Genesis
The book of beginnings: creation, the fall, the flood, and the family God chose to bless the world
Genesis at a glance
The book of beginnings: creation, the fall, the flood, and the family God chose to bless the world
Genesis is the first book of the Bible and the opening act of the entire biblical story. Its name means 'beginning,' and that is exactly what it records: the beginning of the world, of humanity, of sin, and of God's plan of redemption. Traditionally attributed to Moses as the first of his five books (the Pentateuch), Genesis lays the foundation that every later book builds on. Without it, the rest of Scripture - the law, the prophets, the Gospels - would be a story with no first chapter.
The book falls into two great movements. Chapters 1-11 tell the primeval history: God creates the heavens and the earth, Adam and Eve fall in Eden, Cain kills Abel, Noah rides out the flood in the ark, and the nations scatter from the tower of Babel. Chapters 12-50 narrow the focus to one family: God calls Abraham and promises him land, descendants, and blessing for all nations. The promise passes to Isaac, then to Jacob (renamed Israel), and the book closes with Joseph - sold into slavery by his brothers - rising to rule Egypt and saving his family from famine.
Genesis matters because it answers the biggest questions: where we came from, what went wrong, and what God intends to do about it. Its covenant with Abraham is the seed of the whole gospel story, and Joseph's words to his brothers - that what they meant for evil, God meant for good - capture its central message: God's purposes prevail through human failure.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 1:1 King James Version
Explore Genesis
How Genesis unfolds
7 sections- 1Creation (ch. 1-2)God creates the heavens and the earth in six days and rests on the seventh, forming Adam from the dust and Eve from his side and placing them in the garden of Eden.
- 2The fall and its spread (ch. 3-5)The serpent tempts Eve, Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit and are driven from Eden, and sin spreads as Cain murders his brother Abel.
- 3Noah and the flood (ch. 6-9)Grieved by human wickedness, God floods the earth but saves Noah, his family, and the animals in the ark, then sets the rainbow as the sign of his covenant never to flood the earth again.
- 4Babel and the nations (ch. 10-11)Noah's descendants repopulate the earth, but at Babel God confounds their language and scatters them, setting the stage for his call of one man to bless all nations.
- 5Abraham (ch. 12-25)God calls Abram out of Ur, promising land, offspring, and blessing for all families of the earth; Isaac is born to aged Abraham and Sarah, and Abraham's faith is tested on Mount Moriah.
- 6Isaac and Jacob (ch. 25-36)The promise passes to Isaac, then to Jacob, who buys Esau's birthright, deceives his father for the blessing, dreams of a ladder to heaven, and wrestles with God, receiving the new name Israel.
- 7Joseph in Egypt (ch. 37-50)Jacob's favorite son Joseph is sold by his jealous brothers, rises from prison to become ruler of Egypt by interpreting Pharaoh's dreams, and forgives and rescues his family from famine.
People to know
5 figures- Adam and EveThe first man and woman, created in God's image, whose disobedience in Eden brings sin and death into the world.
- NoahThe righteous man who builds the ark and carries his family and the animals through the flood.
- AbrahamThe man God calls and covenants with, promising land, countless descendants, and blessing for all nations.
- JacobAbraham's grandson, a schemer transformed by God and renamed Israel, father of the twelve tribes.
- JosephJacob's favored son, sold into Egypt, who rises to power and saves his family from famine.
Words worth carrying with you
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 1:1 · KJV
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 1:27 · KJV
But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
Genesis 50:20 · KJV
Think you know Genesis?
90 questions from the King James Version, all ages welcome. Keep score, then challenge a friend or your whole group.
Leading a group? Download the free printable Genesis quiz pack (PDF) - questions, answer key with verses, and a score sheet.
The whole book, on video
The full narrated quiz - timed, illustrated, and made for playing together.
Bible Quiz: Genesis - Can You Score 30/30?
Bible Quiz: Joseph - Can You Score 30/30? (Genesis)
Hard Genesis Bible Quiz - Can You Score 30/30?