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The Books
of Moses
4
92
197
256
Genesis
Exodus
E
Exodus
156
Leviticus
Deuteronomy
nglish Bibles are customarily divided into six major sections: Pentateuch, History, Poetry, Prophets, Gospels
and Acts, and Letters and Revelation. The Pentateuch
(meaning “five-volumed book”) comprises the first major section of the OT. It is also known as the Torah (“Law”). Here
God’s first covenants with his chosen ­people are described and
confirmed.
The five books of Moses are primarily accounts of the history
of God’s covenant ­people (Israel). Beginning with Genesis, the
narrative moves from a broad view of the universe and all creation to human beings in general and God’s role for them in the
world. From this view of mankind as a whole, the account narrows from a focus on all nations to Abraham and one nation — ​Israel as the vassal ­people of the divine suzerain and his kingdom.
The last four books tell the story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt,
their assent to the Sinaitic covenant, and their wandering in the
Desert of Sinai because of unbelief and disobedience at Kadesh
Barnea (Nu 13 – 14; see note on Heb 3:16 – 19).
Genesis
Introduction
Title
The first phrase in the Hebrew text of 1:1 is bereshith (“In [the] beginning”), which is also the
­Hebrew title of the book (books in ancient times customarily were named after their first word
or two). The English title, Genesis, is Greek in origin and comes from the word geneseos, which
appears in the pre-Chris­tian Greek translation (Septuagint) of 2:4; 5:1. Depending on its context,
the word can mean “birth,” “genealogy,” or “history of origin.” In both its Hebrew and Greek forms,
then, the traditional title of Genesis appropriately describes its content, since it is primarily a book
of beginnings.
Background
Chs. 1 – 38 reflect a great deal of what we know from other sources about ancient Mesopotamian life and culture. Creation, genealogies, destructive
floods, geography and mapmaking, construction techniques,
migrations of ­peoples, sale and purchase of land, legal customs
a quick look
and procedures, sheepherding and cattle-raising — ​all these
subjects and many others were matters of vital concern to the
­peoples of Mesopotamia during this time. They were also of Author:
interest to the individuals, families and tribes whom we read Moses
about in the first 38 chapters of Genesis. The author appears to
locate Eden, humankind’s first home, in or near Mesopotamia; Audience:
the tower of Babel was built there; Abram was born there; Isaac
God’s chosen people, the
took a wife from there; and Jacob lived there for 20 years. Al- Israelites
though these patriarchs settled in Canaan, their original homeland was Mesopotamia.
Date:
The closest ancient literary parallels to Ge 1 – 38 also come Between 1446 and 1406 BC
from Mesopotamia. Enuma elish, the story of the god Marduk’s
rise to supremacy in the Babylonian pantheon, is similar in Theme:
some respects (though thoroughly mythical and polytheistic) Genesis is a book of beginnings
to the Ge 1 creation account. Some of the features of certain that introduces central themes
king lists from Sumer bear striking resemblance to the gene- of the Bible, such as creation
alogy in Ge 5. The 11th tablet of the Gilgamesh epic is quite and redemption.
c Introduction: Ge n es i s ❘ 7
Genesis is supremely a book that speaks about relationships,
highlighting those between God and his creation, between
God and humankind, and between human beings.
turn composed of three narrative cycles (Abraham-Isaac, 11:27 — ​25:11; Isaac-Jacob, 25:19 — ​35:29;
37:1; Jacob-Joseph, 37:2 — ​50:26), interspersed by the genealogies of Ishmael (25:12 – 18) and Esau
(ch. 36).
The narrative frequently concentrates on the life of a later son in preference to the firstborn:
Seth over Cain, Shem over Japheth (but see NIV text note on 10:21), Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Judah and Joseph over their brothers, and Ephraim over Manasseh. Such emphasis
on divinely chosen men and their families is perhaps the most obvious literary and theological
characteristic of the book of Genesis as a whole. It strikingly underscores the fact that the ­people
of God are not the product of natural human developments but are the result of God’s sovereign
and gracious intrusion in human history. He brings
out of the fallen human race a new humanity consecrated to himself, called and destined to be the
­people of his kingdom and the channel of his blessing to the whole earth.
Numbers with symbolic significance figure prominently in Genesis. The number ten, in addition to
being the number of sections into which Genesis
is divided, is also the number of names appearing
in the genealogies of chs. 5 and 11 (see note on
5:5). The number seven also occurs frequently. The
Hebrew text of 1:1 consists of exactly seven words
and that of 1:2 of exactly 14 (twice seven). There are
seven days of creation, seven names in the genealogy of ch. 4 (see note on 4:17 – 18; see also 4:15,24;
5:31), various sevens in the flood story, 70 descendants of Noah’s sons (ch. 10), a sevenfold promise
to Abram (12:2 – 3), seven years of abundance and
then seven of famine in Egypt (ch. 41), and 70 descendants of Jacob (ch. 46). Other significant numbers, such The Atrahasis Epic, c. 17th c BC, contains
as 12 and 40, are used with similar frequency.
an account of creation and early human
The book of Genesis is basically prose narrative, history, including the flood.
punctuated here and there by brief poems (the longest Kim Walton, courtesy of the British Museum
is the so-called Blessing of Jacob in 49:2 – 27). Much of
the prose has a lyrical quality and uses the full range of figures of speech and other devices that
characterize the world’s finest epic literature. Vertical and horizontal parallelism between the two
sets of three days in the creation account (see note on 1:11); the ebb and flow of sin and judgment
in ch. 3 (the serpent, woman and man sin successively; God questions them in reverse order; then
he judges them in the original order); the powerful monotony of “and then he died” at the end of
paragraphs in ch. 5; the climactic hinge effect of the phrase “But God remembered Noah” (8:1) at
the midpoint of the flood story; the hourglass structure of the account of the tower of Babel in
11:1 – 9 (narrative in vv. 1 – 2,8 – 9; discourse in vv. 3 – 4,6 – 7; v. 5 acting as transition); the macabre
r 22 ❘ Ge ne s i s 8 : 2 2
hu­mans, even ­though a ev­ery in­cli­na­tion of
the hu­man ­heart is evil from child­hood. j
And nev­er ­again will I de­stroy k all liv­ing
crea­tures, l as I have done.
22“As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest, m
cold and heat,
summer and winter, n
day and night
will never cease.” o
God’s Covenant With Noah
Then God ­blessed Noah and his sons,
say­ing to them, “Be fruit­ful and in­
crease in num­ber and fill the ­earth. p 2 The
fear and ­dread of you will fall on all the
­beasts of the ­earth, and on all the ­birds
in the sky, on ev­ery crea­ture that ­moves
­along the ­ground, and on all the fish in the
sea; they are giv­en into your ­hands. q 3 Ev­
ery­thing that ­lives and ­moves about will
be food for you. r Just as I gave you the
­ lants, I now give you ev­ery­thing. s
­green p
4 “But you must not eat meat that has its
life­blood ­still in it. t 5 And for your life­blood
I will sure­ly de­mand an ac­count­ing. u I will
de­mand an ac­count­ing from ev­ery an­i­
9
8:21 j Ge 6:5;
Ps 51:5;
Jer 17:9;
Mt 15:19;
Ro 1:21
k Jer 44:11
l Ge 9:11, ​15;
Isa 54:9
8:22 m Jos 3:15;
Ps 67:6;
Jer 5:24
n Ps 74:17;
Zec 14:8
o S Ge 1:14
9:1 p S Ge 1:22
9:2 q S Ge 1:26
9:3 r S Ge 1:29
s S Ac 10:15;
Col 2:16
9:4 t Lev 3:17;
7:26; 17:10-14;
19:26;
Dt 12:16, ​
23-25; 15:23;
1Sa 14:33;
Eze 33:25;
Ac 15:20, ​29
9:5 u Ge 42:22;
50:15; 1Ki 2:32;
2Ch 24:22;
Ps 9:12
v Ex 21:28-32
w Ge 4:10
9:6 x S Ge 4:14;
S Jdg 9:24;
S Mt 26:52
y S Ge 1:26
9:7 z S Ge 1:22
9:9 a ver 11;
here has a different word for “curse,” the reference appears to
be to the curse of 3:17. It may be that the Lord here pledged
never to add curse upon curse as he had in regard to Cain
(4:12). even though every inclination of the human heart is evil.
