Summary of the book chapter

134

[ 9 J The Royal Lineage in Genesis

The book of Genesis has been carefully composed to focus on a unique family line, starting with Adam a~d c~nti_n~ing down to the _twelve sons of Jacob. This line of "seed" includes vanous md1v1duals who all en1oyed ~ special relationship with God: Noap, Abraham, Isaac, J~cob,_ and Joseph. With great import, Genesis anticipates that a royal dyna~t~ ':1~1 anse fror:11 the d~scendants of Abraham. Although this future dynasty 1s 1mt1ally associated with Joseph and his son Ephraim, it is also linked in a subtle way to Judah and his son Perez.

Introduction

For many readers Genesis is a collection of unconnected stories, interrupted here and there by apparently irrelevant genealogies. Yet the present text has been carefully shaped to highlight the importance of a family lineage that begins with Adam and is traced through to the sons of Jacob. To appreciate this we shall consider first the overall structure of the book and the function of the various genealogies found within it. Next, we shall briefly examine the ~oncept of "seed" and observe how Genesis deliberately focuses on a single lme of descendants. Finally, we shall draw some conclusions about the nature and significance of this special lineage.

The Structure of Genesis

~ quick survey reveals that Genesis consists of narrative sections that are linked by genealogies. Many of these narrative sections and genealogies are

f IGURE 9. 1. A Linear Genealogy M gave birth to N

N gave birth to o

0 gave birth to p

M I N I

0 I p

. duced by similar headings; these occur in 2:4· 5·l · 6.9. 10 mtro 37 2 Th I . ' . , . , :l; 11 ·10 27· 12 19. 36:1 , 9; : . e common e ement rn all thes h d' . · ' , 25: ' ' " vd - I d . h e ea tngs IS the He

word tole ot, trans ate m t e NIV as "account "t Th d . - brew . h " . . b. h" h 1· k . e wor Itself is

Cl·ated wit givmg trt ; w en m ed to a person or ob · . £ asso 6. d Ject, 1t re ers to hat that person or o Ject pro uces. For example, the initial words f 11 _27 w Id be translated, ''And these were born of Terah"; the NIV h ~Th · · . cou h' f .1 1. ,, as ISIS the account of Tera. s amt y me. .

The toledot headmgs serve two funct10ns. First, they are like chapter or sec- tion headings i~ modern book~. Some of them introduce major narrative sections, indicatl~g a n~w stage .m the development of the plot. These major sections deal mamly with the lives of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph, and ~hey are introduce"d vby_ the he~ding~ in 2:4; 6:9; 11:27; 25:19; and J7:2 respectively. The other toledot headmgs mtroduce either linear gene- alogies (see figure 9.1) listing descendants who belong to the central family line (5:1; 11:10), or segmented genealogies (see figure 9.2) providing details about family members of some of the minor participants in Genesis (10:1; 25:12; 36:1, 9). To ensure that the main line of descent is clearly established, segmented genealogies are never used; only linear genealogies are employed

(5:1-32; 11:10-26).

FIGURE 9.2. A Segmented Genealogy

A gave birth to B, C, D

B gave birth to E, F, G

C gave birth to H, I, J

D gave birth to K, L, M

A

I I I B C D

,h rh rh EFG HI J K LM

1. In Genesis the term toledot is used elsewhere only in lO:JZ and 25

= 13

·

135

_ OF T H E P ENTATE U C H TH E M i1 1N TH EM E S

136

S d the toledot headings function like a zoom lens on a carnera .,...h

econ , . l . d " .d l · 1 ey c h der 's attention on a particu ar m ivi ua and his irnrn d' rocus t e rea . e late h

"ld Th ·s enables the author of Genesis to trace the fortunes of th . c i ren. 1 . f h . , e rnain famil y line without needing to follow detail~ o ot er relativ~s ~ives. In this Way Genesis highlights the importance of the lineage that, begmnmg with Adarn • traced through Adam's youngest son, Seth, to Noah, the father of She ' ~am , and Japheth. The next stage of the line takes us from Shem to "fer;'. the father of Abraham, Nahor, and Haran. We then move from Abraham to Isaac, from Isaac to Jacob, and finally to Jacob's twelve sons.

