Byzantique

Genesis

50 chapters · Updated Brenton Septuagint (ENGLXXUP)

Genesis (Greek Γένεσις, "origin"; Hebrew בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית / Bereshit, "in the beginning") is the first book of the Law (תּוֹרָה / Torah) / Pentateuch and of the whole Bible. It moves from the creation and ordering of the cosmos to the founding of a people: the primeval history of chapters 1–11 (creation, the Fall, the flood, and Babel) gives way to the patriarchal histories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph in chapters 12–50.

In the Orthodox tradition Genesis is read liturgically and Christologically. Its opening is appointed for the Vespers of Holy Saturday, and the Fathers hear the "beginning" of Genesis in light of the "beginning" of John's Gospel, the same Word through Whom all things were made.

In general, the LXX follows the Hebrew closely for the book of Genesis. However, there are some notable differences at times (although this perhaps represents an earlier Hebrew manuscript tradition than the MT, as the DSS have revealed in certain places).

Chapters

The bar beneath each chapter number shows how much commentary it has, from none (empty) to most. Hover a chapter for its note count.

Book commentary
BookGenesis

Joseph as a type of Christ

Joseph's life prefigures Christ: the beloved son sold for silver, who forgave his brothers, became the savior of the world by providing the bread of life, and brought his Gentile bride and children to his Father, ultimately revealing the cross to be the instrument of blessing.

  • The beloved son of the father, envied by his brothers (37:3–4, 37:11).
  • His brothers plotted to kill him over a meal of bread (like a Last Supper; cf. 37:25) and instead sold him for twenty pieces of silver (37:28); cf. Christ betrayed for thirty (Matthew 26:15).
  • Cast into a pit (a "cistern," λάκκος / lakkos) and left for dead (37:24), yet raised out of it by God's providence.
  • Falsely accused and unjustly condemned, he descended into prison (39:20) as Christ descended among the condemned.
  • In prison he interpreted two dreams, both fulfilled "in three days" (40:12, 40:18), pointing to the Resurrection and Eucharist:
  • Raised from prison to sit at Pharaoh's right hand, second only to the throne (41:40–41); cf. Christ exalted to the Father's right hand (Acts 2:33).
  • He became the savior of the world by storing and distributing grain, the bread of life, so that "all countries came to Egypt to buy" from him (41:57; cf. John 6:35).
  • He married a Gentile bride, Asenath, and had two sons by her (41:45, 41:50–52), just as Christ weds the Church drawn from the nations (Ephesians 5:31–32).
  • He revealed himself and becomes known to his brothers following the breaking of bread (43:25, 31-32, 34; 45:3-4); cf. Luke 24:30-35.
  • He forgave his brothers who had betrayed him, declaring that what they intended for evil, God intended for good, to save many people alive (50:20; cf. Luke 23:34).
  • He brought his Gentile-born sons to his father, who adopted them as his own (48:5).
  • The younger son, Ephraim, was set above the elder, Manasseh, and given the greater blessing: Jacob deliberately crossing his hands over Joseph's protest (48:17–20); so too the Gentiles, latecomers to the covenant, were granted precedence over Israel, the elder (cf. Romans 9:12; 11:11-12; Matthew 21:43).
  • In blessing them, Jacob crossed his hands (ἐναλλάξ / enallax, "crosswise," 48:14), setting his right hand on the younger, thus revealing the cross as the instrument by which the father blesses his children (cf. Hebrews 11:21).
BookGenesis

Toledot formula

Genesis is structured around a series of תּוֹלֵדוֹת (toledot, "these are the generations of…") formulas that carry the narrative from the cosmos down to the family of Jacob (consistently represented in the LXX as γενέσεως / geneseōs). The Hebrew word means "descendants," "histories," "genealogy," or "generation(s)" (in reference to successors, usually introducing a geneaological list and related narratives) and various occurrences of it are thought to divide Genesis into 10–12 sections.

The occurrences in Genesis occur at:

  1. 2:4 (heavens and the earth); some don’t consider this instance to be a section marker
  2. 5:1 (Adam)
  3. 6:9 (Noah)
  4. 10:1 (Noah's sons: Shem, Ham, Japheth)
    1. It also occurs at 10:32 but this is thought to be part of this "section"
  5. 11:10 (Shem)
  6. 11:27 (Terah, father of Abraham)
  7. 25:12–13 (Abraham's son: Ishmael)
  8. 25:19 (Abraham's son: Isaac, father of Jacob); some don’t consider this instance to be a section marker
  9. 36:1 (Isaac's son: Esau)
    1. It also occurs at 36:9 and specifically emphasizes Esau as the father of the Edomites, but some consider this to be part of this same section
  10. 37:2 (Isaac's son: Jacob, father of Joseph); some don’t consider this instance to be a section marker

Learn more

  • Peter Leithart, "Toledoth and the Structure of Genesis." Theopolis Institute blog. September 5, 2017. Retrieved from https://theopolisinstitute.com/toledoth-and-the-structure-of-genesis/

  • Wilrens Hornstra, "Toledot in Genesis – What Are They and Why Do They Matter?" Create a Learning Site blog. April 1, 2021. Retrieved from https://www.wilrens.org/2021/04/cals84/

  • Allen P. Ross, "Genesis," in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 22–26.

Referenced elsewhere · 13 notes