4004 B.C. – 50 Chapters – 1533 Verses
Genesis is by far the oldest document extant, and is in many respects the most interesting book in the world. It is the basis of all science, as it alone contains a true and full account of creation, and also of the origin and unity of the human race. The groundwork of all history, whether ancient and modern, general and special, is laid in this grand old book, which traces the course of the families and nations of the earth from their respective sources — the three sons of Noah — besides furnishing a comprehensive sketch of the world’s history for the first sixteen and a half centuries. We have here, too, the only reliable and Divine source from whence we can gather light as to man and the world’s age. This is the only record preserved to us on which a safe system of chronology can be built. Nowhere else are all human relationships so fully unfolded in their original purity, whether towards God, man, or creation. What other book furnishes such a grand collection of rich and rare biographies? What work so full and positively fascinating as this in its truthful sketches of primeval life and times? Are not the far-distant lands of the east made familiar to us, while, under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we are conducted into the tent or stand beside the altar, or through the desert, with the camel bearing its costly stores from Arabia and aromatic perfumes from Egypt and the south? How vivid the delineation of eastern manners, customs, and ways! Should not the birthplace of civilization, the cradle of the human race, and the center from whence all religion — Patriarchal, Jewish, and Christian — emanated possess an undying charm above all to the Christian student?
Genesis is not only the first book of the Pentateuch or five-volumed book of Moses, and the first in order in all Hebrew and English Bibles, but is also first in moral order as to the contents of the Bible itself. As signified by its name, it is pre-eminently the book of Divine beginnings, and has been happily termed “The seed plot of the Bible,” as it contains the germ of every truth and subject developed in the succeeding books of Holy Scripture. From the character of this divine and ancient record we would style it the book of sources, and Revelation the book of results.
This first-written book of Holy Scripture is older by several centuries than any human production. The Chinese profess to have books of a much earlier date, but their statements on this point cannot be relied upon, and although their chronology is undoubtedly very ancient, it is also involved in much obscurity. Certain Egyptian monuments, as the Great Pyramid, supply scraps of historical information shortly after the Deluge, but nothing definite. The first of all historians was Moses. Neither books nor monuments can furnish the slightest help in determining the age or characteristics of the times preceding the Flood. We are indebted alone to the Book of Genesis for a true, because Divinely-inspired, account of the world’s history for the first sixteen and a half centuries. It may be remarked that the three first words of our book — “in the beginning” — are also the three first words of the Gospel according to John; in the former, however, the start is creation, in the latter we are in eternity. What a boundless field of wealth is presented to the Christian student in this precious and interesting book.
To creation God reveals Himself as Elohim — it is a plural word denoting the fullness, glory, and power of the Creator, and is rightly enough translated God 2700 times in the Holy Scriptures. To man as such the Creator has been pleased to take the title of Jehovah, expressive of moral relationship towards the intelligent creation, more than 6850 times in the Old Testament alone. To the Patriarchs the Almighty God would be an all-sustaining power for weakness to cling to, and for faith to confide in. These are the three leading names of relationship with God found in our book.
General Divisions
Chapters 1-7 — From Adam till Noah, a period of 1656 years. The history of the old world.
Chapters 8-11 — From Noah till Abraham, a period of 427 years. Governmental dealing and general history characterize this period.
Chapters 12-50 — From the call of Abram till the death of Joseph, a period of about 276 years. God’s ways with the Patriarchs in this lengthy section of the book display the admirable wisdom of God in grace, glory, discipline and government.
Ten Sections
Besides the General Divisions, Genesis contains ten sections, each containing the words “the generations” as follows:
Chapter 2:4 — Generations of the heavens and of the earth.
Chapter 5:1 — Generations of Adam, in Seth his third son.
Chapter 6:9 — Generations of Noah.
Chapter 10 — Generations of Noah’s sons.
Chapter 11:10 — Generations of Shem, Noah’s second son.
Chapter 11:27 — Generations of Terah, Abram’s father.
Chapter 25:12 — Generations of Ishmael, founder of the Arab races.
Chapter 25:19 — Generations of Isaac, the son and heir, figure of Christ.
Chapter 36 — Generations of Esau, founder of the Edomites.
Chapter 37:2 — Generations of Jacob, from whence sprung the Jews.
In order that the general bearing of the book be apprehended and an intelligent idea of its contents be gathered up, we here append a list of the subject or subjects of each chapter: —
Chapter 1 — God’s work in creation, and man’s responsible place in it as center and Lord.
Chapter 2 — God’s rest and satisfaction in His work, and human relationships established in innocence.
Chapter 3 — Satan the tempter; details of the temptation; judgment upon the serpent by the promised seed; governmental judgment upon the woman and the man; sacrifice and righteousness prefigured in the coats of skin.
Chapter 4 — Approach to God on the ground of death; murder, a human religion, city building, polygamy, and the world-system founded, furnished, and adorned in the family of Cain.
Chapter 5 — God’s elect, and testimony to Christ’s return by Enoch (Jude 14-1514And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 14‑15)), and Noah (Matt. 24:37-3937But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (Matthew 24:37‑39)).
Chapter 6 — God’s verdict of man; God’s judgment upon man; God’s remedy for man.
Chapter 7 — Salvation and judgment; or, the Ark and the Flood.
Chapter 8 — Appearing of the new world, and all blessing for man and the creature founded on sacrifice.
Chapter 9 — Institution of civil government; God covenanting with man and creation; Noah’s failure and his prophetic utterances upon his three sons — the progenitors of the nations and families of the earth.
