The Book of Genesis - An Overview of its Narratives

 The Book of Genesis - An Overview of its Narratives

Arfad A. Razak

9 February 2025

Below is extracted from an upcoming thesis regarding the Bible.

The book of Genesis (Hebrew ‘Be-resheet,’ which means ‘in the beginning’) is separated into two portions. Chapters 1 to 12 tells the story of the Primeval History. These are accounts that “transpired at the beginning of time” as Ehrman puts it (The Bible, 34). To this I would add that it also tells the story of the first humans at the garden of Eden (modern-day understanding of this is Heaven), Adam and Eve, as well as the first groups of humans on earth (the story of the flood at Noah’s time). The second portion of Genesis, chapters 12 to 50, narrates the history of the Israelite’s ancestors. Here, we get the famous Biblical characters such as Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and Joseph. The book of Genesis begins with two stories of the creation of the world: Genesis 1: 1–2:4a; and 2:4b-3:24). In the first creation story, God created Light on the first day. He then created the Dome (heavens – not as in Heaven and Hell) on the second day. The third day God created Land and Plants. The fourth day he created the Heavenly Bodies. Aquatic Creatures and Birds were created on the fifth day. Land Animals and Humans were created on the sixth day. On the seventh day God rested. As a mean of contrast, this verse in Genesis is rather striking.

When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, there was neither shrub nor plant growing on the earth, because the LORD God had sent no rain; nor was there anyone to till the ground. Moisture used to well out of the earth and water all the surface of the ground. The LORD God formed a human being from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, so that he became a living creature. The LORD God planted a garden in Eden away to the east, and in it he put the man he had formed, the LORD God made trees grow up from the ground, every kind of tree pleasing to the eye and good for food; and in the middle of the garden se set the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. There was a river flowing from Eden to water the garden, and from there it branched into four streams… (Gen. 2:4b-10, REB).

The above clearly contradicts the first creation story found in chapter 1. In chapter 1, God created man last after the Light, Dome, Land and Plants, Heavenly Bodies, Aquatic Creatures and Birds, and Land Animals. However, in the second creation story, Adam and Even were created before Water, Plants, and Animals.

The first creation account is relatively close to the Enuma Elish, a Sumerian epic which also contains a creation account. The Enuma Elish – also known as the ‘Epic of Creation’ - were written on a clay tablet in the Akkadian language. Seven such tablets had been found, and scholars dates them to around the 11^th century BCE. The Akkadian “Enuma Elish” means “when on high” “and the story tells of a cosmic conflict between the leading deities” (Arnold & Meyer, 31).

 

When skies above were not yet named

Nor earth below pronounced by name,

Apsu, the first one, their begetter

And maker Tiamat, who bore them all,

Had mixed their waters together,

But had not formed pastures, nor discovered reed-beds;

When no gods were yet manifest,

Nor names pronounced, nor destinies decreed,

Then gods were born within them

(Tablet 1 of Enuma Elish, adapted from Michael D. Coogan. A Reader of Ancient Near Eastern Texts. New York: Oxford University Press (2013). 9).

 

In the epic above, “Apsu, the god of the fresh water, and Tiamat, the goddess of the salt waters, “mixed their waters together,” and from their union the first generation of the gods was born; among these were earth and sky…” (Coogan, 30). I am not implying that the author of Genesis were basing his narratives off of the Enuma Elish, however, the fact that there are many accounts of the creation of the heavens and earth from the ancient world pose the questions if they could have originated from a single source and that later down the years the accounts have been redacted to fit the time, and communities of those who adopted them?

The book of Genesis continues with the story of the Serpent (modern day understanding of this is that the serpent has been associated with the Devil) causing Adam to eat from the forbidden fruits of the tree of knowledge (Gen. 3:4). With this, God punishes Adam and Eve as the first man Adam, blamed his wife Eve for his mishaps as it was Eve who had eaten from the forbidden tree before giving some of the fruits to her husband (Gen. 3:5-6). These fruits are forbidden for men to eat probably because it unveils one’s nakedness – though perceived (Gen. 3:7; 11), and that it allows men to become immortal (Gen. 3:4; 22, cf. 2: 17). Due to this, both Adam and his wife were casted out of Eden (Gen. 3:23). Genesis then narrates the story of Adam and Eve multiplying on earth as God had commanded (Gen. 1:28). Next, we are greeted with the story of Adam’s sons: Abel and Cain. God had preferred Abel over Cain (Gen. 4:4-5a), as a result, Cain became distress (Gen. 4: 5b). To this God spoke to Cain,

Why are you distressed,

And why is your face fallen?

Surely, if you do right,

There is uplift.

But if you do not do right

Sin couches at the door.

(Gen. 4:6-7, NJPS 1999)

 

Cain brought his brother Abel to the field (Gen. 4:8a, Targum) “and when they were in the field, Cain set upon his brother Abel and killed him” (Gen. 4: 8b, NJPS).

