Summary Of The Book Chapter

The book of Genesis has been carefully composed to focus on a unique family line, starting with Adam a~d c~nti_n~ing down to the _twelve sons of Jacob. This line of “seed” includes vanous md1v1duals who all en1oyed ~ special relationship with God: Noap, Abraham, Isaac, J~cob,_ and Joseph. With great import, Genesis anticipates that a royal dyna~t~ ‘:1~1 anse fror:11 the d~scendants of Abraham. Although this future dynasty 1s 1mt1ally associated with Joseph and his son Ephraim, it is also linked in a subtle way to Judah and his son Perez.

Introduction

For many readers Genesis is a collection of unconnected stories, interrupted here and there by apparently irrelevant genealogies. Yet the present text has been carefully shaped to highlight the importance of a family lineage that begins with Adam and is traced through to the sons of Jacob. To appreciate this we shall consider first the overall structure of the book and the function of the various genealogies found within it. Next, we shall briefly examine the ~oncept of “seed” and observe how Genesis deliberately focuses on a single lme of descendants. Finally, we shall draw some conclusions about the nature and significance of this special lineage.

The Structure of Genesis

~ quick survey reveals that Genesis consists of narrative sections that are linked by genealogies. Many of these narrative sections and genealogies are

f IGURE 9. 1. A Linear Genealogy M gave birth to N

N gave birth to o

0 gave birth to p

M I N I

0 I p

. duced by similar headings; these occur in 2:4· 5·l · 6.9. 10 mtro 37 2 Th I . ‘ . , . , :l; 11 ·10 27· 12 19. 36:1, 9; : . e common e ement rn all thes h d’ . · ‘ , 25: ‘ ‘ ” vd- I d . h e ea tngs IS the He word tole ot, trans ate m t e NIV as “account “t Th d . –

brew . h ” . . b. h” h 1· k . e wor Itself is Cl·ated wit givmg trt ; w en m ed to a person or ob· . £ asso 6. d Ject, 1t re ers to hat that person or o Ject pro uces. For example, the initial words f 11 _27

w Id be translated, ”And these were born of Terah”; the NIV h ~Th ·· . cou h’ f .1 1. ,, as ISIS the account of Tera. s amt y me. .

The toledot headmgs serve two funct10ns. First, they are like chapter or sec- tion headings i~ modern book~. Some of them introduce major narrative sections, indicatl~g a n~w stage .m the development of the plot. These major sections deal mamly with the lives of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph, and ~hey are introduce”d vby_ the he~ding~ in 2:4; 6:9; 11:27; 25:19; and J7:2 respectively. The other toledot headmgs mtroduce either linear gene- alogies (see figure 9.1) listing descendants who belong to the central family line (5:1; 11:10), or segmented genealogies (see figure 9.2) providing details about family members of some of the minor participants in Genesis (10:1; 25:12; 36:1, 9). To ensure that the main line of descent is clearly established, segmented genealogies are never used; only linear genealogies are employed

(5:1-32; 11:10-26).

FIGURE 9.2. A Segmented Genealogy

A gave birth to B, C, D

B gave birth to E, F, G

C gave birth to H, I, J

D gave birth to K, L, M

A

I I I B C D

,h rh rh EFG HI J K LM

1. In Genesis the term toledot is used elsewhere only in lO:JZ and 25

= 13

·

135

_ OF T H E P ENTATE U C H TH E M i1 1N TH EM E S

136

S d the toledot headings function like a zoom lens on a carnera .,…h

econ , . l . d” .d l · 1 ey c h der’s attention on a particu ar m ivi ua and his irnrn d’ rocus t e rea . e late h”ld Th·s enables the author of Genesis to trace the fortunes of th . c i ren. 1 . f h . , e rnain

family line without needing to follow detail~ o ot er relativ~s ~ives. In this Way Genesis highlights the importance of the lineage that, begmnmg with Adarn • traced through Adam’s youngest son, Seth, to Noah, the father of She ‘ ~am, and Japheth. The next stage of the line takes us from Shem to “fer;’. the father of Abraham, Nahor, and Haran. We then move from Abraham to Isaac, from Isaac to Jacob, and finally to Jacob’s twelve sons.

