Book of Genesis - wikipedia Book of Genesis `` The Book of Genesis '' redirects here. For the comics, see The Book of Genesis ( comics ). The Creation of Man by Ephraim Moses Lilien, 1903 Jacob flees Laban by Charles Foster, 1897 Tanakh ( Judaism ) Torah ( Instruction ) Genesis Brʾeišyt Exodus Šemot Leviticus Wayiqra Numbers Bəmidbar Deuteronomy Devarim Nevi'im ( Prophets ) Former Joshua Yehoshua Judges Shofetim Samuel Shemuel Kings Melakhim Latter Isaiah Yeshayahu Jeremiah Yirmeyahu Ezekiel Yekhezqel Minor Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Ketuvim ( Writings ) Poetic Psalms Təhillîm Proverbs Mishlei Job Iyov Five Megillot ( Scrolls ) Song of Songs Shir Hashirim Ruth Rut Lamentations Eikhah Ecclesiastes Qoheleth Esther Ester Historical Daniel Daniyyel Ezra -- Nehemiah Ezra Chronicles Dibh 're Hayyamim Old Testament ( Christianity ) Pentateuch Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Historical Joshua Judges Ruth 1 and 2 Samuel 1 and 2 Kings 1 and 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther Wisdom Poetry Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Prophetic Major prophets Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel Minor prophets Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Deuterocanonical Tobit Judith Additions to Esther 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees Wisdom of Solomon Sirach Baruch / Letter of Jeremiah Additions to Daniel Orthodox only 1 Esdras 2 Esdras Prayer of Manasseh Psalm 151 3 Maccabees 4 Maccabees Odes Orthodox Tewahedo 1 Enoch Jubilees 1, 2, and 3 Meqabyan Paralipomena of Baruch Broader canon Bible portal The Book of Genesis ( from the Latin Vulgate, in turn borrowed or transliterated from Greek γένεσις, meaning `` Coming into Being '' ; Hebrew : בְּרֵאשִׁית ‎, Bərēšīṯ, `` In ( the ) beginning '' ) is the first book of the Hebrew Bible ( the Tanakh ) and the Christian Old Testament. The basic narrative of the Book of Genesis is centered around a few themes : God, the creation of the world, the creation of Adam and Eve and how man was appointed as the regent of God. Later on the book describes man 's disobedience of God, and the exile of Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden. The book continues to describe how God destroyed the world through the Flood. The new post-Flood world is also corrupt. God does not destroy it, instead calling one man, Abraham, to be the seed of its salvation. At God 's command Abraham descends from his home into the land of Canaan, given to him by God, where he dwells as a sojourner, as does his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob. Jacob 's name is changed to Israel, and through the agency of his son Joseph, the children of Israel descend into Egypt, 70 people in all with their households, and God promises them a future of greatness. Genesis ends with Israel in Egypt, ready for the coming of Moses and the Exodus. The narrative is punctuated by a series of covenants with God, successively narrowing in scope from all mankind ( the covenant with Noah ) to a special relationship with one people alone ( Abraham and his descendants through Isaac and Jacob ). The book 's author or authors appear to have structured it around ten `` toledot '' sections ( the `` these are the generations of... '' phrases ), but modern commentators see it in terms of a `` primeval history '' ( chapters 1 -- 11 ) followed by the cycle of Patriarchal stories ( chapters 12 -- 50 ). In Judaism, the theological importance of Genesis centers on the covenants linking God to his chosen people and the people to the Promised Land. Christianity has interpreted Genesis as the prefiguration of certain cardinal Christian beliefs, primarily the need for salvation ( the hope or assurance of all Christians ) and the redemptive act of Christ on the Cross as the fulfillment of covenant promises as the Son of God. Tradition credits Moses as the author of Genesis, as well as Exodus, Book of Leviticus, Numbers and most of Book of Deuteronomy, but modern scholars increasingly see them as a product of the 6th and 5th centuries BC. Contents 1 Structure 2 Summary 3 Composition 3.1 Title and textual witnesses 3.2 Origins 3.3 Genre 4 Themes 4.1 Promises to the ancestors 4.2 God 's chosen people 5 Judaism 's weekly Torah portions 6 First phrase 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 Bibliography 10.1 Commentaries on Genesis 10.2 General 11 External links Structure Genesis appears to be structured around the recurring phrase elleh toledot, meaning `` these are the generations, '' with the first use of the phrase referring