The Chosen "Seed"

Closely linked to the genealogical structure of Genesis is the frequent use of the Hebrew word zera ', perhaps best translated as "seed." Unfortunately, the NIV translates zera ' with a variety of terms-the most common being "de- scendants," "offspring," "seed." For this reason the importance of the concept of "seed" in Genesis is easily missed. Zera ' is a keyword, however, occurring 59 times in Genesis compared to 170 times in the rest of the Old Testament.2

Several factors are worth noting briefly about the use of the term "seed" in Genesis. (1) The Hebrew word zera ', like the English word "sheep," can be either singular or plural; it may denote a single seed or many seeds. An example of the former comes in 21:13, where Ishmael is described as Abra- ham's "seed." However, in 28:14 zera ' refers to the "seed" (descendants) of Jacob, "who will be like the dust of the earth." (2) "Seed" normally denotes an individual's natural child or children. When Eve gives birth to Seth, she comments, "God has granted me another child [seed] in place of Abel, since Cain killed him" (4:25). In 15:3 Abraham laments that his heir is Eliezer of Damascus and is not of his own seed; this reflects the fact that as yet Abraham and Sarah have no child of their own. (3) The Hebrew word zera ' conveys the idea that there is a close resemblance between the ''seed" and that which has produced it. We see this underlying the comment that plants and trees are to produce seeds "according to their various kinds" (1:11-12).

The Lineage of Adam

Viewing Genesis as a whole, it is apparent that the genealogical structure and the concept of "seed" are closely linked in order to highlight a single distinctive

2. These statistics exclude the one occurrence of the Aramaic word zera ' in Dan. 2:43. In Genesis zera ' comes in 1:11 (2x) , 12 (2x) , 29 (2x) ; 3:15 (2x); 4:25 ; 7:3 ; 8:22; 9:9; 12:7; 13:15, 16 (2x) ; 15:3, 5, 13 , 18; 16:10; 17:7 (2x) , 8, 9, 10, 12, 19; 19:32, 34; 21 :12, 13; 22:17 (2x) , 18; 24:7, 60; 26:3 , 4 (3x) , 24; 28 :4, 13 , 14 (2x) ; 32:12; 35:12; 38:8, 9 (2x); 46:6, 7; 47:19, 23, 24; 48:4, 11 , 19.

T11 E R OYAL LI NEAGE IN G ~NfcS J ~

figure 9.3) . Moreover, although Genesis concludes by not- ·Jy jjneage (s1ee d of Jacob was reckoned as numbering seventy (46:6-27), fa011 rota see l . . c d h hat the f eventy specia attent10n ts rocuse on t e status given to . gt up o s h 10

. h'n this gro f O of Jacob's sons, Josep and Judah. As we shall observe w1t J dants o tw he descen F ·1 L' . G .

t 9 3 The Main am, y meage 1n enes1s f 1GURE • •

Cain

Abraham

I Ishmael ISAAC

Esau

C: C: '> (IJ 0 (IJ ..0 (IJ ....J

E :, (IJ iii er:

ADAM

I Abel

Shem

I Arphaxad

I Shelah

I

Eber I

Peleg I

Reu I

Serug I

Nahor I

TERAH

Nahor

JACOB I I

:c C: iii "C ltJ ltJ <C 0 E ~ 0 a.

ltJ ::::, z -,

Seth

I Enosh

I

Kenan I

Mahalalel I

Jared I

Enoch I

Methuselah I

Lamech I

NOAH I

I Ham

Haran

I ... C: :c C: ltJ :, a. ·e L: 3 ltJ u UJ ltJ ..0 V, 'c' "' ~ (IJ .!!1 0 al -,

Japheth

137

h,

T H E M A I N T H E M E S 01' T II E P E NTA T E U C H

138

I h h J oseph's younger son, Ephraim, receives the blessing f

below, a t oug 22) d · l l . 0 the

fi b f m his grandfather, Jacob (48:1- , an 1s c ear y viewed as th

rst orn ro . . d • • 1 d e one h h h ma

royal line is anticipate , attention 1s a so rawn to the f t roug w o . . . . uture • f Judah and his descendants (38 .1-30, 49.8-12) . importance o . • f •

Wh we examine the nature and s1gmficance o the mam family lin en h p· h 1. . eage . G · vari·ous features are notewort y. ust, t e meage 1s always tr d 111 enes1s, 3 . . ace through male descendants, and all are clearly named. Yet while lt might be

ected that the line of "seed" would always be traced through the eld exp . . h " . est son according to the concept of pnmogemture, t 1s 1s not so. In a number of inst~nces a younger son is given priority over an older brother, and on each occasion the text of Genesis suggests why this occurs. For killing his brother Abel, Cain, the firstborn, is passed over in favor of S_eth, the third-born (4:1-25). Although Ishmael is Abraham ' s firstborn son, he 1s excluded from the line of "seed" because he is the son of Sarah's Egyptian maidservant Hagar (16:1-16·

