The first part of Genesis focuses on the beginning and spread of sin in the world and culminates in the devastating flood in the days of Noah. The second part of the book focuses on God's dealings with one man, Abraham, through whom God promises to bring salvation and blessing to the world. Abraham and his descendants learn firsthand that it is always safe to trust the Lord in times of famine and feasting, blessing and bondage. From Abraham...to Issac...to Jacob...to Jospeph...God's promises begin to come to fruitition in a great nation possessing a great land.
Genesis is a Greek word meaning "origin," "source," "generation," or "beginning." The original Hebrew title Bereshith means "In the Beginning."
The literary structure of Genesis is clear and is built around eleven separate units, each including the word generations in the phrase "These are the generations" or "The book of generations": (1) Introduction to the Geneaologies (1:1-23); (2) Heaven and Earth (2:4-4:26); (3) Adam (5:1-6:8); (4) Noah (6:9-9:29); (5) Sons of Noah (10:1-11:9); (6) Shem (11:10-26); (7) Terah (11:27-25:11); (8) Ishmael (25:12-18); (9) Issac (25:19-35:29) (10) Esau (36:1-37:1); (11) Jacob (37:25-50:26).
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