For almost identical phraseology, see 6:5. Because of humanity’s extreme wickedness, God had destroyed ­people (6:7)
by means of a flood (6:17). Although righ­teous Noah and his
family had been saved, he and his offspring were descendants
of Adam and carried in their hearts the inheritance of sin. God
graciously promises never again to deal with sin by sending
such a devastating deluge (see 9:11,15). Human history is
held open for God’s dealing with sin in a new and redemptive way — ​the way that was prepared for by God’s action at
Babel (see notes on 11:6,8) and that begins to unfold with the
call of Abram (12:1). from childhood. The phrase replaces “all
the time” in 6:5 and emphasizes the truth that sin infects a
person’s life from conception and birth (Ps 51:5; 58:3).
8:22 Times and seasons, created by God in the beginning
(see 1:14), will never cease till the end of history.
9:1 – 7 At this new beginning, God renewed his original
benediction (1:28) and his provision for humanity’s food (cf.
v. 3; 1:29 – 30). But because sin had brought violence into the
world and because God now appointed meat as a part of the
human diet (v. 3), further divine provisions and stipulations
are added (vv. 4 – 6). Yet God’s benediction dominates and
encloses the whole (see v. 7).
9:2 given into your hands. God reaffirmed that human beings
would rule over all creation, including the animals (see note
on 1:26).
9:3 Everything that lives and moves about will be food. Meat
would now supplement the human diet.
9:4 you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood. Lev 17:14
stresses the intimate relationship between blood and life by
twice declaring that “the life of every creature is its blood.” Life
is the precious and mysterious gift of God, and ­people are not
to seek to preserve it or increase the life-force within them by
eating “life” that is “in the blood” (Lev 17:11) — ​as many pagan
­peoples throughout history have thought they could do.
mal. v And from each hu­man be­ing, too, I
will de­mand an ac­count­ing for the life of
an­oth­er hu­man be­ing. w
6“Whoever sheds human blood,
by humans shall their blood be
shed; x
for in the image of God y
has God made mankind.
7 As
for you, be fruit­ful and in­crease in
num­ber; mul­ti­ply on the ­earth and in­
crease upon it.” z
8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons
with him: 9 “I now es­tab­lish my cov­enant
with you a and with your de­scen­dants af­
ter you 10 and with ev­ery liv­ing crea­ture
that was with you — ​the ­birds, the live­
stock and all the wild an­i­mals, all ­those
that came out of the ark with you — ​ev­ery
liv­ing crea­ture on ­earth. 11 I es­tab­lish my
cov­enant b with you: c Nev­er ­again will all
life be de­stroyed by the wa­ters of a ­flood;
nev­er ­again will ­there be a ­flood to de­stroy
the earth. d”
a 21 Or humans, for S Ge 6:18 9:11 b ver 16; Isa 24:5; 33:8; Hos 6:7 c S ver 9 d S Ge 8:21
for your lifeblood . . . I will demand an accounting
n 9:5 from every animal. God himself is the great defender
of human life (see 4:9 – 12), which is precious to him because
­ eople were created in his image (v. 6) and because they are
p
the earthly representatives and focal point of God’s kingdom.
In the theocracy (kingdom of God) established at Sinai, a domestic animal that had taken human life was to be stoned to
death (Ex 21:28 – 32).
9:6 Whoever sheds human blood, by human beings shall their
blood be shed. In the later theocracy, those guilty of premeditated murder were to be executed (see Ex 21:12 – 14; Nu
35:16 – 32; see also Ro 13:3 – 4; 1Pe 2:13 – 14). for in the image
of God has God made mankind. See 1:26 and note. In killing
a human being, a murderer demonstrates contempt for God
(see also Pr 14:31; 17:5; Jas 3:9 and notes).
9:8 – 17 God’s first and most basic covenant with his creatures (see chart, p. XXXX). It concerns the creation order itself
and has its “sign” embedded in that creation order. Since divine judgment had seemed to undo the creation completely,
sinful humanity needed God’s covenanted assurance that his
acts of judgment in history will not destroy the created order.
This is the only divine covenant in which God pledges not to
do something.
9:9 I now establish my covenant. God sovereignly
promised in this covenant to Noah, to Noah’s descendants and to all other living things (as a kind of gracious
reward to righ­teous Noah, the new father of the human
race — ​see 6:18) never again to destroy the earth and its
inhabitants until his purposes for his creation are fully realized (“as long as the earth endures,” 8:22). For similar commitments by God, see his covenants with Abram (15:18 – 20),
Phinehas (Nu 25:10 – 13) and David (2Sa 7). See chart, p.
XXXX.
9:11 Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a
flood. A summary of the provisions of the Lord’s covenant
with Noah — ​an eternal covenant, as seen in such words and
phrases as “never again” (see also v. 15), “for all generations to
come” (v. 12) and “everlasting” (v. 16).
r Ge ne si s 9:11 ❘ 23
Major Covenants in the Old Testament
COVENANTS
REFERENCE
TYPE
PARTICIPANT
DESCRIPTION
Noahic
Ge 9:8-17
Royal Grant
Made with “righteous” (6:9) Noah
(and his descendants and every
living thing on earth—all life that is
subject to human jurisdiction)
An unconditIonal divine promise never to
destroy all earthly life with some natural catastrophe, the covenant “sign” being the rainbow
in the storm cloud
Abrahamic
A
Ge 15:9-21
Royal (land)
Grant
Made with “righteous” (his
faith was “credited . . . to him as
righteousness,” v. 6) Abram (and his
descendants, v. 16)
An unconditional divine promise to fulfill the
grant of the land; a self-maledictory oath
symbolically enacted it (v. 17; see note there)
Abrahamic
B
Ge 17
Suzerain-vassal
Made with Abraham as patriarchal
head of his household
A conditional divine pledge to be Abraham’s
God and the God of his descendants (cf. “As
for me,” v. 4; “As for you,” v. 9); the condition:
total consecration to the Lord as symbolized by
circumcision
Sinaitic
Ex 19–24
Suzerain-vassal
Made with Israel as the descendants
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and as
the people the Lord has redeemed
from bondage to an earthly power
A conditional divine pledge to be Israel’s God
(as her Protector and the Guarantor of her
blessed destiny); the condition: Israel’s total
consecration to the Lord as his people (his
kingdom) who live by his rule and serve his
purposes in history
Phinehas
Nu 25:10-13
Royal Grant
Made with the zealous priest
Phinehas
An unconditional divine promise to maintain
the family of Phinehas in a “lasting priesthood”
(implicitly a pledge to Israel to provide her
forever with a faithful priesthood)
Davidic
2Sa 7:5-16
Royal Grant
Made with faithful King David after
his devotion to God as Israel’s king
and the Lord’s anointed vassal had
come to special expression (v. 2)
An unconditional divine promise to establish
and maintain the Davidic dynasty on the
throne of Israel (implicitly a pledge to Israel) to
provide her forever with a godly king like David
and through that dynasty to do for her what he
had done through David—bring her into rest
in the promised land (1Ki 4:20-21; 5:3-4)
New
Jer 31:31-34
Royal Grant
Promised to rebellious Israel as she
is about to be expelled from the
promised land in actualization of
the most severe covenant curse
(Lev 26:27-39; Dt 28:36-37, 45-68)
An unconditional divine promise to unfaithful
Israel to forgive her sins and establish his
relationship with her on a new basis by writing
his law “on their hearts”—a covenant of
pure grace
Major Types of Royal Covenants/Treaties in the Ancient Near East
Royal Grant (unconditional)
Parity
Suzerain-vassal (conditional)
A king’s grant (of land or some other
benefit) to a loyal servant for faithful or
exceptional service. The grant was normally
perpetual and unconditional, but the servant’s heirs benefited from it only as they
continued their father’s loyalty and service.
(Cf. 1Sa 8:14; 22:7; 27:6; Est 8:1.)
A covenant between equals,
binding them to mutual friendship
or at least to mutual respect for
each other’s spheres and interests.
Participants called each other
“brothers.” (Cf. Ge 21:27; 26:31;
31:44-54; 1Ki 5:12; 15:19; 20:3234; Am 1:9.)
