior—On1y God.

Second, one needs to know that all of humanity is in a state of rebellion against Him and

against His will. This state of sinfulness is the enduring result of the rebellion of our first

Notes the Book of Genesis, Allen Page 2

parents at the dawn of time (see Rom. 5:12, "because all sinned").

Third, one needs to know that God has brought judgment on mankind, both individually

and collectively, from the earliest period. One judgment, the great primeval flood, nearly

destroyed all human life on the earth. Yet God in His mercy spared one family and through that

family made yet a new beginning among people.

Fourth, one needs to know that the descendants of the second family fared as poorly as

those of the first. The children of Noah were as sinful as those of Adam. This time, God brought

judgment in terms of diversity of language, and subsequent racial, ethnic, and social distinctions.

Thus, the world at the time of Abram and Sarai was populated by a broad spectrum of
people groups, each with their own languages, customs, mores, and beliefs. None of these
people groups truly worshiped the LORD; each had developed its own system of imaginary gods.
Over each was a threat of ultimate divine judgment.

But instead of bringing that judgment immediately, God in His great mercy, began anew
with a new family. This family was an elderly man and woman, just another pair of idolaters.
But in Abram and Sarai God began His story of redemption.
We need to read the Prologue (chs. 1-11) to fix in our minds the grand setting for the

principal storyline of the Bible.

This is the great trailing script that sometimes is found at the beginning of a film that has an

unusual historical setting. Only with that trailing script in mind is one able to enter into the story.

Notes on the Book of Genesis, R. B. Page 3

 THE PROLOGUE OF THE BIBLE

THE STORIES OF THE EARLIEST BEGINNINGS

Genesis 1-11—Outline.

I. The stories of Creation and the Fall 1:1—3:24

A. The first story of Creation, moving from the creation of light to the formation of
mankind 1:1—2:3
1. The title of the story 1:1

2. The description of chaos 1:2

3. The first day: the formation of light 1:3-5

4. The second day: the creation of the firmament that divides the waters 1:6-8

5. The third day: formation of the dry land and the creation of vegetation 1:9-13

6. The fourth day: the creation of luminaries of heaven 1:14-19

7. The fifth day: the creation of fish and birds 1:20-23

8. The sixth day: the creation of animals and mankind 1:24-31

a. The creation of animal life 1:24, 25

b. The creation of mankind 1:26-28

c. The divine evaluation of creation 1:29-31
9. The seventh day: God rests from His work 2:1-3

B. The second story of Creation, focusing on the creation of mankind as male and female

2: 4-25

1. The antecedents of God's garden 2:4-7

Notes the Book of Genesis, Allen Page 4

 2. A description of God's garden 2:8, 9

3. The location of God's garden 2:10-14

4. The rules of God's garden 2:15-17

5. The people of God's garden 2:18-25

C. The story of the Fall of mankind and God's judgment on our first parents 3: 1-24

1. The temptation 3:1-6

2. Fear and fright 3:7, 8

3. The discovery 3:9-13

4. The curse of Yahweh on the serpent 3:14, 15

5. The declaration of Yahweh to the woman 3:16

6. The declaration of Yahweh to the man 3:17-19

7. The aftermath of disaster 3:20-24

11. The stories of the family of Adam and Eve 4:1—5:32

Notes on the Book of Genesis, R. B. Page 5

 A. The stories of Cain and Abel 4:1-25

1. The births of Cain and Abel 4:1, 2

2. The sacrifices of the brothers 4:3-7

3. Cain murders his brother 4:8-15

4. The family of Cain 4: 16-24

5. A new son in the family 4:25, 26

B. The family history of Adam and Eve 5:1-32

111. The stories of the Great Flood 6:1—9:29

A. Prologue: The story of the sons of God and the daughters of men 6:1-4

B. The sinfulness of mankind, yet God's mercy extends to the family of Noah 6:5-22
1. The announcement of divine judgment with mercy extended only to Noah 6:
5-8

