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How to Read
How to Read Genesis
Honored in 2006 as a "Year's Best Book for Preachers" by Preaching magazine.Creation in six daysWoman from the side of man"Sons of god" taking "daughters of men"A massive disaster and an animal rescue boat of biblical proportionsAbraham, Sarah, Hagar and the ongoing saga of a dysfunctional familyThese are just a few of the episodes that Genesis conjures up. But we miss the point if we focus on what seems strange to us. And we distort the message if we demand that this book answer questions that are strange to it. To read Genesis intelligently, we must consider the questions, the literature and the times in which Genesis was written. In How to Read Genesis Tremper Longman III provides a welcome guide to reading and studying, understanding and savoring this panorama of beginnings--of both the world and of Israel. And importantly for Christian readers, we gain insight into how Genesis points to Christ and can be read in light of the gospel.
193 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
56 people are currently reading
242 people want to read
About the author
Tremper Longman III
198 books128 followersTremper Longman III (PhD, Yale University) is the Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. Before coming to Westmont, he taught at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia for eighteen years. He has authored or coauthored numerous books, including An Introduction to the Old Testament, How to Read Proverbs, and commentaries on Daniel, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Jeremiah and Lamentations, and Song of Songs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
December 23, 2019
Longman is an evangelical writing to the church with the aim of providing a responsible way of reading Genesis. He is very careful throughout concerning all aspects of reading Genesis, whether it be literary analysis, historical background (utilizing other Ancient Near-Eastern texts responsibly) or the structure of the book. Littered with thoughtful theological exploration throughout, this little book will definitely help me as I read through Genesis.
October 6, 2020
A very helpful primer for BSF this year
June 1, 2023
Not a bad book. If you want some explanation of the context and writing of Genesis but don’t want to invest in one of the larger or technical commentaries, this might be a good option for you.
February 1, 2021
A very well written and helpful overview of the book of Genesis by one of today's leading evangelical OT scholars. This is a nice primer to use if you are preparing to lead a Bible study on Genesis.
July 21, 2010
Longman's book, How to Read Genesis, seems to be written for the Christian lay-person who would like to understand Genesis better. It is not a exactly a commentary--it doesn't go verse by verse, making it difficult to use as a reference. It's more of a "book about Genesis." He spends some time talking about how to approach a book like Genesis and then walks through those steps with the reader. The book is most interesting when it addresses the first 11 chapters (the pre-history) of Genesis. Longman has some interesting insights about the repeating patterns of sin, grace, and judgment in the book, and his material on the Tower of Babel is especially thought-provoking. He also spends a surprising amount of time on non-Jewish near-eastern accounts like the Enuma Elish and Epic of Gilgamesh, and their connection with and relevance to Genesis. Unfortunately, the book falls a bit short in a couple ways. First, Longman has a tendency to raise complicated scholarship questions about Genesis, summarize the arguments well, and then draw unsatisfying and unsupported conclusions. For example, he raises the question of whether Moses wrote Genesis, which is argued by many conservative Christians but difficult to affirm from a scholarship point of view. He discusses the arguments for and against, and then states that he thinks Moses probably did write at least some of genesis without giving any good explanation for why he does so. Additionally, once Longman gets beyond the first 11 chapters of Genesis his book turns into a kind of plot summary of the rest. While he does squeeze in the occasional insight and offers his perspective on people's motives, the overall effect is that you're just reading a less interesting version of Genesis itself. As the book is presumably written for someone who has not studied Genesis very deeply, I kept thinking that it would be better for the person just to read Genesis itself and find another commentary or study Bible to help them with their specific questions. The book does redeem itself a bit at the end with a chapter on how to read Genesis from a Christian perspective (which is short but well written and helpful) and an appendix listing Longman's suggestions for commentaries. If you're looking for some deep insight on Genesis, maybe it would be better to try one or two of those commentaries instead. For a book that reads easier than a commentary but still has great interpretive and scholarly insights I would suggest Blocher's In the Beginning. If you're looking for an easy-reading book like Longman's, specifically written for the layperson, I'd take a look at John Goldingay's Genesis for Everyone, which so far strikes me as a more helpful work.
February 22, 2020
“After reading Genesis as if we are part of the original audience, we should then read the book in the full knowledge of the redemptive history that follows, particularly the death & resurrection of Christ”. (Page 175).