to the `` generations of heaven and earth '' and the remainder marking individuals -- Noah, the `` sons of Noah '', Shem, etc., down to Jacob. It is not clear, however, what this meant to the original authors, and most modern commentators divide it into two parts based on subject matter, a `` primeval history '' ( chapters 1 -- 11 ) and a `` patriarchal history '' ( chapters 12 -- 50 ). While the first is far shorter than the second, it sets out the basic themes and provides an interpretive key for understanding the entire book. The `` primeval history '' has a symmetrical structure hinging on chapters 6 -- 9, the flood story, with the events before the flood mirrored by the events after. Summary See also : Primeval history and Patriarchal age The Angel Hinders the Offering of Isaac ( Rembrandt, 1635 ) God creates the world in six days and consecrates the seventh as a day of rest. God creates the first humans Adam and Eve and all the animals in the Garden of Eden but instructs them not to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. A talking serpent portrayed as a deceptive creature or trickster, entices Eve into eating it anyway, and she entices Adam, whereupon God curses them and throws them out in the fall of man. Eve bears two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain kills Abel after God accepts Abel 's offering but not Cain 's. God then curses Cain. Eve bears another son, Seth, to take Abel 's place. After many generations of Adam have passed from the lines of Cain and Seth, the world becomes corrupted by the sin of man and Nephilim, and God determines to wipe out mankind. First, he instructs the righteous Noah and his family to build a huge boat and put examples of all the animals on it. Then God sends a great flood to wipe out the rest of the world. When the waters recede, God promises that he will not destroy the world a second time with water with the rainbow as the symbol of his promise. But upon seeing mankind cooperating to build a great tower city, the Tower of Babel, God divides humanity with many languages and sets them apart with confusion. God instructs Abram to travel from his home in Mesopotamia to the land of Canaan. There, God makes a covenant with Abram, promising that his descendants shall be as numerous as the stars, but that people will suffer oppression in a foreign land for four hundred years, after which they will inherit the land `` from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates ''. Abram 's name is changed to Abraham and that of his wife Sarai to Sarah, and circumcision of all males is instituted as the sign of the covenant. Because Sarah is old, she tells Abraham to take her Egyptian handmaiden, Hagar, as a second wife. Through Hagar, Abraham fathers Ishmael. God resolves to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for the sins of their people. Abraham protests and gets God to agree not to destroy the cities if 10 righteous men can be found. Angels save Abraham 's nephew Lot and his family, but his wife looks back on the destruction against their command and is turned into a pillar of salt. Lot 's daughters, concerned that they are fugitives who will never find husbands, get him drunk to become pregnant by him, and give birth to the ancestors of the Moabites and Ammonites. Abraham and Sarah go to the Philistine town of Gerar, pretending to be brother and sister ( they are half - siblings ). The King of Gerar takes Sarah for his wife, but God warns him to return her, and he obeys. God sends Sarah a son to be named Isaac, through whom the covenant will be established. At Sarah 's insistence, Ishmael and his mother Hagar are driven out into the wilderness, but God saves them and promises to make Ishmael a great nation. God tests Abraham by demanding that he sacrifice Isaac. As Abraham is about to lay the knife upon his son, God restrains him, promising him numberless descendants. On the death of Sarah, Abraham purchases Machpelah ( believed to be modern Hebron ) for a family tomb and sends his servant to Mesopotamia to find among his relations a wife for Isaac, and Rebekah is chosen. Other children are born to Abraham by another wife, Keturah, among whose descendants are the Midianites, and he dies in a prosperous old age and is buried in his tomb at Hebron. Isaac 's wife Rebecca gives birth to the twins Esau, father of the Edomites, and Jacob. Through deception, Jacob becomes the heir instead of Esau and gains his father 's blessing. He flees to his uncle where he prospers and earns his two wives, Rachel and Leah. Jacob 's name is changed to Israel, and by his wives