Free Essays on Genesis

Genesis Structure The first book of the Old Testament, and subsequently the Bible, is Genesis and appropriately starts with the sentence, â€Å"This is the.† This is part of the â€Å"Toledoth† formula. In Hebrew this phrase is â€Å"elleh tole dot† and it occurs eleven times in the Old Testament. This phrase also can be translated to mean: â€Å"these are the generations†, â€Å"this is the family history†, and â€Å"this is the account.† The â€Å"Toledoth† formula sets up an interesting structure for the book of Genesis. It gives the book a prologue and then subdivides the book into ten subsequent sections; Adam, Noah, Noah’s Sons, Shem, Terah, Ishmael, Isaac, Esau, and Jacob; ending at the deaths of the aforementioned men. The next approach to structure of Genesis is done in two parts the Medieval History, Creation through Tower of Babel, and the account of Abraham and his family for four generations. The chapters of Abraham and his generations are referred to as the Patriarchal Narratives. Both of these divisions begin with a creation by the word of God. Still another division can be made between the Patriarchal Narratives and the story of Joseph. This distinction is made because it tells how one man, Joseph, brought the whole of Abraham’s’ descendents to the land of Egypt. Genre The genre of Genesis is pretty straightforward. It comes across a historical record of the distant past. However, many traditional non-Christian scholars believe it to be fictional. It is interesting that the narrative of Genesis carries the reader in an easy to read order from the creation to the sojourn to Egypt. It is interesting to note that there are no dramatic genre shifts from Genesis through the rest of the Pentateuch. The style of the book leaves to no doubt as to the intent of the author to provide a detailed, historical account of the beginning of the world to the displacement of God’s chosen people to Egypt. Furthermore, ... Free Essays on Genesis Free Essays on Genesis Exegesis Genesis 3: 1-7 Exegesis-Genesis 3:1-7 Translation 1-The New International Version Rainbow Study Bible. The serpent’s deceit leads to the fall of Adam and Eve. 3. (1)Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, â€Å"Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?†(2)The woman said to the serpent, â€Å"We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, (3)but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’† (4)†You will not surely die,† the serpent said to the woman, (5)†For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.† (6)When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband , who was with her, and he ate it. (7)Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Translation 2-New King James Version 3. (1)Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, â€Å"Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?† (2)And the woman said to the serpent, â€Å"We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; (3)†but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’† (4)Then the serpent said to the woman, â€Å"You will not surely die. (5)†For God knows that in the day you eat of it you eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.† (6)So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to th e eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she... Free Essays on Genesis Genesis Structure The first book of the Old Testament, and subsequently the Bible, is Genesis and appropriately starts with the sentence, â€Å"This is the.† This is part of the â€Å"Toledoth† formula. In Hebrew this phrase is â€Å"elleh tole dot† and it occurs eleven times in the Old Testament. This phrase also can be translated to mean: â€Å"these are the generations†, â€Å"this is the family history†, and â€Å"this is the account.† The â€Å"Toledoth† formula sets up an interesting structure for the book of Genesis. It gives the book a prologue and then subdivides the book into ten subsequent sections; Adam, Noah, Noah’s Sons, Shem, Terah, Ishmael, Isaac, Esau, and Jacob; ending at the deaths of the aforementioned men. The next approach to structure of Genesis is done in two parts the Medieval History, Creation through Tower of Babel, and the account of Abraham and his family for four generations. The chapters of Abraham and his generations are referred to as the Patriarchal Narratives. Both of these divisions begin with a creation by the word of God. Still another division can be made between the Patriarchal Narratives and the story of Joseph. This distinction is made because it tells how one man, Joseph, brought the whole of Abraham’s’ descendents to the land of Egypt. Genre The genre of Genesis is pretty straightforward. It comes across a historical record of the distant past. However, many traditional non-Christian scholars believe it to be fictional. It is interesting that the narrative of Genesis carries the reader in an easy to read order from the creation to the sojourn to Egypt. It is interesting to note that there are no dramatic genre shifts from Genesis through the rest of the Pentateuch. The style of the book leaves to no doubt as to the intent of the author to provide a detailed, historical account of the beginning of the world to the displacement of God’s chosen people to Egypt. Furthermore, ...