Genesis
In the beginning. The first book of the Bible traces the origins of the cosmos, of humanity, of sin, and of the covenant that will run through the whole of scripture.
About this book: Genesis is the book of beginnings. It opens with two creation accounts, moves through the catastrophe of the fall, the flood, and the tower of Babel, and then narrows its focus to a single family, Abraham and his descendants, through whom all the nations of the earth will somehow be blessed. The narrative ends with Jacob's family in Egypt, setting up everything that follows.
Chapters
In the Beginning
Creation from nothing. Light before sun. Order drawn from formless void. Humanity made in the image of God.
The Breath and the Garden
God forms man from dust and breathes life into him. The garden as vocation. The first "not good": aloneness.
The Wound That Speaks
The serpent's question. The knowledge of good and evil. Shame, hiding, and the first exile from the garden.
Cain and Abel
The first murder. The mark of Cain. "Am I my brother's keeper?"
The Generations of Adam
The genealogy from Adam to Noah. Life spans and the rhythm of death.
The Flood
Noah, the ark, the flood, the covenant. The rainbow as promise.
The Tower of Babel
The table of nations. The ambition of Babel. The scattering of languages.
Abraham
The call of Abram. The covenant. Sodom and Gomorrah. The binding of Isaac.
Isaac and Jacob
The twins, the birthright, the ladder, the wrestling with God at the Jabbok.
Joseph
The coat, the pit, Egypt, the prison, the dream. "You intended harm; God intended good."