Genesis

353 Pages·2004·18.81 MB·English

by  Claus Westermann

GENESIS
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GENESIS
CLAUS WESTERMANN
translated by
David E. Green
T8.T CLARK INTERNATIONAL
A Continuum imprint
LONDON • NEW YORK
Published by T&T Clark International
A Continuum imprint
The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX
15 East 26th Street, Suite 1703, New York, NY 10010
www.tandtclark.com
Copyright f Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1987
Translated from the Dutch edition Genesis: Een Praktische bijhelverklaring.
Volumes I and II, part of the Tekst en Toelichting Series.
Uitgeversmaatschappij J.H. Kok-Kamper, 1986.
Originally published in the United States of America by Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing Co., Grand Rapids.
First published by T&T Clark Ltd under licence from Wm. B. Eerdmans in 1988.
This edition published 2004
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 0567043908 (paperback)
Printed on acid-free paper in Great Britain by Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham,
Wilts
CONTENTS
Preface viii
Introduction ix
The Primal History 1
The Creation of the World, 1:1 - 2:4a 4
Creation and Limitations of the Human Race, 2:4b - 3:24 13
Cain and Abel; the Descendants of Cain, ch. 4 29
The Descendants of Cain, 4:17-26 36
The Primeval Genealogy, 5:1-32 39
The Sons of the Gods and the Giants, 6:1-4 42
The Flood, 6:5 - 9:17, 28-29 45
Noah and His Sons, 9:18-27 67
The Table of Nations, 10:1-32 71
The Tower of Babel, 11:1-9 79
The Genealogy of Shem, 11:10-26 84
Concluding Remarks on the Primal History 85
The Patriarchal History 88
Abraham, chs. 12 - 25 95
The Transition to the Story of Abraham, 11:27-32 95
Promise to Abraham and Migration, 12:1-9 97
The Ancestral Mother in Danger, 12:10-20 101
Abraham and Lot on the Way, 13:1-18 105
Abraham and the Kings, 14:1-24 109
The Promise to Abraham, 15:1-21 116
Sarah and Hagar, 16:1-16 122
The Covenant with Abraham, 17:1-27 127
Abraham and the Three Guests, 18:l-16a 133
Abraham Queries the Destruction of Sodom, 18:16b-33 136
The Destruction of Sodom and the Rescue of Lot, 19:1-29 140
Lot's Daughters, 19:30-38 145
Abraham and Abimelech, 20:1-18 147
v
CONTENTS
The Birth of Isaac, 21:1-7 151
Hagar and Her Child, 21:8-21 153
Dispute and Treaty with Abimelech, 21:22-34 156
Abraham's Sacrifice, 22:1-19 158
The Descendants of Nahor, 22:20-24 163
Sarah's Death and the Purchase of the Burial Cave,
23:1-20 164
The Wooing of Rebekah, 24:1-67 167
Abraham's Death and His Sons' Descendants, 25:1-18 175
Concluding Remarks on the Story of Abraham 177
Jacob and Esau, 25:19 - 36:43 180
The Birth of Esau and Jacob; the Pot of Lentil Soup,
25:19-34 181
Isaac and Abimelech, 26:1-35 184
The Firstborn Cheated of His Blessing, 27:1-45 189
The Wives of Jacob and Esau, 27:46 - 28:9 196
Jacob's Dream and Vow at Bethel, 28:10-22 198
Jacob and Laban; Leah and Rachel, 29:1-30 203
Leah and Rachel; The Birth and Naming of Jacob's Sons,
29:31 - 30:24 207
Jacob Outwits Laban, 30:25-43 212
Jacob's Separation from Laban, 31:1-54 215
Preparations for the Meeting with Esau, 31:55 - 32:21 223
Jacob at the Jabbok, 32:22-32 228
The Meeting of the Brothers, 33:1-20 231
Dinah and the Shechemites, 34:1-31 235
Jacob at Bethel and Hebron; Jacob's Sons; Isaac's Death,
35:1-29 241
Esau's Descendants, 36:1-43 247
Concluding Remarks on Genesis 12 - 36 252
The Joseph Story, chs. 37 - 50 256
Joseph and His Brothers, 37:1-36 259
Judah and Tamar, 38:1-30 266
Joseph and His Master's Wife, 39:1-23 271
Joseph Interprets the Dreams of the Cupbearer and
Baker, 40:1-23 274
Pharaoh's Dreams and Joseph's Elevation, 41:1-57 277
vi
CONTENTS
The First Journey of the Brothers to Egypt, 42:1-38 284
The Second Journey of the Brothers to Egypt, 43:1-34 290
The Goblet, 44:1-34 294
Joseph Reveals Himself to His Brothers, 45:1-28 298
Jacob's Journey to Egypt and Reunion with Joseph,
46:1-30 302
Joseph Provides for His Family, 46:31 - 47:28 307
Jacob's Testament, 47:29 - 48:22 312
Jacob's Death and Burial, 49:la, 28b - 50:14 318
Confirmation of the Reconciliation, 50:15-21 321
Epilogue: Joseph's Old Age and Death, 50:22-26 323
The Blessing of Jacob, 49:l-28a 325
Concluding Remarks on the Story of Joseph 334
vii
PREFACE
This translation and explanation of the book of Genesis for the series
Text and Interpretation is based on my commentary on Genesis which
was published in Germany (Biblischer Kommentar I, Neukirchener
Verlag, 1974-1982). There one can find the philological reasoning
behind the translation, the religion-historical background, and a con-
sideration of the literature published on this book of the Bible (with
the appropriate references). There one also finds summaries of the
different parts of Genesis, and an account of the related problem
complexes.
I am grateful to the editor and publisher of this series for the
opportunity to make the results of my work available to the public in
a condensed and more popular form. It is my personal conviction
that the scientific shady and exegesis of a book of the Bible will serve
to build a bridge between ancient texts from the past and the living
word from Scripture in trie present.
C. Westermann
viii
INTRODUCTION
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." In the
period extending from the Middle Ages to a time in which horizons
are constantly shifting, the opening words of the first book of the
Bible have gained a new meaning. Today there is mention of the
possibility that mankind will destroy the earth, and people explore
regions well beyond the reach of the planet earth. The problems and
perils of present and future generations are increasing in scope to
such an extent that the solution of these problems and the aversion of
these threats seem still possible only on a worldwide scale. Increas-
ing numbers of organizations and institutions are today called into
being whose activities extend far beyond national boundaries and
whose reach is worldwide. After a period of many thousand years
shaped by distinct peoples and groups of peoples and their politics, it
seems that an era is now approaching in which mankind as a whole
will be the determinative category.
There is, therefore, good reason for us to reflect on the roots, the
genesis, of mankind.
The function of Genesis as a book of the Bible is to take those who
read it and those who hear its message to the things of the beginning.
The Bible, because it speaks of God, is concerned with the reality of
what has happened from the beginning and is now. It gives a report
of everything from the beginning to the end and covers all that is. Its
lines run from the beginning of the world and mankind through the
center (which is Christ) to the end. After all, its reference is to him
who said of himself: I am the first and the last.
In Christian churches this universal horizon of the Bible has
often been somewhat neglected, a neglect that is manifest, for exam-
ple, in the fact that the Creation is not celebrated in the calendar of
the Church. God's mandate to the people, his creatures, and to the
rest of creation was misjudged and distorted. Of the Prehistory, only
the first three chapters of Genesis played a significant role, and chs.
4-11 remained obscure. In this way, chs. 3 and 4—one dealing with
transgression against God and the other with transgression against
fellow human being—were torn apart, a fact that had unprecedented
consequences. The connection between the Creation and the Flood
ix