2. The description of Noah in the context of wicked men 6:9-12

3. The preparation of the ark and the commands respecting animals 6:13-21
4. The report of Noah's compliance 6:22

C. The raging waters of the great Flood 7:1-24

1. The Lord's final commands to Noah 7:1-6
a. The instruction to Noah, just prior to the coming of the great Flood 7:
1-4

b. The obedience of Noah to the instruction of the Lord 7:5-6

2. Noah and his family enter the ark 7:7-16

3. The waters of the great Flood 7:17-24

D. The abating of the waters of the great Flood 8:1-22

Notes on the Book of Genesis, B. Page 6

 1. The resting of the ark 8:1-5

2. The sending of the birds 8:6-12

3. The Flood is past 8:13, 14

4. The release from the Lord 8:15-19

5. Noah's worship and Yahweh's promise 8:20-22

E. The promises of God and the stories of Noah following the great Flood 9: 1-29

1 . God renews and expands the original promises to Noah and his family that

He had first given to Adam and Eve 9 :1-7

2. God establishes His covenant with Noah with the rainbow as its sign 9:8-17

3 . The stories of Noah following the great Flood 9:18-29

a. The family of Noah 9:18, 19

b. The shame of Noah 9:20-23

c. The curse on Canaan 9:24-27

d. The death of Noah 9:28, 29

IV. The stories about the early nations 10:1—11:32

A. The family history of Noah 10:1-32

1. Introduction—The sons of Noah 10: 1

2. The descendants of Japheth 10:2-5

3. The descendants of Ham 10:6-20

4. The descendants of Shem 10:21-31

5. Conclusion: the nations of the earth 10:32

Notes on the Book of Genesis, Page 7

 B. The story of the Tower of Babel 11:1-9

C. The family history of Shem 11:10-26

D. The family history of Terah, the father of Abram 11:27-32

Many years ago, as we were planning The Nelson Study Bible, Dr. Ralph Winter of the

Fuller Theological Seminary suggested that in the printing of the second part of the Book of

Genesis, we might have a page in which there was the image of a young tribal girl, perhaps from a

Dayak tribe in Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia. Then there might be the words, "To All the Nations."

That is, the force of this section heading is that from Abram who fathered the Hebrew nation,

Notes on the Book of Genesis, Page 8

God's blessings may now come to this tribal girl in Borneo.

Notes on the Book of Genesis, Page 9

 THE BOOK OF GENESIS--PART TWO

A SHORT INTRODUCTION

There is a sense in which we may say that the Bible has two beginnings. One beginning
includes the stories of Creation, the Fall, the great Flood and the tower of Babel. These first
chapters of the Book of Genesis (chs. 1-11) form the Prologue to the Bible. The second beginning
includes the stories of God' s dealings with the first families of God's redemptive program (chs.
12-50). These are the families of Abraham and Sarah, of Isaac and Rebekah, of Jacob and his
wives Leah and Rachel, of their twelve sons, and particularly of Joseph. These stories are basic
human stuff. They record the loves and hatreds, the births and deaths, the struggles and triumphs
of real people. But these stories have something more. They feature the accounts of the
intervention of God in the lives of these people. God bursts into the lives of an older, childless
couple who were just another set of idolaters in an age of idolatry. God made enormous demands
on this man and woman, but He promised as well enormous rewards. Indeed, God's plan of
salvation would begin in the lives of a man named Abram and his wife whose name was Sarai.
They would leave everything they ever knew and break every tie they ever had. In return, they
would become the founders of a new nation, Israel—the Jewish people. From that nation would
come the Savior, not only of this family, but of all the nations and peoples of the earth.

Here in Genesis 12 is where the Bible really begins. This is the beginning of God 's
salvation history. Here are the roots of the Gospel. Here is the declaration of God's promise. Here
is the only true hope for the world.

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 THE STORIES OF GOD'S DEALINGS WITH HIS PEOPLE

THE FATHERS AND MOTHERS OF BIBLICAL FAITH

GENESIS 12-50

AN OUTLINE

PART ONE: The Stories of Abraham and Sarah Genesis 12:1—25:35

Note: observe the numerous sections on Yahweh’s Covenant with Abraham; and include the
texts on Yahweh’s founding Promises to Abraham.