and their handmaidens he has twelve sons, the ancestors of the twelve tribes of the Children of Israel, and a daughter, Dinah. Joseph, Jacob 's favorite son, is sold into slavery in Egypt by his jealous brothers. But Joseph prospers, after hardship, with God 's guidance of interpreting Pharaoh 's dream of upcoming famine. He is then reunited with his father and brothers, who do n't recognize him but who plead for food. After much manipulation, he reveals himself and lets them and their households into Egypt, where Pharaoh assigns to them the land of Goshen. Jacob calls his sons to his bedside and reveals their future before he dies. Joseph lives to an old age and exhorts his brethren, if God should lead them out of the country, to take his bones with them. Composition Abram 's Journey from Ur to Canaan ( József Molnár, 1850 ) Title and textual witnesses Genesis takes its Hebrew title from the first word of the first sentence, Bereshit, meaning `` In the beginning '' ; in the Greek Septuagint it was called Genesis, from the phrase `` the generations of heaven and earth ''. There are four major textual witnesses to the book : the Masoretic Text, the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Septuagint, and fragments of Genesis found at Qumran. The Qumran group provides the oldest manuscripts but covers only a small proportion of the book ; in general, the Masoretic Text is well preserved and reliable, but there are many individual instances where the other versions preserve a superior reading. Origins Main article : Documentary hypothesis For much of the 20th century most scholars agreed that the five books of the Pentateuch -- Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy -- came from four sources, the Yahwist, the Elohist, the Deuteronomist and the Priestly source, each telling the same basic story, and joined together by various editors. Since the 1970s there has been a revolution in scholarship : the Elohist source is now widely regarded as no more than a variation on the Yahwist, while the Priestly source is increasingly seen not as a document but as a body of revisions and expansions to the Yahwist ( or `` non-Priestly '' ) material. ( The Deuteronomistic source does not appear in Genesis ). Examples of repeated and duplicate stories are used to identify the separate sources. In Genesis these include three different accounts of a Patriarch claiming that his wife was his sister, the two creation stories, and the two versions of Abraham sending Hagar and Ishmael into the desert. This leaves the question of when these works were created. Scholars in the first half of the 20th century came to the conclusion that the Yahwist was produced in the monarchic period, specifically at the court of Solomon, 10th century BC, and the Priestly work in the middle of the 5th century BC ( the author was even identified as Ezra ), but more recent thinking is that the Yahwist was written either just before or during the Babylonian exile of the 6th century BC, and the Priestly final edition was made late in the Exilic period or soon after. As for why the book was created, a theory which has gained considerable interest, although still controversial is `` Persian imperial authorisation ''. This proposes that the Persians of the Achaemenid Empire, after their conquest of Babylon in 539 BC, agreed to grant Jerusalem a large measure of local autonomy within the empire, but required the local authorities to produce a single law code accepted by the entire community. The two powerful groups making up the community -- the priestly families who controlled the Temple and who traced their origin to Moses and the wilderness wanderings, and the major landowning families who made up the `` elders '' and who traced their own origins to Abraham, who had `` given '' them the land -- were in conflict over many issues, and each had its own `` history of origins '', but the Persian promise of greatly increased local autonomy for all provided a powerful incentive to cooperate in producing a single text. Genre Genesis is perhaps best seen as an example of `` antiquarian history '', a type of literature telling of the first appearance of humans, the stories of ancestors and heroes, and the origins of culture, cities and so forth. The most notable examples are found in the work of Greek historians of the 6th century BC : their intention was to connect notable families of their own day to a distant and heroic past, and in doing so they did not distinguish between myth, legend, and facts. Professor Jean - Louis Ska of the Pontifical Biblical Institute calls the basic rule