Genesis 1-11

Question 1

What period does this cover?

Answer 1

The beginnings of the nations: creation, fall, flood, Babel

Question 2

What is the purpose of Genesis?

Answer 2

To present the beginnings of everything except God.

Question 3

What word from Genesis can be used to determine the structure of the book? What does this word basically mean?

Answer 3

Toledot: meaning “the generations of”

Question 4

What is the topical outline of Genesis?

Answer 4

1. The beginning of the nations: A. creation, B. fall, C. flood, D. Babel. 2. The beginnings of the chosen nation, Israel: A. Abraham, B. Isaac, C. Jacob, D. Joseph

Question 5

What are the two types of interpretation applied to Gen 1-2 and the meaning of each?

Answer 5

1. historical/descriptive- the manner 2. poetic/figurative - the fact (told how God created, just not how he created)

Question 6

What are the 6 groups into which most evangelical interpreters fall regarding Gen 1-2 and creation generally?

What are the distinctives/characteristics of and challenges to each of these groups?

Answer 6

Scientific/Young Earth Creationism: young universe, six 24-hour days, Genesis flood, apparent age;

Historical Creationism: Genesis 1:2 following describes God’s creation at the promise land; Progressive/Old

Earth Creationism: ancient universe, days = geological ages;

Theistic Evolution: ancient universe, God-guided evolution;

Literary Framework: Genesis 1 = literary device, days are snapshots/perspectives, days refer to days when God told Moses what he did;

Functional View: Ancient Near Eastern Culture perspective, Creation has to do with function, not matter, universe is God’s temple

Question 7

What does “in the beginning” mean (Gen 1:1)?

Answer 7

A period of time

Question 8

What does ex nihilo mean?

Answer 8

Latin for “out of nothing”

Question 9

What does “heavens and earth” mean (Gen 1:1)?

Answer 9

a merism- ex nihilo strongly implied

Question 10

What basically is the Gap Theory?

Answer 10

Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 are seperated by time

Question 11

What is preferred understanding of the relationship between Gen 1:1 and 1:2 (as presented in class) and why?

Answer 11

They go together, because in their original Hebrew grammatical state, they are one compound sentence.

Question 12

What does “formless and void” mean (Gen 1:2)?

Answer 12

1. traditional interpretation: God’s “raw material” 2. Sailhammer: the “land” was uninhabitable 3. Walton: the universe had no ordered function

Question 13

What are the four primary interpretations of the word “day” (yom) in Gen 1?

Answer 13

1. a vast period of time (geological age); 2. a perspective or snapshot of God’s created work; 3. the revealing of the creation story to Moses; 4. a 24 hour time period.

Question 14

What were the three arguments for understanding “day” (yom) in Gen 1 as 24-hour days?

Answer 14

1. the phrase “evening and morning” is implicative; 2. when used with a number, yom means a 24 hour period every other place in the Old Testament; 3, Exodus 20:11 is implicative

Question 15

What was created in each of the six days of creations?

Answer 15

1. light, 2. atmosphere and water, 3. land and plants, 4. sun, moon, and stars, 5. birds and fish, 6. animals and mankind

Question 16

What does “formed” and “filled” have to do with these six days and what was created?

Answer 16

The creations of days 1, 2, and 3, are filled by the creation of days 4, 5, and 6.

Question 17

What happened on the 7th day of creation and what does that mean for God and for us?

Answer 17

God rested, which created the concept of Sabbath.

Question 18

What is the relationship between Gen 1:1-2:3 and Gen 2:4-25?

Answer 18

1:1-2:3 = cosmological perspective (God is Elohim) 2:4-25 = anthropological perspective (God is Yahweh)

Question 19

What was man given according to Gen 2:4-25?

Answer 19

1. a home, 2. vocational responsibility, 3. moral responsibility, 4. a companion, 5. the institution of marraige

Question 20

What was noted regarding Christ in relation to the Creation and the Fall?

Answer 20

Christ is promised to save man from the Devil.

Question 21

What is the big event of Gen 3-5? What happened and what were the consequences?

Answer 21

The fall of man: death, curses from God, expulsion from the Garden.

Question 22

What is the big event of Gen 6-9? What basically happened and why?

Answer 22

The flood: the people had become extremely wicked, so God wiped them out with a flood.

Question 23

What are three views of “sons of God” and “daughters of men” in 6:2?

Answer 23

1. were fallen angels who procreated with human women
2. were royalty who practiced polygamy
3. refers to the Godly line of Seth and the ungodly line of Cain.

Question 24

Was the flood universal or local (as presented in class) and why?

Answer 24

Universal: 1. the need for the size of the ark; 2. the depth of the waters (covered the mountains); 3. the duration of the flood waters (over a year); 4. Peter compares final divine judgement with the flood.

Question 25

What are the meaning and types of “covenant” as found in Scripture?

Answer 25

Contract: a formal relationship between two parties, a treaty. Conditional (unilateral) and unconditional (bilateral)

Question 26

What was the Noahic Covenant about?

Answer 26

God promised Noah that he would never judge men with a flood.

Question 27

What is the big event in Gen 10-11? What basically happened and why?

Answer 27

The Tower of Babel: men tried to build a great tower, God confounded their language and spread them over the earth.

Question 28

Who were the important people in the line from Adam to Abram?

Answer 28

Adam, Seth, Noah, Shem, Terah, Abram

Question 29

What does Gen 1-3 contribute to a Christian worldview about God? Creation? Humans?

Answer 29

Tells us about God’s character, about creation’s purpose, and about humans value and responsibilities.