' 17:18-21; 21:9-21) . As the God-given "seed" of Abraham, Isaac enjoys prior- ity over Ishmael. Although Esau is born before Jacob, his secondary position to Jacob is divinely predicted before the birth of the twin boys (25:23). Fur- thermore, the narrator appears to justify this choice by highlighting Esau's dismissive attitude toward his birthright, which he sells to Jacob for a pot of red stew (25:29-34), and by the fact that he displeases his parents by marrying two Hittite women (26:34-35).

A more complex situation exists regarding the twelve sons of Jacob, where both Judah, the fourth-born son, and Joseph , the eleventh-born son, are privi- leged before older brothers. Once again the Genesis narrative reveals that the eldest brothers, Reuben, Simeon, and Levi , are excluded from enjoying their father's foremost blessing due to unseemly actions (see 35 :22; 34:25-30). From the outset of Genesis 37, Joseph is clearly presented as the one who is privileged by his father as though the firstborn (cf. 1 Chron. 5 :1-2) . That he was Rachel 's first child undoubtedly encouraged this. Later, Joseph's status as firstborn is confirmed when Jacob gives the blessing of the firstborn to Joseph 's family by blessing his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim (Gen. 48:1-22) .4 Remarka?ly, yet again in Genesis, a younger son, Ephraim , receives the superior bles5mg normally associated with the firstborn .

. 3. This does not necessarily imply that eve ry generation is included in the record: R. i~ - Wilson , Genealogy and History in the Biblical World , YN ER 7 (N ew H ave n: Yale Univ~rs h~ Press, 1977), 133-34, notes that even in written genealogies there is a tendency to !unit r maximum I h f h 1· . 5 d 11 Conse-. engt O t e meage to ten generations such as we h ave m G en . an · d' • quently ·t · ' d 'fi db rhe ad mon , 1 is not uncommon to find Near East ern genea logi es be ing mo I e Y • h and omission of E I f . . ,, I be found 111 r e . . na mes. xamp es o this process of "telescoping a re a so to lo " biblical texts (e .g. , cf. 1 Chron. 6:3- 14 and Ez ra 7 :1-5; cf. W. H . Green , " Primeval Chrono gy, BS 47 [1890] : 285- 303) . .

4 The f I I o reflected in h

;, st atus O Joseph as the firstbo rn of Jacob's twelve sons is probab Y as . f rhe t at Jo seph " th h h . . . d bl poruon ° ' roug t e tnbes of Ephra im and Mana sseh , received a ou e land o f Can aa n wh · d . ·b 1 en It was 1stn uted a m o ng the tribes of lsrae .

d

T 11 E R o y L A L I N EAG E I N G E NES I S

.1 Joseph's position as the " firstborn " is assumed in th G . Wh1 e . . e enes1s nar- ubtle development occurs mvolvmg Judah This cent h ' fl · e a s h · ers c 1e y o n

ra rJV '. 38 which interrupts t e report of Joseph 's time in E f Genesis ' " d" f J d h G . h . gypt to ocus . on the see o u a . 1ven t especial interest th t G . d .

tennon . 1. f d d a enes1s 1s-at . tracing a umque me o escen ants, the events of th • h P

lays in h is c apter are . Jly notewort Y.

especia rkably; the account of Judah's extraordinary relationship w ·th 'T' Rema ' . . h b . h f . . 1 1amar 1 des by descnbmg t e 1rt o twms, durmg which the younger b p cone u f h "fi b " z h oy, erez, _,, out" in front o t e rst orn, era . The significance of th · "breaJ<-s . . is event ld not be overlooked m the light of the larger story that unfolds ' h shou . . . . mt e

k of Genesis to Kmgs. Whereas the tnbe of Ephraim is initially present d boo s . h 1 ' 1 d . e he one from whic Israe s ea er will come, as reflected in the important

