Genesis is the first of five books, the others being Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, which comprise what is called the Pentateuch (derived from the Greek meaning five books or scrolls). These five books are also called the Torah or law, the first of three major divisions of the Old Testament delineated by Jesus (Luke 24:44).
[See Map of Where Genesis Written]
Date Written, Location
The book of Genesis was written from 1445 to 1405 B.C. by Moses. He wrote the book as he and the children of Israel wandered the wilderness (mostly the Sinai Peninsula) for forty years.
Author of Genesis
Moses, considered one of the greatest individuals in the Old Testament, was born in 1526 B.C. His eventful life can be divided into three parts each spanning 40 years in length.
Moses died, at age 120, on Mount Nebo around February 5 of 1405 B.C. He was buried on the mount by God in a secret location.
[Timeline of the Life of Moses!]
Time Period
The book of Genesis begins with God creating the entire universe (Genesis 1:1) through Jesus Christ (John 1:1 - 3, 1Corinthians 8:6, Colossians 1:16). This awesome act earned the praise of angels who witnessed the event (Job 38:4 - 7). Countless years later Adam and Eve, the first humans, are brought into existence roughly around 3969 B.C.
Genesis ends with the death and embalming of Joseph who, like all the other Israelites, was living in Egypt at the time of his passing. He died in 1599 B.C. at the age of 110 (Genesis 50:22 - 26).
Important People in Genesis
The most noteworthy (or notorious) people mentioned in Genesis are Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Lot, Melchizedek, Hagar, Ishmael, and Issac and Rebekah.
[What Is the Order of Melchizedek?]
Other important people in the book of Genesis include Jacob (Israel) and his twin brother Esau. Jacob's wives Leah and Rachel, as well as Bilhah and Zilpah, were used by God to give the patriarch twelve sons and one daughter. Those also playing a pivotal role in Genesis are Laban and Jacob's eleventh son Joseph.
Genesis Chapter Outline
Chpts 1 - 2: All things, including Adam and Eve, are created by God. Adam is created out of red clay and Eve is made from one of Adam's ribs. God rests on the seventh day, setting an example for all humans to follow.
Chpt. 3: Eve is deceived by the devil who takes the form of a standing beast. She sins when she eats from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. After Adam eats from the tree the couple is cast out of Eden.
[Was Eve Really Tempted by a Snake?]
[Which Animals Are in Genesis?]
Chpt. 4: Adam and Eve give birth to Cain, their firstborn, then Abel. Abel's offering to God is accepted while Cain's is not. God's intervention with Cain fails and he murders Abel in cold blood. Cain is punished for his sin and has a mark placed on him.
Cain eventually finds a wife and gives birth to a son whose descendants are the first to live in tents, make musical instruments and create implements used in farming and war.
Chpt. 5: The genealogy of Seth, Adam's third son, is delineated.
[Genealogy of Adam's Son Seth]
Chpt. 6: As the population of earth rapidly increases so does the practice of sin and evil. God decides, based on humanity's total fixation on wickedness, to wipe out all humans. Noah, however, finds favor with the Lord. He is given the plans for an ark to save certain animals, as well as his wife, three sons and their wives, from destruction.
Chpt. 7: The ark is loaded up with animals and Noah's family. God then causes it to rain continuously until all creatures that breathe air, including humans, die.
[Who Was Oldest Person After Flood?]
Chpt. 8: Noah, when the flood ends, releases all the animals from the ark. Noah then offers sacrifices to God which causes him to promise to never again kill all life on the planet.
Chpt. 9: God blesses Noah's and his sons so that they can repopulate the earth. He also allows humanity to eat meat (minus the blood). The Lord then makes an unconditional covenant with Noah and his sons, and by extension all humanity, which he confirms through a rainbow.
Noah plants a vineyard and gets drunk. While he is passed out his grandson Canaan sins against him and is cursed.
Chpt. 10: The chapter records some of the descendants after the flood of Noah and his three sons. This information is sometimes referred to as the table of nations.
[Who Were the Descendants of Noah's Sons?]