A covenant regulating the relationship between a great king and
one of his subject kings. The great king claimed absolute right
of sovereignty, demanded total loyalty and service (the vassal
must “love” his suzerain) and pledged protection of the subject’s
realm and dynasty, conditional on the vassal’s faithfulness and
loyalty to him. The vassal pledged absolute loyalty to his suzerain—whatever service his suzerain demanded—and exclusive
reliance on the suzerain’s protection. Participants called each
other “lord” and “servant” or “father” and “son.” (Cf. Jos 9:6,8; Eze
17:13-18; Hos 12:1.)
Commitments made in these covenants were accompanied by self-maledictory oaths (made orally, ceremonially or both). The gods were called upon to
witness the covenants and implement the curses of the oaths if the covenants were violated.
28 ❘ Ge ne s i s 1 1 : 7 do will be im­pos­si­ble for them. 7 Come, let
us v go down w and con­fuse ­their lan­guage
so they will not un­der­stand each oth­er.” x
8 So the Lord scat­tered them from ­there
over all the ­earth, y and they ­stopped build­
ing the city. 9 That is why it was ­called Ba­
bel a z — ​be­cause ­there the Lord con­fused
the lan­guage a of the ­whole ­world. b From
­there the Lord scat­tered c them over the
face of the w
­ hole earth.
From Shem to Abram
11:10-27pp —​Ge 10:21-31; 1Ch 1:17-27
10 This is the ac­count d of ­Shem’s fam­il­y
line.
Two ­years af­ter the ­flood, when Shem
was 100 ­years old, he be­came the fa­ther b
of Ar­phax­ad. e 11 And af­ter he be­came the
fa­ther of Ar­phax­ad, Shem ­lived 500 ­years
and had oth­er sons and daugh­ters.
12 When Ar­phax­ad had ­lived 35 ­years,
he be­came the fa­ther of She­lah. f 13 And
af­ter he be­came the fa­ther of She­lah, Ar­
phax­ad ­lived 403 ­years and had oth­er sons
and daugh­ters. c
11:7 v S Ge 1:26
w S ver 5
x Ge 42:23;
Dt 28:49;
Isa 28:11;
33:19; Jer 5:15;
1Co 14:2, ​11
11:8
y S Ge 9:19;
Dt 32:8;
S Lk 1:51
11:9
z S Ge 10:10
a Ps 55:9
b Ac 2:5-11
c Isa 2:10, ​21;
13:14; 24:1
11:10 d S Ge 2:4
e Lk 3:36
11:12 f Lk 3:35
a 9 That
11:14 g Lk 3:35
11:16 h Lk 3:35
11:18 i Lk 3:35
11:20 j Lk 3:35
11:22 k Lk 3:34
against God. A godless human kingdom would displace and
exclude the kingdom of God.
11:7 let us. See notes on 1:1,26. God’s “Come, let us” from
heaven counters proud ­people’s “Come, let us” (v. 4) from
earth. not understand each other. Without a common language, joint effort became impossible (see v. 8).
11:8 scattered. See v. 4; 9:1,19. God dispersed the
­people because of their rebellious pride. Even the
greatest of human powers cannot defy God and long survive.
11:9 Babel. See NIV text note and 10:10. The word is of Akkadian origin and means “gateway to a god” (Jacob’s stairway
n 14 When She­lah had ­lived 30 ­years, he
be­came the fa­ther of Eber. g 15 And af­ter he
be­came the fa­ther of Eber, She­lah ­lived 403
­years and had oth­er sons and daugh­ters.
16 When Eber had ­lived 34 ­years, he be­
came the fa­ther of Pe­leg. h 17 And af­ter he
be­came the fa­ther of Pe­leg, Eber ­lived 430
­years and had oth­er sons and daugh­ters.
18 When Pe­leg had ­lived 30 ­years, he
be­came the fa­ther of Reu. i 19 And af­ter he
be­came the fa­ther of Reu, Pe­leg ­lived 209
­years and had oth­er sons and daugh­ters.
20 When Reu had ­lived 32 ­years, he be­
came the fa­ther of Se­rug. j 21 And af­ter he
be­came the fa­ther of Se­rug, Reu ­lived 207
­years and had oth­er sons and daugh­ters.
22 When Se­rug had ­lived 30 ­years, he be­
came the fa­ther of Na­hor. k 23 And af­ter he
is, Babylon; Babel sounds like the Hebrew for
confused. b 10 Father may mean ancestor; also in
verses 11-25. c 12,13 Hebrew; Septuagint (see also
Luke 3:35, 36 and note at Gen. 10:24) 35 years, he
became the father of Cainan. 13And after he became the
father of Cainan, Arphaxad lived 430 years and had
other sons and daughters, and then he died. When
Cainan had lived 130 years, he became the father of
Shelah. And after he became the father of Shelah, Cainan
lived 330 years and had other sons and daughters was similarly called “gate of heaven”; see 28:17). confused. The
Hebrew word used here (balal) sounds like “Babel,” the Hebrew word for Babylon and the origin of the English word
“babel.”
11:10 – 26 A ten-name genealogy, like that of Seth (see
5:3 – 31; see also note on 5:5). Unlike the Sethite genealogy,
however, the genealogy of Shem does not give total figures
for the ages of the men at death and does not end each
paragraph with “and then he died.” It covers the centuries
between Shem and Abram as briefly as possible.
11:10 account. See note on 2:4.
Ziggurat of Nanna at Ur. The large temple dedicated to the god Nanna was built c. 2100 BC by King UrNammu in the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur in present-day Iraq. Some believe that the Tower of Babel
(Ge 11:1 – 9) was a type of ziggurat.
© Michael S. Yamashita/CORBIS
G e ne si s 12:2 be­came the fa­ther of Na­hor, Se­rug ­lived 200
­years and had oth­er sons and daugh­ters.
24 When Na­hor had ­lived 29 ­years, he be­
came the fa­ther of Te­rah. l 25 And af­ter he
be­came the fa­ther of Te­rah, Na­hor ­lived 119
­years and had oth­er sons and daugh­ters.
26 Af­ter Te­rah had ­lived 70 ­years, he be­
came the fa­ther of ­Abram, m Na­hor n and
Ha­ran. o
Abram’s Family
27 This is the ac­count p of Te­rah’s fam­il­y
line.
Te­rah be­came the fa­ther of ­Abram, Na­
hor q and Ha­ran. And Ha­ran be­came the
fa­ther of Lot. r 28 While his fa­ther Te­rah was
­still ­alive, Ha­ran died in Ur of the Chal­
de­ans, s in the land of his ­birth. 29 Abram
and Na­hor t both mar­ried. The name of
­Abram’s wife was Sa­rai, u and the name
of Na­hor’s wife was Mil­kah; v she was the
daugh­ter of Ha­ran, the fa­ther of both Mil­
kah and Is­kah. 30 Now Sa­rai was child­less
be­cause she was not able to con­ceive. w
31 Te­rah took his son ­Abram, his grand­
son Lot x son of Ha­ran, and his daugh­ter-
11:24 l Lk 3:34
11:26 m Lk 3:34
n Jos 24:2
o 2Ki 19:12;
Isa 37:12;
Eze 27:23
11:27 p S Ge 2:4
q ver 29;
Ge 31:53
r ver 31;
Ge 12:4; 13:1, ​
5, ​8, ​12; 14:12;
19:1; Lk 17:28;
2Pe 2:7
11:28 s ver 31;
Ge 15:7; Ne 9:7;
Job 1:17; 16:11;
Eze 23:23;
Ac 7:4
11:29 t S ver 27, ​
31; Ge 22:20, ​
23; 24:10, ​
15, ​24; 29:5
u Ge 12:5, ​11;
16:1; 17:15
v Ge 22:20
11:30
w Ge 16:1;
18:11; 25:21;
29:31; 30:1, ​
22; Jdg 13:2;
1Sa 1:5;
Ps 113:9; Lk 1:7, ​
36
11:31 x S ver 27
y Ge 38:11;
Lev 18:15;
11:26 Terah . . . became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.
As in the case of Shem, Ham and Japheth, the names of the
three sons may not be in chronological order by age (see
9:24; see also 10:21 and NIV text note). Haran died while his
father was still alive (see v. 28).
11:27 — ​25:11 With God’s calling of Abram out
of the post-Babel ­peoples, the story of God’s
ways with humankind shifts focus from universal history
to the history of God’s relationship with a particular person
and ­people. Here begins the history of his saving work, in
which human sin is not only judged (the flood) or restrained
(Babel) but forgiven (through atonement) and overcome
(through the purifying of human hearts). Throughout the
rest of Scripture the unfolding of this history remains the
golden thread and central theme. Its final outcome is made
sure through ­Jesus Christ, “the son of Abraham” (Lk 3:34; see
also Mt 1:1 – 17 and note on 1:1; Gal 3:16) — ​which is the core
message of the NT.
