Genesis

John H. Sailhamer, Tremper Longman III, David E. Garland

• Publisher: Zondervan Academic
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9780310531722
• Topic: Teología y religión
• Subtopic: Crítica e interpretación bíblicas

Continuing a Gold Medallion Award-winning legacy, the completely revised Expositor's Bible Commentary puts world-class biblical scholarship in your hands.

A staple for students, teachers, and pastors worldwide, The Expositor's Bible Commentary (EBC) offers comprehensive yet succinct commentary from scholars committed to the authority of the Holy Scriptures. The EBC uses the New International Version of the Bible, but the contributors work from the original Hebrew and Greek languages and refer to other translations when useful.

Each section of the commentary includes:

• An introduction: background information, a short bibliography, and an outline
• An overview of Scripture to illuminate the big picture
• The complete NIV text
• Extensive commentary
• Notes on textual questions, key words, and concepts
• Reflections to give expanded thoughts on important issues

The series features 56 contributors, who:

• Believe in the divine inspiration, complete trustworthiness, and full authority of the Bible
• Have demonstrated proficiency in the biblical book that is their specialty
• Are committed to the church and the pastoral dimension of biblical interpretation
• Represent geographical and denominational diversity
• Use a balanced and respectful approach toward marked differences of opinion
• Write from an evangelical viewpoint

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Text and Exposition

I. INTRODUCTION TO THE PATRIARCHS AND THE SINAITIC COVENANT (1:1–11:26)

OVERVIEW

We have suggested that chs. 1–11 form an introduction to the book of Genesis, the Pentateuch as a whole, the Primary History (Ge 1:1-2Ki 25:30), and the OT as a whole (Tanak). We should read these chapters with that purpose in mind. They thus set the stage for the narratives of the patriarchs (Ge 12–50) as well as provide the appropriate context for understanding the central topic of the Pentateuch: the Sinaitic covenant (Exodus–Deuteronomy); the Primary History: the Davidic kingship and its future (Joshua–2 Kings); and the OT canon: blessing to the nations through the coming Davidic king.

Indeed a close reading of the early chapters of Genesis suggests that the author of the Pentateuch has thoughtfully selected and arranged the material in Genesis 1–11 to serve as an introduction, at least to the Pentateuch but perhaps also beyond that literary unit. Whether intended or not, the layout of Genesis 1–11 serves remarkably well as an introduction to the Primary History and the whole of the OT canon. The scope and magnitude of the events in the Primary History and the words of the prophets lose a good deal of their gravity if we read them outside the range of Genesis 1–11.

Behind the present shape of these narratives lies a clear theological program. In nearly every section of the work, the author’s theological interest can be seen. His theological perspective might be summarized in two points: (1) the author draws a line connecting the God of the fathers and the God of the Abrahamic and Sinaitic covenants with the God who created the world; and (2) the author shows that the call of the patriarchs and the Sinaitic covenant have as their ultimate goal the reestablishment of God’s original purpose in creation. In a word, the biblical covenants are marked off as the way forward to a new covenant and a new creation.

A. The Land and the Blessing (1:1–2:25)

OVERVIEW

A close look at the narrative style of the opening chapters of Genesis suggests that the first two chapters form a single unit of narrative. This unit has three primary sections. The first section is 1:1, which stands apart from the rest of ch. 1. The remaining two sections are 1:2–2:3 and 2:4b–25. The heading tôl^edôt (“generations”; NIV, “the account of”) in 2:4a serves to connect these last two sections. Two primary themes dominate the creation account: the creation and preparation of the world and the promise of divine blessing. In recounting the events of creation, the author has selected and arranged the narrative so that these themes are merged into a single theme given full development.

The twin theme of the creation and preparation of the world as the place of divine “blessing” is important to the author of Genesis (and the Pentateuch) because both themes form the basis for the treatment of the patriarchal narratives and the Sinaitic covenant. “Nothing is here by chance; everything must be considered carefully, deliberately, and precisely” (von Rad, 45).

1. The God of Creation (1:1)

1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

COMMENTARY

1 The account opens with a clear, concise statement about the Creator and the creation. Its simplicity belies the depth of its content. These seven Hebrew words are the foundation of all that is to follow in the Bible. The purpose of the statement is threefold: to identify the Creator, to explain the origin of the world, and to tie the work of God in the past to the work of God in the future.

The Creator is identified in 1:1 as “God,” that is, “Elohim” (ʾ ^elōhîm). Although God is not further identified in v.1 (cf. 15:7; Ex 20:2), the author appears confident that there will be no mistaking God with any other than the God of the patriarchs and the God of the covenant at Sinai. The proper context for understanding this verse, in other words, is the whole of the book of Genesis and the Pentateuch. Already in Genesis 2:4b, God (Elohim) is identified with the Lord (Yahweh), the God who called Abraham (12:1) and delivered Israel from Egypt (Ex 3:15).

From the perspective of the Pentateuch as a whole, the God in Genesis 1:1 is the God who has promised the patriarchs a good “earth” (ʾereṣ) and has redeemed them from Egypt. He is the “shepherd . . . deliverer” of Jacob’s blessing in 48:15–16. The purpose of 1:1 is not to identify God as such, but to identify him as the Creator of both the universe and the “earth,” which is the place of divine blessing.

It is not difficult to detect a polemic against idolatry behind the words of 1:1. By identifying God as the Creator, a crucial distinction is introduced between the God of the patriarchs and the gods of the nations—gods that to the biblical authors were mere idols. God alone created the heavens and the earth. The sense of 1:1 is similar to the message relayed to Jeremiah: “Tell them this,” Jeremiah said: “‘These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens’” (Jer 10:11). Also Psalm 96:5 shows that the full impact of Genesis 1:1 was appreciated by later biblical writers: “For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD [Yahweh] made the heavens.”

The statement in 1:1 not only identifies the Creator, it also explains the origin of the world. According to the sense of 1:1 (see Notes), the narrative states that God created all that exists. As it stands, the statement is an affirmation that God alone is eternal and that everything else owes its origin and existence to him. The influence of this verse is reflected in the thoughts found throughout the work of later biblical writers (e.g., Ps 33:6; Jn 1:3; Heb 11:3).

Equally important in 1:1 is the meaning of the phrase “in the beginning” (b^erē ʾšît), especially within the framework of the creation account and the book of Genesis. The term “beginning” (rē ʾšît; GK 8040) in biblical Hebrew marks the starting period of a measured frame of time, as in “the beginning of the year” (rē ʾšît haššānâ; Dt 11:12). The conclusion of that period is called “the end” (ʾaḥ^arît; GK 344), as in Deuteronomy 11:12: “the end of the year” (ʾaḥ^arît šānâ, lit. trans.; H.-P. Muller, THAT, 709). The “beginning” denoted by rē ʾšît is not a momentary point of time but a time period. The length or duration of the period is not specified by the term.

In biblical texts that speak of a king’s reign, the first part of the reign is usually not counted as part of the length of his reign. Hence, in calculating the duration of a king’s reign, only the years of his reign after an initial period of time, a “beginning” (rē ʾšît), were counted. The duration of this period was sometimes only a few months but sometimes as long as several years. In either case, the reckoning of a king’s reign was preceded by a notation of an initial duration of time called “the beginning of his reign” (cf. Jer 28:1).

If we take into consideration the author’s choice of words for “the beginning,” the text appears to be telling us in 1:1 that God created the universe “during an unspecified length of time.” That indefinite period of time was followed by a single seven-day week. By placing the creation of the universe (“heavens and earth”) with...