BIBLE STUDY --- BOOKS OF THE TORAH

THE BOOK OF GENESIS – PART 1

First book of the Bible.

NAME

The name Genesis comes into English as a transliteration of the Greek word meaning “origin” or “beginning.” This name was given to the book in the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, known as the Septuagint. Genesis reflects both the content of the book and the Hebrew name for it, which is taken from its first word, Bereshit, “in the beginning.”

AUTHOR

The authorship of Genesis is closely related to the authorship of the entire Torah {lit. “five-volumed,” the first five books of the Bible, which in Hebrew are called the Torah}. It is clear that the Bible regards the human author of these books as Moses. On several occasions Adonai commanded Moses to write down various things: “in a book” {Exodus 17:14} “write these words” {34:27}. The Torah reports that “Moses wrote all the words of Adonai” {24:4}; he wrote the itinerary of the exodus wanderings {Numbers 33:2}; “Moses wrote this Law” {Deuteronomy 31:9}. {Here it is not certain that all five books are meant, but it must refer to at least the greater part of Deuteronomy.} In Exodus 24:7 it is said that Moses read the Book of the Covenant, which he must have just completed. The rest of the Old Testament bears witness to the writing of the Torah by Moses. David referred to “the Law of Moses” {1 Kings 2:3}. In the time of Josiah, there was found in the temple the “Book of the Law of Adonai… given through Moses” {2 Chronicles 34:14}. Day by day Ezra read from “the Book of the Law of YHVH” {Nehemiah 8:18}. In the New Testament, Yeshua refers to “the book of Moses” {Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37} and otherwise mentions the commands or statements of Moses {Matthew 8:4; 19:8; Mark 7:10; cf. Luke 16:31; 24:44}. The Jews also quoted from the Torah as coming from Moses, and Yeshua did not contradict them. Of Genesis in particular, it may be said that Moses had the opportunity and ability to write the book. He could have written it during his years in Egypt or while exiled with the Kenites. As the recognized leader of the Israelites, he would have had access to, or perhaps even custody of, the records that Jacob brought from Canaan. He was “instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” {Acts 7:22} and probably could have written in several languages and in several scripts {hieroglyphic, cuneiform, Old Hebrew}. Although Moses was admirably fitted for the task of writing, one must remember that he was not putting together a human composition but was writing under the inspiration of YHVH {2 Peter 1:21}. We may with confidence conclude that Moses was the human author of Genesis. The liberal view of the authorship of Genesis is that the book is an editorial composite -- a view first put forward by a French physician, Jean Astruc, who suggested that the different names for YHVH indicated different documents or sources for the writing of the book. The German higher critics expanded the view of the use of documents in the writing of Genesis and developed it into the Graf-Wellhausen-Kuenen, or Documentary, Hypothesis, which may also be called the JEDP theory of the authorship of the book. This view holds that there were four basic documents:

1 -- J, which uses the name Jehovah for YHVH, dates from about the ninth century BC and comes from Judah;
2 -- E uses the name Elohim, dates from the eighth century, and comes from the northern kingdom;
3 -- D is Deuteronomy and is supposed to come from the time of Josiah, about 621 BC; and
4 -- P is the priestly element, which deals with matters of the priesthood and ritual, dating to the fifth century BC or later.

Some may date portions of Genesis as late as the Hellenistic period. According to this theory, the various documents were blended together by editors, so that there was a JE, JED, and so on. The science of archaeology discredited many of the extreme postulations of these critics, and the work of W. F. Albright and his followers did much to restore confidence in the historicity of Genesis. Within the last several decades, the patriarchal narratives and the account of Joseph have again come under strong attack, but these views are extreme, and much of the evidence adduced by Albright and earlier scholars like R. D. Wilson, W. H. Green, and others still has validity.

DATE

The date of the book is also a matter of debate. Even among those who accept Mosaic authorship there is debate as to when Moses lived. Based on the biblical data, Moses should have lived in the 15th century BC {cf. Judges 11:26; 1 Kings 6:1}, but many scholars incline toward a 13th-century date. As outlined above, the liberal view of the date of Genesis would be from the ninth to the fifth centuries BC, with the final editing coming around the fifth century or perhaps even later.

