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“At Last, a Genesis Commentary Written by a Woman! Dianne Bergant Fills in Gaps in Genesis Interpretation by Attending to the Many Women in This Biblical Book

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“At Last, a Genesis Commentary Written by a Woman! Dianne Bergant Fills in Gaps in Genesis Interpretation by Attending to the Many Women in This Biblical Book “At last, a Genesis commentary written by a woman! Dianne Bergant fills in gaps in Genesis interpretation by attending to the many women in this biblical book. She also draws from her work as a theologian of creation to highlight the integrity of all life in the divinely created cosmos. Her writing is beautiful and clear, and she uses scholarship without drowning us in it. Genesis: In the Beginning will be terrific for use in classrooms, for study groups, and by any serious readers of Genesis. Bergant’s book is a cause for celebration.” —Kathleen M. O’Connor William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament, Emerita Columbia Theological Seminary Decatur, Georgia “In many programs of Bible study for adults, the tendency to want to reduce the biblical text to a simple and familiar message looms large. In her book Genesis: In The Beginning, Dianne Bergant does what she does so well: she keeps before the reader the many and varied elements that must be employed when approaching the Bible for understanding. Although not intended as a book for adult Bible study, the point is made that if one wishes to advance beyond a simple reading, the serious learner must come to realize the text cannot be separated from the world that produced it. The reader must take into account how that ‘world behind the text’ and the ‘world of the text’ provide the necessary context for being able to discover meaning in this living word of God that has relevance for us today. This contemporary application is the ‘world in front of the text,’ our world! Bergant explains this process and the variety of questions we might ask the text as we confront many uncertain passages. She then applies the method. Such a fresh presentation keeps us aware that the word of God cannot be reduced to a simple read.” —Barbara Shanahan Director of the Catholic Biblical School Buffalo, New York Genesis In the Beginning Dianne Bergant, CSA A Michael Glazier Book LITURGICAL PRESS Collegeville, Minnesota www.litpress.org A Michael Glazier Book published by Liturgical Press Cover design by Ann Blattner. Illustration: God as the Creator of the World. Bibles moralisées, Paris, first half of the 13th century. Cod. 2554, fol. 1v (Genesis). Scripture translations are the author’s own. © 2013 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, microfilm, micro- fiche, mechanical recording, photocopying, translation, or by any other means, known or yet unknown, for any purpose except brief quotations in reviews, without the previous written permission of Liturgical Press, Saint John’s Abbey, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-7500. Printed in the United States of America. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bergant, Dianne. Genesis : in the beginning / Dianne Bergant, CSA. pages cm “A Michael Glazier Book.” Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8146-8250-0 — ISBN 978-0-8146-8275-3 (ebook) 1. Bible. Genesis—Commentaries. I. Title. BS1235.53.B473 2013 222.1107—dc23 2013015818 Contents Introduction xi Literary Structure and Genre(s) xii Aesthetics of the Text xiv Authorship xv Sources, Date, and Place of Composition xvi Social Setting xviii Theological Perspectives xix Contemporary Reading xxi Part 1: “In the Beginning” (Gen 1:1–11:26) 1 Chapter 1: “And God Saw That It Was Good” (Gen 1:1–3:24) 3 A Cosmology (Gen 1:1–2:4a) 3 The Garden (Gen 2:4b-25) 8 The Sin (Gen 3:1-24) 13 Contemporary Reading: Banished from the Garden 18 Chapter 2: “Sin Is a Demon Lurking at the Door” (Gen 4:1–6:4) 19 The Sons of Eve (Gen 4:1-16) 20 Generation after Generation (Gen 4:17-26) 22 From Creation to the Flood (Gen 5:1-32) 24 Sin Abounds (Gen 6:1-4) 25 Contemporary Reading: Invisibility and Blame 27 v vi Genesis Chapter 3: “How Great Was Their Wickedness” (Gen 6:5–9:29) 29 Warning of a Flood (Gen 6:5-8) 29 Building the Ark (Gen 6:9–7:5) 30 The Flood (Gen 7:6–8:22) 33 Covenant with Nature (Gen 9:1-29) 33 Contemporary Reading: A New Creation? 