The account of the God-Abram relationship found here
foreshadows in many ways the God-Israel relationship, and
the trials and triumphs of Abram’s faith model the life of faith
for his descendants.
11:27 account. See note on 2:4.
11:28 Ur of the Chaldeans. Possibly in northern Mesopotamia, but more likely the site on the Euphrates in
southern Iraq excavated by Leonard Woolley between 1922
and 1934. Ruins and artifacts from Ur reveal a civilization and
culture that reached high levels before Abram’s time. King
Ur-Nammu, who may have been Abram’s contemporary, is
famous for his law code. Chaldeans. See notes on Ezr 5:12;
Job 1:17.
11:30 Sarai was . . . not able to conceive. The sterility
of Abram’s wife (see 15:2 – 3; 17:17) emphasized the
fact that God’s ­people would not come by natural generation from the post-Babel ­peoples. God was bringing a new
humanity into being, of whom Abram was father (17:5), just
as Adam and Noah were fathers of the fallen human race.
11:31 they came to Harran. In Hebrew the name of the town
is spelled differently from that of Abram’s brother (v. 26). The
n r c r ❘ 29
in-law y
Sa­rai, the wife of his son ­Abram,
and to­geth­er they set out from Ur of the
Chal­de­ans z to go to Ca­naan. a But when
they came to Har­ran, b they set­tled there.
32 Te­rah c ­lived 205 ­years, and he died in
Har­ran.
The Call of Abram
The Lord had said to ­Abram, “Go
from your coun­try, your peo­ple
and your fa­ther’s house­hold d to the land e
I will show you. f
12
2“I will make you into a great nation, g
and I will bless you; h
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing. a i
a 2 Or be
seen as blessed 20:12; Ru 1:6, ​22; 2:20; 4:15; 1Sa 4:19; 1Ch 2:4; Eze 22:11; Mic 7:6
z S ver 28 a S Ge 10:19 b S ver 29; Ge 12:4; 27:43; 28:5, ​10; 29:4;
2Ki 19:12; Eze 27:23 11:32 c Jos 24:2 12:1 d Ge 20:13; 24:4, ​
27, ​40 e S Ge 10:19 f Ge 15:7; 26:2; Jos 24:3; Ac 7:3*; Heb 11:8
12:2 g Ge 13:16; 15:5; 17:2, ​4; 18:18; 22:17; 26:4; 28:3, ​14; 32:12;
35:11; 41:49; 46:3; 47:27; 48:4, ​16, ​19; Ex 1:7; 5:5; 32:13; Dt 1:10;
10:22; 13:17; 26:5; Jos 11:4; 24:3; 2Sa 17:11; 1Ki 3:8; 4:20;
1Ch 27:23; 2Ch 1:9; Ne 9:23; Ps 107:38; Isa 6:13; 10:22; 48:19;
51:2; 54:3; 60:22; Jer 33:22; Mic 4:7 h Ge 24:1, ​35; 25:11; 26:3; 28:4;
Ex 20:24; Nu 22:12; 23:8, ​20; 24:9; Ps 67:6; 115:12; Isa 44:3; 61:9;
65:23; Mal 3:12 i Ge 22:18; Isa 19:24; Jer 4:2; Hag 2:19; Zec 8:13
moon-god was worshiped at both Ur and Harran, and since
Terah was an idolater (see Jos 24:2), he probably felt at home
in either place (Sarah’s name probably means “moon worshiper”). Harran (an Akkadian word meaning “caravan”) was
a flourishing caravan city in the 19th century BC. In the 18th
century it was ruled by Amorites (see note on 10:16).
12:1 had said. God had spoken to Abram “while he was still
in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran” (Ac 7:2). Go from
. . . show you. Abram must leave the settled world of the postBabel nations and begin a pilgrimage with God to a better world of God’s making (see 24:7; see also 11:1 – 9; Heb
11:8 – 10 and notes).
Here begins the story of how “the Lord [Yahweh] . . . the
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (Ex 3:16), “the God of Israel” (Ex 5:1), created for himself a ­people who acknowledged
him as the only true God and who had as their homeland
a place in the world that would be called “their land, which
they had acquired in accordance with the command of the
Lord through Moses” (Jos 22:9). In the ancient world of the
OT, all the various gods that were worshiped and relied on
were gods of a particular place and/or a particular ­people (a
family, tribe or nation). The rest of Yahweh’s dealings with the
patriarchs and with Israel is an important theme that relates
how Abram’s pilgrimage moved ever forward toward the fulfillment of Yahweh’s purposes.
12:2 – 3 God’s promise to Abram has a sevenfold structure: (1)
“I will make you into a great nation,” (2) “I will bless you,” (3) “I
will make your name great,” (4) “you will be a blessing,” (5) “I
will bless those who bless you,” (6) “whoever curses you I will
curse,” and (7) “all ­peoples on earth will be blessed through
you.” God’s original blessing on the whole human race (1:28)
would be especially fulfilled in the lives of Abram and his offspring. In various ways and degrees, these promises were reaffirmed to Abram (v. 7; 15:5 – 21; 17:4 – 8; 18:18 – 19; 22:17 – 18),
to Isaac (26:2 – 4), to Jacob (28:13 – 15; 35:11 – 12; 46:3) and to
Moses (Ex 3:6 – 8; 6:2 – 8). The seventh promise is quoted in Ac
3:25 with reference to Peter’s Jewish listeners (see Ac 3:12) — ​
Abram’s physical descendants — ​and in Gal 3:8 with reference
to Paul’s Gentile listeners — ​Abram’s spiritual descendants.
30 ❘ Ge ne s i s 1 2 : 3
map_01_12_abraham
~75%
Abram’s travels
Harran
Balikh
R.
Emar
Ti
Tuttul
tes
R.
Eu p hra
gris
Mari
R.
Damascus
Shechem
Salem
To E
t
gyp
Ur
(Tell el-Maqayyar)
Abram’s migration route
0
100 miles
rs
0
100 km.
Pe
Abram’s alternative migration route
ia
n
one they could bring down the power of the gods (or other
mysterious powers) on that person (cf. 1Sa 17:43). They had
a large conventional stock of such curses, preserved in many
sources, such as the Egyptian Execration Texts, the Hittite
suzerainty-vassal treaties, kudurrus (stone boundary markers), the Code of Hammurapi (Epilogue), etc. For examples,
see notes on Dt 9:14; Jer 15:3; see also note on Ge 27:33; cf.
note on Ezr 6:11.
12:4 Abram went, as the Lord had told him. See
Heb 11:8. Prompt obedience grounded in faith
characterized this patriarch throughout his life (see 17:23;
21:14; 22:3). Lot went with him. See 13:1,5. Lot chose to go
with his uncle Abram, seeking a better future. seventy-five
years old. Although advanced in age at the time of his call,
Abram would live for another full century (see 25:7; see also
note on 5:5).
n r a 3 Or earth
/ will use your name in blessings (see 48:20) b 7 Or seed Heb 11:8 12:6 s Heb 11:9 t Ge 35:4; Dt 11:30; Jos 24:26; Jdg 7:1;
9:6 u Ge 33:18; 37:12; Jos 17:7; 20:7; 24:1; Jdg 8:31; 21:19; 1Ki 12:1;
Ps 60:6; 108:7 v S Ge 10:18 12:7 w Ge 17:1; 18:1; 26:2; 35:1; Ex 6:3;
Ac 7:2 x Ex 3:8; Nu 10:29; Dt 30:5; Heb 11:8 y Ge 13:15, ​17; 15:18;
17:8; 23:18; 24:7; 26:3-4; 28:13; 35:12; 48:4; 50:24; Ex 6:4, ​8; 13:5, ​
11; 32:13; 33:1; Nu 11:12; Dt 1:8; 2:31; 9:5; 11:9; 34:4; 2Ki 25:21;
1Ch 16:16; 2Ch 20:7; Ps 105:9-11; Jer 25:5; Eze 47:14; Ac 7:5;
Ro 4:13; Gal 3:16* z S Ge 8:20; 13:4 12:8 a Ge 13:3; 28:11, ​19;
35:1, ​8, ​15; Jos 7:2; 8:9; 1Sa 7:16; 1Ki 12:29; Hos 12:4; Am 3:14; 4:4
b Ge 26:25; 33:19; Heb 11:9
12:5 ­people they had acquired. Wealthy ­people in that ancient world always had servants in their employ. Some were
slaves, others were servants by choice; all were considered
to be members of the “household” in which they served (see
14:14; 15:3; 17:12 – 13; 24:2).
