Genesis

About Genesis

Genesis is the Bible's book of beginnings: the creation of the world, the entrance of sin, and God's plan to set things right. It follows one family—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph—through whom God promises to bless all the families of the earth. Nearly every big idea in the Bible starts here, which makes Genesis the foundation the whole story is built on.

Written by

Traditionally attributed to Moses; the book itself doesn't name its author, and many scholars think it reached its final form over a long period.

When

The traditional view places its writing in Moses' lifetime (around 1400s–1200s BC), though many scholars date its final form centuries later; the events it describes reach all the way back to the beginning.

Themes

• Creation and new beginnings
• Sin and its consequences
• God's covenant promises
• Blessing for all nations
• God's providence in hard times

Key verses

• Genesis 1:1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
• Genesis 12:2-3And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
• Genesis 50:20But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.