of the antiquarian historian the `` law of conservation '' : everything old is valuable, nothing is eliminated. Ska also points out the purpose behind such antiquarian histories : antiquity is needed to prove the worth of Israel 's traditions to the nations ( the neighbours of the Jews in early Persian Palestine ), and to reconcile and unite the various factions within Israel itself. Themes Joseph recognized by his brothers ( Léon Pierre Urban Bourgeois, 1863 ) Promises to the ancestors In 1978 David Clines published his influential The Theme of the Pentateuch -- influential because he was one of the first to take up the question of the theme of the entire five books. Clines ' conclusion was that the overall theme is `` the partial fulfillment -- which implies also the partial nonfulfillment -- of the promise to or blessing of the Patriarchs ''. ( By calling the fulfillment `` partial '' Clines was drawing attention to the fact that at the end of Deuteronomy the people are still outside Canaan ). The patriarchs, or ancestors, are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, with their wives ( Joseph is normally excluded ). Since the name YHWH had not been revealed to them, they worshipped El in his various manifestations. ( It is, however, worth noting that in the Jahwist source the patriarchs refer to deity by the name YHWH, for example in Genesis 15. ) Through the patriarchs God announces the election of Israel, meaning that he has chosen Israel to be his special people and committed himself to their future. God tells the patriarchs that he will be faithful to their descendants ( i.e. to Israel ), and Israel is expected to have faith in God and his promise. ( `` Faith '' in the context of Genesis and the Hebrew bible means agreement to the promissory relationship, not a body of belief ). The promise itself has three parts : offspring, blessings, and land. The fulfilment of the promise to each patriarch depends on having a male heir, and the story is constantly complicated by the fact that each prospective mother -- Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel -- is barren. The ancestors, however, retain their faith in God and God in each case gives a son -- in Jacob 's case, twelve sons, the foundation of the chosen Israelites. All three promises are more richly fulfilled in each succeeding generation, until through Joseph `` all the world '' is saved from famine, and by bringing the children of Israel down to Egypt he becomes the means through which the promise can be fulfilled. God 's chosen people Scholars generally agree that the theme of divine promise unites the patriarchal cycles, but many would dispute the efficacy of trying to examine Genesis ' theology by pursuing a single overarching theme, instead citing as more productive the analysis of the Abraham cycle, the Jacob cycle, and the Joseph cycle, and the Yahwist and Priestly sources. The problem lies in finding a way to unite the patriarchal theme of divine promise to the stories of Genesis 1 -- 11 ( the primeval history ) with their theme of God 's forgiveness in the face of man 's evil nature. One solution is to see the patriarchal stories as resulting from God 's decision not to remain alienated from mankind : God creates the world and mankind, mankind rebels, and God `` elects '' ( chooses ) Abraham. To this basic plot ( which comes from the Yahwist ) the Priestly source has added a series of covenants dividing history into stages, each with its own distinctive `` sign ''. The first covenant is between God and all living creatures, and is marked by the sign of the rainbow ; the second is with the descendants of Abraham ( Ishmaelites and others as well as Israelites ), and its sign is circumcision ; and the last, which does n't appear until the book of Exodus, is with Israel alone, and its sign is Sabbath. Each covenant is mediated by a great leader ( Noah, Abraham, Moses ), and at each stage God progressively reveals himself by his name ( Elohim with Noah, El Shaddai with Abraham, Yahweh with Moses ). Judaism 's weekly Torah portions Main article : Weekly Torah portion First Day of Creation ( from the 1493 Nuremberg Chronicle ) Bereshit, on Genesis 1 -- 6 : Creation, Eden, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Lamech, wickedness Noach, on Genesis 6 -- 11 : Noah 's Ark, the Flood, Noah 's drunkenness, the Tower of Babel Lech - Lecha, on Genesis 12 -- 17 : Abraham, Sarah, Lot, covenant, Hagar and Ishmael, circumcision Vayeira, on Genesis 18 -- 22 : Abraham 's visitors, Sodomites, Lot 's visitors and flight, Hagar expelled, binding of Isaac Chayei