Questions tagged [genesis]
The first book of the Hebrew Bible which covers events from Creation to the start of Israel's sojourn in Egypt.
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In Genesis 1:31, what does “very good” mean?
“Very good” appears to be relative, i.e. better than “good” but not as good as “very, very good.” Certainly not absolute, i.e. “perfect.” Even if “very good” did mean “perfect” that could mean that ...
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Was God's motive for barring man from eating from “the tree of knowledge” as given by the serpent true?
According to the serpent in Gen. 3:5, God's motive for prohibiting man from eating from the tree of knowledge was that they shouldn't become godlike,
For God knows that when you eat from it your ...
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4answers
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What did God see in Noah, that earned his grace? As I can find no reference to what he did, or how he lived in the scriptures.
As stated in Genesis 6:8 (kjv) But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
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4answers
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What is the significance of Sarah denying having laughed in Genesis 18:15?
Gen. 18:12-16
So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and
my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” 13 Then the LORD said
to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say,...
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2answers
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How does Genesis 2:6 reconcile with Genesis 1:11-13 AND to Genesis 2:5?
If we take Genesis 1 as supplying the outline of the making of the sky and land biodome it says that vegetation appeared on day 3 and the seeds were in the plants:
NIV Genesis 1:11 Then God said, “...
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3answers
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The incongruity of God's covenant with Abram in Gen 12:1?
Gen 12:1
1The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and
your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make
you into a great nation,
and I will bless ...
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1answer
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Ages of people in Genesis [closed]
How should we read the record of lives in Genesis 5? Did people really live for eight hundred years?
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Who are the people Cain was afraid of that would slay him? [duplicate]
Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.
-- Genesis 4:14 (...
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What actually transpired in the world where Noah grew from, that led to the flood? [closed]
What actually transpired in the world where Noah grew from, that led to the flood?
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1answer
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How old was Sarah when God first promised that she would bear a son for Abraham?
How old was Sarah when God first made the promise that she would bear a son for Abraham?
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1answer
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Did Reuben believe that his brothers had killed Joseph?
In Genesis 37:21-22, Reuben talked his brothers out of killing Joseph:
But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” And Reuben said to them, “...
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1answer
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Why did Joseph's brothers immediately leap to explaining Joseph's demands in the way they do?
Genesis 42:18-21 (NIV):
On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you ...
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Genesis 2:24 - is the joining / clinging between man and wife in the active or passive tense?
Some translations of Genesis 2:24 (eg NKJV) say:
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
While others (eg KJV) use the active ...
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1answer
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Amalekites in Genesis
In Genesis 14:7 we see this verse.
Then they turned back and went to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and
they conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites, as well as the
Amorites who were ...
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The Book of Acts and the Elamites
The Elamites are the most curious group of people in the entire Bible. They first appear in the Book of Genesis where they are the sovereign kings over the vassal-states of the cities of the plain.
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Who were the Nephilim? [duplicate]
Genesis 6:1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,2 That the sons
of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they ...
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2answers
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Was Joseph sold to Egypt before the Dinah incident?
Dinah incident
Genesis 34:1 KJV
1 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of ...
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1answer
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Is “eternal fire” in Jude 7 an allusion to 4 Maccabees 9:9?
NIV Jude 1:
5Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lordc
at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed
those who did not believe. 6And the ...
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6answers
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Genesis - Eden: Was There Punishment for Disobeying the Lord God? If so, What Was It?
What was punishment for Adam, Eve, and the serpent for disobeying the Lord God's order to not eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Neither Adam or Eve died and their disposition remained ...
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2answers
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What is the actual number of הַשָּׁמַיִם ( the heavens), dual or plural?
I was doing a word study on הַשָּׁמַיִם in Gen 1:1 when I came across some references which says that it is a plural noun (since the suffix is plural), but some references say that it is a dual noun. ...
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Taking possession of the gates of one's enemies
This blessing is used more than once in Genesis, e.g. 22:17 to Abraham about his descendants:
וְיִרַ֣שׁ זַרְעֲךָ֔ אֵ֖ת שַׁ֥עַר אֹיְבָֽיו
Your offspring shall take possession of the gate of ...
