Date Written, Location
The book of Genesis was written from 1445 to 1405 B.C. by Moses. He wrote the book as he and the children of Israel wandered the wilderness (mostly the Sinai Peninsula) for forty years.
[See Map of Where Genesis Written]
Author of Genesis
Moses, considered one of the greatest individuals in the Old Testament, was born in 1526 B.C. His eventful life can be divided into three parts each spanning 40 years in length. The first part encompasses his birth and life in Egypt until fleeing the country at age 40. From 40 to 80 years old he lived in Midianite territory where he married and had children. The third part involves God using him to free his people from Egyptian bondage and lead them during their wilderness wanderings.
Moses died, at age 120, on Mount Nebo around February 5 of 1405 B.C. He was buried on the mount by God in a secret location. View our timeline on the life of Moses for more information!
Time Period
The book of Genesis begins with God creating the entire universe (Genesis 1:1) through Jesus Christ (John 1:1 - 3, 1Corinthians 8:6, Colossians 1:16). This awesome act earned the praise of angels who witnessed the event (Job 38:4 - 7). Countless years later Adam and Eve, the first humans, are brought into existence roughly around 3969 B.C.
Genesis ends with the death and embalming of Joseph who, like all the other Israelites, was living in Egypt at the time of his passing. He died in 1599 B.C. at the age of 110 (Genesis 50:22 - 26).
Important People in Genesis
The most noteworthy (or notorious) people mentioned in Genesis are Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Lot, Melchizedek, Hagar, Ishmael, and Issac and Rebekah.
Other important people in the book of Genesis include Jacob (Israel) and his twin brother Esau. Jacob's wives Leah and Rachel, as well as Bilhah and Zilpah, were used by God to give the patriarch twelve sons and one daughter. Those also playing a pivotal role in Genesis are Laban and Jacob's eleventh son Joseph.
Genesis Chapter Synopsis
Chpts 1 - 2: All things, including Adam and Eve, are created.
Chpt. 3: Adam and Eve sin and are tossed out of Eden.
[Was Eve Really Tempted by a Snake?]
Chpt. 4: Cain murders Abel. Cain's genealogy.
Chpt. 5: Genealogy of Adam through Seth.
Chpt. 6: Human wickedness leads to Noah building Ark.
Chpt. 7: The flood begins.
Chpt. 8: The flood ends.
Chpt. 9: God offers unconditional covenant to Noah and all humans.
Chpt. 10: Descendants after the flood (the table of nations).
[Who Were the Descendants of Noah's Sons?]
Chpt. 11: Tower of Babel built, sin causes loss of man's one language. Abraham leaves Ur for Haran.
Chpt. 12: God commands Abraham to travel to Canaan. Due to famine, however, he journeys to Egypt.
Chpt. 13: Abraham and his nephew Lot separate.
Chpt. 14: Abraham saves Lot in first Biblical war then meets Melchizedek.
Chpt. 15: God promises Abraham a son. He also reveals his descendants will be slaves in a foreign land then later released with great wealth.
Chpt. 16: Hagar flees after becoming pregnant with Abraham's child. An angel then tells her to return to Abraham, after which Ishmael is born.
Chpt. 17: God promises Abraham greatness, commands circumcision.
Chpt. 18: God and two angels visit Abraham. He bargains to save Sodom.
[Why Did Abraham Try to Save Sodom?]
Chpt. 19: Lot saved from Sodom, then both it and Gomorrah destroyed. Lot's wife turned to salt, then he commits incest with daughters.
Chpt. 20: Abraham lies about Sarah, which almost causes Abimelech to sin through her.
Chpt. 21: Sarah becomes pregnant, gives birth to Isaac. Hagar and son sent away but saved by an angel.
Chpt. 22: God tests Abraham through commanding Isaac be sacrificed.
Chpt. 23: Sarah dies and is buried in Hebron.
Chpt. 24: Abraham has servant find a wife for Isaac.
Chpt. 25: Abraham remarries, has six sons, then dies. Isaac's wife Rebekah gives birth to twins Esau and Jacob. Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for food.
Chpt. 26: Isaac lies about Rebekah. God blesses him with wealth and appears to him.
Chpt. 27: Jacob cheats Esau out of blessing by pretending to be him, then flees to Laban.
Chpt. 28: Jacob dreams of ladder going to heaven and God promising to be with him.
[What Did Jacob's Ladder Symbolize?]
Chpt. 29: Jacob forced to work 14 years, marries Leah and Rachel. Leah gives birth to Jacob's first four sons.