as t b J h h "fi b " 1 · f · · l played later y os ua, t e rst orn me o Ephraim 1s rejected in the r?: of Samuel and replaced by the line of David, from the tribe of Judah.s tl~econd, the central family line exists due to the gracious activity of God. At the outset Eve recognizes this following the birth of Seth: "She named him Seth, saying, 'God has granted me another child [seed] in place of Abel, since Cain killed him"' (Gen. 4:25) . Yet it is in the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that we most dearly see God 's role in sustaining the family line. In the account of Abraham's life, one of the first details recorded is that "Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive" (11:30). As the Abraham story unfolds, God on various occasions reiterates that Sarah will indeed give birth to a son (17:16-21; 18:10-14), even though both Abraham and Sarah are well beyond the natural age of having children; Abraham is one hundred years old (17:17; 21:5) and Sarah ninety (17: 17). When at last Sarah gives birth to Isaac, the text specifically states that this is due to divine intervention: "Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised" (21 :1). A similar situation is recorded briefly in 25:21 regarding Isaac and Rebekah: "Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant." Remarkably, history repeats itself yet again in the case of Jacob, for we learn that his wife, Rachel, was also childless (29:31). When Rachel eventually gives birth to a child of her own, the narrative affirms God 's part in this: "Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, 'God has raken away my disgrace.' She named him Joseph, and said, 'May the LORD id~ to me another son"' (30:22-24). All these examples highlight that God is ctively responsible for the continuation of the family line.

5· Apart from the evidence derived from the book of Genesis, Ps. 78:59-72 provides a str00g :e for beli~ving that a royal line descended from Joseph was div_inel_y rejected i~ fa:o~ of a .;ge associated with Judah . Here, as in the books of Samuel, the re1ect1on of Ephraim is lm~ed

d ~ ~emise of Shiloh as the central sanctuary, whereas the choice of David is associated wi th 1vinc d · · • c G d' t eciswn to make Zion/Jerusalem the new location 1or O s sane uary.

139

140

P ENTAT E U C H - MES Of THE

TH E {v!AI N THE • •

. hasizes the existence of a special rel at' . rrauve emp f h . f ·1 Ion.

Th . d the Genesis n~ . ·d 1 members o t e mam am1 y line. We ir ' d d mdivi ua . 1 · h d . h b . c see

h . between Go an t'mes it is high ig te mt e ne1est of co

s 1P f ays Some i lk d f . hf 11 · h lll- h

. . a variety o w . d h t "Enoch wa e alt u y wit God• th t 1s m I e rea t a ,, Th " ~ ' en

ents. For examp e, .w G d rook him away (5:24). e toledot headi m because o "N h ng he was n~ ~ore, . el followed by the ~tatement oa was. a righteous f Noah 1s immediat Yh le of his nme, and he walked faithfully w· h

o I mong t e peop . 1 1 . h. It man blame ess a h sence of a specia re at10ns Ip is revealed .

' 6 El here t e pre in God" (6:9). sew .

1 Th •sis so in the longer accounts concerning Noah

considerably morea~:~i;nd J~seph. Jn the cases of Noah and Abraham, God Abraham, Isaac, J ' 1 s but also establishes eternal covenants through

I eals future p an 1 . f not on Y rev d J cob also receive reve at10ns rom God confirming b h f them Isaac an a d Ab h 1 ' ot o_ · . h t were previously ma e to ra am. A though God . arncular promises t a bl h. d. f 111 P

1 'h. If directly to Joseph, he ena es 1m to 1scern uture events

never revea s imse h f J h' . . . . d ms Furthermore, t e account o osep s time m Egypt by mterpretmg rea · . h. hr hts God's providential care of him. tg~~le the members of the main fa~ily line enjoy God 's favor an~ blessing,

their faults and failures are never disgmsed. We read of Noah bec~mm~ drunk (Gen. 9:20-21), Abraham being less than fully tru~h!ul c~ncermng his mar- riage to Sarah (12:10-13), and Jacob will~ully dece1vmg his f~ther_ (27:1-40), to mention some more obvious shortcommgs. Nevertheless, m spite of such faults, the members of the family line are viewed as more righteous than oth- ers. This is perhaps most evident in the case of Noah , who is introduced as "a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time" (6:9), who with his family is not condemned to destruction by the flood like all other humans. Abraham's righteousness is highlighted in various ways. It is first mentioned specifically in 15:6, where the narrator comments that ''Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness." Later, the extent of Abra- ham's righteousness is revealed by his willingness to obey God and sacrifice his much-loved son, Isaac (22:1-19). Although in comparison to the other pa- triarchs relatively little information is given about Isaac, the fact that he clearly enjoyed God's favor suggests that he too was viewed as righteous ( cf. 26: 12-13, 23-24). Jacob's relationship with God develops over a long period of time, and while Genesis focuses initially on his deceptive behavior (27:1-29), we see him e:entually taking active steps to rid his household of foreign gods (35:1-5). Like Abraham and Isaac, Jacob too knows God's blessing. Furthermore, all