36 Chapter 4: “These Are the Descendants” (Gen 10:1–11:26) 39 The Table of Nations (Gen 10:1-32) 39 The Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9) 40 Genealogy from the Flood to the Ancestors (Gen 11:10-26) 44 Contemporary Reading: One Voice 44 Part 2: “I Will Make of You a Great Nation” (Gen 11:27–50:26) 45 Abraham and Sarah (Gen 11:27–25:18) 47 Chapter 5: “Go from Your Country” (Gen 11:27–14:24) 49 Origins in Haran (Gen 11:27-32) 49 Migration from Haran (Gen 12:1-20) 50 Travels through Canaan (13:1–14:24) 53 Contemporary Reading: Limitations of the Household 57 Chapter 6: “This Is My Covenant with You” (Gen 15:1–17:27) 59 Cutting a Covenant (Gen 15:1-21) 59 The Son of Hagar (Gen 16:1-15) 62 Sign of the Covenant (Gen 17:1-27) 66 Contemporary Reading: The Weak Are Strong 70 Chapter 7: “By the Terebinth of Mamre” (Gen 18:1–20:18) 71 The Promise of a Child (Gen 18:1-16) 71 The Fate of the Cities (Gen 18:17–19:38) 74 The Promise Preserved (Gen 20:1-18) 79 Contemporary Reading: Women at Risk 82 Contents vii Chapter 8: “YHWH Took Note of Sarah” (Gen 21:1–23:20) 83 Sarah’s Child (Gen 21:1-34) 83 A Test of Trust (Gen 22:1-24) 87 Sarah’s Death and the Purchase of Land (Gen 23:1-20) 91 Contemporary Reading: Hardship Overcome 93 Chapter 9: “The Woman Whom the Lord Has Decided Upon” (Gen 24:1–25:18) 95 The Choice of Rebekah (Gen 24:1-66) 95 The End of an Era (Gen 25:1-18) 100 Contemporary Reading: The Importance of a Woman 102 Isaac and Rebekah: Jacob, Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah (Gen 25:19–36:43) 103 Chapter 10: “Rebekah Became Pregnant” (Gen 25:19–27:46) 105 The Children in Her Womb Struggled (Gen 25:19-34) 105 A Trip to Gerar (Gen 26:1-35) 108 A Resourceful Mother (Gen 27:1-46) 111 Contemporary Reading: Protector of the Promise 115 Chapter 11: “The Daughters of Laban” (Gen 28:1–30:24) 117 Wives for Jacob and Esau (Gen 28:1-9) 117 The Dream at Bethel (Gen 28:10-22) 118 Arrival at Haran (Gen 29:1-14a) 120 The Struggle between Rachel and Leah (Gen 29:14b-30) 121 The Children of Wives and Maidservants (Gen 29:31–30:24) 124 Contemporary Reading: Is Biology Destiny? 126 Chapter 12: “Let Us Make a Covenant” (Gen 30:25–32:2) 129 Laban Is Tricked (Gen 30:25-43) 129 The Tricksters Escape (Gen 31:1-24) 130 The Covenant at Mizpah (Gen 31:25–32:2) 132 Contemporary Reading: Family Wisdom 136 viii Genesis Chapter 13: “You Have Contended with [the] Divine” (Gen 32:3–33:20) 137 Appeasement (Gen 32:3-22) 137 Wrestling during the Night (Gen 32:23-33) 139 Reconciliation (Gen 33:1-20) 140 Contemporary Reading: The Women and Children Are Safe 142 Chapter 14: “An Outrage in Israel” (Gen 34:1–36:43) 145 A Sister Is Violated (Gen 34:1-12) 145 Dinah’s Honor Avenged (Gen 34:13-31) 147 Return to Bethel (Gen 35:1-15) 149 Wives and Concubines (Gen 35:16-29) 150 The Edomites (Gen 36:1-43) 152 Contemporary Reading: Honor and Shame 153 Joseph (Gen 37:1–50:26) 155 Chapter 15: “Family History” (Gen 37:1–38:30) 157 The Dreamer (Gen 37:1-11) 157 Human Trafficking (Gen 37:12-36) 158 A Widow in Her Father’s House (Gen 38:1-11) 160 On the Road to Timnah (Gen 38:12-30) 161 Contemporary Reading: Human Exploitation 163 Chapter 16: “This Is Its Interpretation” (Gen 39:1–41:57) 165 In the House of Potiphar (Gen 39:1-20) 165 The Interpreter of Dreams (Gen 39:21–40:23) 167 Pharaoh’s Dream (Gen 41:1-32) 170 Second in the Land (Gen 41:33-57) 171 Contemporary Reading: God Lifts Up 174 Chapter 17: “God Sent Me Here ahead of You” (Gen 42:1–45:28) 175 The Trip to Egypt (Gen 42:1-24) 175 Return to Canaan (Gen 42:25-38) 177 A Second Trip to Egypt (Gen 43:1-34) 178 Contents ix The Test (Gen 44:1-34) 180 The Truth Is Revealed (Gen 45:1-28) 182 Contemporary Reading: Suspicion 184 Chapter 18: “They Came into Egypt” (Gen 46:1–47:27) 185 The Family in Egypt (Gen 46:1–47:12) 185 Egypt’s Agrarian Policy (Gen 47:13-27) 188 Contemporary Reading: Management or Exploitation? 190 Chapter 19: “I Am about to Be Gathered to My People” (Gen 47:28–50:26) 191 Adoption and Blessing (Gen 47:28–48:22) 191 Last Testament (Gen 49:1-28) 193 Death and Burial (Gen 49:29–50:26) 196 Contemporary Reading: Left Out 198 Works Consulted 201 Subject Index 211 Introduction The Bible opens with tyviarEB] usually translated as “In the beginning . .” But in the beginning of what? Is this a temporal clause indicat- ing in the beginning of time? Or does it refer to the beginning of God’s creative activity with no specific reference to the time? What appears to be a subtle and, perhaps to some, a minor distinction is really quite sig- nificant.
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