Genesis 1–11: A Narrative Theological Commentary combines critical acumen with concern for the theological message of Scripture. It is a commentary in two stages. First, the text is allowed to speak for itself, using a narrative approach. Then, specific Jewish and Christian traditions flowing from the text are identified, and the underlying hermeneutical moves analyzed.

Genesis is the book of beginnings; and creation begins with light. Most religious people live with shuttered windows, receiving light only from their own people and their own tradition. Genesis 1–11 calls us to recognize all peoples as created by God and under the rainbow covenant of his light. This commentary opens windows on seeds of truth from Genesis 1-11 which are planted in the various environments “in front of the text” – including the New Testament, rabbinic tradition, the Qur’an, and Bangladeshi culture. It examines those seeds in their original seedbed, discerning how their truths will unfurl from the fragrant Genesis 1-11 bud of theology through the blessings given to Eve, Noah, and Abraham. Windows on the Text is a ground-breaking Bible commentary series written by followers of Jesus in Muslim contexts. It develops biblical insight in deliberate conversation with the Qur’an, the Hadith, and local Islamic cultures. Confi dent that the Bible in its entirety speaks directly into Muslim contexts, it opens new windows into the holy word of God to equip and empower believers to live out their faith in loving service and clear communication within their communities.

This commentary offers a synthesis of close readings of Genesis 1-11 and up-to-date study of the formation of these chapters in their ancient Near Eastern context. Each interpretation of these evocative and multilayered narratives is preceded with a new translation (with textual and philological commentary) and a concise overview of the ways in which each text bears the marks of its shaping over time. This prepares for a close reading that draws on the best of older and newer exegetical insights into these chapters, a reading that then connects to feminist, queer, ecocritical, and other contemporary approaches.

One in an ongoing series of esteemed and popular Bible commentary volumes based on the New International Version text.

Genesis: the book of beginnings. The book of Genesis is not only the first book of the Bible detailing the beginnings of Creation and life as we know it, but also serves as the over-arching and pervasive sacred reference for the true understanding of the entire Bible as intended by the Author, God, the Spirit of Truth. Genesis in its entirety, and the first eleven chapters in particular are indispensable for a meaningful understanding of God's living Word. Genesis chapter one is the majestic and glorious opening of the Bible. Armed with a real understanding of God's revealed identity, His awesome Power, and the nature of His Purpose outlined in Genesis chapters one through eleven, the student of the Bible can confidently follow the Biblical narrative as the account of God's relationship to man unfolds through the records of time and history chronicled in the pages of the Holy Bible. The Prophets, the Psalmist, the Poets, the Evangelists, and the Apostles were inspired to expound what is revealed in Genesis chapters one through eleven. Flowing out of Genesis, the Biblical narrative tells the account of creation, rebellion, and redemption in the context of God's Holiness, Righteousness, Justice, and Glory. We believe that it is absolutely necessary that the believer must meditate upon the first eleven chapters of Genesis in order to be open and well prepared to learn the Truth about God's Will, Purpose, and Plan concerning creation in general and man in particular.

Genesis 1-11 contains some of the best-known stories in the world. To modern Westerners they may look like no more than entertaining tales that children can enjoy, but modern adults cannot take seriously. However, when read in the context of the ancient Orient, Genesis 1-11 looks very different. It turns out to be a truly revolutionary document. In retelling the history of the ancient world, it puts a new spin on it by introducing an all-powerful, all-knowing, unique God whose greatest concern is human welfare. The God who appears in Genesis 1-11 is the God presupposed by all the Old Testament writers, indeed by the New Testament as well. The gripping tales of Genesis thus provide the theological spectacles for a sympathetic reading of the Bible. They are the gateway to a valid understanding of its message and can even help modern believers construct a worldview that integrates both the discoveries of modern science and the insights of Christian theology.

Text and commentary alternate with each other in the style of the series.

"Genesis is the book of beginnings; and creation begins with light. Most religious people live with shuttered windows, receiving light only from their own people and their own tradition. Genesis 1-11 calls us to recognize all peoples as created by God and under the rainbow covenant of his light. This commentary opens windows on seeds of truth from Genesis 1-11 which are planted in the various environments “in front of the text” including the New Testament, rabbinic tradition, the Qur'an, and Bangladeshi culture. It examines those seeds in their original seedbed, discerning how their truths will unfurl from the fragrant Genesis 1-11 bud of theology through the blessings given to Eve, Noah, and Abraham. Windows on the Text is a ground-breaking Bible commentary series written by followers of Jesus in Muslim contexts. It develops biblical insight in deliberate conversation with the Qur'an, the Hadith, and local Islamic cultures. Confi dent that the Bible in its entirety speaks directly into Muslim contexts, it opens new windows into the holy word of God to equip and empower believers to live out their faith in loving service and clear communication within their communities."--Publisher.