" ~k The ~ebrew original of the comments in Gen. 5:22, 24 and 6:9 that Enoch and Noah T;a ed fai thfully with God" uses a distinctive form of the verb "to walk"-the hitpa'e/ form.

h e same form occurs elsewhere in Genesis in 3·8· 13·17· 17·1· 24·40· 48·15 Apart from 3:B,

w ere God · h b · · ' · • · , · , · · · h is t e su Ject of the verb, and with the possible excep tion of 13:17 on all these oc·

cas1ons t e verb "walk " d . ' . JPSTC [Ph'I d I

h. . enotes a special relationship wi th God. N. M. Sarna (Genesis, 1 a e P ia: Jewish P bl' · · · · ally

to h b u ication Society], 123) comme nts "This expression seems ongm

ave een a tech · I c ' nica term ror abso lu te loyalty to a king."

d

_______ _ ____ _ T1 1E R ovAL l

I NEI\G t: I N G ' r:~Es 1s

triarchs actively worship God by buildin 1 chr~;!; 13 :18; 22:9; 26:25; 35 :1-7). g a tars and offering sacrifices (12• th as noted above, the concept of "seed" .

1 .

four ' " d h h h imp ies a the "seed an t e one w o as produced it I h resemblance be-ween · 11 b . n t e co

t . gests that sons w1 resem le their fathers Th ntext of Genesis rh1shs~gcornes in the record of Isaac's stay in th~ ~ most obvious exampl; f t 1s . . 1 region of G 0

1 aac's behavior mirrors c osely that of his f h . erar (26:1-33). Here ds

5 that his wife is his sister (26 :1-11; cf. l2:l:t

20 ~r. Like Abraham, he

Preten h · h b . f , 20·1-18) · · d

. ute with t e m a 1tants o Gerar over the h: , is involved ·o a isp 34) d owners tp of c . t 17-25· cf. 21 :22- 'an enters into a covenant with Ab · erta1n wells (26: ' d'ff J b' 1melech (26-26-3

21 .22_34). In a 1 erent way aco s sons resembl h . . · 1; cf. :ngly deceive their father (27:1-29· 37·12-35) 5.e . 1 fim m th at they too

know1 1 k d . f f ' . . tgm candy tho ld who are over oo e m avor o younger brothers ge 11 'h . . se e er

sons k . . h h nera y ex tbtt heh . that is not in eepmg wit t at expected of the line of d F av- ior . . h h . f h ' . see . or exampl R

ben's affair wit 1s at er s concubme Bilhah (35:22- f 49.3 e,

eu . f s· d . ' C . . -4) and the rderous actions o 1meon an Levi apparently exclude th f . mu f h fi b f em rom rece1v

ing the blessing£ oh t e . rsft o~nl 1 ~om their father, Jacob (34:l-3l ; cf. 49:5_7)-

Mernbers o t e mam amt y me are not the only ones 1·n G · h · . enes1s to s are Ommon features; the same 1s true of others. Cain's descendant Lame h c . . . c repeats

his murderous ~ctto~s (4:19-24) . S1m1larly, ~mong the descendants of Ham, who sinned agamst his father Noah, we find listed the Canaanites (who include the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah) and the Amorites (10: 15-19) , all of whom are viewed as worthy of divine punishment (cf. 13 :13; 15:16; 19:1-29).

Fifth, there are strong grounds for believing that the main line of descent in Genesis is viewed as a royal lineage. This possibility is implied by the divine promise made to Abraham that "kings will come from you" (17:6), echoed in a similar statement concerning Sarah, that "kings of peoples will come from her" (17:16). Moreover, although Abraham is never directly designated a king, he is sometimes portrayed as enjoying the status of a king. We see this in his defeat of the eastern kings in Genesis 14; in the desire of Abimelech, king of Gerar, to make a covenant with him (21:22-34); and finally in the title "mighty prince" (lit ., "a prince of God") given to him by the Hittite inhabit- ants of Hebron (23 :6).