PURPOSE

Genesis sketches the origin of many things: the universe, the earth, plants, animals, and mankind. It gives the beginnings of human institutions, professions, and crafts. It describes the origin of sin and death, and illustrates the insidious working of satan in human life. Above all, Genesis relates the beginning of the history of redemption with the announcement of a Redeemer who was to come {Genesis 3:15}. It names the early progenitors in the lineage of the Moshiach and the beginning of the Hebrew people through whom the Bible and the Saviour came. Genesis also gives a selective history of people and events as viewed from the perspective of the purposes of YHVH.

STRUCTURE

The book is divided into 11 parts of uneven length, each set off by the expression “these are the generations [descendants, history] of” {2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10, 27; 25:12, 19; 36:1; 37:2}. Only three times does the formula coincide with the first verse of a chapter. Usually called a heading or superscription, the expression serves as a kind of link between what precedes and what follows.

THE CREATION {1:1–2:25}

These two chapters have been a scientific-theological battleground for many years, as researchers and students have tried to probe the origins of the universe and of life. Much of the evidence is not subject to scientific scrutiny, for science by definition requires that the evidence must be reproducible by experiment. The statement of Genesis 1:1 remains the grandest, most precise, and most accurate statement of origins: “In the beginning YHVH created the heavens and the earth.” He did this ex-nihilo {“out of nothing”} by his word {Hebrews 11:3}; he spoke the word of command and it was done {Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20; Psalm 33:6, 9}. The date of the beginning is unknown. Uniformitarian cosmogonists {students of the origins of the universe who believe that natural events have always followed a uniform pattern; cf. 2 Peter 3:3-7} have speculated that the beginning of the universe was billions of years ago. But some creationists posit a world thousands of years old. To accommodate geological ages and the existence of extinct animals, some interpreters have proposed a gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, with Genesis 1:2–2:3 representing a second or new creation. But this is conjecture. So is the idea that each day represents a geological age. As the text stands, there is a correlation between the first three days and the second three days. Day one saw the creation of light; day four, the light bearers. Day two was the time of the creation of the firmament {better, “expanse”}, which divided the waters; day five, birds and swarming water creatures. On day three, YHVH made the dry land and plants; on day six he created the land animals and man. He made man in the image of YHVH {Genesis 1:26}, “a little less than YHVH” {Psalm 8:5}, and gave him dominion over the earth. He made everything “according to their kinds,” so that each kind is distinct and unique. The perfection of his work is affirmed in that “YHVH saw that it was good” {Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21; “very good,” verse 31}. The seventh day was a time of cessation from the activity of creating and served as a type for mankind’s day of rest {2:1-3}. Critical scholarship eyes 2:4-25 as a doublet in conflict with Genesis 1:1–2:3. To conservative scholars, the second chapter is the same account from a different perspective. Chapter 1 gives the Creation from the standpoint of sequence; chapter 2 shows it in view of the centrality of mankind in YHVH’s creative work. Chapter 2 gives details of the creation of man of “dust from the ground” {verse 7} and woman from a rib of the man {verses 21-22}. She was created to be “a companion who will help him” {verses 18-20}. They were created as mature adults, with the gift of speech and with great intelligence. Adam had imagination and vocabulary sufficient for naming all of the animal species {verse 19}. The location of the Garden of Eden is given {verses 10-14}. Two of the four rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, can be identified with certainty. So, man lived in this beautiful garden in the bliss of innocence.