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When reading this book, one will come to realize that the main object is not to debate young earth vs. old earth, or even a global flood vs a local flood. But what we do read is a guide to how to read/interpret Genesis. The author did talk about how the JEDP theory gained a lot of followings in the 19th century, but then goes on to say that this viewpoint isn’t held by many scholars at this present age. When looking at the creation/flood narratives, we will see the author comparing the creation story with the Enuma Elish& Noah’s ark w/ the Epic of Gilgamesh.
*He has an interesting view on the Epic...(another ancient flood story). The author holds to the view that Noah’s descendants who stayed true to God preserved the story, while Noah’s descendants who fell into polytheism changed it to better fit their view.
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The chapter on Abraham simply talked about the ancient city of Ur, along with ancient Middle East customs.
After dealing with the story of Abraham, the author then briefly covers the story of Isaac, Jacob, & Jacob’s sons (mainly Joseph).
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One interesting note: the author divides Genesis into 3 sections:
1. The Primeval History (Genesis 1-11)
2. The Patriarchal Narratives (Genesis 12-36)
3. The Joseph Story (Genesis 37-50).
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I highly recommend this book!
•
•
When reading this book, one will come to realize that the main object is not to debate young earth vs. old earth, or even a global flood vs a local flood. But what we do read is a guide to how to read/interpret Genesis. The author did talk about how the JEDP theory gained a lot of followings in the 19th century, but then goes on to say that this viewpoint isn’t held by many scholars at this present age. When looking at the creation/flood narratives, we will see the author comparing the creation story with the Enuma Elish& Noah’s ark w/ the Epic of Gilgamesh.
*He has an interesting view on the Epic...(another ancient flood story). The author holds to the view that Noah’s descendants who stayed true to God preserved the story, while Noah’s descendants who fell into polytheism changed it to better fit their view.
•
The chapter on Abraham simply talked about the ancient city of Ur, along with ancient Middle East customs.
After dealing with the story of Abraham, the author then briefly covers the story of Isaac, Jacob, & Jacob’s sons (mainly Joseph).
•
One interesting note: the author divides Genesis into 3 sections:
1. The Primeval History (Genesis 1-11)
2. The Patriarchal Narratives (Genesis 12-36)
3. The Joseph Story (Genesis 37-50).
•
I highly recommend this book!
July 2, 2014
While I do not currently agree with some points he makes on the creation account in Genesis, I can say he has challenged me to think about those chapters in more detail. I was especially helped by thinking of Genesis primarily addressing the false views of creation during the time of Genesis' creation.
I was disappointed most with the chapters on the patriarchs and Joseph. These were simply summaries of the material presented in Genesis. I was looking for more theological reflection or exegetical insight. If not for these weak chapters I would have rated this book higher.
If you hold to a young earth view of creation be prepared to have your conclusions challenged.
I was disappointed most with the chapters on the patriarchs and Joseph. These were simply summaries of the material presented in Genesis. I was looking for more theological reflection or exegetical insight. If not for these weak chapters I would have rated this book higher.
If you hold to a young earth view of creation be prepared to have your conclusions challenged.
September 8, 2025
Tremper Longman brings the scale of Genesis down to a more manageable size without minimizing the grand narrative of this book. I learned more about reading Genesis in light of ancient texts than I've ever understood before without it being too technical or over my head as well as an understanding of the whole Abraham, Sarah situation as his wife/sister/and what all that meant back in that time. Very detailed and very interesting to see how Tremper has narrowed the scope for our understanding. I liked seeing the end part, which explained how he treats Genesis, Listen to the Story, Explain the Story, Live the Story. It reminds me of Ask, Seek, Knock, which is extremely helpful when approaching any book of scripture. I really loved his personal notes on the commentaries he listed as resources at the end in his notes section too. I wish more scholars would do this, in my humble opinion. Overall, I didn't realize this was an updated version of a book previously released, but now I am more than excited to see the other books in the series, especially Proverbs, and will be adding them to my personal library.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*
June 29, 2017
Longman's brief book on the first book in the Bible does not do much more than relay thematic ideas within the Genesis text. It is a good book for someone who wants to read on the most theologically general level with some typical questions about Genesis. It is good for those not steeped in theology and training.
There are a few nuggets within the book that made me happy I read it, because strangely the ideas weren't in any of the commentaries, or weren't spelled out in other Genesis commentaries I read.
Bottom line if you are want a 3-4 hour read on the book of Genesis this will help. He also does a good job of interpretive ideas.
That being said, what the book is missing is alternative viewpoints on his ideas, which could have helped the book immensely. I felt he was trying to sell me his interpretation a bit by only mentioning his particular view. But once again the brevity of the book and it's scope and purpose may not have been for that.
