Genesis: A Quick Overview

Genesis is Latin meaning “generation, birth, and origin.” The original Hebrew title of the Book of Genesis is the first word of the book, berasheet, meaning “In the beginning.”

The Book of Genesis begins with the creation story. A common modern error is to try applying modern science to the Genesis account. God does not give the “how” or “when” of the creation, he gives the “who” and “why” only.

The common uneducated misunderstanding of the Hebrew word for day (yom) is both a 24 hour period measured anciently from sunset to sunset. Day can also be correctly translated as a period of time. Thus using the later definition of a unspecified unit of time which is measured by its unique purpose; we can safely say God created the earth in a day or a period. Whether the period is a million, or a billion, or even a trillion years is not stated; it is simply a period of time unique to the creation of the earth. The same is true for all of the successive named creations. Also they do not need to take the same time for each of the creations; they take as long as they needed to take.

Who: What Genesis says is that God created each and every thing.

Why: It is clear that the earth and everything on it were and are created for all of us, human beings. We are to be responsible caretakers of the earth which God created for us. We are told:

“And God blessed them [the man and the woman], and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” Genesis 1:28-31 (bold emphasis added).

Between the various stories in the Book of Genesis we are given long lists of genealogies, “the begats.” While reading these can be tedious, they serve to tie the stories together and show that the book is about the family of mankind. The majority of the book is spent on the accounts of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel), as well as Jacob’s children. This established God’s covenantal relationship with humanity.

Bottom line: In reading Genesis and the entire Old Testament there is one most important question to keep asking yourself. Some of the stories are fun and entertaining, but some are difficult. In everything ask, “where can I see God’s merciful hand in this story?” If you do this, then your reading will be most beneficial. Sometimes you may have to look hard, but He was always there.