Gen. 39:1-23 Locate the passage After a brief interlude following Judah’s sexual mispursuits, this passage resumes the Joseph cycle. The interlude shows that after Joseph’s brothers sold Joseph into slavery, they went on about their lives, perhaps not even... Read More »

Gen. 33:1-20 Locate the passage After his night alone wrestling with God, Jacob awoke to the same reality—Esau was coming. Only now, he faced his brother no longer constrained by his own strategies. Moreover, even as Jacob’s heart was changed, so also was ... Read More »

Gen. 41:1-57 Locate the passage To this point in Joseph’s life, he has experienced his own dreams and also interpreted the dreams of the Cupbearer and Baker for Pharaoh. At this point in the story, his dream interpretations will be put to the ultimate test. ... Read More »

Gen. 40:1-23 Locate the passage This passage tracks the events that took place while Joseph was in Pharaoh’s prison. Potiphar is now out of the picture and has nothing more to do with the story (though one might wonder what happened between them when Joseph ... Read More »

Gen. 38:1-30 Locate the passage This passage seems to interrupt the Joseph narrative. It reminds us that the focus has not left Jacob and his family (Gen. 37:2). Here, we see another picture of deceit in Jacob’s family. The passage provides additional insigh... Read More »

Gen. 37:2-36 Locate the passage This pericope begins a new toledoth in the text. The story resumes the accounts of the family of Jacob. It reveals that the sin of favoritism that Jacob learned from Isaac and Rebekah, that threatened to split Jacob’s family, ... Read More »

Gen. 36:1-37:1 Locate the passage This section covers two toledoth sections in Genesis. The first begins in 36:1 and the second begins in 36:9. Both are related to the genealogy of Esau. Because the next toledoth begins in 37:2, 37:1 is here treated as the con... Read More »

Gen. 35:16-29 Locate the passage Death is a natural part of life and marks genuine transitions. This pericope records the deaths of Rachel and Isaac. In addition to the death of Deborah which was recorded earlier in Genesis 35, the mention of these deaths demo... Read More »

Gen. 35:1-15 Locate the passage Genesis 34 is something of an interlude between occasions of Jacob’s worship. Since Jacob had not fully complied with the Lord’s instructions, he had placed his family in jeopardy. Now, the Lord reminded Jacob of His intenti... Read More »

Gen. 34:1-31 Locate the passage As Jacob and his family settled in the promise land conflicts began to develop. One such conflict erupted around his daughter, Dinah. The account of the incident between her and Shechem and the response of her brothers to it for... Read More »