Genesis: The Book of Beginnings

Genesis at a Glance

Genesis is the first book of the Bible and the first of the five books of Moses. Its name comes from the Greek word for origin, and the book earns it. Almost every great theme of Scripture begins here: creation, marriage, sin, death, judgment, sacrifice, covenant, and the promise of a Savior.

• Author. Moses. Jesus spoke of the law of Moses (Luke 24:44) and said of Moses, he wrote of me (John 5:46). Genesis does not name its writer. Moses may have gathered older family records, which would fit the heading that repeats through the book, These are the generations of.
• Date. Written by Moses about 1446–1406 BC, between the Exodus and his death. The events run from creation to the death of Joseph in Egypt, about 1800 BC.
• Written To. The nation of Israel, freed from Egypt and heading for the Promised Land. They needed to know who their God was, where they came from, and why the land was theirs.
• Setting. From the Garden of Eden the story moves through Mesopotamia and Canaan, and it ends in Egypt.
• Key Verse. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1).
• Key Word or Theme. Beginnings. God begins the world, and when man ruins it, God begins His plan to save sinners through the family of Abraham.