Author's Preface     xi
Principal Abbreviations    xiii

INTRODUCTION     1

I.  Title     1
II.  Structure     2
III.  Composition     11
IV.  Theology     38
V.  Problems in Interpretation     53
VI.  Canonicity     71
VII.  The Hebrew Text     73
VIII.  Bibliography     75

TEXT AND COMMENTARY     101

I.  Primeval History (1:1-11:32)     103

A.  THE CREATION OF THE WORLD (1:1-2:3)     103

1.  In the Beginning (1:1-2)     103
2.  The First Day (1:3-5)     118
3.  The Second Day (1:6-8)     121
4.  The Third Day (1:9-13)     124
5.  The Fourth Day (1:14-19)     126
6.  The Fifth Day (1:20-23)     129
7.  The Sixth Day (1:24-31)     131
8.  The Seventh Day (2:1-3)     141

B.  THE GARDEN OF EDEN AND ITS FIRST OCCUPANTS (2:4-25)     150

1.  The Formation of a Gardener (2:4-7)     150
2.  One Garden, Two Trees (2:8-9)     160
3.  One Garden, Four Rivers (2:10-14)     166
4.  Keeping Both the Garden and the Commandment (2:15-17)     171
5.  A Fit Helper among the Animals? (2:18-20)     174
6.  The Creation of Woman (2:21-25)     177

C.  THE TEMPATION IN THE GARDEN (3:1-24)     186

1.  The Tempter's Methods (3:1-7)     186
2.  God and Man Meet in the Garden (3:8-13)     192
3.  The Consequences of Transgression (3:14-19)     194
4.  A New Name and a New Covering (3:20-21)     204
5.  Expulsion from the Garden (3:22-24)     208

D.  FRATERNAL STRIFE (4:1-26)     218

1.  One Offering Accepted, One Offering Refused (4:1-7)     218
2.  A Judge and a Criminal (4:8-16)     228
3.  The Family of Cain (4:17-24)     236
4.  The Birth of Seth (4:25-26)     242

E.  FROM ADAM TO NOAH: TEN GENERATIONS (5:1-32)     246

F.  THE SONS OF GOD AND THE DAUGHTERS OF
     HUMANKIND: ILLICIT RELATIONSHIPS (6:1-4)     261

G.  THE GREAT FLOOD (6:5-9:29)     272

1.  The Reason for a Flood (6:5-10)     272
2.  Corruption and Violence in the Earth (6:11-12)     278
3.  The Command to Build the Ark (6:13-22)     279
4.  The Command to Enter the Ark (7:1-10)     285
5.  The Start of the Flood (7:11-16)     290
6.  The Cresting of the Waters (7:17-24)     295
7.  The Floodwaters Recede (8:1-5)     299
8.  The Emergence of Dry Land (8:6-14)     302
9.  Noah Leaves the Ark (8:15-22)     306
10.  God's Covenant with Noah (9:-17)     311
11.  Noah's Nakedness (9:18-29)     319

H.  THE TABLE OF NATIONS (10:1-32)     330

1.  The Japhethites (10:1-5)     330
2.  The Hamites (10:6-20)     335
3.  The Shemites (10:21-32)     343

I.  SHINARITES AND SHEMITES (11:1-32)

1.  Tower Builders at Babel (11:1-9)     349
2.  Genealogy of Shemites (11:10-32)     359

II.  The Abraham Cycle, Part I (12:1-17:27)     369

A.  THE EMERGENCE OF ABRAM (12:1-20)     369

1.  The Call of Abram (12:1-9)     369
2.  Abram in Egypt with Sarai (2:10-20)     379

B.  THE SEPARATION OF LOT AND ABRAM (13:1-18)     388

C.  MILITANT ABRAM AND THE KINGS (14:1-24)     396

1.  Four Kings against Five (14:1-12)     396
2.  The Recapture of Lot (14:13-16)     404
3.  Abram Meets Two Kings (14:17-24)     407

D.  THE COVENANT WITH ABRAM (15:1-21)     417

1.  The Covenant Promises (15:1-6)     417
2.  The Covenant Ceremonis (15:7-21)     427

E.  HAGAR AND ISHMAEL (16:1-16)     441

1.  Strife in the Family (16:1-6)     441
2.  The Birth of Ishmael (16:7-16)     448

F.  THE REAFFIRMATION OF THE COVENANT (17:1-27)     458

1.  A Name Change for Abram (17:1-8)     458
2.  The Sign of the Covenant (17:9-14)     467
3.  Sarah and Isaac (17:15-22)     475
4.  The Circumcision of Abraham and Ishmael (17:23-27)     479

INDEXES     485

I.  Subjects     485
II.  Authors     489
III.  Scripture References     496
IV.  Hebrew Words     516