Book Name: Genesis
Testament: Old
Category: Pentateuch
Key Phrase: Prelude to Israel and the Patriarchs
Key Idea: The Beginnings and Ancestors of Israel's Faith
Author: Several Old Testament and New Testament books name Moses as the author as well as Jewish tradition.
Title: The title Genesis came from the Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint, the Hebrew text originally title the book after text from the first verse, "In the beginning".
People to Meet:
Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Lot, Hagar, Ishmael, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, Laban, Rachel, Esau, Joseph
Written: 1445-1405 B.C.
Period: Late Bronze Age
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Setting for the Book:
The setting for the book of Genesis is the middle east, the stories in Genesis stretch from Ur of the Chaldeans what became ancient Babylon down the Sinai peninsula through Palestine and into Egypt. The word Genesis means beginnings and the Book of Genesis is about the beginnings of everything. The beginning of life, of nations and of God's redemptive plan for mankind.
Who Was it Written To:
Children of Israel would later become the nation of Israel.
Overview:
Genesis tells the story of God's purpose and plan for his creation. Genesis means beginning or origin and it explains how everything started. Genesis unfolds the record of the beginning of the world, of human history, of family, of civilization, of salvation. We see how God created the universe, how people, plants and animals were created and placed in a perfect environment. Genesis explains how sin began and corrupted man and his world. This book tells how God decided to deal with sin; Genesis explains the beginning of languages, arts and customs. Genesis also discusses the emergence of other nations and the development of the Hebrew peoples starting with Abraham, then Isaac, Jacob, the book ends with the life of Joseph and his family in Egypt where they grow in to a great peoples group and this is where the Book of Exodus begins with the birth of Israel as a nation. This book also explains pre and post flood conditions of mankind and the earth. The Book of Genesis was written by Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, which is supported by both Biblical and extra biblical evidence, along with Jewish and Christian history.
Theme:
God created a perfect world; however man's sin placed the world under a curse. This is where begins the revelation of God's plan to save mankind through His Son. Genesis shows God's ultimate control and how God can work things out for good for the sake of His people and those who believe in Him. Genesis has several parts the first part chapter's one through eleven serve as a prologue or introduction and the second part in chapters twelve through fifty we see events unfold. We see through out Genesis God's sovereignty and control and His ultimate blessings on those who follow and believe on Him. Some of the main concepts in Genesis include the concept that there is only one true God, and that this same God who created the heavens also intervened in the life of Abraham and his family. We see the concept of a sinful fallen man and read how man became so wicked God spared only Noah and his family. Through this we see the need for salvation and how salvation can only come from a Holy God and that man apart from God can not bring about his own salvation.
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