While there are only a few allusions to kingship in Genesis 25-36, they are nevertheless noteworthy. Isaac's importance is reflected in Abimelech's w~sh to enter into a treaty with him (26 :26-31), as he had previously done with Abraham. When Isaac blesses Jacob, his remarks clearly imply kingship, eve~ th0 ugh the term is not used: "May God give you heaven's dew and earth ~ richness-an abundance of grain and new wine. May nations serve you and

peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of

your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and th0

~e who bless you be blessed" (27 :28-29) . In a divine promise that echoe; Ge5~1es1i)s 17 Ja b · d scendants (3 • · ' co 1s promised that "kings will be among your e

141

M T H EM ES OF T M E P ENTAT EU C II

~T~H:_E ~A~l~N _2__:~_::__'.:_:~~_:_:.:~-- ---------- ---

F . lly the brief comment in 36:31, "These were the kings who reign d . ma ' . . d " . d' h h e in

Ed before any Israelite kmg re1gne , m 1cates t at w oever wrot h' om f l d . h' e t is either anticipated or already knew o_ a ro~a ynasty wit in Israel.

Th subi'ect of kingship is prominent m the Joseph story. At the e ' d . l . h . outset h. brothers interpret Josephs first ream as imp ymg t at he will beak' .

lS . ·11 11 l ~" Ing. "Do you intend to reign over us? W1 you actua yr~ e us. (37:8). His second dream reinforces this idea (37 :?-11), and later _we w1~ness the fulfillment when Joseph rises from the obscunty of an Egyptian pnson to hold the office of governor of Egypt, second only to ~har~oh (41:~9-43).

Although Joseph enjoys the spotlight m Genesis 37-50, of the other sons of Jacob most attention is focused on Judah.

7 This is particularly so in Genesis

38, where we have one of the more unusual episodes in the book. The inclusion of this story in Genesis can best be accounted for by noting that it focuses on Judah's reluctance, following the deaths of his sons Er and Onan, to allow Er's wife Tamar to marry Judah's third son, Shelah, in order to produce "seed" and so maintain the family line. When Tamar eventually becomes pregnant by deceiving Judah, he is forced to acknowledge the righteousness of her actions (38:26). The account concludes by recording the birth of Perez (and his twin brother, Zerah), from whom the royal line of David is descended. 8

Judah's importance is further indicated by the special blessing he receives from his father in 49:8-12. Without considering every aspect of this bless- ing, the following points are worth noting. (1) When compared with the other blessings pronounced by Jacob on his sons, the length and content of Judah's blessing clearly suggest that he enjoys a special relationship with his father. Only Joseph receives a comparable blessing. (2) Jacob states that Judah and his descendants will exercise leadership over his other brothers and their descendants ( 49:8). We see this especially in the comment, "Your father's sons will bow down to you" (49:8) and in the reference to the scep- ter and ruler's staff not departing from Judah (49:10). (3) Jacob anticipates that eventually there shall come in the royal line of Judah one to whom the nations will submit in obedience (49:10) and whose reign will be marked by prosperity and abundance (49:11). Such comments would clearly have been very important for the royal line of David, justifying their claim to rule over the whole of Israel.9

7. See Gen. 43:8-9; 44:16, 18-34; 46:28; cf. B. Smith, "The Central Role of Judah in Genesis 37-50," BS 162 (2005): 158-74. d

8 Th . h h' hcondu es . ere are interesting parallels between Gen. 38 and the book of Rut ' w ic 22) b · · h · (R th 4· 18- · Y givmg t e genealogy of Kmg David, beginning with Perez the son of Tamar u . · . he Although Tamar and Ruth are non-Israelites they both play an active role in continuinl gt -

11. . ' T D A exan roya me. David even names one of his daughters Tamar (2 Sam. 13:1). See · .' l998), der, The Servant King: The Bible's Portrait of the Messiah (Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 49-54. ·

. . h rth This being 9. Gen. 1:28 md1cates that humans were created by God to rule overt e ea · Adam

so, Adam is to be viewed as the first member of this royal line. However, not only was

1 A")

TM E R OY AL L INE A GE I N G EN~SIS

S . th the "seed" of the main family lineage is frequ ti . ix ' · h" h · en Y associated · h d. ·ne promises , w ic are an important feature of th . h wit the ivi f h · d . e patnarc al stories

spects o t ese promises eserve special notice (l) G d . · Three a h " d" f Ab h · 0 promises the

d f Canaan to t e see o ra am. This is m t . d . Jan ° · · C en IOne specifically Abraham first arnves m anaan-"To your offsprin [ d]

1 . .

when 2 7) d d . g see will give . I nd" (Gen. 1 : -an repeate on vanous occasions to Ab h

this a . 5·18· 17·8 · 22·17· 2 . ra am , Isaac, d] O b (13:15, 1 . , · , · , 6.3 ; 28:13· 35:12· cf 24·7 60· 28 an ac . • ~ ' · · , , :4; 48:4).