The Chosen “Seed”

Closely linked to the genealogical structure of Genesis is the frequent use of the Hebrew word zera ‘, perhaps best translated as “seed.” Unfortunately, the NIV translates zera ‘ with a variety of terms-the most common being “de- scendants,” “offspring,” “seed.” For this reason the importance of the concept of “seed” in Genesis is easily missed. Zera ‘ is a keyword, however, occurring 59 times in Genesis compared to 170 times in the rest of the Old Testament.2

Several factors are worth noting briefly about the use of the term “seed” in Genesis. (1) The Hebrew word zera ‘, like the English word “sheep,” can be either singular or plural; it may denote a single seed or many seeds. An example of the former comes in 21:13, where Ishmael is described as Abra- ham’s “seed.” However, in 28:14 zera ‘ refers to the “seed” (descendants) of Jacob, “who will be like the dust of the earth.” (2) “Seed” normally denotes an individual’s natural child or children. When Eve gives birth to Seth, she comments, “God has granted me another child [seed] in place of Abel, since Cain killed him” (4:25). In 15:3 Abraham laments that his heir is Eliezer of Damascus and is not of his own seed; this reflects the fact that as yet Abraham and Sarah have no child of their own. (3) The Hebrew word zera ‘ conveys the idea that there is a close resemblance between the ”seed” and that which has produced it. We see this underlying the comment that plants and trees are to produce seeds “according to their various kinds” (1:11-12).

The Lineage of Adam

Viewing Genesis as a whole, it is apparent that the genealogical structure and the concept of “seed” are closely linked in order to highlight a single distinctive

2. These statistics exclude the one occurrence of the Aramaic word zera ‘ in Dan. 2:43. In Genesis zera ‘ comes in 1:11 (2x) , 12 (2x) , 29 (2x) ; 3:15 (2x); 4:25; 7:3; 8:22; 9:9; 12:7; 13:15, 16 (2x) ; 15:3, 5, 13, 18; 16:10; 17:7 (2x) , 8, 9, 10, 12, 19; 19:32, 34; 21 :12, 13; 22:17 (2x) , 18; 24:7, 60; 26:3, 4 (3x) , 24; 28:4, 13, 14 (2x) ; 32:12; 35:12; 38:8, 9 (2x); 46:6, 7; 47:19, 23, 24; 48:4, 11 , 19.

T11 E R OYAL LI NEAGE IN G ~NfcS J ~

figure 9.3) . Moreover, although Genesis concludes by not- ·Jy jjneage (s1ee d of Jacob was reckoned as numbering seventy (46:6-27), fa011 rota see l . . c d h hat the f eventy specia attent10n ts rocuse on t e status given to . gt up o s h 10

. h’n this gro f O of Jacob’s sons, Josep and Judah. As we shall observe w1t J dants o tw he descen F ·1 L’ . G .

t 9 3 The Main am, y meage 1n enes1s f 1GURE • •

Cain

Abraham

I Ishmael ISAAC

Esau

C: C: ‘> (IJ 0 (IJ ..0 (IJ ….J

E :, (IJ iii er:

ADAM

I Abel

Shem

I Arphaxad

I Shelah

I

Eber I

Peleg I

Reu I

Serug I

Nahor I

TERAH

Nahor

JACOB I I

:c C: iii “C ltJ ltJ <C 0 E ~ 0 a. ltJ ::::, z -,

Seth

I Enosh

I

Kenan I

Mahalalel I

Jared I

Enoch I

Methuselah I

Lamech I

NOAH I

I Ham

Haran

I … C: :c C: ltJ :, a. ·e L: 3 ltJ u UJ ltJ ..0 V, ‘c’ “‘ ~ (IJ .!!1 0 al -,

Japheth

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