A. The stories of Abraham and Sarah and their early experiences in the land of Canaan 12:1—

15:21

1. Yahweh’s Call and Blessing on Abram (Abraham) (God 's Promise, part one) 12:1-3.
2. Abram’s journey of obedience to Canaan 12:4-9
3. Abram’s sojourn in Egypt 12:10-20.
4. Abram’s return to Canaan and separation from Lot (God's promise, part two) 13:1-
18
5. Abram’s rescue of Lot from the kings of the east 14:1-17
6. Abram’s encounter with Melchizedek of Salem 14:18-20
7. Abram’s rebuke of the king of Sodom 14:21-24

8. Yahweh establishes His covenant with Abram (Abraham) concerning his seed and his

land—The Abrahamic Covenant—part one 15:1-21

a. The Lord renews His promise that Abraham will have many descendants 15:
1-6

Notes on the Book of Genesis, R. Page 11

 b. The Lord had Abraham prepare for the rite of covenant 15:7-11
c. The Lord delineates the future history of Abraham and his people 15:12-16
d. The Lord initiates His covenant promise to Abraham for the land of Israel

15: 17-21

B. The stories of Abraham and Sarah in their quest for a son 16:1—22:24

1 . The birth of Abram's (Abraham t s) son Ishmael by Hagar, the maid of Sarah 16:1-15

2 . Yahweh renews His covenant with Abram, changing his name to Abraham, and
reconfirming a son through Sarah—The Abrahamic Covenant—part two 17:1-27

3 . Yahweh renews His covenant with Abraham, reconfirming His promise to Sarah—
The Abrahamic Covenant—part three 18:1-15

4 . Yahweh' s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah—-The stories of Lot's sinful

entanglements 18:16—19:38
a. Abraham's intercession for the cities 18:16-33

b. Lot's misadventures in the city of Sodom 19:1-11

c. Yahweh's destruction of the cities 19:12-29

d. The family of Lot 19:30-38

5. Abraham' s misadventure with Abimelech, king of Gerar 20:1-18

6. The birth of Isaac, the promised son of Abraham and Sarah 21:1-7

7. The banishment of Hagar and Ishmael 21:8-21

8. Abraham's covenants with Abimelech 21:22-34

9. The Binding of Isaac, Abraham's greatest test from the Lord—The Abrahamic

Covenant, part four 22:1-19

10. Interleaf: The family of Nahor, the brother of Abraham 22:20-24

Notes on the Book of Genesis, Page 12

C. The stories of the last days of Abraham and Sarah 23:1—25:34

1. The notice of the death and burial of Sarah 23:1-20

2. The servant of Abraham discovers Rebekah as the wife for Isaac 24:1-67
a. The servant of Abraham is solemnly charged 24:1-9