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2answers
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What is the exact meaning of הׇיְתָה in Genesis 1:2?
In the first clause of Genesis 1:2 there is a verb הׇיְחׇה. Some versions translate it as "was" when it also bears the meaning "to become" and many more. My question is what should הׇיְחׇה be ...
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Is there a “gap” between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2? [duplicate]
Is there a time differential between Genesis Chapter 1, Verse 1 and Genesis Chapter 1 Verse 2? or is Genesis Chapter 1 Verse 2, "And the earth was..." a continuation of Genesis Chapter 1 Verse 1?
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In Genesis 19:8 was Lot offering up his virgin daughters to be raped by the men of Sodom? [duplicate]
In Genesis 19, after Lot has brought the angels to his home, the men of the city come and demand that Lot bring them out, that they might have sex with them. Instead, Lot offers his two daughters:
...
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4answers
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How did Nephilim reappear after the flood?
We all know that after Noahs flood, all living things on the earth were destroyed including the Nephilim from Genesis 6:4. It is presumed that one of the reasons God destroyed the earth was because of ...
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According to Genesis 2 vs 18, how was Eve a helper to Adam? [duplicate]
How was Eve a helper to Adam, did this mean that the man needed help?
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1answer
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Why עשה instead of ברא in Genesis 1:7?
Genesis 1:7
ויעש אלהים את־הרקיע ויבדל בין המים אשר מתחת לרקיע ובין המים אשר מעל לרקיע ויהי־כן׃
And God made the firmament, and divided between the waters which were under the firmament and ...
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2answers
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In Genesis 45:8, when Joseph said the plot to sell him by his brothers was God's plan, what did he mean?
Analyse why Joseph said the plot to sell him by his brothers was God's plan.
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In Genesis 1:29 are there exceptions or limitations regarding “every herb bearing seed” that God gave man to eat? [closed]
Genesis 1:29 says:
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you ...
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1answer
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Is the angel of Genesis 16:7 “the” angel of the LORD?
In the first appearance of the term "angel of the LORD" in the scriptures there is no definite article:
Gen 16:7 And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water
in the wilderness, by ...
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2answers
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Does Genesis 22:13 speak of a “single ram”, “another ram”, or “a ram behind”?
Genesis 22:13 (MT) reads:
וַיִּשָּׂ֨א אַבְרָהָ֜ם אֶת־עֵינָ֗יו וַיַּרְא֙ וְהִנֵּה־אַ֔יִל אַחַ֕ר נֶאֱחַ֥ז בַּסְּבַ֖ךְ בְּקַרְנָ֑יו וַיֵּ֤לֶךְ אַבְרָהָם֙ וַיִּקַּ֣ח אֶת־הָאַ֔יִל וַיַּעֲלֵ֥הוּ לְעֹלָ֖ה ...
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Genesis 1:6 Why בין מים למים instead of בין מים ובין מים
Genesis 1:6 ויאמר אלהים יהי רקיע בתוך המים ויהי מבדיל בין מים למים׃
(KJV) And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
(...
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Is the idea that there were no predators in Eden (Genesis 1:30) original?
The author portrays an utopian animal kingdom by stating that in the beginning all animals ate the green herb for meat.
But what about the predators? Either the author want us to believe that lions ...
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2answers
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Why are the “giants” or “fallen ones” of Gen. 6:4 taken as the Sons of God in the very same verse?
Gen. 6:4,
"The fallen ones were in the earth in those days, and even afterwards when sons of God come in unto daughters of men, and they have borne to them -- they [are] the heroes, who, from of ...
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1answer
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Does 'evening and morning' in Genesis 1:5 indicate that 'Day' brackets (or includes) 'Night'?
'Evening' in Hebrew is ereb which has four homonyms translated in the KJV as follows -
1) den, once
2) evening/even/eventide/night 124 times
3) mingled people 5 times
4) mixed multitude/woof/mixed 11 ...
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0answers
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A nose ring, earring, or other in Genesis 24:22?
Abraham's servant is on a mission to find Isaac a wife, and he is blessed in that work. Upon Rebekah's fulfilling of the sign conditions of the servant's prayer to YHWH (Gen 24:12-20), the servant ...
