These are the Generations: Identity, Covenant, and the Toledot Formula

Using a combination of form-critical and linguistic methods, Matthew A. Thomas seeks to understand the role of the toledot formula—these are the generations of—in shaping the book of Genesis and the Pentateuch as a whole. An examination of the formula uncovers that it functions primarily as a heading to major sections of text and draws readers’ attention to focus on an ever narrower range of characters. Through his analysis of this organizing structure in Genesis and the Pentateuch, Thomas offers resolutions to a number of tensions within the text and provides insights into a number of other questions surrounding the toledot formula and structural issues in the books of Moses.