On the significance of these ~,rom1~es concernmg land , see chapter lO. (2) It . f quently stressed that the seed of Abraham will be very num D"f 1s re d h. hl. h h erous. 1 - c t i·mages are use to 1g 1g t t e extent of the "seed"· the d f h 1eren • ust o t e earth (13 :16; 28:14) , the stars of the heavens (15:5; 22:17; 26:4) , and the sand of rhe seasho~e (22 : 17; 32: 12). The f~lfillment of the promise of numerous descendants, like that of land, cle~rly_l1es beyond the book of Genesis, indicat- ing that it merely records the be~mnmg of something that will be completed later. Taken together, these promises related to the creation of a "great nation" (1 2:2). 10 (3) It is emphasized that through Abraham 's "seed" all nations on earth will be blessed (22:18; 26:4; 28:14). This will be discussed more fully in the next chapter, where we shall consider the theme of blessing in Genesis; yet here we should notice that in this context the expression "Abraham's seed" designates a single descendant. As we shall observe, Genesis anticipates that a royal descendant from Abraham will play an important role in bringing divine blessing to all the nations of the earth.

Seventh, given all that has been said about the unique line of seed traced throughout Genesis, it is surely highly significant that in the light of Adam and Eve's betrayal of God in the Garden of Eden, God states that the "seed of the woman" shall overcome the serpent (3:15).11 While many scholars adopt a plural interpretation of "offspring [seed]" in Genesis 3:15, the syntax of the Hebrew favors a singular reading. The idea that this seed of the woman refers to an individual is supported by how the rest of Genesis is structured around a unique family line. Everything about this family line suggests that it is intimately linked to the fulfillment of God's promise regarding the defeat of the serpent.

a king, but he was also a priest (see chap. 8 above). In the light of this, the concept of priest- king takes on a special significance. In Gen. 14 we encounter this unusual status in the figure of Melchizedek. Clearly it is implied that anyone who enjoys this particular status resembles Adam before he was expelled from the Garden of Eden. Later the Israelites are called by the LORD to be a royal priesthood (Exod. 19:6).

Le !?· The nature of this nation-holy and righteous-becomes a prominent theme in Exodus, viticus, and Deuteronomy. . 11 · For a fuller discussion of this passage, see T. D. Alexander, "Messianic Ideology 10 the

Book of Genesis, " in The Lord's Anointed: Interpretation of Old Testament Messianic Texts . t:~· P. E. Satterthwaite, R. S. Hess, and G. J. Wenham (Grand Rapids: Baker; Carlisle: Pate_rn~s NA ~995), 27-32; M. A. Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope: ls the Hebrew Bible Really MesSiantc

CSBT 9 (Na shville: B&H Academic, 2010), 129-45.

•

T _ ES O f Tl-I E P lN T A T E U C H

TT~H~E~M~A~l!:N~~ll~E_:M~~;_ ____________ ___ _ _

:.. ---- Old Testament Summary

Th entire book of Genesis is clearly composed around the h. e . . l l . h. . istory of f mily line that enJoys a specia re anons ip with God. With Ab a Uniqu · \ormed on the one hand that the "seed" of this lineage will bee raharn We are m d h orne ver e ous and possess the land ~f Canaan, an on t e other hand that one Y n~111er- line of "seed" will establish a royal dynasty through which all th pa~ttcular the earth will be blessed. Though this royal line is clearly linked t \ nations of Ephraim, Genesis anticipates that the line of Judah through Pere~ ~lsleph and

h . G . c w1 rep!

this "firstborn" lineage. In t is way enesis 1ocuses on both the b· h ace d h 1 f f

irt of th nation of Israel an t e e ar y ancestry o a uture monarchy. Since th . e an~ t~e king are of_ t~e "seed"_ of Abraham, they s~are a common origi: :~::~ recipients of the d1:1~e promises, a commo~ d estmy. To the promises of bless- ing others and rece1vmg land we shall turn m chapters 10 and 11 respectively.

