Genesis is a book about beginnings — the creation of the universe, the formation of mankind, the establishment of the covenant and the founding of the people of Israel. Many Christians regard the Old Testament as merely a collection of interesting stories to be taught in Sunday school, but which have little application for the church today except as providing examples or illustrations from a bygone, almost barbarous, age. The truth is that almost every important church doctrine is found in ‘seed’ form in the book of Genesis — creation, fall, redemption, the doctrine of the Trinity, the promise of the Messiah, the establishment of the covenant and the hope of the resurrection are all to be found here. A ‘seed’ is planted in Gen­esis and then it sprouts and grows throughout the rest of the Bible until it finds its fruition in the person and work of Jesus Christ. God created the universe; it fell through the sin of humanity; and now God is in the process of redeeming it through the work of Christ. This volume covers the lives of the patriarchs Jacob and Joseph, ending with the Israelites living in Egypt.

EP Study Commentaries have been described as:
‘Sufficiently scholarly to give [them] credence in the academic world, but at the same time … sufficiently straightforward to make [them] accessible to any serious student of the Bible’. Banner of Truth

Dr John D. Currid is Carl McMurray Professor of Old Testament at the Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. He received his Ph.D. degree in archaeology from the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago. He has several books in print, including the Study Commentary on Exodus (2 vols.) in the same series.