| Series Foreword | ix |
| Introduction | 1 |
| Ancient Near Eastern Myth and Genesis | 3 |
| The Process of Oral Transmission and Its Media | 4 |
| Early Theologians of Israel and Their Literary Legacies | 7 |
| How This Commentary Will Help You | 9 |
| Part 1 | The Beginnings | |
| 1. | Creation by God's Word: Genesis 1:1-2:4a | 13 |
| Day One: Creation out of Something (1:1-5) | 15 |
| Creation from Nothing | 18 |
| Randomness and Order | 19 |
| Relationships | 21 |
| Days Two through Five: Moving to Culmination (1:6-23) | 21 |
| Day Six: Beasts and Earth Creatures (1:24-31) | 24 |
| Day Seven: Sabbath (2:1-4a) | 30 |
| 2. | Creation from the Dust: Genesis 2:4b-25 | 33 |
| The Human Vocation according to J (2:4b-9, 15-17) | 34 |
| The True Nature of Sexuality (2:18-25) | 36 |
| 3. | Humanity Goes Awry: Genesis 3:1-24 | 41 |
| Temptation and "Fall" (3:1-7) | 42 |
| Confrontation and Curse (3:8-19) | 45 |
| Paradise Lost but Grace Regained (3:20-24) | 48 |
| Some Further Thoughts on "The Fall" | 49 |
| 4. | The Family Goes Awry: Genesis 4:1-26 | 55 |
| Cain and Abel (4:1-16) | 56 |
| Cain's Family Tree (4:17-26) | 65 |
| 5. | The Human Family before the Flood: Genesis 5:1-32 | 72 |
| Reflections on Biblical Chronology | 75 |
| 6. | Genetics Goes Awry: Genesis 6:1-9:29 | 77 |
| Two Causes for the Flood (6:1-8) | 77 |
| The Flood (6:9-8:19) | 85 |
| Never Again! God's First Covenant with Noah (8:20-22) | 91 |
| Will It Be Fire Next Time? | 93 |
| Over the Rainbow: God's Second Covenant with Noah (9:1-17) | 94 |
| Noah and His Sons (9:18-29) | 98 |
| Israel and Canaan | 99 |
| 7. | The Human Family after the Flood: Genesis 10:1-32 | 101 |
| 8. | Human Solidarity Gone Awry: Genesis 11:1-9 | 107 |
| Reflections on Human Alienation | 113 |
| 9. | From Human Family to One Family: Genesis 11:10-32 | 117 |
| Part 2 | The Fathers and Mothers: An Overview of the Saga of the Fathers and the Mothers | 125 |
| 10. | The Saga of Abraham and Sarah: Genesis 12:1-23:20 | 133 |
| The Election of Abram (12:1-4a) | 133 |
| Covenant and Election | 137 |
| The Lord's First Promise to Abram (12:4b-9) | 138 |
| The Ungainly Story of Abram and Sarai in Egypt (12:10-20) | 140 |
| The Lord's Second Promise to Abram (13:1-18) | 143 |
| Abram and the Kings (14:1-24) | 145 |
| The Lord's Third Promise to Abram (15:1-21) | 148 |
| Abraham and His Faith in the New Testament | 150 |
| Reflections on Biblical Interpretation | 156 |
| The Rejected Mother and Son: Hagar and Ishmael (16:1-16) | 157 |
| Covenant, New Names, Promise of a Son (17:1-18:15) | 162 |
| The Rejection of Sodom and Gomorrah (18:16-19:29) | 170 |
| Incest Blots the Family Tree (19:30-38) | 174 |
| The Ungainly Story Twice Told (20:1-18) | 175 |
| Isaac Comes, Ishmael Goes (21:1-21) | 177 |
| Theological Reflections on Hagar and Ishmael | 179 |
| Ishmael in Judaism and Islam | 181 |
| Abraham Makes Peace with His Neighbors (21:22-34) | 183 |
| Isaac under the Knife (22:1-19, 20-24) | 184 |
| The Akedah in the Arts | 190 |
| Sarah's Death and Burial at Hebron (23:1-20) | 191 |
| 11. | The Saga of Isaac and Rebekah: Genesis 24:1-28:9 | 193 |
| Romancing Rebekah at the Well (24:1-67) | 194 |
| The End of Abraham and the Destiny of Ishmael (25:1-18) | 198 |
| Sibling Rivalry between the Twins Esau and Jacob (25:19-34) | 199 |
| The Ungainly Story Thrice Told and Other Miscellanies (26:1-35) | 201 |
| Isaac's Legacy (27:1-40) | 203 |
| Jacob's Flight and Esau's Marriage (27:41-28:9) | 208 |
| 12. | The Saga of Jacob and Rachel: Genesis 28:10-36:43 | 210 |
| Jacob Returns to the Source, via Bethel (28:10-22) | 213 |
| Romancing Rachel at the Well (29:1-30) | 216 |
| Rachel and Leah, the Mothers of All Israel (29:31-30:24) | 223 |
| Rivalry between Jacob and Laban (30:25-32:2) | 225 |
| Preliminaries for Peace with Esau (32:3-21) | 228 |
| Jacob Wrestles with "A Man" (32:22-32) | 229 |
| Jacob and Esau Are Reconciled (33:1-20) | 231 |
| Rape and Revenge at Shechem (34:1-31) | 232 |
| Rachel Dies, and an Era Ends (35:1-29) | 235 |
| The Descendants of Esau (36:1-43) | 237 |
| 13. | The Story of Joseph and His Brothers: Genesis 37:1-50:26 | 241 |
| Joseph Dreams of Glory and Pays for It (37:1-36) | 245 |
| A Digression: Judah and Tamar (38:1-30) | 249 |
| Joseph Turns Down Potiphar's Wife and Pays for It (39:1-23) | 253 |
| Strategies for Discerning the Theological Values in Genesis 39 | 257 |
| Joseph and Potiphar's Wife in Art | 258 |
| Joseph Interprets Dreams and Gains by It (40:1-41:57) | 259 |
| Joseph Discloses Himself to His Brothers (42:1-45:28) | 264 |
| Jacob Moves to Egypt (46:1-47:28) | 270 |
| Jacob Prepares to Die (47:29-48:22) | 274 |
| Jacob's Last Words and His Death (49:1-33) | 278 |
| The Happy Ending of the Joseph Story (50:1-26) | 285 |
| Further Reflections on Genesis 50:20 | 290 |
| Works Cited | 293 |