New Testament Connections

In the New Testament various passa ges relate directly or indirectly to the famil y lineage tha t we have identified in G en esis. By far the most important connection is th a t this specia l line of seed finds its fulfillm ent in Jesus Christ. Since Genesis anticipates a royal line of seed descended from Judah, it is easy to understand how Jesus, "the son of Dav id " (cf. Rom . 1:3; 2 Tim. 2:8) , is linked to the "seed" of Abra ham. Pa ul ex plicitly states this in his Letter to the Galatians : " The promises were spoken t o Abrah a m a nd to his seed . Scripture doe s not say 'and to seeds,' m eaning m a ny p e ople, but ' and to your seed, ' meaning one person, who is Christ" (Gal. 3:16) . Pa ul correctly interprets the text of G enesis as a nticipating a singula r seed. 12 The same id ea probably un- d erlies other New Te sta ment p assages tha t a sso cia te Abrah am with David. For ex ample, Matthew' s gen ealogy of Jesus b egins with Abrah a m and is traced downward through D avid to Jose ph (Ma tt . 1 :1- 17 ). 13 In Zechariah's song of praise, the arrival of a " savior" from the house of D avid is viewed as the fulfillment of the oath that God swore t o Abraham (Luke 1:68-75 NRSV). In a slightly less obvious way the sa m e link is found in Pete r 's speech in Acts

' . l G d's 3 :12- 26 . Here Peter expl a in s that J esus as the suffering M essiah fulfil s .

0 b

144

· A b h th will e promise to ra a m tha t throug h h is "seed " a ll p eoples on ear blessed (Acts 3:25-26 KJV) .

12 C f C J C II . " . 1," Tyn Bul 54 (2003) :

· · · · o ms, Galatians 3:16: W h a t Kind of a n Exeget e Was Pau · . , An Evalu- 75_-86; J. S. DeRouchie and J. C. M e ye r, "Christ or Fami ly as the ' Seed ' of Promise. a n o n of N . T. Wr igh t on Gala t ians 3 :16," SBJ T 14 (2010) : 36-48 . h is rhe

13. Altho u gh the genealogy ends with Joseph Matthew nowhere claims thar Johsep f Jesus 1 f h f ' h mot er 0 natura at er o J esus; he m e rely observes that Josep h is m a rried to Ma r y, t e hoW chat

(Ma tt . 1:16). In keeping with t h is, t h e immed ia te ly fo llow ing acco u nt is con cerned co s Joseph adopts J esus a s hi s son (Matt. 1: 18- 25) .

-

T l-I E R OYAL LI NEAGE I N G E N ES I S

Although th e New Tes tament writers view Jes us as b l . . 'd h l h . e ongmg to the lm e of Ab raham/Davi ' t ey revea t at he ts mu ch greater th an either Abraham

Davi d. John 8:52-58 and M atth ew 22:41-46 record Jes , or . . b . us s own assess- nt th at he is supenor to A raham and David respectivel y. A · .1 I . me d ' • s1m1 arc aim

. also recorded regar mg Jesus and Solomon in Matthew 12.42 ( f L k is 1 · k b J d . c . u e 1l :3 l ). Further m s etween esus an the "seed" of Abraham will be noted . chapters 10 and 12. 10 I . G . I The special ineage m enesis a so ~ppears in Paul 's Letters to the Rom ans and Galatians. In Rom ans _9 and Galatians 4 he draws an important dis ti nction between children by physical descent (Rom . 9:8 NIV 1984) and "children of promise" (Gal. 4:28) . Using the Genesis stories concerning Ishmael/Isaac and Esau/Jacob, he argues that "not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham 's children" (Rom. 9:6-7). Paul is concerned to show that natural descent from Abraham is no guarantee of salvation . From Genesis he demonstrates that although Ishmael and Esau are both descendants of Abraham , they are not part of the chosen line of "seed ."

Another element of Paul 's discussion in Romans and Galatians is that the seed of Abraham should resemble him. We see this clearly in his comments in Galatians 3:6-7: "So also Abraham ' believed God , and it was credited to him as righteousness. ' Understand , then , that those who have faith are children of Abraham." The same point underlies Paul 's words in Romans 4:16-17: "Therefore, the promise comes by faith , so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham 's offspring-not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham . He is the father of us all. As it is written: 'I have made you a father of many nations. ' He is our father in the sight of God , in whom he believed-the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that were not." In both these passages Paul argues that the true children of Abraham are those who, like Abraham, exercise faith . Consequently, descent from Abraham counts for nothing unless his natural descendants resemble him by being made righteous through faith . On this we shall have more to say in chapter 12.

145