12:6 site of the great tree. Perhaps the same tree referred to in
35:4 (see also Jdg 9:6,37). Moreh. The name means “teacher.”
It suggests that the Canaanites sought directions from their
gods by this tree. Abram’s God (Yahweh) appeared to him
there (v. 7). Shechem. An important city in central Canaan,
founded in the patriarchal period.
12:7 The Lord appeared. The Lord at times “appeared”
in some way to the patriarchs and others, but not in all
his glory (see Ex 33:18 – 20; Jn 1:18). altar. The first of several
Abram built (see v. 8; 13:18; 22:9). He acknowledged that the
land of Canaan belonged to the Lord in a special way (see Ex
20:24; Jos 22:19).
12:8 Bethel. Just north of Jerusalem (see map, p. XXXX), it was
r f
whoever curses you. The ancient Near Eastern
c ­p12:3 eoples thought that by pronouncing curses on some-
were in the land. 7 The Lord ap­peared to
­Abram w and said, “To your off­spring b I will
give this land. x” y So he ­built an al­tar ­there
to the Lord, z who had ap­peared to him.
8 From ­there he went on to­ward the ­hills
east of Beth­el a and ­pitched his tent, b with
ul
4 So ­Abram went, as the Lord had told
him; and Lot l went with him. ­Abram was
sev­en­ty-five ­years old m when he set out
from Har­ran. n 5 He took his wife Sa­rai, o his
neph­ew Lot, all the pos­ses­sions they had
ac­cu­mu­lat­ed p and the peo­ple q they had ac­
quired in Har­ran, and they set out for the
land of Ca­naan, r and they ar­rived there.
6 Abram trav­eled ­through the land s as
far as the site of the ­great tree of Mo­reh t
at She­chem. u At that time the Ca­naan­ites v
12:3 j Ge 27:29;
Ex 23:22;
Nu 24:9; Dt 30:7
k Ge 15:5;
18:18; 22:18;
26:4; 28:4, ​14;
Dt 9:5; Ps 72:17;
Isa 19:25;
Ac 3:25;
Gal 3:8*
12:4
l S Ge 11:27
m Ge 16:3, ​16;
17:1, ​17, ​24; 21:5
n S Ge 11:31
12:5
o S Ge 11:29
p ver 16;
Ge 13:2, ​6;
31:18; 46:6
q Ge 14:14; 15:3;
17:23; Ecc 2:7
r Ge 11:31; 16:3;
G
3I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse; j
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you. k” a
Ge n es is 12:12 Ai c
Beth­el on the west and
on the east.
­There he ­built an al­tar to the Lord and
­called on the name of the Lord. d
9 Then ­Abram set out and con­tin­ued to­
ward the Ne­gev. e
Abram in Egypt
12:10-20Ref —​Ge 20:1-18; 26:1-11
10 Now
­there was a fam­ine in the land, f
12:8 c Jos 7:2;
12:9; Ezr 2:28;
Ne 7:32;
Jer 49:3
d S Ge 4:26;
S 8:20
12:9 e Ge 13:1, ​
3; 20:1; 24:62;
Nu 13:17;
33:40; Dt 34:3;
Jos 10:40
12:10
f Ge 41:27, ​
an important town in the religious history of God’s ancient
­people (see, e.g., 28:10 – 22; 35:1 – 8; 1Ki 12:26 – 29).
12:9 Negev. The dry wasteland stretching southward from
Beersheba (see map No. 2 at the end of this study Bible). This
Hebrew word is translated “south” in 13:14.
12:10 went down to Egypt . . . because the famine was severe. Egypt’s food supply was usually plentiful because
the Nile’s water supply was normally dependable. Abram’s
experience in this episode foreshadows Israel’s later experience in Egypt, as the author of Genesis, writing after the exodus, was very much aware. The parallels are striking: a famine
in the land (here; 47:4); affliction at the hands of the Egyptians (vv. 12 – 15; Ex 1:11 – 14); God’s plagues on the Egyp-
r ❘ and ­Abram went down to ­Egypt to live
­there for a ­while be­cause the fam­ine was
se­vere. g 11 As he was ­about to en­ter ­Egypt,
he said to his wife Sa­rai, h “I know what
a beau­ti­ful wom­an i you are. 12 When the
Egyp­tians see you, they will say, ‘This is
57; 42:5; 43:1; 47:4, ​13; Ru 1:1; 2Sa 21:1; 2Ki 8:1; Ps 105:19
g Ge 41:30, ​54, ​56; 47:20; Ps 105:16 12:11 h S Ge 11:29 i ver 14;
Ge 24:16; 26:7; 29:17; 39:6
tians (v. 17; Ex 8 – 11); the Egyptians sending the ­people away
as a result (vv. 19 – 20; Ex 12:31 – 32); the Egyptians letting
them take with them all their possessions (v. 20; Ex 12:32); the
­people obtaining wealth from the Egyptians (v. 16; Ex 12:36);
return to Canaan by stages through the wilderness (13:1 – 3;
Exodus; Numbers; Deuteronomy; Joshua); arrival back in Canaan, where they worship the Lord (13:4; Jos 5:10; 8:30 – 35;
24:1 – 27). Abram was truly the “father” of Israel.
12:11 As he was about to enter Egypt. Having left
the promised land to find food in a time of famine (see Ru 1:1), but doing so without God’s guidance or consent (see 46:3 – 4; 2Ki 8:1), Abram showed that he needed to
learn that the God who had called him and made promises
c r Integrated Chronology of the Patriarchs
Abraham
AGE
75 To Canaan*
Birth of
100
Isaac*
140
age
40 Isaac’s marriage*
160
60
175 Abraham’s death*
75
100
137
151
157
168
180 Isaac’s death*
Note: The ages marked with (*) are expressly given.
31
Births of Esau and
Jacob*
AGE
15
40 Esau’s marriage*
77 Jacob to
Paddan Aram
91
97 Jacob’s return
to Canaan
108
120
121
Birth of
Joseph
age
6
130 Jacob to Egypt*
17 Joseph to Egypt*
29
30 Joseph enters
Pharaoh’s service*
39
147 Jacob’s death*
56
110 Joseph’s death*
116 ❘ E xo dus 1 3 : 1 4 14 “In
days to come, when your son x asks
you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him,
‘With a ­mighty hand the Lord ­brought us
out of ­Egypt, out of the land of slav­ery. y
15 When Phar­aoh stub­born­ly re­fused to let
us go, the Lord ­killed the first­born of both
peo­ple and an­i­mals in ­Egypt. This is why
I sac­ri­fice to the Lord the ­first male off­
spring of ev­ery womb and re­deem each of
my first­born sons.’ z 16 And it will be like a
sign on your hand and a sym­bol on your
fore­head a that the Lord ­brought us out of
­Egypt with his m
­ ighty hand.”
Crossing the Sea
17 When Phar­aoh let the peo­ple go, God
did not lead them on the road ­through the
Phi­lis­tine coun­try, ­though that was short­er.
For God said, “If they face war, they ­might
­change ­their ­minds and re­turn to ­Egypt.” b
18 So God led c the peo­ple ­around by the des­
ert road to­ward the Red Sea. a The Is­ra­el­ites
went up out of ­Egypt ­ready for bat­tle. d
19 Mo­ses took the b
­ ones of Jo­seph e with
him be­cause Jo­seph had made the Is­ra­
el­ites ­swear an oath. He had said, “God
will sure­ly come to your aid, and then you
must car­ry my ­bones up with you from
this place.” b f
20 Af­ter leav­ing Suk­koth g they ­camped at
­Etham on the edge of the des­ert. h 21 By day
the Lord went ­ahead i of them in a pil­lar of
­cloud j to ­guide them on ­their way and by
­night in a pil­lar of fire to give them ­light,
so that they ­could trav­el by day or ­night.
22 Nei­ther the pil­lar of ­cloud by day nor the
pil­lar of fire by ­night left k its ­place in ­front
of the peo­ple.