THE HISTORY OF HUMANKIND FROM EDEN TO BABEL {3:1–11:26}

The loss of Eden and the break in fellowship with YHVH is the saddest chapter in human history. The serpent, approached Eve with the same philosophy he always uses: doubt of YHVH’s word {Genesis 3:1}, denial of death {verse 4}, and the suggestion of equality with YHVH {verse 5}. He gained access to her will by deceiving her with the promise that the fruit would make her as wise as YHVH is {Genesis 3:5; cf. 1 John 2:16}. Eve was deceived, but when she offered the fruit to Adam, he took it willingly, knowing what he was doing {Genesis 3:6; cf. 1 Timothy 2:14}. Later, he tried to blame YHVH for giving him the wife who gave him the fruit {Genesis 3:12}. Fellowship with YHVH was broken {verse 8}, yet YHVH came seeking Adam and found him. With sin came judgment, and Adonai pronounced righteous judgment on the serpent, the woman, and the man. The earth was also “subjected to frustration” and now groans as it awaits renewal {Romans 8:21-22}. YHVH gave hope to man and a promise of a Redeemer {Genesis 3:15}, who was to bruise the serpent’s head. Adam and Eve were forced out of the Garden, and it was made inaccessible to them. The impatience of humankind is shown in Eve’s expectation that her son Cain was the promised Deliverer. Instead, he developed a wrong-hearted attitude toward YHVH and became so jealous of his younger brother that he murdered him. Apprehended by YHVH and confronted with his crime, Cain showed only self-pity and went east from Eden, where he built a city {4:1-16}. Chapter 4 closes with another contrast: the brazen Lamech, who called for vengeance, while others began to call upon the name of Adonai.

THE GENERATIONS OF ADAM

This genealogical table {5:1-32} brings humankind to the time of Noah and the Flood. The longevity of the antediluvian patriarchs seems very striking to us, but one must remember that the earth had not yet been subjected to pollution and that the effects of sin on the human race were still nominal. The refrain “and he died” reminds us of man’s mortality. For Enoch however, there was something better: “He enjoyed a close relationship with YHVH throughout his life. Then suddenly, he disappeared because YHVH took him” {5:24}.

THE FLOOD

With increased population came an eruption of sin {6:1-5}. As men multiplied, so did their corruption. The universal condemnation of verse 5 shows a world ripe for judgment. Noah, however, “found favour with Adonai,” for he was a righteous and blameless man who walked with YHVH {6:8-9}. Adonai planned to annihilate the human race, but he determined to save Noah and his family. Intending to flood the earth, YHVH instructed Noah to build an Ark. Noah was directed to take animals aboard the Ark, two by two, male and female, for the preservation of each species. When all was in readiness, the Flood came: “the underground waters burst forth on the earth, and the rain fell in mighty torrents from the sky” {7:11}. It rained for 40 days and 40 nights. The highest mountains were covered, and life outside the Ark perished. “But YHVH remembered Noah” and sent a wind to evaporate the waters {8:1}. Eventually the Ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat {verse 4}. Noah made a sacrifice to Adonai, and Adonai determined that he would never again bring such destruction upon the earth. The Flood is another of YHVH’s acts that has been much debated. Many have argued for a local flood, which affected only part of Mesopotamia. Archaeologists have pointed to various flood strata in the excavation of Mesopotamian city-mounds as evidence for the account of the flood and have cited the various flood stories from that area as the source of the Genesis record. The epic of Gilgamesh gives an interesting tale of this hero, who went on a mission to visit Utnapishtim, the cuneiform Noah, in quest of eternal life. The flood story told by Utnapishtim has many parallels to Genesis, but there are greater contrasts, which demonstrate that the Bible preserves the true account. Both the Genesis account and the references to it in the New Testament {cf. 2 Peter 3:6} favour the view that the deluge was not a minor episode in the Tigris-Euphrates area but was an unprecedented worldwide catastrophe. Christian geologists affirm that the Flood had far-reaching effects on the earth itself. Flood stories are almost universally known, lending support to the conclusion that the Flood covered the whole earth. Following the Flood, YHVH blessed Noah and his sons, Ham, Shem, and Japheth. YHVH made a Covenant with Noah, promising that he would never again send a worldwide flood. As a sign of this, he established the rainbow. Noah was the first tiller of the soil, and he planted a vineyard {9:20}. Noah became drunk from wine he made and lay uncovered in his tent. Ham saw him and reported this to his brothers, who discreetly covered him. Ham and his son Canaan were cursed; Shem and Japheth were blessed.