Chpt. 11: The tower of Babel is built in order to keep people together and protect against another worldwide flood. These sins cause God to diversify the one language humans had been using. Shem's descendants are listed which includes Abraham (Abram). After his brother dies, Abraham and his entire family leaves the city of Ur for Haran.
Chpt. 12: God, after Abraham lived five years in Haran, commands him to travel to Canaan. As he travels through Canaan, however, famine drives him to Egypt. After lying about his wife to the Egyptians, which causes them to experience plagues, Pharaoh expels him from the country.
[The Greatest Famines in the Bible!]
Chpt. 13: Abraham and Lot, because of their great wealth in livestock, agree to separate. Lot travels to near Sodom while Abraham stays in Canaan and moves to Hebron (Mamre).
Chpt. 14: Chedorlaomer leads three other kings who together, as they travel the King's Highway, kill people and take plunder. Reaching Sodom and Gomorrah, they overcome the forces of these population centers who are also allied with three other cities.
[Where Was the King's Highway Located?]
Chedorlaomer's forces take Lot and his family as prisoners. Abraham is able to raise an army of 318 from his own servants and, with the help of other allies, pursues Chedoraomer. He ultimately saves Lot and his possessions. A priest of the Most High God named Melchizedek meets and bless Abraham.
[Timeline of First Biblical War!]
Chpt. 15: God promises Abraham a son. The Lord also reveals his descendants will be slaves in a foreign land then later released with great wealth.
Chpt. 16: Sarah, Abraham's wife who is barren, allows him to produce a child through her servant Hagar. After Hagar becomes pregnant, she begins to look down on Sarah. Sarah, in response, causes Hagar to flee. God then tell Hagar to return to Sarah, after which Ishmael is born.
Chpt. 17: God makes a covenant with Abraham which promises him greatness. Circumcision of all males, as a sign of the covenant, is commanded by the Lord and carried out by the patriarch.
Chpt. 18: God and two angels personally visit Abraham. After the patriarch is informed of Sodom and Gomorrah's impending destruction He bargains to try and save Sodom. The Lord agrees to spare Sodom if only ten righteous people are found within it.
[Why Did Abraham Try to Save Sodom?]
Chpt. 19: Two angels are sent to Sodom to save Lot and his family. Lot, his wife and two daughters then flee to Zoar. Lot's wife, as the sinful cities are being destroyed, sees their destruction and is turned to salt. Lot soon leaves Zoar for the mountains. He gets drunk and has sex with his daughters.
[Who Saw Lot's Wife Turn to Salt?]
Chpt. 20: Abraham, fearful he will be killed for his beautiful wife, lies about her to Abimelech. God then causes Abimelech to not sin with Sarah and warns him to not harm them. The couple leave Abimelech with several gifts.
Chpt. 21: Sarah becomes pregnant with and then gives birth to Isaac. The mocking of Hagar's son causes both him and his mother to be sent away. Hagar and Ishmael are ultimately saved by the Angel of the Lord speaking to them from heaven.
Chpt. 22: God tests Abraham's faith by commanding he sacrifice Isaac. After he passes the test, he moves to Beersheba.
[Why Did God Want Isaac Sacrifice?]
Chpt. 23: Sarah, at the age of 127, dies and is buried in Hebron. This burial location will ultimately be where Abraham and others are buried.
Chpt. 24: Abraham has his most trusted servant visit his relatives in order to find a wife for Isaac. The servant finds a woman named Rebekah and brings her back to Isaac.
Chpt. 25: Abraham marries a woman named Keturah and has six sons. Abraham dies and is buried with Sarah. Ishmael's descendants are listed. Isaac's wife Rebekah gives birth to twins Esau and Jacob. When the brothers are older Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for food.
[Who Else is Buried With Abraham?]
Chpt. 26: Isaac lies about Rebekah to the Philistines fearful they will kill him for her. God blesses Isaac with wealth and appears to him at night.
Chpt. 27: Jacob cheats Esau out of his birthright by pretending to be him and receiving the blessing from their almost blind father Isaac. Esau's anger causes Jacob to flee to a relative named Laban.