Then the Lord said to Mo­ses, 2 “Tell
the Is­ra­el­ites to turn back and en­
camp near Pi Ha­hi­roth, be­tween Mig­
dol l and the sea. They are to en­camp by
the sea, di­rect­ly op­po­site Baal Ze­phon. m
14
13:14 x S Ex 10:2
y Ex 20:2; Dt 7:8;
28:68
13:15 z S ver 2
13:16 a S ver 9
13:17 b Ex 14:11;
Nu 14:1-4;
Dt 17:16;
Hos 11:5
13:18
c Ex 15:22;
Ps 136:16;
Eze 20:10
d Jos 1:14; 4:13
13:19
e Jos 24:32;
Ac 7:16;
Heb 11:22
f S Ge 47:29‑30
13:20
g S Ex 12:37
h Nu 33:6
13:21 i Ex 32:1;
33:14; Dt 2:7;
31:8; Jdg 4:14;
5:4; Ps 68:7;
77:20; Jer 2:2;
Hab 3:13
j Ex 14:19, ​24;
24:16; 33:9-10;
34:5; 40:38;
Nu 9:16; 12:5;
14:14; Dt 1:33;
Ne 9:12, ​19;
Ps 78:14; 99:7;
105:39; Isa 4:5;
1Co 10:1
13:22 k Ne 9:19
14:2 l Nu 33:7;
Jer 44:1;
Eze 29:10
m ver 9
14:4 n S Ex 4:21
o ver 8, ​17, ​
23; Ps 71:11
p S Ex 9:16;
Ro 9:17, ​2223 q S Ex 6:2;
Eze 32:15
14:5
r S Ge 31:21
s Ps 105:25
14:7 t Ex 15:4
14:8
u S Ex 11:10
v Nu 33:3;
Ac 13:17
14:9 w Ge 47:17
x ver 6-7, ​
25; Jos 24:6;
Isa 43:17
13:14 See note on 12:26.
13:16 See note on v. 9.
13:17 road through the Philistine country. Although the most
direct route from Goshen to Canaan, it was heavily guarded
by a string of Egyptian fortresses.
13:18 desert road. Leading south along the west coast of
the Sinai peninsula. Red Sea. See NIV text note. Various locations of the crossing have been proposed along the line of
the modern Suez Canal and including the northern end of
the Gulf of Suez (see note on 14:2). ready for battle. Probably
armed only with spears, bows and slings.
13:19 See notes on Ge 50:24 – 25.
13:21 pillar of cloud . . . pillar of fire. The visible symbol of God’s
presence among his ­people (see 14:24; see also note on 3:2).
The Lord often spoke to them from the pillar (see Nu 12:5 – 6;
Dt 31:15 – 16; Ps 99:6 – 7).
14:2 turn back. Northward, in the general direction
from which they had come. Pi Hahiroth. Located “east
of Baal Zephon” (Nu 33:7). Migdol. Location unknown. The
name means “watchtower.” sea. The sea that the NIV, in accordance with established tradition, calls the Red Sea — ​in
c 3 Phar­aoh will ­think, ‘The Is­ra­el­ites are
wan­der­ing ­around the land in con­fu­sion,
­hemmed in by the des­ert.’ 4 And I will
hard­en Phar­aoh’s ­heart, n and he will pur­
sue them. o But I will gain glo­ry p for my­self
­through Phar­aoh and all his army, and the
Egyp­tians will know that I am the Lord.” q
So the Is­ra­el­ites did this.
5 When the king of ­Egypt was told that
the peo­ple had fled, r Phar­aoh and his of­fi­
cials ­changed ­their ­minds s ­about them and
said, “What have we done? We have let
the Is­ra­el­ites go and have lost ­their ser­
vic­es!” 6 So he had his char­io
­ t made ­ready
and took his army with him. 7 He took six
hun­dred of the best char­i­ots, t ­along with
all the oth­er char­i­ots of ­Egypt, with of­fi­
cers over all of them. 8 The Lord hard­ened
the ­heart u of Phar­aoh king of ­Egypt, so
that he pur­sued the Is­ra­el­ites, who were
march­ing out bold­ly. v 9 The Egyp­tians — ​all
Phar­aoh’s hors­es w and char­i­ots, horse­men c
and ­troops x — ​pur­sued the Is­ra­el­ites and
over­took y them as they ­camped by the sea
near Pi Ha­hi­roth, op­po­site Baal Ze­phon. z
10 As Phar­aoh ap­proached, the Is­ra­el­ites
­looked up, and ­there were the Egyp­tians,
march­ing af­ter them. They were ter­ri­fied
and ­cried a out to the Lord. 11 They said
to Mo­ses, “Was it be­cause ­there were no
­graves in ­Egypt that you ­brought us to the
des­ert to die? b What have you done to us
by bring­ing us out of ­Egypt? 12 Didn’t we
say to you in ­Egypt, ‘Leave us ­alone; let us
­serve the Egyp­tians’? It ­would have been
bet­ter for us to ­serve the Egyp­tians than to
die in the des­ert!” c
a 18 c 9 Or the Sea of Reeds b 19 See Gen. 50:25. Or charioteers; also in verses 17, 18, 23, 26 and 28 y Ex 15:9 z ver 2
14:10 a Ex 15:25; Jos 24:7; Ne 9:9; Ps 5:2; 34:17;
50:15; 107:6, ​28 14:11 b S Ex 5:21; 16:3; 17:3; Nu 11:1; 14:22;
20:4; 21:5; Dt 9:7 14:12 c S Ex 5:21; 15:24; 17:2; Ps 106:7‑8
Hebrew Yam Suph, i.e., Sea of Reeds (see 13:18 and NIV text
note). Reference can hardly be to the northern end of the
Gulf of Suez since reeds do not grow in salt water. Moreover, an Egyptian papyrus seems to locate Baal Zephon in
the vicinity of Tahpanhes (see note on Jer 2:16), a site near
Lake Menzaleh about 20 miles east of Rameses. The crossing of the “Red Sea” thus may have occurred at the southern
end of Lake Menzaleh (see map, p. XXXX; but see note on
13:18). However, more recent investigation points toward
Lake Balah (see map, p. XXXX). Baal Zephon. Means “Baal of
the north” or “Baal of North (Mountain)” — ​also the name of
a Canaanite god.
14:4 harden. See v. 8 and note on 4:21. know that I am the
Lord. See note on 6:3.
14:7 chariots. Introduced into Egypt from Canaan, they
brought about a revolutionary change in the art of warfare.
Where the terrain was open and relatively flat, as much of
Egypt was, they were especially effective. officers. The Hebrew for the singular of this word means “third man,” perhaps
referring to his place in a chariot crew.
14:8 hardened. See v. 4 and note.
map_02_14_exodus
Exo d us 14:12 ~ 75%
❘ 117
The Exodus
AM
40 km.
40 miles
● The Israelite tribes fled past the
➊
Egyptian system of border posts,
through the Red Sea and into the
desert, where they avoided the main
military and trade routes leading
across northern Sinai. Their route
possibly took them past the remote
turquoise and copper mining regions
northwest of Mt. Sinai.
● Exact crossing place through the
➋
Biblical “Yam Suph” is unknown.
● It was necessary for Moses to take
➌
refuge in Midian where the Egyp­tian
authorities could not reach him. The
decades spent on “the far side of the
desert” were an important formative
part of his life.
Desert
o f Pa ra n
SINAI
O
Ezion Geber
of Aq
aba
Desert of
Sinai
Desert
o f S i n Hazeroth
Elim
M
of Zin
Kadesh Punon
(Barnea)
Marah
z
ue
f S
lf o
0
●
➋
Jebel
Sin Bisher
(alternative
location of
Mt. Sinai)
Gu
0
Migdol?
EGYPT
Beersheba
ES
T
D
e
s
ert
I
MI
DIAN ➌
●
Gulf
Memphis
le R.
●
➊
Mt.
Salt Nebo
Hebron Sea
ED
Et h a m / D e s e r t
of Shur
Pithom
Great Bitter
Sukkoth
Lake
On
SHASU Little Bitter
NOMADS Lake
L a k e Ti m s a h
Giza
Heshbon
IST
IL
Sile
Migdol?
Rameses
Rabbah
Jericho
PH
Zoan
EK
G O S H E N
Gaza
Lake
Me n z a l e h
AL
Se a o f
Re e d s ?
