Questions tagged [genesis]
Genesis is the first book of the Old Testament, a narrative starting with creation.
463 questions
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What defined a "clean" animal prior to the flood when mankind did not eat meat?
In Genesis 7, God tells Noah to take with him 7 pairs of clean animals in contrast to only one pair of all other animals. Additionally, 7 pairs of birds were to be taken as well.
Take with you ...
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Did God really create the world in six days? [duplicate]
According to a well-known biblical tale from Genesis told to me when I was a child, God created the world in six days, then took a rest on the seventh day. Now that I am an adult, I can't help ...
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Do any Christian traditions hold the belief that Adam was androgynous?
Genesis 1:27 reads:
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
The Hebrew word for "man" here is אָדָם (adam). This seems to imply ...
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What evidence is there that the Chinese script reflects a knowledge of Genesis 1-11?
It has been asserted that the author of the Chinese alphabet could very well been knowledgeable of the accounts in Genesis 1-11--those that occurred prior to the division of peoples and languages at ...
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Why did God describe the light as being good, but not the darkness?
In the account of creation in Genesis 1, it seems that God describes many of the things He creates as being "good". Verse 2 indicates that prior to there being light, there was "...
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Why is the curse of original sin not specific to humans?
From what I learned in church the whole world "fell" after Adam sinned.
Now the typical question is why should everyone have to pay the price and is usually answered by we would have done the same if ...
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Why did God accept Abel's offering and not Cain's?
In Genesis 4, we read the following account of Cain and Abel:
So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also ...
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What were the Nephilim, and what role did they play in the Bible beyond just being mentioned?
Did the Nephilim that are mentioned in Genesis 6:4 do anything beyond just existing?
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Why did God make garments of skin for Adam and Eve when they had already made clothing for themselves? [closed]
Immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, we are told that they made clothing for themselves.
Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together ...
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What does the curse on the serpent mean? [closed]
When God cursed the Earth He also cursed the serpent.
Genesis 3:14 NASB
The Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every ...
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2 Chronicles 28:3 vs Genesis 22:2
How is the contradiction explained between 2 Chronicles 28:3 and Genesis 22:2 in the protestant tradition?
Genesis 22:2 NIV
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you
love—Isaac—and ...
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What happened to the two trees in the Garden of Eden?
In Genesis 2, we are told that there were two named trees in the Garden of Eden--the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life.
When Adam and Eve ate fruit from the Tree of the ...
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What is the Biblical Basis of a "water canopy", and is there scientific evidence to support it?
Some Creationists have asserted that in the pre-flood world that there may have been some sort of water vapor canopy that perhaps doubled the air pressure and caused things to be much healthier than ...
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What is the evidence for the claim that Young Earth Creationism was the mainstream viewpoint in ancient times?
In my previous question, I asked about the origins of the modern Young Earth Creationism movement, especially in America. Originally, the question asked when the YEC belief (mainly with regards to a ...
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Reason for drawing water at unusual time
John 4:5-8
New Living Translation (NLT)
5: Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
6: Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the ...
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What was the light of the first day of creation? [closed]
In the Genesis account, the sun and stars are created on the fourth day:
Gen 1:14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let ...
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Why did Joseph only present five brothers?
After Joseph and his brothers were reunited, Joseph presents only five of his brothers to Pharaoh.
Genesis 47:1-2
New International Version (NIV)
47:1: Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and ...
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In Theistic Evolution when do the genealogies in Genesis become real?
In Genesis there is the genealogy of Adam to Noah, then the account of the flood. After that is the genealogy of Noah to Abraham. The accounts of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob's sons then follow. ...
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Does God tempt Abraham in Genesis 22:1?
In James 1:13 it says:
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
But in Genesis 22:1 it is written:
And it came ...
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If Genesis is not to be taken literally by the Roman Catholics, what is the basis of the original sin?
According to this answer, Genesis is not to be taken literally by the Roman Catholic church due to the scientific evidence contradicting it. In this view, what is the basis of the original sin?
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What does "two becoming one flesh" refer to? [closed]
In the Bible, when it refers to “two becoming one flesh”, does it mean that
the physical act of sex creates a position where both bodies are connected?
or
the flesh (DNA) from the man and and the ...
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Did Adam and Eve ever practice animal sacrifice?
Genesis 8:20 (NIV) Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking
some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt
offerings on it.
Noah sacrificed burnt offerings. What about ...
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In Genesis 18, does Jesus meet with Abraham? [closed]
In Genesis 18, the Lord is mentioned several times. Along with 2 angels, he meets with Abraham. Is the Bible speaking of Jesus?
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Do the Scriptures support the 'Simulated Universe' idea?
If you were to Google "simulated universe" you'll find that major science institutions are starting to hypothesize that the universe is 'very possibly' a 'simulated environment' at the lowest level - ...
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What denominations/people don't take Genesis 1 as a historical event and why? [closed]
I read somewhere here on Christianity.SE that the Genesis 1 is not taken literally by some people and considered more like a parable than a real historical event ?