Genesis then took us through the civilisation of Noah and his three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Gen. 6:9-10). The earth during Noah’s time was filled with men’s corruption and lawlessness and God decided to destroy it (Gen. 6:11-13). God told Noah that he has decided to “put an end to all flesh” (Gen. 6:13b). God then instructed Noah to build an ark (Gen. 6: 14-22). Noah, along with the animals and righteous people entered the ark and was saved from God’s flood (Gen. 7:1-8: 19). God blesses Noah and his sons and human civilisation started again (Gen. 9:1,7). Genesis chapter 9 is also the chapter that gave precedence to the Noahide Law (same concept as the Mosaic Law to the Israelites, just that the Noahide Law applies to all mankind [according to the Bible, Gen. 9:12] – there are 7 different “covenants” in the Noahide Law). With the flood ending, the Primeval story meet its ends as well.

Genesis now begins the Ancestral story: from Abram (who later was renamed Abraham) to Joseph before his death in Egypt. Abram was from Ur of the Chaldeans (modern day south Iraq) (Gen. 11:29-32). Abram, - we do not know how old he was - was brought to Harran, modern day south Turkey (Gen. 11:31-2). He settled there until the death of his father, Terah (Gen. 11:32). God then told Abram to leave Harran: “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you” (Gen. 12:1, NJPS 1999). From the above passage, we learn that Abram was from originally from Harran, as this was his native land (Gen. 12:1a), and as a young child he was brought to Ur of the Chaldeans before being brought back to Harran as a teenager/young adult/adult. We only know that Abram was 25 years old and married when he left Harran (Gen. 12:4-5). Abram left Harran with his nephew Lot and “all the wealth they had amassed” (Gen. 12:5, NJPS 1999) and left for Canaan, which was the initial destination of his father (Gen. 11: 31). Genesis 12:7 then inform readers that God had granted the land of Canaan to Abram’s ancestors.

This passage is controversial and has been used by many Jews today to claim possession of Palestine. Here, we should note that the Bible has yet to inform us the story of the Israelites. Historically, at the time of Abram (Abraham), there were no Israelites. In fact, the term “Israel,” hence, “Israelites” referred to the grandson of Abraham (from the progeny of his son Issac) Jacob, and the descendants of Jacob respectively (Gen. 35:10). Genesis 12:1 mentions Abram as a native of Harran. Therefore, there are strong possibilities that Abram (Abraham) was from a tribe that is active in northern Arabia sometime around the 2200-2000 BCE. If we refer to the Sumerian King List, the conservative Jewish opinion is that Abram probably falls within the reign of Sargon, 2288-2253 BCE (Akkad dynasty) or the Third Dynasty of Ur – from Ur Namma (2110-2093) or later, Shulgi (2092-2045). It is also plausible that Abram lived or was born during the first dynasty of Isin, under their first king Ishbi-Erra (2019-1987 BCE). There are also theories that Abram was born and lived through the first Babylonian dynasty, (1880 BCE) through Hammurabi (1792-1750), though this could be quite late as there are strong possibility that Joseph was in Egypt during the time of the Hyksos (1782-1570 BCE). There are also opinions that Abram - given that he was a native of Harran – may well have been either the Hattian or Hittites (those who lived-in modern-day Turkey during the Bronze age (3100-1200 BCE; Hattian ?-2000; Hittites 2000-1200 BCE). This, however, is too late in our chronology since the Hittites kingdom was only formed in the 1650 BCE under their first ruler Hattusili (1650-1620 BCE), if we base on the Sumerian King List. Another suggestion that has been mentioned by scholars including Collins (Hebrew Bible, 88-89) is that Abraham was a Hurrian. As evident from a marriage contract found at Nuzi (northern Iraq), it is required that a barren wife allows her husband to have a child through their slave women (for example in Genesis 16 Sarai let Hagar bore Abraham a child). However, just basing of this evidence is spurious as this sort of practices are common in the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Egyptian empire. Non-conservative scholars doubt the chronology of Genesis as the Phillistine mentioned in Genesis 21; 26 were Sea Peoples who conquered the shores of ancient Palestine, and they also gave the land its name – this happens only in the twelfth century BCE. Furthermore, the Arameans mentioned in the Jacob story is only attested outside the Biblical narratives in the eleventh century BCE.

However, if we allow for a conservative dating, it is very likely that Abram was late Hattian or early/proto-Hittites given the fact that these groups of people lived in northern Arabia/southern Turkey in the 2000 BCE era. Obviously, any ethnic group could live in these lands, therefore, we do not know as to what race is Abraham – yet alone the exact chronology. If we could estimate the time it took from Abram (Abraham) to Joseph, it is most likely that Abram lived during the early Third Dynasty of Ur, and that Issac and Jacob lived through the first Babylonian dynasty, and that Joseph was sold as a slave in Egypt sometime during the reign of Sin-muballit (1812-1793 BCE), the predecessor of Hammurabi. If we take on a non-conservative dating, and put on the hat of the historian, Collin is probably right in that Abraham lived around 1200 BCE.