Ashdod
IA
n
nea
Me diterra
CAN
a
Se
Sea of
Kinnereth
Jo rd a n R .
Alternative route
AAN
Probable Israelite route
AMMON
The exodus and conquest narratives form the classic historical and spiritual drama of OT times. Subsequent ages
looked back to this period as one of obedient and victorious living under divine guidance. Close examination
of the environment and ­circumstances also reveals the strenuous exertions, human sin and bloody conflicts of
the era.
Ni
gypt
Jebel
al-Lawz
Jebel Musa
(alternative
(traditional
location of
location
Mt. Sinai)
of Mt. Sinai)
Re d Se a
terms, the exodus from Egypt was ignored by Egyptian scribes
ab Inandhistorical
recorders. No definitive monuments mention the event itself, but a
stele of Pharaoh Merneptah (c. 1205 bc) claims that a people called Israel were
encountered by Egyptian troops somewhere in northern Canaan.
Finding precise geographical and chronological details of the period is problematic, but new information has emerged from vast amounts of fragmentary archaeological and inscriptional evidence. Hittite cuneiform documents parallel the
ancient covenant formula governing Israel’s “national contract” with God at Mount
Sinai.
The Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 bc) was a time of major social migrations. Egyptian control over the Sem­ites in the eastern Nile delta was harsh, with a system
of brickmaking quotas imposed on the labor force, often the landless, low-class
“Apiru.” Numerous Canaanite towns were violently destroyed. New populations,
including the “Sea Peoples,” made their presence felt in Anatolia, Egypt, Canaan,
Transjordan, and elsewhere in the eastern Mediterranean.
Correspondence from Canaanite town rulers to the Egyptian court (the Amarna
letters; see chart, p. 0000) in the time of Akhenaten (c. 1375 bc) reveals a weak
structure of alliances, with an intermittent Egyptian military presence and an ominous fear of people called “Apiru” (= “Habiru”).
134 ❘ E xo dus 2 5 : 1 3 ­rings x
on one side and two ­rings on the
oth­er. 13 Then make ­poles of aca­cia wood
and over­lay them with gold. y 14 In­sert the
­poles z into the ­rings on the ­sides of the
ark to car­ry it. 15 The ­poles are to re­main
in the ­rings of this ark; they are not to be
re­moved. a 16 Then put in the ark the tab­
lets of the cov­enant law, b ­which I will give
you.
17 “Make an atone­ment cov­er c of pure
gold — ​two and a half cu­bits long and a cu­
bit and a half wide. 18 And make two cher­
u­bim d out of ham­mered gold at the ends
25:12 x ver 26;
of the cov­er. 19 Make one cher­ub on one
Ex 30:4
end and the sec­ond cher­ub on the oth­er;
y
25:13 ver 28;
Ex 27:6; 30:5;
make the cher­u­bim of one ­piece with the
37:28
cov­er, at the two ends. 20 The cher­u­bim e
25:14
z Ex 27:7; 40:20;
are to have ­their ­wings ­spread up­ward,
1Ch 15:15
over­shad­ow­ing f the cov­er with them. The
25:15 a 1Ki 8:8
cher­u­bim are to face each oth­er, look­ing
25:16
b S Ex 16:34;
to­ward the cov­er. 21 Place the cov­er on top
Heb 9:4
of the ark g and put in the ark the tab­lets
c
25:17 ver 21;
of the cov­enant law h that I will give you.
Lev 16:13;
Ro 3:25
25:18 d Ex 26:1, ​ 8:6; 2Ch 3:10-13; Heb 9:5 25:20 e S Ge 3:24 f Ex 37:9; 1Ki 8:7;
31; 36:35;
1Ch 28:18; Heb 9:5 25:21 g ver 10-15; Ex 26:34; 40:20; Dt 10:5
h S Ex 16:34; Heb 9:4
1Ki 6:23, ​27;
25:16 covenant law. The two tablets on which were inscribed
the Ten Commandments as the basic stipulations of the Sinai
covenant (see 20:1 – 17; 31:18). The Hebrew word for “covenant law” is related to a Babylonian word meaning “covenant
stipulations.” See also notes on v. 22; 16:34.
25:17 atonement. Reconciliation, the divine act of
grace whereby God draws to himself and makes “at
one” with him those who were once alienated from him. In
the OT, the shed blood of sacrificial offerings effected atonement (see Lev 17:11 and note); in the NT, the blood of ­Jesus,
shed once for all time (see Heb 9:12), does the same (see Ro
3:25; 1Jn 2:2 and notes). atonement cover. See Lev 16:2 and
note. That God’s symbolic throne was capped with an atonement cover signified his great mercy toward his ­people — ​
n only such a God can be revered (see Ps 130:3 – 4).
25:18 cherubim. Probably similar to the carvings of
winged sphinxes that adorned the armrests of royal
thrones (see note on v. 10) in many parts of the ancient Near
East (see also note on Ge 3:24). In the OT the cherubim were
symbolic attendants that marked the place of the Lord’s “enthronement” in his earthly kingdom (see 1Sa 4:4; 2Sa 6:2;
2Ki 19:15; Ps 99:1). From the cover of the ark (God’s symbolic throne) the Lord gave directions to Moses (see v. 22;
Nu 7:89). Later the ark’s presence in the temple at Jerusalem
would designate it as God’s earthly royal city (see Ps 9:11
and note).
25:21 put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law. See note
on 31:18, but see also Dt 31:26.
c The Tabernacle
The new religious observances taught by Moses in the desert centered on rituals connected with the tabernacle
and amplified Israel’s sense of separateness, purity and oneness under the ­lordship of Yahweh.
© 2011 by Zondervan. All rights reserved.
desert shrines have been found in Sinai, notably
ab Aatfew
Serabit el-Khadem and at Timnah in the Negev, and
show marked Egyptian influence.
Specific cultural antecedents to portable shrines carried on
poles and covered with thin sheets of gold can be found in
ancient Egypt as early as the Old Kingdom (2800 – 2250 bc),
but were especially prominent in the 18th and 19th dynasties (1570 – 1180). The best examples come from the fabulous
tomb of Tutankhamun, c. 1350 bc.
Comparisons of construction details in the text of Ex 25 – 40
with the frames, shrines, poles, sheathing, draped fabric covers, gilt rosettes and winged protective figures from the shrine
of Tutankhamun are instructive. The period, the Late Bronze
Age, is equivalent in all dating systems to the era of Moses
and the exodus.
Exo d us 25:31 22 There,
­above the cov­er be­tween the two
cher­u­bim i that are over the ark of the cov­
enant law, I will meet j with you and give
you all my com­mands for the Is­ra­el­ites. k
The Table
25:23-29pp —​Ex 37:10-16
23 “Make
a ta­ble l of aca­cia wood — ​two
cu­bits long, a cu­bit wide and a cu­bit and
a half high. a 24 Over­lay it with pure gold
and make a gold mold­ing ­around it. 25 Also
make ­around it a rim a hand­breadth b wide
and put a gold mold­ing on the rim. 26 Make
four gold ­rings for the ta­ble and fas­ten
them to the four cor­ners, ­where the four
legs are. 27 The ­rings are to be ­close to the
rim to hold the ­poles used in car­ry­ing the
ta­ble. 28 Make the ­poles of aca­cia wood,
25:22 i Nu 7:89;
1Sa 4:4;
2Sa 6:2; 22:11;
2Ki 19:15;
1Ch 13:6; 28:18;
Ps 18:10; 80:1;
99:1; Isa 37:16
j S Ex 19:3;
29:42; 30:6, ​
36; Lev 1:1;
16:2; Nu 17:4
k Jer 3:16
25:23 l ver 30;
Ex 26:35; 40:4, ​
22; Lev 24:6;
Nu 3:31;
1Ki 7:48;
1Ch 28:16;
2Ch 4:8, ​19;
Eze 41:22;
44:16; Heb 9:2
25:28
m S ver 13
25:29 n Nu 4:7
25:30
25:22 ark of the covenant law. Called this because it contained the two “tablets of the covenant law” (v. 16; see note
there). The phrase “ark of the covenant law” is a synonym of
the more familiar phrase “ark of the covenant” (see, e.g., Nu
10:33). I will meet with you. See note on 27:21.
25:26 rings. See note on v. 12.
25:30 bread of the Presence. Traditionally “showbread.”