Sarah, on Genesis 23 -- 25 : Sarah buried, Rebekah for Isaac Toledot, on Genesis 25 -- 28 : Esau and Jacob, Esau 's birthright, Isaac 's blessing Vayetze, on Genesis 28 -- 32 : Jacob flees, Rachel, Leah, Laban, Jacob 's children and departure Vayishlach, on Genesis 32 -- 36 : Jacob 's reunion with Esau, the rape of Dinah Vayeshev, on Genesis 37 -- 40 : Joseph 's dreams, coat, and slavery, Judah with Tamar, Joseph and Potiphar Miketz, on Genesis 41 -- 44 : Pharaoh 's dream, Joseph 's in government, Joseph 's brothers visit Egypt Vayigash, on Genesis 44 -- 47 : Joseph reveals himself, Jacob moves to Egypt Vaychi, on Genesis 47 -- 50 : Jacob 's blessings, death of Jacob and of Joseph First phrase Main article : Genesis 1 : 1 `` In principio creavit deus... '' First page of Genesis in a Latin bible dated 1481 ( Bodleian Library ) Perhaps the most well - known passage of the Hebrew Bible, the first phrase of Genesis has long been translated as `` In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth... '' but the idea that God created the world out of nothing is not directly stated anywhere in the entire Hebrew Bible. See also Bible portal Dating the Bible Enûma Eliš Genesis creation narrative Historicity of the Bible Mosaic authorship Paradise Lost Protevangelium Wife -- sister narratives in the Book of Genesis Notes Jump up ^ The Weekly Torah portions, Parashot, divide the book into 12 readings. References Jump up ^ Hamilton ( 1990 ), page. 1 ^ Jump up to : Bandstra ( 2004 ), pp. 28 -- 29 Jump up ^ Kessler, Deurloo ( 2004 ), pp. 3 -- 7 Jump up ^ Van Seters ( 1998 ), p. 5 ^ Jump up to : Davies ( 1998 ), p. 37 Jump up ^ Hamilton ( 1990 ), p. 2 Jump up ^ Whybray ( 1997 ), p. 41 Jump up ^ McKeown ( 2008 ), p. 2 Jump up ^ Walsh ( 2001 ), p. 112 Jump up ^ Carr 2000, p. 491. Jump up ^ Hendel, R.S. ( 1992 ). Genesis, Book of. In D.N. Freedman ( Ed. ), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary ( Vol. 2, p. 933 ). New York : Doubleday Jump up ^ Gooder ( 2000 ), pp. 12 -- 14 Jump up ^ Van Seters ( 2004 ), pp. 30 -- 86 Jump up ^ Lawrence Boadt ; Richard J. Clifford ; Daniel J. Harrington ( 2012 ). Reading the Old Testament : An Introduction. Paulist Press. Jump up ^ Ska ( 2006 ), pp. 169, 217 -- 18 Jump up ^ Van Seters ( 2004 ) pp. 113 -- 14 Jump up ^ Whybray ( 2001 ), p. 39 ^ Jump up to : Ska ( 2006 ), p. 169 Jump up ^ Clines ( 1997 ), p. 30 ^ Jump up to : Hamilton ( 1990 ), p. 50 Jump up ^ John J Collins ( 2007 ), A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, Fortress Press, p. 47 Jump up ^ Brueggemann ( 2002 ), p. 61 Jump up ^ Brueggemann ( 2002 ), p. 78 Jump up ^ McKeown ( 2008 ), p. 4 Jump up ^ Wenham ( 2003 ), p. 34 Jump up ^ Hamilton ( 1990 ), pp. 38 -- 39 Jump up ^ Hendel, R.S. ( 1992 ). Genesis, Book of. In D.N. Freedman ( Ed. ), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary ( Vol. 2, p. 935 ). New York : Doubleday ^ Jump up to : Kugler, Hartin ( 2009 ), p. 9 Jump up ^ Nebe, Gottfried ( 2002 ), Creation in Paul 's Theology. In Hoffman, Yair ; Reventlow, Henning Graf. `` Creation in Jewish and Christian tradition '', A&C Black, p. 119 Bibliography Commentaries on Genesis Armstrong, Karen. In the Beginning : A New Interpretation of Genesis. New York : Knopf, 1996. ISBN 0 - 679 - 45089 - 0. Blenkinsopp, Joseph ( 2011 ). Creation, Un-creation, Re-creation : A Discursive Commentary on Genesis 1 -- 11. Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 9780567372871. Brueggemann, Walter ( 1986 ). Genesis. Interpretation : A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Atlanta : John Knox Press. ISBN 0 - 8042 - 3101 - X. Carr, David M. ( 2000 ). `` Genesis, Book of ''. In Freedman, David Noel ; Myers, Allen C. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Amsterdam University Press. ISBN 9780567372871. Cotter, David W ( 2003 ). Genesis. Liturgical Press. ISBN 9780814650400. De La Torre, Miguel ( 2011 ). Genesis. Belief : A Theological Commentary on the Bible. Westminster John Knox Press. Fretheim, Terence E. `` The Book of Genesis. '' In The New Interpreter 's Bible. Edited by Leander E. Keck, vol. 1, pp. 319 -- 674. Nashville : Abingdon Press, 1994. ISBN 0 - 687 - 27814 - 7. Hamilton, Victor P ( 1990 ). The book of Genesis : chapters 1 -- 17. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802825216. Hamilton, Victor P ( 1995 ). The book of Genesis : chapters 18 -- 50. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802823090. Hirsch, Samson Raphael. The Pentateuch : Genesis. Translated by Isaac Levy. Judaica Press, 2nd edition 1999. ISBN 0 - 910818 - 12 - 6. Originally published as Der Pentateuch uebersetzt und erklaert Frankfurt, 1867 -- 1878. Kass, Leon R. The Beginning of Wisdom : Reading Genesis. New York : Free Press, 2003. ISBN 0 - 7432 - 4299 - 8. Kessler, Martin ; Deurloo, Karel Adriaan ( 2004 ). A Commentary on Genesis : The Book of Beginnings. Paulist Press. ISBN 9780809142057. McKeown, James ( 2008 ). Genesis. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802827050. Plaut, Gunther. The Torah : A Modern Commentary ( 1981 ), ISBN 0 - 8074 - 0055 - 6 Rogerson, John William ( 1991 ). Genesis 1 -- 11. T&T Clark. ISBN 9780567083388. Sacks, Robert D ( 1990 ). A Commentary on the Book of Genesis. Edwin Mellen. Sarna, Nahum M. The JPS Torah Commentary : Genesis : The Traditional Hebrew Text with the New JPS Translation. Philadelphia : Jewish Publication Society, 1989. ISBN 0 - 8276 - 0326 - 6. Speiser, E.A. Genesis : Introduction, Translation, and Notes. New York : Anchor Bible, 1964. ISBN 0 - 385 - 00854 - 6. Towner, Wayne Sibley ( 2001 ). Genesis. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664252564. Turner, Laurence ( 2009 ). Genesis, Second Edition. Sheffield Phoenix Press. ISBN 9781906055653. Von Rad, Gerhard ( 1972 ). Genesis : A Commentary. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664227456. Wenham, Gordon ( 2003 ). `` Genesis ''. In James D.G. Dunn, John William Rogerson. Eerdmans Bible Commentary. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802837110. Whybray, R.N ( 2001 ). `` Genesis ''. In John Barton. Oxford Bible Commentary. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198755005. General Bandstra, Barry L ( 2004 ). Reading the Old Testament : An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. Wadsworth. ISBN 9780495391050. Blenkinsopp, Joseph ( 2004 ). Treasures old and new : Essays in the Theology of the Pentateuch. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802826794. Brueggemann, Walter ( 2002 ). Reverberations of faith : A Theological Handbook of Old Testament themes. Westminster John Knox. ISBN 9780664222314. Campbell, Antony F ; O'Brien, Mark A ( 1993 ). Sources of the Pentateuch : Texts, Introductions, Annotations. Fortress Press. ISBN 9781451413670. Carr, David M ( 1996 ). Reading the Fractures of Genesis. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664220716. Clines, David A ( 1997 ). The Theme of the Pentateuch. Sheffield Academic Press. ISBN 9780567431967. Davies, G.I ( 1998 ). `` Introduction to the Pentateuch ''. In John Barton. Oxford Bible Commentary. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198755005. Gooder, Paula ( 2000 ). The Pentateuch : A Story of Beginnings. T&T Clark. ISBN 9780567084187. Hendel, Ronald ( 2012 ). The Book of `` Genesis '' : A Biography ( Lives of Great Religious Books ). Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691140124. Kugler, Robert ; Hartin, Patrick ( 2009 ). The Old Testament between Theology and History : A Critical Survey. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802846365. Levin, Christoph L ( 2005 ). The Old Testament : A Brief Introduction. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691113944. Longman, Tremper ( 2005 ). How to read Genesis. InterVarsity Press. ISBN 9780830875603. McEntire, Mark ( 2008 ). Struggling with God : An Introduction to the Pentateuch. Mercer University Press. ISBN 9780881461015. Newman, Murray L. ( 1999 ). Genesis ( PDF ). Forward Movement Publications, Cincinnati, OH. Ska, Jean - Louis ( 2006 ). Introduction to Reading the Pentateuch. Eisenbrauns. ISBN 9781575061221. Van Seters, John ( 1992 ). Prologue to History : The Yahwist As Historian in Genesis. Westminster John Knox Press. Van Seters, John ( 1998 ). `` The Pentateuch ''. In Steven L. McKenzie, Matt Patrick Graham. The Hebrew Bible Today : An Introduction to Critical Issues. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664256524. Van Seters, John ( 2004 ). The Pentateuch : A Social - science Commentary. Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 9780567080882. Walsh, Jerome T ( 2001 ). Style and Structure in Biblical Hebrew Narrative. Liturgical Press. ISBN 9780814658970. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Book of Genesis. Wikiquote has quotations related to : Genesis Wikisource has original text related to this article : Genesis Bereshit ( book of Genesis ) -- Mikraot Gedolot Haketer -- online edition, Menachem Cohen, Bar Ilan University ( Hebrew ) Book of Genesis illustrated Genesis Reading Room ( Tyndale Seminary ) : online commentaries and monographs on Genesis. Bereshit with commentary in Hebrew בראשית Bereishit -- Genesis ( Hebrew -- English at Mechon-Mamre.org ) Genesis at Mechon - Mamre ( Jewish Publication Society translation ) 01 Genesis public domain audiobook at LibriVox Various versions Genesis ( The Living Torah ) Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan 's translation and commentary at Ort.org Genesis ( Judaica Press ) at Chabad.org Young 's Literal Translation ( YLT ) New International Version ( NIV ) Revised Standard Version ( RSV ) Westminster - Leningrad codex Aleppo Codex Book of Gonesis in Bible Book Genesis in Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac, Greek, Latin, and English -- The critical text of the Book of Genesis in Hebrew with ancient versions ( Masoretic, Samaritan Pentateuch, Samaritan Targum, Targum Onkelos, Peshitta, Septuagint, Vetus Latina, Vulgate, Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion ) and English translation for each version in parallel. Book of Genesis Pentateuch Preceded by None Hebrew Bible Succeeded by Exodus Christian Old Testament Books of the Bible Principal divisions Hebrew Bible / Old Testament Protocanon Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 -- 2 Samuel 1 -- 2 Kings 1 -- 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Deuterocanon and Apocrypha Catholic Orthodox Tobit Judith Additions to Esther 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees Wisdom Sirach Baruch / Letter of Jeremiah Additions to Daniel Susanna Song of the Three Children Bel and the Dragon ) Orthodox only 1 Esdras 2 Esdras Prayer of Manasseh Psalm 151 3 Maccabees 4 Maccabees Odes Tewahedo Orthodox Enoch Jubilees 1, 2, and 3 Meqabyan Paralipomena of Baruch Broader canon Syriac Letter of Baruch 2 Baruch Psalms 152 -- 155 New Testament Matthew Mark Luke Acts Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation Subdivisions Chapters and verses Pentateuch Wisdom Major / Minor prophets Gospels Synoptic Epistles Pauline Johannine Pastoral Catholic Apocalyptic literature Development Old Testament canon New Testament canon Antilegomena Jewish canon Christian canon Manuscripts Dead Sea Scrolls Samaritan Pentateuch Septuagint Targum Diatessaron Muratorian fragment Peshitta Vetus Latina Masoretic Text New Testament manuscript categories New Testament papyri New Testament uncials See also Biblical canon Luther 's canon Authorship English Bible translations Other books referenced in the Bible Pseudepigrapha list ) New Testament apocrypha Studies Synod of Hippo Textual criticism Portal WikiProject Book Noah 's Ark media Source Genesis flood narrative in the Book of Genesis Characters Noah Shem Ham Japheth Wives aboard Noah 's Ark Television Captain Noah and His Magical Ark ( 1967 ) Noah 's Island ( 1997 ) Noah 's Ark ( 1999 ) The Ark ( 2015 ) Film Noah 's Ark ( 1928 ) Father Noah 's Ark ( 1933 ) The Bible : In the Beginning... ( 1966 ) O Trapalhão na Arca de Noé ( 1983 ) La Biblia en pasta ( 1984 ) Genesis : The Creation and the Flood ( 1994 ) Noah ( 1998 ) Raining Cats and Frogs ( 2003 ) Noah 's Ark ( 2007 ) Evan Almighty ( 2007 ) 40 Days and Nights ( 2012 ) Noah ( 2014 ) Ooops ! Noah Is Gone... ( 2015 ) Stage The Flowering Peach ( 1954 play ) Two by Two ( 1970 musical ) Opera Il diluvio universale ( 1830 ) Le Déluge ( 1875 ) Noé ( 1885 ) Noye 's Fludde ( 1958 ) Songs Captain Noah and His Floating Zoo ( 1970 ) `` The Prophet 's Song '' ( 1975 ) `` Animals '' ( 1980 ) `` Forever Not Yours '' ( 2002 ) Games Noah 's Ark Noah 's Ark ( 1992 ) Super 3D Noah 's Ark ( 1994 ) Literature The Moon in the Cloud ( 1969 ) Noah 's Ark ( 1977 ) Not Wanted on the Voyage ( 1984 ) Many Waters ( 1986 ) Not the End of the World ( 2004 ) Other cultures Flood myth Sumerian creation myth Gilgamesh flood myth Ancient Greek flood myths Finnish flood myth Great Flood of China Mesoamerican flood myths Cessair Bergelmir Noah in Islam Noah in rabbinic literature Science Black Sea deluge hypothesis Flood geology Searches for Noah 's Ark Geography In Search of Noah 's Ark Mountains of Ararat Mount Judi Mosque of Ibn Tulun Theories Ararat anomaly Durupınar site Story within a story Angel 's Egg Doctor Dolittle and the Secret Lake Fantasia 2000 `` Homer and Ned 's Hail Mary Pass '' `` This Is the Way the World Ends '' Exclusions `` The Unicorn '' Peluda Related theology Book of Noah Generations of Noah Gopher wood Noah 's wine Seven Laws of Noah Other Noah 's Brother Noah 's Ark replicas and derivatives Boner 's Ark Noah 's Ark silver coins Adam and Eve Source Genesis creation narrative in the Book of Genesis Adam Eve Lucifer Offspring Cain and Abel Aclima Seth Awan Azura Television `` Probe 7, Over and Out '' ( 1963 ) Film Mama 's Affair ( 1921 ) Good Morning, Eve ! ( 1934 ) The Broken Jug ( 1937 ) The Original Sin ( 1948 ) The Private Lives of Adam and Eve ( 1960 ) El pecado de Adán y Eva ( 1969 ) La Biblia en pasta ( 1984 ) The Annunciation ( 1984 ) Adipapam ( 1988 ) Adam ( 1992 ) Man 's Best Friend ( 1998 ) Babs ( 2000 ) The Last Eve ( 2005 ) Year One ( 2009 ) The Tragedy of Man ( 2011 ) Adam and Dog ( 2011 ) Tropico ( 2013 ) Plays Le Jeu d'Adam ( 12th century ) The Broken Jug ( 1808 ) The Tragedy of Man ( 1861 ) The Creation of the World and Other Business ( 1972 ) Musicals The Apple Tree ( 1966 ) Dude ( 1972 ) Up from Paradise ( 1973 ) Children of Eden ( 1991 ) Compositions The Creation ( 1798 ) structure La mort d'Adam ( 1809 ) Ève ( 1875 ) Genesis Suite ( 1945 ) Lilith ( 2001 ) Literature Apocalypse of Adam Book of Moses Book of Abraham Books of Adam Book of the Penitence of Adam Cave of Treasures `` El y Ella '' Genesis A and Genesis B Harrowing of Hell Life of Adam and Eve Testament of Adam Testimony of Truth ( 3rd century ) Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan ( 6th century ) `` Old Saxon Genesis '' ( 9th century ) `` Adam lay ybounden '' ( 15th century ) Paradise Lost ( 1667 ) Le Dernier Homme ( 1805 ) Extracts from Adam 's Diary ( 1904 ) Eve 's Diary ( 1905 ) The Book of Genesis ( 2009 ) Art Bernward Doors ( 1015 ) Tapestry of Creation ( 11th century ) Expulsion from the Garden of Eden ( 1425 ) Vienna Diptych ( 15th century ) The Last Judgment ( 1482 ) The Garden of Earthly Delights ( 1504 ) Adam and Eve ( 1507 ) Paradise and Hell ( 1510 ) The Creation of Adam ( 1512 ) The Haywain Triptych ( 1516 ) Eve, the Serpent and Death ( 1510s or 1520s ) Adam and Eve ( 1528 ) The Fall of Man ( 1550 ) Maps of Ancient Israel The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man ( 1617 ) The Fall of Man ( 1628 ) The Four Seasons ( 1660s ) The Koren Picture - Bible ( 1692 -- 1696 ) The First Mourning ( 1888 ) Eve ( 1931 ) Adam and Eve ( 1932 ) The Serpent Chooses Adam and Eve ( 1958 ) Adam and Eve ( 1992 ) Songs `` Dese Bones G'wine Rise Again '' `` Adam - ondi - Ahman '' ( 1835 ) `` Forbidden Fruit '' ( 1915 ) `` The Garden of Eden '' ( 1956 ) `` Let 's Give Adam and Eve Another Chance '' ( 1970 ) `` Man Gave Names to All the Animals '' ( 1979 ) Albums The Cainian Chronicle ( 1996 ) Visions of Eden ( 2006 ) Other cultures Adam -- God doctrine Adam and Eve ( LDS Church ) Adam in Islam Adam in rabbinic literature Al - A'raf Book of Moses Endowment Manu ( Hinduism ) Mashya and Mashyana Serpent seed Tree of Jiva and Atman Tree of life ( Quran ) Our Lady of Endor Coven Geography Adam - ondi - Ahman Tomb of Eve Biology Mitochondrial Eve Y - chromosomal Adam The Real Eve Story within a story Doraemon : Nobita 's Diary of the Creation of the World Island of Love The Visitors Games Demon : The Fallen ( 2002 ) Related theology Fall of man Original sin Garden of Eden Tree of the knowledge of good and evil Serpents in the Bible Forbidden fruit Apple Fig leaf Figs in the Bible Adam 's ale Adamic language Rosh Hashanah Camael Shamsiel Tree of life Allegorical interpretations of Genesis Other Pre-Adamite Generations of Adam Cave of the Patriarchs `` In - A-Gadda - Da - Leela '' `` Simpsons Bible Stories '' Second Time Lucky Adam and Eve cylinder seal Timeline of Genesis patriarchs Genealogies of Genesis Carnal knowledge Legend of the Rood Ystorya Adaf Snakes for the Divine Ransom theory of atonement Cain and Abel Book of Genesis Biblical characters Adam Eve Cain and Abel Lucifer Enoch Awan Portrayals in media Film East of Eden ( film, 1952 ) Caín ( 1984 ) La Biblia en pasta ( 1984 ) The Last Eve ( 2005 ) Year One ( 2009 ) Abel Cain Plays Le Jeu d'Adam ( 12th century ) Cain ( 1821 ) Musicals Children of Eden ( 1991 ) Here 's Where I Belong ( 1968 ) Literature Book of the Penitence of Adam East of Eden ( novel, 1952 ) Abel Sánchez : The History of a Passion ( 1917 ) The Book of Lies ( 2008 ) Songs `` Should the Bible Be Banned '' ( 1988 ) `` Cain 's Blood '' ( 1995 ) Other La mort d'Abel ( composition, 1810 ) The First Mourning ( painting, 1888 ) Cain and Abel ( TV series, 2009 ) Cain and Abel ( DC Comics ) Kane ( Command & Conquer video game character ) Related theology Adam and Eve Curse and mark of Cain Serpent seed Christian Identity Cain and Abel in Islam Balbira and Kalmana Cainites Other Generations of Adam Timeline of Genesis patriarchs Land of Nod Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Book_of_Genesis&oldid=806500583 '' Categories : 6th - 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Question: what is the first book in the bible
Answer: Book of Genesis