b. The servant's prayer of faith 24:10-14

c. The servant 's encounter with Rebekah 24:15-21

d. The servant 's recognition of God's answer to his prayer 24:22-28

e. The servant meets Laban 24:29-31

f. The servant recounts his adventure to Laban 24:32-49

Notes on the Book of Genesis, R. Allen Page 13

 g. The servant receives permission to take Rebekah back to Abraham and Isaac

24:50-60

h. The servant brings Rebekah to Isaac 24:61-67

3. The notice of Abraham's sons by Keturah 25:1-6

4. The notice of the death and burial of Abraham 25:7-11

5. Interleaf: The genealogy of Ishmael 25:12-18

6. The early stories of Esau and Jacob 25:19-34

a. The births of Esau and Jacob 25:19-26

b. The early rivalry of Esau and Jacob 25:27, 28

c. The sale of Esau's birthright to Jacob 25:29—34

PART TWO: The stories of Isaac and Rebekah continue 26:1—27: 45

A. The stories of Isaac and Abimelech 26:1-33

1. The relationship between Isaac and Abimelech 26:1-22

a. Yahweh's word and promise to Isaac 26:1-5

b. Isaac's sojourn in Gerar 26:6-22

1. Yahweh renews His covenant with Isaac—The Abrahamic
Covenant—part five 26:23-25

2. The covenant between Isaac and Abimelech 26:26-33

3. Interleaf: The wives of Esau 26: 34, 35

B. The blessings of Isaac on his sons Jacob and Esau 27:1-45

1. Isaac's "stolen" blessing 27:1-29

Notes on the Book of Genesis, B. Allen Page 14

 2. Esau's secondary blessing 27:30-40

3. Esau's scheme to murder Jacob 27:41-45

PART THREE: The intertwining stories of Jacob and Esau 27:46—36:43

A. Jacob is sent to Laban to find a wife 27:46—28:5

B. Esau marries a daughter of Ishmael 28:6-9

C. Yahweh's self-revelation to Jacob at Bethel 28:10-22

D. Jacob's family stories 29:1—30: 24

1. Jacob meets Rachel 29:1-14

2. Jacob serves Laban for Leah and Rachel 29:15-30

3. Jacob's family by Leah and Rachel, and their two servants, Bilhah and Zilpah

29:31—30: 24

a. Four sons born to Leah 29:31-35

b. Two sons born to Bilhah, Rachel 's maid 30:1-8

c. Two sons born to Zilpah, Leah's maid 30:9-13

d. Two sons and a daughter born to Leah 30:14-21

e. One son born to Rachel 30:22-24

E. Jacob's dealings with Laban in Padan Aram 30: 25—31:55

1. Jacob 's agreement with Laban concerning livestock 30:25-43

Notes the Book of Genesis, B. Page 15

 2. Jacob's flight from Laban with his livestock and family 31:1-42

3. Jacob and Laban make a covenant 31:43-55

F. Jacob and Esau come to terms 32 :1—33:20

1. Jacob's fear at the approach of Esau 32:1-21

2. Jacob wrestles the divine stranger 32:22-32

3. Jacob's reuniting with his brother Esau 33:1-17

4. Jacob arrives in 33:18-20

G. The story of Dinah and her brothers 34:1-31

H. The story of the last days of Isaac 35:1-29

1 The journey of Jacob to Bethel 35:1-8

2 Yahweh renews His covenant with Isaac—The Abrahamic
Covenant—part six 35:9-15

3 The notice of the death and burial of Rachel 35:16-20

4 The incident of Reuben and Bilhah 35: 21, 22

5 The listing of Jacob's twelve sons 35:23-26

6 The death and burial of Isaac 35:27—29

I. The family records of Esau 36:1—43

1. The family of Esau 36:1-14

2. The chiefs of Edom 36:15-19

3. The sons of Seir 36: 20-30

4. The kings of Edom 36: 31-39

5. The chiefs of Esau 36: 40-43

Notes on the Book of Genesis, B. Page 16

PART FOUR: The story of Joseph, with two interludes, the account of Judah and Tamar and
the conclusion of the story of Jacob 37:1—50:36

A. Joseph's Dreams Lead to a Family Nightmare 37:1-36

1 The Dreams of Young Joseph 37:1-11

2 The Plot Against Young Joseph 37:12-36

B. Interlude A: Judah and Tamar 38:1-30

1 Judah's makes Canaanite relationships 38:1-11

2 Judah's behavior with Tamar his daughter-in-law 38:12-23
3 Judah's confession of Tamar's more righteous acts 38:24-26

4 Judah's new family through Tamar 38: 27-30

C. Joseph's Humiliation in Egypt 39:1—40:23

1 Joseph a slave to Potiphar 39:1-18

2 Joseph in prison 39:19-23

3 Joseph interprets prisoners ' dreams 40:1-23

D. Joseph's Exaltation in Egypt 41

1. Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams 41:1-36

2. Joseph made a ruler in Egypt 41:37-57

F. Joseph reunites with his brothers and his father 42—47

1. Joseph's brothers come to Egypt for grain 42:24

Notes the Book of Genesis, B. Page 17

 2. Joseph’s brothers return to Canaan 42:25-38

3. Joseph's brothers return to Egypt with Benjamin 43:1-34

4. Joseph tests his brothers 44:1-17

5. Judah begs Joseph for mercy respecting Benjamin 44:18-34

6. Joseph and his brothers reconcile 45:1-28
7. Jacob and his family join Joseph in Egypt 46:1—7:12
a. Jacob and his family worship God at Beersheba 46:1-7

b. The roster of the family of Jacob 46:8-27

c. The family of Jacob settle in Goshen 46:28-47:12

8. Joseph manages the famine crises in Egypt 47:13-26

9. Joseph promises Jacob he will be buried in Canaan 47:27-31

F. Interlude Two: The Last Days of Jacob 48:1—50:14

1. Jacob blesses Joseph's sons 48:1-22

2. Jacob blesses his sons 49:1-28

3. Jacob dies after the promise of burial in Canaan 49:29-33

4. Jacob is buried in Canaan 50:1-14

G. The Last Days of Joseph 50:15-26

Notes on the Book of Genesis, B. Page 18

 Appendix: Tôledôt

"These are the Generations of . . ."

[This csection needs to be revised for clarity, but it does

present the basid issues.]