Chapter 10 — The world peopled by the descendants of Japheth, eldest son, Ham the youngest, and Shem the second.
Chapter 11 — The first general attempt of man to form a religious center, the Tower, and human center — the City of Babel — apart from God; the line of grace traced from Shem till Abram.
Chapter 12 — The call, walk, worship, and failure of Abram.
Chapter 13 — Lot, the man of the world choosing for himself; Abram, the man of faith, has his portion chosen by Jehovah.
Chapter 14 — Beautiful millennial chapter pointing to the conflicts, royal priesthood, rest, refreshment, and blessing of the future in connection with the earth and the Jews.
Chapter 15 — The connection between heirship and sonship (“If children, then heirs”); all promise and blessing founded as to their security on sacrifice; the people delivered and their oppressors judged, and the limits of the land from west to east defined.
Chapter 16 — Hagar, (law) and Ishmael, (the flesh). The typical instruction conveyed will be found in Galatians 4.
Chapter 17 — The unconditional promises grander than ever; circumcision, i.e. death to the flesh instituted; Abram and Sarai have their names changed, and the child of promise, Isaac, here first named.
Chapter 18 — Communion with God as to the judgment of the world, and intercession founded thereon.
Chapter 19 — Lot saved from the world’s doom “as by fire”; the disgraceful origin of the Moabites and Ammonites.
Chapter 20 — Abraham fails to walk in holy separateness in presence of the world (Abimelech), yet when restored in soul intercedes with God for it.
Chapter 21 — Isaac, the child of promise, born, and weaned amidst general rejoicing; Hagar and Ishmael, law and flesh, rejected; the world entreats the favour of the man of faith.
Chapter 24 — The bride called out, adorned with Isaac’s love-gifts, and conducted through the wilderness to her heavenly and risen bridegroom under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Chapter 25 — Israel’s future relationship to Jehovah figured by Abraham marrying Keturah; Isaac heir of Abraham’s wealth; the sovereignty of God in the choice of Jacob instead of Esau.
Chapter 26 — The Abrahamic promises confirmed in Isaac, who fails more deeply than even his father did in chapters 12 and 20.
Chapter 27 — Jacob, representative of the Jew, is blessed with the fullness of earthly blessing; the chapter of family sin and failure.
Chapter 28 — The blessing of ‘God Almighty’ resting upon Jacob; the union of Esau and Ishmael, or of the Edomites and Ishmaelites; Jacob, the Jew, outcast from home and land, but watched over and protected by angelic care.
Chapter 30 — Rachel the Jew gives birth to Joseph, figure of Christ in suffering and then in glory; Jacob enriched with the blessings of the earth.
Chapter 31 — Jacob’s return by Divine command to the land of his fathers; Laban by Divine command cannot injure Jacob; Jacob the Jew and Laban the Syrian enter into a covenant — Jehovah watching between.
Chapter 32 — Jacob has no confidence in ‘God’s host’ to preserve him from his brother’s enmity, but schemes and prays as to the coming meeting with Esau; God wrestling with Jacob so as to break his will.
Chapter 33 — The meeting of the long-separated brothers; Jacob again deceiving, turning his back upon Mount Seir, his brother’s possession, after promising to meet him there.
Chapter 34 — Wickedness; deceit and cruelty.
Chapter 35 — Jacob called to dwell in Bethel, ‘house of God’; worldliness and idolatry are then judged; Rachel, the loved wife of Jacob, dies after giving birth to Benjamin (Christ in power acting on the earth); the twelve sons of Jacob.
Chapter 36 — Esau figure of haughty Gentile power in opposition to God and His people established on the earth before the promised seed, illustrates the moral of 1 Corinthians 15:4646Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. (1 Corinthians 15:46).
Chapter 37 — Joseph figures Christ first in suffering, then in glory; like Christ hated ‘without a cause’; dreams of earthly glory; sold to the Gentiles and carried into Egypt.
Chapter 38 — Judah’s shameful wickedness.
Chapter 39 — Joseph’s personal integrity and his sufferings for righteousness’ sake.
Chapter 40 — Joseph (Christ), even in suffering, the wisdom of God and interpreter of His ways.
Chapter 41 — Joseph (Christ) revealing the counsels of God as to the world, and exalted to the exercise of the regal power.
Chapter 42 — Joseph (Christ) secretly nourishing his brethren, and dealing with their consciences as to their sin.
Chapter 43 — Joseph (Christ glorified) cannot reveal himself to his brethren till Benjamin (power) be united to him, thus the union of power and glory in Christ for the blessing of Israel.
Chapter 44 — Judah fully acknowledging the sin and guilt of Joseph’s (Christ’s) cruel rejection — the conscience is thoroughly searched and the sin confessed.
Chapter 45 — Joseph (Christ) revealing himself to his brethren. See Zechariah 13.
Chapter 46 — The rise of the nation from 70 souls who went down into Egypt; the touching meeting between Israel and Joseph.
Chapter 47 — Jacob the Pilgrim blessing the Monarch of the world (Pharaoh); Jacob and his sons enriched and blessed in the richest part of the country, the land of Goshen; Joseph (Christ exalted) the source of all blessing to the world.
Chapter 48 — Jacob’s dying reflections upon his chequered life; Israel and not Joseph in the mind of God as to the blessing of Manasseh and Ephraim.
Chapter 49 — The prophetic blessings of Jacob, in which the history of the nation is sketched from their rise in Egypt till settled in millennial glory.
Chapter 50 — Canaan hopes remembered both by Jacob and Joseph.