So what Christian denominations don'...
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According to the YEC view, did the animals eat the forbidden fruit?
Assuming the Young Earth Creationist view that the Genesis account is literal history...
When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit they were condemned to death which caused every subsequent human to ...
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Did the Jews waiting for their Messiah associate him with the creation of the world?
Often when discussing the Trinity, Christians refer to Genesis Chapter 1, where 'the Father' says 'let there be', while 'the Son' is that word, and 'the Spirit' brings creation into perfection. Sure ...
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When was "time" created in Genesis?
When was "time" created in Genesis? Was it on "day three", when day and night were created? Please present an overview of differing positions or at least the most common view.
This is from a literal ...
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Did God create man to be gods themselves? [closed]
Genesis 1:26-28 says:
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the ...
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Before the fall of Adam, did anything die? [closed]
This seems like a simple question, but I cannot find a clear answer. The book of Genesis (1:29,30), implies that Adam just ate "plants and herbs". So I think it is safe to assume animals were not ...
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How and when did the water come into being? [closed]
In Genesis 1:2, the Spirit of God is hovering over the face of the waters.
So this is before creation, so where does water come from? why it exist before the first day? And if there is face of water, ...
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What did God make the universe from? [closed]
What did God make the universe from? It seems Himself, since before Creation, only God is.
This seems to me to be the most important question for Christianity. NOT why, how, where or who, but what. ...
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Why did Lot's wife look back?
Genesis 19:15–26 (ESV)
15 As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” ...
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Why did Lot's daughters seduce their father? [closed]
According to the Genesis 19:30-38, when Lot escaped out of Zoar, he went up to the mountains and settled in a cave. While in there, his daughters seduced him while he was drunk so that they could bear ...
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Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, why the elaborate ruse?
Genesis chapter 42 - 45 recount story of Joseph tricking his brothers who are in Egypt to buy grain, into going back and forth several times from Canaan to Egypt in an attempt exonerate themselves in ...
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Did Abraham pass or fail in God's test? [closed]
The story about Abraham sacrificing Isaac: Gen 21:12
But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your
slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through
...
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In Theistic Evolution, when did the alleged evolutionary animal/ape/man become accountable for his sins?
One answer to this previous question asks,
One of the problems I have with theistic evolution is: when did this alleged evolutinary animal/ape/man become accountable for his sins? [sic]
It would ...
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What is the significance of Lamech's boast?
Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah, listen to me;
wives of Lamech, hear my words.
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for injuring me.
If Cain is avenged seven ...
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What did God mean when He said 'lest they live forever'?
I was talking to a Jehovah's witness who did not believe in the immortality of soul and he pointed out a scripture to me.
Genesis 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold ... lest he put forth his
hand,...
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Why did Jacob insist that Joseph's sons were his?
In Genesis, Before Jacob dies, he has a conversation with his son, Joseph.
Genesis 48:1-6
Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along ...
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What was the pre-Babel language and what can be said about the mechanism used to confuse the languages?
The Tower of Babel episode in human history is known to many. This can be found in Genesis 11. As we know, it resulted in the languages of mankind becoming confused.
Question: Are there opinions, ...
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Why did God wrestle with Jacob and why did this appearance not become a "big deal"?
During a recent small group meeting recently, several questions about the life of Jacob came up:
If God had already chosen Jacob to be blessed, why did God still chose to wrestle with Jacob? So that ...
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Multiple wives and concubines | male and female "original" intent
Matthew 19:1-6 New International Version (NIV)
1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and
went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. 2 Large
crowds ...
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What was the Birthright?
What, specifically, did Esau lose when he lost the birthright, and what did Jacob gain? What did the birthright represent, and why was it so highly prized by Jacob?
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What arguments do adherents of a global flood give for how water was able to cover the entire earth?
Some people say that the story of Noah and flood is false, because there simply wasn't enough water in the world to cover the entire earth in a flood. As it is written:
And the waters became mighty ...
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How does Jesus fulfill the Protoevangelium (First Gospel) in Genesis 3:15?
In the judgment of the serpent in Genesis 3:15, God says the following:
The Lord God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, cursed
are you above all livestock and above all beasts of ...
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What are the Biblical and theological problems with theistic evolution?
Theistic evolution holds that God used evolution to create mankind. It seems to follow then that this view must also hold the creation account in Genesis to be unhistorical. So, Adam and Eve may ...
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Why didn't God send Jesus during Noah's time instead of The Flood? [closed]
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life. - John 3:16
John 3:16 tells us that God loved us, so ...
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What narrative purpose does the Flood story fulfill? [closed]
In the Epic of Atrahasis and Epic of Gilgamesh flood myth, the gods are rash, foolish, even weak.
Genesis copies most of the myth. And although it's sanitized quite a bit, some actions seem to be ...
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In which region of earth is the Garden of Eden located?
Genesis 2:15(NIV)
The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it
and take care of it.
I'm curious to know, now, in which which country is the Garden of Eden located? (...