Genesis
This outline is incomplete. It is a prototype or example, in case a project of this sort were to be done in the future. (At that point, additional comments could be added, or the format revised.)
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Introduction - How creation came into existence (1:1-2:3)
- The creation of all things - 1:1-2:3
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1:1-2
Initial conditions
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1:3-5
Day 1 - Light
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1:6-8
Day 2 - Separating the water
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1:9-13
Day 3 - Land; plants
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1:14-19
Day 4 - Sun, moon, stars, etc.
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1:20-23
Day 5 - Air and water creatures
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1:24-31
Day 6 - Land animals, humans; instructions to the humans about how they are to live
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2:1-3
Day 7 - Rest from the work of creating
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Account #1 - The first family (2:4-4:26)
- The creation of the humans - 2:4-25
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2:4-7
Overview - creation and man
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2:8-14
Description of the garden
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2:15-17
The man's task
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2:18-25
Creation of the woman; marriage; its significance
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- The "creation overview" (2:4-7) is not intended to be a timeline; but basically says, 1) "certain things didn't exist," and 2) "then God made them."
- Sin enters the world - 3:1-24
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3:1-5
The woman is tested
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3:6-7
Both yield to sin; realize their guilt
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3:8-13
Confrontation with God; their guilt acknowledged
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3:14-19
The judgment / curse
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3:20-24
Response to the judgment; expulsion from the garden
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- The first two offspring - 4:1-26
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4:1-2
Birth of Cain and Abel
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4:3-7
They offer sacrifices to God; Cain needs to repent
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4:8-16
Cain kills Abel; unremorseful; is banished from the land
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4:17-24
Cain's offspring; technology; violence; breakdown of marriage
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4:25-26
Abel's offspring - none, replaced by Seth; public worship begins
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- The various accounts of direct communication with God after expulsion from the garden (here and in the next account) may have occurred at the edge of the garden, where God used to walk with Adam and Eve. The recorded instances of people having direct interaction with God include Cain and Abel, Enoch and Noah. This phrase is never used to describe the interaction between people and God after the Flood.
Account #2 - Adam's line through Seth (5:1-6:8)
- Genealogy - Adam to Noah - 5:1-6:8
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5:1-2
Creation of man (review)
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5:3-20
First part (all died)
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5:21-24
Enoch (has not died)
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5:25-31
Second part (all died)
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5:32
Noah and his offspring
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6:1-4
Conditions in Noah's day - violence and tyranny; God will not put up with it forever
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6:5-8
God will destroy all the wicked; only Noah is righteous and will be spared (with his family)
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Account #3 - The account of Noah and the Flood (6:9-9:29)
- Preparation for the Flood - 6:9-22
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6:9-12
Noah's righteousness, contrasted to the earth's total corruption
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6:13
God is going to destroy the earth
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6:14-16
Instructions for building the ark
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6:17-21
How life will be preserved during the Flood
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6:22
Noah's obedience
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- The Flood arrives - 7:1-24
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7:1-4
God tells them to enter the ark
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7:5-10
Noah obeys; 7 days later the Flood comes
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7:11-16
The water bursts forth; rain; those on the ark are safe because God shut them in
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7:17-23
40 days of waters rising; all air-breathing life dies
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7:24
Total time before waters begin to recede: 150 days
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- The waters recede; the land dries - 8:1-22
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8:1-5
The waters recede; the ark rests on a mountain
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8:6-12
More water receding; birds sent out to find land
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8:13-19
Dry land; God tells them to exit
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8:20
An altar to God; sacrifices made
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8:21-22
God promises to never again destroy the earth this way
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- These last two verses connect with chapter 9.
- Blessings, promises, instructions (continued from 8:21); other events in Noah's life - 9:1-29
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9:1-7
Blessing; instructions about food and capital punishment
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9:8-11
Promise - no more global flood
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9:12-17
The rainbow - a reminder of the promise
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9:18-19
Noah's three son's families - the source of all humans today
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9:20-27
Noah's drunkenness; Ham's sin; judgment on Ham's offspring (only the son with similar inclinations)
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9:28-29
Noah's death
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Account #4 - The offspring of Noah's sons (10:1-11:9)
- The list of families - 10:1-32
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10:1
Introduction to the list
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10:2-5
Japheth's offspring
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10:6-20
Ham's offspring; details about Nimrod and Canaan
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10:21-31
Shem's offspring
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10:32
Concluding comments
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- Chapter 10 contains references to the chapter 11 events in v. 5, 20 and 31 (different languages); 8-12 (Nimrod's empire) and 25 (the "dividing" of the earth, probably a reference to the dispersion of the peoples)
- How they were forced to spread out across the earth - 11:1-9
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11:1
Originally a unified language
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11:2-4
A unified rebellion; intention to build a "name" for themselves
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11:5-7
God judges; confuses the people's language
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11:8-9
The people are scattered
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- Making a "name" for themselves referred to their plan to determine their own significance ("name") without God, and in direct disobedience to God's commands in chapter 9 (to spread out across the land). Because of this, God was going to "help" them to obey!
Account #5 - Shem's offspring (11:10-26)
- The list of families - 11:10-26
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11:10-26
The list of offspring and other details
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- This list has a different focus than the previous one - 1) ages are given; and 2) there is further information about Peleg's offspring (not included in the previous list). This is the line from which Abraham comes.
Account #6 - Terah's offspring (11:27-25:11), with the main focus being on Abraham and Lot
- The journey toward Canaan - 11:27-32
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11:27-30
About his sons and their families
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11:31-32
Journey to the city of Haran; Terah's death
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- Arrival at Canaan; temporary stay in Egypt (famine) - 12:1-20
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12:1-3
God sends Abram (Abraham) to Canaan; promises to bless him
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12:4-9
Abram, Sarai (wife) and Lot (nephew) go to Canaan (with all they own); God promises Abram the land
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12:10
Famine; temporary residence in Egypt
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12:11-13
Abram fears for his life; calls Sarah his sister
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12:14-17
Pharaoh almost marries Sarai; God prevents it
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12:18-20
Pharaoh sends Abraham away
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- Later, Abram's name would be changed to Abraham; Sarai's name would be changed to Sarah.
- Sarai was Abram's half-sister - same father, different mothers; so Abram's claim was partly true. (Genesis 20:12)
- Pharaoh rebukes Abram, as though he was the "innocent victim," but in reality, he would have killed Abram, if he knew Sarai was his wife. (It was common practice at that time.)
- Too crowded; Abram and Lot separate - 13:1-18
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13:1-4
Return to Canaan (from Egypt)
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13:5-7
Too crowded for Abram's and Lot's animals
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13:8-13
They separate, with Lot choosing the fertile valley near wicked Sodom
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13:14-18
God reaffirms that he will give Abram the land
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- The valley near Sodom was fertile and well-watered before God destroyed the land because of their wickedness.
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Needs to be continued from here!
