UNROLL
A single small green shoot breaking up through cracked, dry, stony ground at first light, under a wide, clear dawn sky.

The Book of

Genesis Intro

The book of beginnings: a good world, a broken one, and the promise God made to fix it.

Before chapter 1≈ 2 min50 chapters

Images are artistic interpretations.

In 30 seconds

God speaks, and a good world begins.

People turn from Him, and sin spreads.

A flood, a rescued family, a scattered world.

God calls Abraham and makes him a promise.

Through flawed people, God keeps it.

Tap to go deeper: meaning, history and related Scripture

Who wrote it

Moses

Leader of Israel, who wrote down the LORD’s words

  • Jesus spoke of the Law as written by Moses.John 5:46
  • Moses wrote down the words of the LORD.Exodus 24:4
  • Jews and Christians have long held that Moses wrote Genesis, drawing on older family accounts.Church tradition
  • Written for Israel in the wilderness years; its people lived long before, the patriarchs about 2000 BC.Most conservative scholars

How it’s built

Four parts, one promise

Beginnings1–11 · creation,fall, flood, BabelThe promise12:1–3 · land,offspring, blessingAbraham12–24 · the call andthe promiseIsaac andJacob25–36 · the promisepassed onJoseph37–50 · God meant itfor good

Whiteboard

Genesis marks its own sections with a heading, ‘This is the account of…’, eleven times over.

How to read it

Real history, told in few words.

Real people, and Genesis hides none of their sins.

Some parts are strange to us: long lives, old customs, long lists.

The hero is God, who keeps His promise.

Where it happens

ShinarCanaanEgyptEuphratesTigrisUr of the ChaldeansHaran

Stylised map · locations approximate

On the map

From Ur to Egypt

From Mesopotamia to Canaan and down into Egypt: Abraham’s road, and his family’s.

Big themes

Four threads to follow

Meet the cast

Five people to know

Watch for

all the families of the earth will be blessed through you

Genesis 12:3

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Question

Quick question

In chapter 12 God calls Abram to leave his country and go to a land He will show him.

What did God promise would happen through Abram’s family?

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