There are a few nuggets within the book that made me happy I read it, because strangely the ideas weren't in any of the commentaries, or weren't spelled out in other Genesis commentaries I read.
Bottom line if you are want a 3-4 hour read on the book of Genesis this will help. He also does a good job of interpretive ideas.
That being said, what the book is missing is alternative viewpoints on his ideas, which could have helped the book immensely. I felt he was trying to sell me his interpretation a bit by only mentioning his particular view. But once again the brevity of the book and it's scope and purpose may not have been for that.
February 11, 2024
"How to Read Genesis" by Tremper Longman III is a brief and general overview on how to approach the Biblical book of Genesis. It is by no means exhaustive but exists to give its audience a 30,000 foot view of the inaugural book of the Hebrew Scriptures. Longman discusses themes in Genesis, who wrote Genesis (including handling of the JEDP Theory), whether Genesis contains history or myth and how the book compares to other ancient near eastern stories, and works through the highlights of the book including the famous characters. The author concludes with a Christological lens that fellow Christians can apply in light of Jesus and the New Testament. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a deeper dive into Genesis. Just know that your deeper dive will probably come from other works (Longman has a recommended commentary list at the end of this book) that Longman will introduce you to.
June 4, 2025
As a layperson with a lot of Bible knowledge, and as a Bible Study teacher for my church, I find this book immensely helpful! I highly encourage anyone who is interested in studying the Bible to pick this book up and read at least some of it. While it is not possible to support every church tradition with one book, I am confident that all denominations would benefit from the ability to think from many angles and gain a deeper understanding of Genesis.
This edition is an updated version from a previously published book of the same title.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.
This edition is an updated version from a previously published book of the same title.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.
September 27, 2023
This would be a wonderful introduction to the world of Genesis for a novice. There is a lot to chew on and I believe Longman is fair in his presentation of the Documentary Hypothesis and other debated issues. He is smart in how he presents and argues so as not to offend a more conservative or liberal reader. The section on comparisons and contrasts with ancient near eastern literature is very interesting and provides a small toe dip into a big pool. Not for someone who has studied Genesis beyond Sunday school.
January 22, 2020
I was a bit disappointed as this book spent less time than I was interested in on certain subjects and spent longer than needed on just a general summary of Genesis which I can read for myself. However, it got an extra star of appreciation for thoughtful, earnest consideration of the Bible. Tremper Longman has the intellect and integrity to consider complex topics without settling for easy answers where none exist.
March 11, 2020
Livro interessante para quem deseja entender o livro de Gênesis. O autor coloca Gênesis dentro de seu contexto original, indicando a intenção do autor ao escrever, discutindo temas como os dias da criação, os mitos comogônicos da criação entre os egípcios e mesopotâmicos. O autor tem algumas posições não tão ortodoxas, mas no geral o livro é muito bom.
July 20, 2018
A Modern look at Genesis.
It was a reliable retelling of the Genesis stories with emphasis on chapters 1-11. The handling of the creation stories was especially helpful.
It was a reliable retelling of the Genesis stories with emphasis on chapters 1-11. The handling of the creation stories was especially helpful.
December 21, 2019
Excellent insight into the text for a popular audience...
February 4, 2020
Great book. I believe he could’ve definitely expounded on a lot of the areas and turned this into an 800 page book! So many questions left unanswered.
February 8, 2021
This provides a thorough introduction to the book of Genesis. The author covers the entire book in an organized and helpful way.
February 8, 2025
Very helpful guide to help with reading Genesis
March 29, 2016
My Rating – Must Read
Level – Easy, short
Summary
This book is exactly what the title says it is a guidebook to understanding and reading Genesis. Longman explains what the book (Genesis) is, who wrote it, whom it was written to as well as its place among other ancient literature. He breaks down the structure of the book into three parts: primeval history, which is verses 1-11; patriarchal narratives, 12-36; and Joseph’s story, 37-50. He then wraps up with notes on how we as Christians should read it, paying particular attention to our view after the cross. That is, with our knowledge of Christ, looking back at the Genesis story and reading it looking at how it points to Christ.
Longman does not take a view of young earth nor does he give much attention to evolution. This makes sense in that it is not an exposition of Genesis, but rather a guide to reading it.