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3answers
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Help parsing (וַיִּשְׁבֹּת֙) in Genesis 2:2
I'm working through the 'Graded Reader of Biblical Hebrew' by Van Pelt & Pratico. In the second exercise, Genesis 2:1-3, I parsed (וַיִּשְׁבֹּת֙) as Piel imperfect 3ms WC, however, the book ...
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2answers
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In Genesis 26:18, historical reasons why Philistines might have filled Abraham's wells of water?
In Genesis chapter 26, there are a number of points noted about wells of water. Using the NKJV, particular points paint an odd picture. First, Genesis 26:15, 17-18 (NKJV, bold added):
15 Now the ...
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3answers
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Genesis 1:5 How can God call the light “Day” when light and day are two different concepts?
(Genesis 1:5) ויקרא אלהים ׀ לאור יום ולחשך קרא לילה ויהי־ערב ויהי־בקר יום אחד׃ פ
(My translation of the bold part) And God called to the light, "Day"
Just to make it clear, I understand that ...
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2answers
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Genesis 1:4 - “divide” or “cause to be separate”?
Genesis 1:4 וירא אלהים את־האור כי־טוב ויבדל אלהים בין האור ובין החשך׃
(How KJV translates the verse) And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
(...
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Historical present in Genesis 1:2
Genesis 1:2 והארץ היתה תהו ובהו וחשך על־פני תהום ורוח אלהים מרחפת על־פני המים׃
(My translation of the bolded part) And darkness is on the face of the deep
My question regards the bolded section ...
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3answers
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In Genesis 1:1 why בראשית instead of בראש?
Genesis 1:1 בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ׃
Question: Why did the Author of Genesis choose the word בראשית instead of בראש?
I am pretty sure that the word ראשית is derived from ראש, but I am not ...
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The confusing order of Laban's tent raids in Genesis 31:33
In Genesis 31:33 we read of Laban's search of the tents of Jacob's party:
וַיָּבֹא לָבָן בְּאֹהֶל יַעֲקֹב וּבְאֹהֶל לֵאָה וּבְאֹהֶל שְׁתֵּי
הָאֲמָהֹת וְלֹא מָצָא וַיֵּצֵא מֵאֹהֶל לֵאָה וַיָּבֹא ...
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What was the nature of the 'cord' in Gen 38:18?
In Gen. 38:18 it is recorded how Judah gave Tamar a 'cord' (Hebrew: פתיל), among other possessions, as a pledge,
He said, "What pledge should I give you?" "Your seal and its cord, and
the staff ...
2
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3answers
187 views
Who is the serpent's seed in Genesis 3:15?
KJV Gen 3:15 and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and
between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and
thou shalt bruise his heel.
God says that going forward as a ...
2
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6answers
293 views
In Genesis 13 and 18 was the grievous sin in Sodom and Gomorrah homosexuality?
An outcry had gone against the two cities of Sodom & Gomorrah as early as the thirteenth chapter in the book of Genesis concerning a grievous sin.
Genesis 13:12-13 NKJV
12 Abram dwelt in the ...
3
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3answers
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Were women covered under the covenant of circumcision in Genesis 17:14?
Genesis 17:14 (NKJV)
14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
God tells ...
2
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3answers
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According Genesis 11:7 'God נבל man's language'. Is it correct to translate the Hebrew verbal form נבל with the verb 'to confound'?
The majority of Bible translations choose to render the MT verbal form נבל as 'to confound'. Now - according the context - the 'confounded' language was, clearly, the unique language mentioned in 11:1....
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In accordance with Noah's prophecy concerning Shem, Ham and Japheth, is there any significance in the number of sons recorded in the text?
Genesis 10:2 (NKJV)
The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan,
Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
v6) The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim,
Put, and Canaan.
v22) The sons of Shem ...
2
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3answers
155 views
According to Genesis 10:5, at the Tower of Babel, did God divide the new languages by family group?
5 By these have the isles of the nations been parted in their lands,
each by his tongue, by their families, in their nations. (YLT)
This verse (also verse 20 and 31) seems to suggest that God ...