Chpt. 30: Jacob has many more children, grows wealthy.
Chpt. 31: Jacob flees Laban, then agrees to peace treaty with him.
Chpt. 32: Jacob gives gifts to Esau, wrestles with God all night and receives blessing. Jacob also renamed Israel.
Chpt. 33: Jacob makes peace with Esau, then lives near Shechem.
Chpt. 34: Dinah, Jacob's daughter, is raped. Jacob's sons Simeon and Levi take revenge by killing all males in Shechem.
Chpt. 35: God blesses Jacob. Rachel dies in childbirth, Jacob's firstborn son commits incest.
Chpt. 36: Esau's genealogy.
Chpt. 37: Joseph receives a "coat of many colors" and then sold into slavery by his brothers.
[What Did the Coat of Many Colors Symbolize?]
Chpt. 38: Tamar tricks Judah into having sex with her, gives birth to twin sons.
Chpt. 39: Joseph sold to Egypt's Potiphar, then sent to jail after refusing sex with his wife.
Chpt. 40: Joseph interprets dreams of fellow prisoners.
[Dreams Recorded in the Bible!]
Chpt. 41: Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dream of abundance and famine, becomes second most powerful Egyptian.
Chpt. 42: Joseph's brothers buy food from him in Egypt.
Chpt. 43: Joseph's brothers return to Egypt with Benjamin.
Chpt. 44: Joseph tricks his brothers.
Chpt. 45: Joseph reveals his true identity to his brothers and invites them to migrate to Egypt.
Chpt. 46: Jacob (Israel's) entire family migrates to Egypt.
[Who Actually Migrated to Egypt?]
Chpt. 47: Israel's family settles in Goshen. Joseph sells bread for silver, livestock, and land. Israel prepares to die.
Chpt. 48: Israel blesses Ephraim and Manasseh.
Chpt. 49: Israel blesses his sons and then dies.
Chpt. 50: Israel is buried in Hebron. Joseph dies at age 110.
Genesis Fascinating Facts
The book of Genesis, with its 1,533 KJV verses, is second only to the book of Psalms (2,461 verses) for the most verses of any Bible book.
The book of Genesis is the New Testament's third most referenced Old Testament writing. The first is Isaiah followed by the Psalms. Rounding out the top five is Exodus, which is fourth, and Deuteronomy, which is fifth.
Jewish tradition states that Adam and Eve produced 33 sons and 21 daughters (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 1, Chapter 2).
Though righteous (Matthew 23:35), Abel is not listed in Luke's genealogy of Jesus (Luke 3) that is traced all the way back to God! Adam's son Seth is listed instead.
The wives of Cain, Noah and Lot are unnamed in Genesis.
Cain's genealogy, found in Genesis 4, is the first of at least twenty-four recorded in the Bible.
It was Cain, according to Josephus, who first created various weights and measures (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 1, Chapter 2, Section 2).
[Weights and Measures in Scripture]
The book of Genesis records the five oldest humans in history. These people are Methuselah (969 years, Genesis 5:27), Jared (962, verse 20), Noah (950, 9:29), Adam (930, 5:5) and Seth (912, 5:8). The ages of women, upon their death, are not recorded in Scripture with the unique exception of Abraham's wife Sarah (Genesis 23:1 - 2).
The first recorded time that fire came down from heaven took place when God brought fire and brimestone upon Sodom and the surrounding area as judgment for their sins (Genesis 19).
The period between 3095 to 3039 B.C. is unique in Biblical history. During this 56 year period, the first nine patriarchs who represent the first nine generations of humans are alive at the same time! These men are Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah and Lamech (Genesis 5).
Abraham is one of only a few Biblical people whose name is mentioned twice in one verse (Genesis 22:11).
[Important Old Testament People]
Abraham and Sarah are the first two people in Scripture to be labeled "old" and "well advanced in days" or aged (Genesis 18:11).
Jacob's name is the fifth most recorded male name in the entirety of the Bible.