In any case, either Abram was a Hattian or Hittites, or neither, the fact remains that Abraham could never be a Jew (not only is this anachronistic, but also impossible given the fact that modern Jews originated from Eastern Europe, and their lineages does not go back to the Israelites. In addition, when God gave the land of Canaan to Abram’s ancestors, it means that Ishmael has a share in the land as well. Therefore, understanding that Palestine belongs to the descendant of Issac and Ishmael will bring an end to the conflict in modern day Palestine and the greater Arab world. The word “Hebrew” or “ibri (Hebrew for ‘Hebrew’)” is mentioned in Genesis 14:13 and is used as a reference to Abram. This word is used again in the Joseph and Exodus narratives. Today, there are many misunderstanding around this word. Contrary to popular beliefs, the word ibri used in the book of Genesis does refer to an ethnic group of people. This word, instead, has negative connotation as it is a reference to people who lived in the fringes of society. Throughout the second millennium BCE, in the Ancient Near East, there are people called “Habiru” or “Apiru,” and scholars are still debating if these are the first mention of the Biblical ibri outside the Biblical literature. Anyway, we need not get bogged down in this never-ending chronological debate.

Abram finally reached Egypt, and he had a problem (Gen 12:15). Abram’s wife, Sarai, was so beautiful that she was taken to the Pharoah. The narratives suggest that Sarai was not taken by force and that Abram, and she plotted a plan that eventually worked to their favour. Abram was granted “sheep, oxen, asses, male and female slaves, she-asses, and camels” (Gen. 12:16). However, God was not pleased and afflicted Pharoah with mighty plagues (Gen. 12:17). Pharoah was stunned as to why this has happened to him. It turns out that Abram has tricked the Pharoah by passing of his wife as his sister (Gen. 12:18-19). Pharoah humiliated - as he has stolen somebody else’s wife - chased Abram and Sarai out of Egypt (Gen. 12:20-13:1).

Skipping a few chapters, the book of Genesis then narrates the famous story of the binding of Issac (Gen. 22:1-15). Abraham was commanded by God to sacrifice his son (from the progeny of Sarah – formerly Sarai) (Gen. 22:2). The next morning, Abraham took Issac and set off to the land of Moriah (location is debated, however, likely theory is present day Mount Moriah, near Jerusalem – though this mountain could have been named Moriah at a later time to associate it with the Moriah of Genesis). Issac, at first, oblivious to this fact (Gen. 22:7), finally realized that God has commanded his father to sacrifice him (Gen. 22:9). Skipping a few more chapters, we read the story of Issac, which is filled with a lot of twists. Earlier, Abram had tricked the Pharoah by passing of his wife as his sister, now, Issac too, was a trickster like his father. In Genesis 26:1, “There was a famine in the land” and “Issac went to Abimelech, the king of the Philistines…” Issac had initially wanted to go to Egypt; to follow the footsteps of his father (this is implied in Gen. 26:1b), however, God told him to stay in Gerar (15km south-east of Gaza, Palestine), in the land of Canaan. “When the man of the place [Gerar] asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,”” as he is afraid that he might be killed, and his beautiful wife Rebecca be taken as a concubine by the Philistinians (Gen. 22:7). Just as the Pharoah was struck by plague in Egypt due to Abram’s doing, Abimelech, the king of Philistine, almost suffered the same fate (Gen. 22:10). Abimelech, looking out the window, on a one fine day, was shocked when he saw Issac fondling with his wife Rebecca (Gen. 22:8b) – whom she thought was his sister. Due to this, Abimelech had to react to save his honour. Just as Abram was chased out of Egypt, Issac was chased out of the court of Abimelech (Gen. 22:16).

The book of Genesis also takes us through the quarrels of the sons of Issac, between Jacob (also known as Israel – after he wrestled with the divine being and won, see Genesis 32:22-32) and Esau (Gen. 33). And the story of Joseph sold into slavery in Egypt - one of the prominent protagonists in Genesis apart from Abraham. Joseph was thrown into a well/pit (Gen. 37:23-28) by his brothers out of jealousy. He was bought by merchants (Gen. 37:28-36) and sold as a slave into a rich family in Egypt. Soon after, Joseph was thrown into prison for refusing to be seduced by his owner’s wife (Gen. 39:12-13). The ruler of Egypt at the time (whom the Bible incorrectly called Pharoah – if we situate Joseph during the reign of the Hyksos) had a dream and needed someone to interpret it (Gen. 41). Joseph, having been gifted by God with the ability to interpret dreams, answered the Pharoah’s call (Gen. 41:15-36). By interpreting the ruler’s dream, Joseph saved the whole of Egypt from famine through the storing of enough food for seven years. Joseph died (probably during the reign of Khyan/Seuserenra 1600 BCE), and the new Theban dynasty in Egypt gave rise to the enslavement of the Hebrews. It is also plausible that the descendants of Joseph, lost favours from the later Hyksos rulers such as Apepi/Aauserra and Khamudi (1555 BCE).