Chpt. 28: As Jacob is fleeing Esau, he dreams of a ladder going to heaven. God then talks to him and confirms he will inherit the blessings promised to Abraham and Isaac.
[What Did Jacob's Ladder Symbolize?]
Chpt. 29: Jacob finally finds Laban and agrees to work seven years for him to earn the right to marry Rachel. After seven years he is tricked into marrying Rachel's sister Leah first and agrees to work another seven years for Rachel. Leah gives birth to Jacob's first four sons.
Chpt. 30: Jacob produces many more children and grows wealthy. He arranges to work another six years for Laban.
Chpt. 31: God commands Jacob to return to Canaan. Laban pursues Jacob and agrees to a peace treaty with him.
Chpt. 32: Jacob devises a plan to sneak past his brother Esau by dividing up his caravan going back to Canaan. Jacob wrestles with God all night and receives a blessing, including being renamed Israel.
Chpt. 33: Jacob makes peace with his brother Esau then moves to be close to Shechem.
Chpt. 34: Dinah, Jacob's daughter, is raped by a man in Shechem. Jacob's sons Simeon and Levi take revenge for the rape by killing all the males in Shechem.
Chpt. 35: Jacob and his family travel to Bethel where God reiterate the blessings he will receive. Rachel dies near Bethlehem while giving birth to Jacob's last son Benjamin. Jacob's firstborn son Reuben commits incest.
Chpt. 36: This chapter lists the descendants of Esau.
Chpt. 37: Joseph receives a "coat of many colors" from his father. Joseph's brothers, jealous of his relationship with their father, sell him into slavery. He ends up a slave in Egypt.
[What Does Coat of Many Colors Symbolize?]
Chpt. 38: Tamar, after she tricks Judah into having sex with her, gives birth to twin sons.
Chpt. 39: Joseph becomes a beneficial slave to Potiphar who is one of Pharaoh's officials. Potiphar's wife, after unsuccessfully enticing Joseph to have sex with her, has him sent to prison. Even though in prison God continues to be with and bless Joseph.
Chpt. 40: Joseph correctly interprets the dreams of fellow prisoners.
[Dreams Recorded in the Bible!]
Chpt. 41: After Joseph correctly interprets Pharaoh's dream of abundance and famine he becomes the second most powerful person in Egypt. Joseph marries an Egyptian priestess and through her produces two sons during the years of abundance. When famine finally arrives, he sells grain to anyone in need.
Chpt. 42: Joseph's brothers travel to Egypt to buy food during the famine. Joseph, whose true identity is hidden from his brothers, gives them food to take home. He also holds Reuben in his prison and requests they return with their youngest brother Benjamin.
Chpt. 43: Joseph's brothers, as the famine grows even worse, finally convinces Jacob to have Benjamin go back with them to Egypt. When they arrive in Egypt they have a meal with Joseph.
Chpt. 44: Joseph, as his brothers leave to go back home, plants a silver cup in one of their sacks. After they have traveled a certain distance, he sends stewards after them to accuse them of theft. They come back to Egypt and beg they can go back home with Benajamin.
Chpt. 45: Joseph reveals his true identity to his brothers and invites them to migrate to Egypt and live in the land of Goshen. The brothers go back home and convince their father Jacob to come to Egypt.
Chpt. 46: God, as Jacob and his entire family are traveling to Egypt, assures him he is with him and that he will live long enough to have Joseph see him die. Joseph has a tearful reunion with his father in Goshen.
[Who Actually Migrated to Egypt?]
Chpt. 47: Jacob's (Israel's) entire family settles in Goshen. Joseph, while the famine still rages, accepts livestock and then land in payment for food. After living 17 years in Egypt Jacob prepares for his death.
Chpt. 48: Jacob blesses both of Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh.
Chpt. 49: Jacob blesses and then reveals what will happen to each of his twelve sons in the end time. Before his death he requests being buried with Abraham and Isaac.
Chpt. 50: Jacob dies and is buried by his sons in Hebron. Joseph promises to take care of his brothers after their father dies. Before his own death, Joseph makes the Israelites promise to carry his bones into the Promised Land. He then dies and is embalmed at the age of 110.