My Thoughts
This should be the starting point for anyone curious about anything in Genesis 1-11 – age of the earth, historical Adam, the flood, giants, people living hundreds of years, even evolution. A broad understanding of what Genesis is and is supposed to be will help you to understand these issues, even those he doesn’t delve too much into.
For those that aren’t as concerned with these issues, it is still a very important book in helping you understand literature that nearly defies genre or categorization. Genesis is literally the foundation of the Bible. Far too many people are quick to either throw the book out or bury their heads in the sand and just say ‘its literal’.
Every Christian should read this book to help them grow in understanding and knowledge of the Word.
http://MondayMorningTheologian.com/
Level – Easy, short
Summary
This book is exactly what the title says it is a guidebook to understanding and reading Genesis. Longman explains what the book (Genesis) is, who wrote it, whom it was written to as well as its place among other ancient literature. He breaks down the structure of the book into three parts: primeval history, which is verses 1-11; patriarchal narratives, 12-36; and Joseph’s story, 37-50. He then wraps up with notes on how we as Christians should read it, paying particular attention to our view after the cross. That is, with our knowledge of Christ, looking back at the Genesis story and reading it looking at how it points to Christ.
Longman does not take a view of young earth nor does he give much attention to evolution. This makes sense in that it is not an exposition of Genesis, but rather a guide to reading it.
My Thoughts
This should be the starting point for anyone curious about anything in Genesis 1-11 – age of the earth, historical Adam, the flood, giants, people living hundreds of years, even evolution. A broad understanding of what Genesis is and is supposed to be will help you to understand these issues, even those he doesn’t delve too much into.
For those that aren’t as concerned with these issues, it is still a very important book in helping you understand literature that nearly defies genre or categorization. Genesis is literally the foundation of the Bible. Far too many people are quick to either throw the book out or bury their heads in the sand and just say ‘its literal’.
Every Christian should read this book to help them grow in understanding and knowledge of the Word.
http://MondayMorningTheologian.com/
January 27, 2015
An excellent book. As I re-read Genesis, I had great difficulty understanding some passages and cultural customs, especially what they mean in light of Christ, modern science, and modern scholarship. On each of these counts, Longman answers knowledgeably, gracefully, and humbly.
The book is a shorter one but serves as a great introduction to the scholarly theories of where Genesis came from (Longman presents a reasonable compromise--pre-Mosaic sources, God's revelation to Moses, and some post-Mosaic sources) as opposed to the secular strains of the documentary hypothesis. Longman shows that Genesis is indeed a great literary work in language, structure, themes, but also a source of divine truth and theology.
The archaeological aspect of Genesis is also addressed and socio-cultural norms presented in Genesis is analyzed. The use of extra-biblical documents serves well to illustrate the cultural context of the time. However, Longman's survey is not in depth.
The best aspect of this book is how Christ is shown in Genesis and how Genesis is truly the foundation of our faith. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, often derided by the new atheists as a blood-thirsty and vicious God is nothing like that. In fact, the motifs of sin, righteous judgment, and divine grace and mercy is repeated throughout the text. The attacks on Genesis as a mish-mashed and inconsistent text is thoroughly wrong. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow!
Overall, although young-earth creationists may not completely agree with Longman's interpretation of Genesis, his interpretation is a faith-affirming, informative, and excellent read!
The book is a shorter one but serves as a great introduction to the scholarly theories of where Genesis came from (Longman presents a reasonable compromise--pre-Mosaic sources, God's revelation to Moses, and some post-Mosaic sources) as opposed to the secular strains of the documentary hypothesis. Longman shows that Genesis is indeed a great literary work in language, structure, themes, but also a source of divine truth and theology.
The archaeological aspect of Genesis is also addressed and socio-cultural norms presented in Genesis is analyzed. The use of extra-biblical documents serves well to illustrate the cultural context of the time. However, Longman's survey is not in depth.
The best aspect of this book is how Christ is shown in Genesis and how Genesis is truly the foundation of our faith. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, often derided by the new atheists as a blood-thirsty and vicious God is nothing like that. In fact, the motifs of sin, righteous judgment, and divine grace and mercy is repeated throughout the text. The attacks on Genesis as a mish-mashed and inconsistent text is thoroughly wrong. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow!
Overall, although young-earth creationists may not completely agree with Longman's interpretation of Genesis, his interpretation is a faith-affirming, informative, and excellent read!
September 14, 2016
The book's brevity makes it exciting and accessible to lay Christians, and yet the well founded theology would bring a smile ever so often to the bible scholars. Longman III writes with sagely scholarship and wisdom that brought so much clarity and reflection as I read it.
