A Handbook on Genesis (UBS Handbook Series)
Overview
The book of Genesis introduces the collection of books that make up the first six books of the Old Testament. Genesis tells about creation, the earliest human beings, and the ancestral family of Israel, and introduces the events beginning in Exodus that lead up to the conquest of Canaan told about in the book of Joshua.
The structure of Genesis “Genesis” means “beginning” or “origin,” and the book contains two major sections. Chapters 1–11 tell about creation, the flood, and the tower of Babel. In addition these chapters give the names of the earliest people, beginning with Adam and Eve and continuing to Abraham and Sarah. The second section of Genesis (11.27–50.26) places our attention on the ancestors of Israel, who received God’s promise of the land of Canaan, but who never saw the promise come true. These ancestors are Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and his wives Leah and Rachel, and Joseph and his brothers. The two halves of Genesis are tied together by a single thread. This unifying element is the Hebrew expression ‘eleh toledoth, translated in older English versions as “These are the generations of . . . .” In most of its occurrences this expression is followed by the name of a male ancestor and his wife or wives (if named), his children (if named), and his descendants. In addition to the list of descendants (and sometimes the number of years they lived), stories about their lives are sometimes given. Where this generation marker occurs, the text is saying that an important ancestor has been selected, and that he and his descendants will be discussed until the next occurrence of the expression. At that point a later ancestor will become the center of attention. Throughout Genesis this expression is repeated eleven times, six in the first section and five in the second section.
- Exegetical, historical, cultural, and linguistic information on the original text
- Verse-by-verse guides
- An essential tool for Bible translators
Top Highlights
“The word rendered created, which means ‘to bring into existence, to cause something to be,’ is used only with God as subject and thus suggests that to create is the activity of God alone. Created is replaced by the verb ‘make’ in verses 7, 16, 25, and 26, but the sense is the same as create. The Septuagint translates the Hebrew for created by the verb ‘to make.’” (Page 29)
“Remembered in this context means taking merciful action in regard to someone who is threatened or in trouble. tev” (Page 184)
“From Adam’s reply to God in the next verse, it appears that he does not take Where are you? as a question about his location but rather as a request to explain why he is hiding. Because of this it may be more natural for some languages to say ‘Why are you not here to meet me?’” (Page 87)
“Shame is the painful consciousness of having done or thought something that is recognized as wrong or unacceptable; it is generally most intense in the presence of other people.” (Pages 76–77)
“Therefore introduces a conclusion or result: ‘Because of this …,’ ‘Due to this …,’ ‘This is why.…’ The conclusion is based on the whole story of the creation of the woman, beginning with verse 18 and including verse 23. Because the woman has been created as a suitable companion and support for the man, the man leaves his parental surroundings to unite with his wife.” (Page 75)
What if you were responsible for translating God's Word into a language that never had a Bible before? Can you imagine the burden you would feel to do a good job?
God takes His Word pretty seriously, and you would certainly do everything in your power to make sure that you were not putting words into God's mouth, but that you were providing a text that clearly communicated God's Word as closely to the original as possible.
This challenge to understand the heart of the original Scriptures, in order to put the original text into a new language, was the impetus for the United Bible Societies to create handbooks for Bible translators working on this very thing. The United Bible Societies' Handbook Series is a comprehensive verse-by-verse guide to understanding exactly what is being communicated by the author in the original Scriptures.
- Title: A Handbook on Genesis
- Authors: William David Reyburn, Euan McGregor Fry
- Series: United Bible Societies’ Handbooks
- Publisher: United Bible Societies
- Print Publication Date: 1998
- Logos Release Date: 2004
- Pages: 1149
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Bible. O.T. Genesis › Translating; Bible. O.T. Genesis › Commentaries
- Resource ID: LLS:34.0.145
- Resource Type: Bible Commentary
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T18:58:16Z
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