The Book of Genesis in terms of its composition is widely believed to be made of twelve
sections: an unmarked initial section followed by eleven sections that have the heading in
English translations, "These are the generations of," followed by a named person (or
subject). The Hebrew word so translated is tôledôt. ‫תּ ֹוְלד ֹות‬
Today, many prefer to translate the word tôledôt as "family histories."1

Many scholars regard the use of this term in eleven significant sections in the
Book of Genesis as the major key to understanding how the book was written. The writer /
compiler of Genesis (presumably Moses) used family histories that had been passed down
through time as the written sources for this great composition. This term signifies the
compositional structure of the book is as follows:

1. Creation (1:1—2:3)—(the term is not used here.)

2. Tôledôt of the heavens and the earth (2:4—4:26).
3. Tôledôt of Adam (5:1—6:8).
4. Tôledôt of Noah (6:9—9:29).
5. Tôledôt of Shem, Ham, and Japheth (10:1—11:9).
6. Tôledôt of Shem (11:10-26).
7. Tôledôt of Terah (11:27—32).
8. Tôledôt of Ishmael (25:12-18).
9. Tôledôt of Isaac (25:19-20).
10. Tôledôt of Esau, father of the Edomites (36:1-43; see 36:1, 9).
11. Tôledôt of Jacob (37:2)

There is little question as to the fact of the tôledôtal composition"2 of the Book of Genesis.
For example, Allen P. Ross makes a fine case for making much of the term tôledôt in
one's understanding of the Book of Genesis.3 Still, there remain some questions as to the
usefulness this factor provides for the modern reader of the book.

This rendering works well for instances except for the first. "These are the family
histories of the heavens and the earth" in Genesis 2:4 seems a bit odd.
 2
No letters please; I know this "word" looks ugly.

3
Allen P. Ross, "Genesis," in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament,
ed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books / SP Publications,
1985), 22-26.

Here are some of the complicating factors:

The number twelve is significant in biblical patterning; but one may observe
that the term tôledôt is actually used only eleven times as a heading; the
first section lacks the term.1

There may also be a question as to whether the term tôledôt is used eleven
times or ten times in a significant manner. It appears to be rather strange
that the word tôledôt is used in connection with Esau's name in 36:1 and
again in 36:9. Is it possible that the occurrence of the word in 36:9 is
repetitive but not substantial? If so, are there really just ten significant uses
of the word? That is, would not it be possible that the whole section (36:1-
43) forms the family history of Esau?

'/ A number of scholars argue that the term tôledôt in Genesis comes at the
conclusion of a section (as a colophon) rather than serving as a heading for
a section.2 There are problems with this view as well; one may wonder how
Esau might have preserved the family history of Isaac (which would have
been the case if the words of 36:1 look back to 25:19, 20.

v/ When one focuses on the traditional understanding of the tôledôt sections,

there appears to be a disproportionate emphasis on Esau who has two
(albeit short) sections (see sections # 10 and #11), corresponding with a
surprising lack of emphasis on such a worthy as Abraham (whose name is
not mentioned in the lists at all!).

Further, to emphasize the designation "the tôledôt of Terah" (11:27-32)

which gives the story of Abraham, might be to mislead the reader from
grasping the great biblical emphasis that Abram (Abraham) left his father's
family structures in order to establish the new family of Israel. To call the

1
If the term tôledôt refers to written family histories, the lack of this term
with the creation text of Genesis 1:1-2:3 might be quite appropriate, as this grand
text would not have been a "family history" but a revelation to Moses.

In this view, the term tôledôt in Genesis 2:4 refers to Genesis 1:1-2:3 as a
2

capsule conclusion, rather than as the heading of a new section (Gen. 2:4-4:26) —
a rather natural use of the word, it would seem. However, since the last use of
the word tôledôt in Genesis is in Genesis 37:2, there is no colophon at the end of
the book (50:26) in this view (which also seems a bit odd).
 family history of Abraham "the tôledôt of Terah" seems to weaken the
point of Abraham's departure.

v/ The family history of Jacob (37:2-50:26) features the life of Joseph; much
of Jacob's own story is in the section designated "Isaac" (section # 9).

Most importantly for our purposes, a focus on the tôledôt compositional

sections may weaken one's sense of the bifid nature of the content of
Genesis (see the preceding notes), and perhaps lessen the importance
inherent in the four grand events in Genesis 1-11 and the four grand
persons emphasized in Genesis 12-50.

In Summary: The importance of the term tôledôt (and the sections this word
represents) in the composition of the Book of Genesis is certainly to be acknowledged.
Yet the concept seems to present numerous questions as to how this actually might have
worked. Moreover, in practical terms, the usage of these ideas in the exegesis and
exposition of the book may be more problematic than helpful.

24