Genesis Bible Study Questions
1. What is Satan the devil's first appearance in Scripture? Answer
2. Who built the first city? Answer
3. Who created the first musical instruments? Answer
4. Who first created implements that were used for war? Answer
5. Who was the first person to have more than one wife? Answer
6. How old was Noah and his sons when they entered the ark? Answer
7. How many people died in the flood? Answer
8. Where did Noah's Ark finally settle when the waters subsided? Answer
9. Why was it sinful for humanity to build the tower of Babel? Answer
10. What was God's punishment for building the tower? Answer
11. Who were the first people miraculously blinded? Answer
12. Who were the first people personally killed by God? Answer
13. Who was the first person to have the term "Hebrew" used to describe them? Answer
14. Why was silver considered more valuable than gold? Answer
15. What makes Abraham unique in regard to military history? Answer
16. How many sons did Abraham produce? Answer
17. How old was Jacob when he married and had children? Answer
18. Who offered the first vow found in the Bible? Answer
19. How many people migrated to Egypt due to famine? Answer
20. How does the book of Genesis end? Answer
Answers to Genesis Questions
1. Satan the devil's first mention in Scripture is in regard to his tempting of Eve to sin (Genesis 3).
2. The first city the Bible records being built is Enoch. It was built by Cain, after he was rejected by God, and named after his first son (Genesis 4:17).
3. The first musical instruments were created by Jubal who was a descendant of Cain (Genesis 4:16 - 21),
4. Tubalcain, a descendant of Cain, was the first person to work with bronze and iron (Genesis 4:22). He not only made domestic utensils out of metal but also implements of war.
[Musical Instruments in the Bible!]
5. Lamech is the first polygamist mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 4:19).
6. Noah was 600 years old when the floodwaters came to cleanse the earth of its wickedness (Genesis 7:6). His firstborn son Japheth (Genesis 10:21) was 100, Shem was 98 and Ham was in his 90s when they entered the ark.
7. The time period from Adam and Eve's creation to the flood is about 1,656 years. During this period people lived incredibly long lives and had many children.
Mathematical models, using conservative numbers, have shown the earth could have easily had 3 to 4 BILLION (and possibly more!) living on it at the time of the flood (Biblical Basis for Modern Science, Chapter 15).
8. The "mountains of Ararat" (Genesis 8:4), on which the ark rested, are located in the eastern part of modern-day Turkey. These mountains are composed of two primary peaks. The one called "Greater Ararat" has a present elevation of 5,137 meters (16,854 feet) while the other, called "Little Ararat," is 3,896 meters (12,782 feet) high.
9. God, after the flood, commanded humanity to disperse and repopulate the whole planet (Genesis 9:1, 7). Humans, instead, decided to concentrate themselves in one location and build a tower "(to) establish a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered upon the face of the whole earth" (Genesis 11:4).
The tower of Babel was also a sin because it represented mankind's vain attempt to save itself from another flood even through God promised never to do so again (Genesis 9:11, 15)
10. God caused man's one language to become many due to the building of the tower of Babel (Genesis 11).
According to the CIA Factbook, as of 2023, there are roughly 7,168 living languages spoken in the world. 80% of these languages are spoken by less than 100,000 people while around 150 languages are believed to be spoken by less than 10 people!
11. The first Biblical record of blindness is found in Genesis 19. Two angels, in their effort to save Lot and his family living in Sodom, caused those attempting to forcibly enter his home to miraculously lose their sight (Genesis 19:11).
12. The turning of Lot's wife into salt, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, are the first two Biblical cases where God personally carried out the death penalty due to sin (Genesis 19).
13. The first use of the term "Hebrew" is found in reference to Abram (Abraham) in Genesis 14:13.
14. In the Middle East, before around 500 B.C., it was harder to find silver than gold and hence it was considered more valuable. This is likely why silver is mentioned before gold in regard to Abraham's wealth (Genesis 13:1 - 2, 24:35).
15. Abraham fought in the first series of battles recorded in the Bible (Genesis 14). His small force of 318 servants, along with a few allies (Genesis 14:13 - 14), defeated a huge army led by King Chedorlaomer of Elam!
16. Abraham had his first son through Hagar and his second through Sarah. After Sarah's death he produced six more sons through a woman named Keturah for a total of eight male descendants.
17. Jacob was 84 years old when he married both Leah and Rachel. Between the ages of 84 and 91 he produced eleven of his twelve sons and his only daughter (Genesis 29:32 - 30:25).
18. The first vow in Scripture is Jacob's promise to give God a tenth of what he produced (Genesis 28:20 - 22).
19. Genesis 46 reveals the names of 66 people who were direct descendants of Israel (Jacob) who migrated to Egypt. If we include Joseph and his two sons already in Egypt, plus Jacob himself in Canaan, this number rises to 70.
20. The book of Genesis ends with a prophecy. Joseph, who is near death, predicts God would someday lead the Israelites out of Egypt and back to their homeland of Canaan. Joseph was so confident of this prophecy that he had the Israelites promise, when this event finally occurred, to retrieve his body and bury it in Canaan (Genesis 50:24 - 25).