![]() ![]() ![]() Notice what The Expositor’s Bible Commentary introduction to the book tells us: “Much like the writers of the NT Gospels and the later historical books of the OT (e.g., Kings and Chronicles), the writer of the Book of Genesis appears to have composed his work from ‘archival’ records of God’s great deeds in the past. The different writing styles in each of these sections provides further evidence that they were written by different authors at different times and in different cultures. These records were then passed down from generation to generation and ultimately compiled in the book we know as Genesis. Genesis 10:1 then picks up the story from what appears to be a new document: “Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.” Genesis 11:10 continues with another narrative, telling us, “This is the genealogy of Shem.” The same literary structure continues with the accounts of Abraham’s father Terah (Genesis 11:27), Ishmael (Genesis 25:12), Isaac (Genesis 25:19), Esau (Genesis 36:1, Genesis 36:9) and Jacob (Genesis 37:2).įrom the particular Hebrew wording used it appears that these passages are in fact family histories and genealogical records written either at or near the time of the events they describe. ![]() Genesis 6:9, for example, informs us, “This is the genealogy of Noah.” The narrative then recounts how God told Noah to build an ark in which he, his family and the many kinds of animals were spared from the flood. The Hebrew word translated “history” in Genesis 2:4 literally means “generations”-or, as the New King James Version translates it elsewhere, “genealogy.” Bible scholars recognize at least eight other passages in Genesis where the same word is used in what appear to be a series of ancient documents that form much of the source material for the book. Thus his Bible translation begins with Genesis 2:4, “This is the story of how the universe was formed…,” before going into Genesis 1:1. In his translation he even transferred the first part of Genesis 2:4 to serve as the introduction to Genesis 1:1. ![]() The British scholar and Bible translator James Moffatt was firmly convinced that this is an editorial note giving the source of the information. One of the most obvious is noted in Genesis 5:1: “This is the book of the genealogy of Adam.” Another intriguing example is found in Genesis 2:4: “This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created….” Some scholars point out that this apparently refers to a document, “the history of the heavens and the earth,” that is the source for all the preceding material from Genesis 1:1 through Genesis 2:3. In some cases the earlier documents he used are specifically named. The other four books of Moses are Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.īut since Moses lived long after the events described in Genesis, where did he get his information? The book of Genesis shows evidence that it was compiled by Moses from earlier documents. Each guide looks at a portion of Scripture from three perspectives: historical studies, character studies, and thematic studies- and incorporates extensive commentary, detailed observations on overriding themes, and probing questions to help you study the Old Testament with guidance from John MacArthur.The book of Genesis is the first of the five books that Moses wrote (known collectively as the Pentateuch or Torah), apparently during the 40 years that Israel wandered in the wilderness before being brought into Canaan, the Promised Land, under Joshua. This twelve-volume MacArthur Old Testament Study Guide series provides intriguing twelve-week examinations of the entire Old Testament. These studies include close-ups of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, and others, as well as careful considerations of doctrinal themes, such as ’’Sin and the Nature of God’’ and ’’Heritage and the Family of God.’’ Where did we come from? Why is there pain and suffering? Who committed the first murder? Why are there so many languages in the world? The first eleven chapters of the book of Genesis have the answers to these questions and more, providing us with the history of the human race in its earliest years, prior to the time of Abraham.īefore Abraham takes an in-depth look at the creation story, continuing through Noah and the Flood, and concluding with the Tower of Babel and the dispersion of the nations. MacArthur Bible Studies: Genesis 1-11- Creation, Sin and the Nature of God Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary Series. ![]()
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