I'm perplexed as to how he managed to pack in so much content with so little words; I felt it was a perfect marriage of popular and scholarly theology. Its as though his lifetime spent in scholarship of Genesis have been summarised into this nifty little book. In 175 pages, Longman III brings us on a journey in hermeneutics, apologetics, authorship, outline, extrabiblical literature, finally an overview of 3 main sections of Genesis, relationship with the NT and finally very useful reviews on Genesis commentaries.
It could be argued that the chief aim of a teacher is not to impart content and knowledge, but to create a love for learning in the student. Longman III kept my attention from start to finish, and I think that he did more than that - I now have a renewed interest in learning and teaching (though specifically OT material)! Perhaps it would take the form of a small group bible study on the book of Genesis? I am interested to read (and review) Longman III's other titles in this series, and hopefully they would be as good or even better than this one!
I received this book from InterVarsity Press for the purposes of providing an unbiased review. All views are my own.
I'm perplexed as to how he managed to pack in so much content with so little words; I felt it was a perfect marriage of popular and scholarly theology. Its as though his lifetime spent in scholarship of Genesis have been summarised into this nifty little book. In 175 pages, Longman III brings us on a journey in hermeneutics, apologetics, authorship, outline, extrabiblical literature, finally an overview of 3 main sections of Genesis, relationship with the NT and finally very useful reviews on Genesis commentaries.
It could be argued that the chief aim of a teacher is not to impart content and knowledge, but to create a love for learning in the student. Longman III kept my attention from start to finish, and I think that he did more than that - I now have a renewed interest in learning and teaching (though specifically OT material)! Perhaps it would take the form of a small group bible study on the book of Genesis? I am interested to read (and review) Longman III's other titles in this series, and hopefully they would be as good or even better than this one!
I received this book from InterVarsity Press for the purposes of providing an unbiased review. All views are my own.
January 21, 2017
Helpful Introduction to a Complex Book
This is the third book in Longman's 'How to Read Series' that I have read and I enjoyed it a lot. I thoroughly appreciate the blend of thoroughness and conciseness of this series and have found it helpful to plow through these books before launching into a deeper study (as well as more in-depth commentaries).
While Tremper Longman is a scholar, I find his writing style engaging and he has done a good job here of presenting just the right amount of introductory material, without going into so much detail that the average reader loses interest. This book is beneficial for anyone looking to get more out of their reading of Genesis, from the pastor who will preach through it to the individual who just wants to better understand the background issues of this foundational book of the Bible.
This is the third book in Longman's 'How to Read Series' that I have read and I enjoyed it a lot. I thoroughly appreciate the blend of thoroughness and conciseness of this series and have found it helpful to plow through these books before launching into a deeper study (as well as more in-depth commentaries).
While Tremper Longman is a scholar, I find his writing style engaging and he has done a good job here of presenting just the right amount of introductory material, without going into so much detail that the average reader loses interest. This book is beneficial for anyone looking to get more out of their reading of Genesis, from the pastor who will preach through it to the individual who just wants to better understand the background issues of this foundational book of the Bible.
December 15, 2011
I came into this book quite skeptical because I know that Longman and I disagree on some interpretive things in Genesis. However, this was a very gracious and balanced approach at looking at Genesis. The book is all about how to read it, meaning interpret. He leaves much of the interpreting to the reader and guides the reader to how he makes interpretive decisions.
Two sections standout to me as the most helpful. 1) His survey of ANE literature and how the ANE literature impacted/influenced the original reader. 2) The last chapter was on the Christological influence the book has...which was great.
Overall I would say this is a worthy text for anyone looking to get a start in Genesis.
Two sections standout to me as the most helpful. 1) His survey of ANE literature and how the ANE literature impacted/influenced the original reader. 2) The last chapter was on the Christological influence the book has...which was great.
Overall I would say this is a worthy text for anyone looking to get a start in Genesis.
March 9, 2019
Livro muito bom para entender melhor o livro de Gênesis, somente tive algumas discordâncias mínimas com relação a algumas passagens, mas que não tira o mérito do autor, posso dizer que gostei bastante do livro, abriu muito meu entendimento em muitas passagens e a forma de enxergar o livro de Gênesis.
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September 13, 2009I'm reading a ton of books about the book of Genesis as I prepare to preach it...
January 12, 2012
Solid.
September 24, 2012
Good easily understood introduction. It is what it claims to be; a sound "how to read" on Genesis.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews