The book of Genesis

the long version

This is a book of history, and its narratives are of such importance that without them it would be difficult to understand the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. These narratives are records of unique and initial events, of beginnings and origins, so that the book is properly named Genesis, which is a Greek word meaning "origin." The book opens with the story of creation (1:1 to 2:3). This is followed by a sketch of human history down to the birth of Abraham (2:4 to 11:26). The remaining and main portion of the book presents the lives of the four patriarchs from whose family came the people of Israel and ultimately the Saviour of the world. - Introduction.