In this phrase, “Presence” refers to the presence of God
n ❘ 135
gold m
over­lay them with
and car­ry the ta­
ble with them. 29 And make its ­plates and
dish­es of pure gold, as well as its pitch­
ers and ­bowls for the pour­ing out of of­
fer­ings. n 30 Put the ­bread of the Pres­ence o
on this ta­ble to be be­fore me at all times.
The Lampstand
25:31-39pp —​Ex 37:17-24
31 “Make a lamp­s tand p of pure gold.
Ham­mer out its base and ­shaft, and make
a 23 That is, about 3 feet long, 1 1/2 feet wide and 2 1/4
feet high or about 90 centimeters long, 45 centimeters
wide and 68 centimeters high b 25 That is, about
3 inches or about 7.5 centimeters o Ex 35:13; 39:36; 40:4, ​23; Lev 24:5-9; Nu 4:7; 1Sa 21:4-6;
1Ki 7:48; 1Ch 23:29 25:31 p Ex 26:35; 31:8; 35:14; 39:37; 40:4, ​24;
Lev 24:4; Nu 3:31; 1Ki 7:49; 2Ch 4:7; Zec 4:2; Heb 9:2; Rev 1:12
himself (as in 33:14 – 15; Isa 63:9). The bread (12 loaves, one
for each tribe) represented a perpetual offering to the Lord
by which the Israelites declared that they consecrated to God
the fruits of their labors and by which the nation at the same
time acknowledged that all such fruit had been provided
only by God’s blessing. See Lev 24:5 – 9.
25:31 flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms. The design is patterned after an almond tree (see v. 33), the first of the trees
Tabernacle Furnishings
The symbolism of God’s redemptive ­covenant was preserved in the tabernacle, making each element an object
lesson for the worshiper. Likely reconstructions of the furnishings are based on the detailed descriptions and
precise measurements recorded in Exodus 25–40. (The bronze basin is not shown here.)
● ARK OF THE COVENANT
➊
ark of the covenant (or Testimony) compares
ab The
with the roughly contemporary shrine and funerary
furniture of King Tutankha­mun (c. 1350 bc), which, along
with the Nimrud and Samaria ivories from a later
period, have been used to guide the graphic
interpretation of the text. Both sources show
the conventional way of depicting extreme reverence,
with facing winged guardians shielding a sacred place.
● INCENSE ALTAR
➋
●
➊
● LAMPSTAND
➌
The traditional form of the lampstand is not attested
archaeologically until much later.
●
➋
● TABLE
➍
●
➌
The table holding the bread of the Presence was made of
wood covered with thin sheets of gold. All of the objects
were portable and were fitted with rings and carrying poles,
practices typical of Egyp­tian ritual processions as early as
the Old Kingdom.
● BRONZE ALTAR
➎
ab
The altar of burnt offering was made of
wood overlaid with bronze. The size, five cubits
square and three cubits high, matches altars found at Arad
and Beersheba from the period of the monarchy.
●
➍
●
➎
© 2011 by Zondervan. All rights reserved.
136 ❘ E xo dus 2 5 : 3 2 its flow­er­like cups, buds and blos­soms of
one ­piece with them. 32 Six branch­es are to
ex­tend from the ­sides of the lamp­stand — ​
t­hree on one side and ­three on the oth­er.
33 Three cups ­shaped like al­mond flow­ers
with buds and blos­soms are to be on one
­branch, ­three on the next ­branch, and the
same for all six branch­es ex­tend­ing from
the lamp­stand. 34 And on the lamp­stand
­there are to be four cups ­shaped like al­
mond flow­ers with buds and blos­soms.
35 One bud ­shall be un­der the ­first pair of
branch­es ex­tend­ing from the lamp­stand,
a sec­ond bud un­der the sec­ond pair, and
a ­third bud un­der the ­third pair — ​six
branch­es in all. 36 The buds and branch­es
­shall all be of one ­piece with the lamp­
stand, ham­mered out of pure gold. q
37 “Then make its sev­en ­lamps r and set
them up on it so that they ­light the ­space
in ­front of it. 38 Its wick trim­mers and ­trays s
are to be of pure gold. 39 A tal­ent a of pure
gold is to be used for the lamp­stand and
all ­these ac­ces­so­ries. 40 See that you make
them ac­cord­ing to the pat­tern t ­shown you
on the moun­tain.
25:36 q ver 18;
Nu 8:4
25:37
r Ex 27:21; 30:8;
Lev 24:3-4;
Nu 8:2; 1Sa 3:3;
2Ch 13:11
25:38 s S ver 37;
Nu 4:9
25:40 t S ver 9;
Ac 7:44;
Heb 8:5*
26:1 u Ex 29:42;
40:2; Lev 8:10;
Nu 1:50;
Jos 22:19, ​
29; 2Sa 7:2;
1Ki 1:39;
Ac 7:44;
Heb 8:2, ​
5; 13:10;
S Rev 21:3
v S Ex 25:18
26:2 w ver 8
The Tabernacle
26:1-37pp —​Ex 36:8-38
“Make the tab­er­na­cle with ten
26
cur­tains of fine­ly twist­ed lin­en
and blue, pur­ple and scar­let yarn, with
u
cher­u­bim v wo­ven into them by a ­skilled
­worker. 2 All the cur­tains are to be the
same size w — ​twen­ty-­eight cu­bits long and
four cu­bits wide. b 3 Join five of the cur­
tains to­geth­er, and do the same with the
oth­er five. 4 Make ­loops of blue ma­teri­al
­along the edge of the end cur­tain in one
set, and do the same with the end cur­tain
a 39 n n That is, about 75 pounds or about 34 kilograms is, about 42 feet long and 6 feet wide or about
13 meters long and 1.8 meters wide c 8 That is, about
45 feet long and 6 feet wide or about 13.5 meters long
and 1.8 meters wide d 13 That is, about 18 inches or
about 45 centimeters e 14 Possibly the hides of large
aquatic mammals (see 25:5) f 16 That is, about 15
feet long and 2 1/4 feet wide or about 4.5 meters long
and 68 centimeters wide b 2 That
26:6 x ver 11
26:8 y ver 2
26:11 z ver 6
26:14 a Nu 3:25
b Nu 4:25
in the Near East to blossom in spring. The cups of the lampstand resemble either the outer covering of the almond
flower or the almond nut.
25:37 seven. Signifying completeness. lamps.
The ancient lamp was a small clay saucer with
part of its rim pinched together to form a spout from which
protruded the top of a wick fed by oil contained in the saucer.
(Examples of seven-spouted lamps come from the time of
Moses; see note on Zec 4:2.) The classic representation of the
shape of the tabernacle lampstand (menorah) comes from
the time of Herod the Great and may be seen on the Arch of
Titus in Rome. The lamps were to burn all night in the tabernacle, tended by the priests. Oil for the lamps was to be
supplied by the ­people; the light from the lamps represented
the glory of the Lord reflected in the consecrated lives of the
Israelites — ​Israel’s glory answering to God’s glory in the tabernacle (29:43). See 27:20 – 21.
25:40 Quoted in Heb 8:5 in order to contrast the “shadow” (the trappings of the old covenant) with the reality
(the Christ of the new covenant). See also Heb 10:1.
26:1 tabernacle. See note on 25:9; see also diagram,
p. XXXX. Its basic structure was to be 15 feet wide by
45 feet long by 15 feet high. Over an inner lining of embroidered linen (vv. 1 – 6), it was to have a covering woven of
c n in the oth­er set. 5 Make fif­ty ­loops on one
cur­tain and fif­ty ­loops on the end cur­tain
of the oth­er set, with the ­loops op­po­site
each oth­er. 6 Then make fif­ty gold ­clasps
and use them to fas­ten the cur­tains to­geth­
er so that the tab­er­na­cle is a unit. x
7 “Make cur­tains of goat hair for the tent
over the tab­er­na­cle — ​elev­en al­to­geth­er.
8 All elev­en cur­tains are to be the same
size y — ​thir­ty cu­bits long and four cu­bits
wide. c 9 Join five of the cur­tains to­geth­er
into one set and the oth­er six into an­oth­er
set. Fold the ­sixth cur­tain dou­ble at the
­front of the tent. 10 Make fif­ty ­loops ­along
the edge of the end cur­tain in one set and
also ­along the edge of the end cur­tain in
the oth­er set. 11 Then make fif­ty ­bronze
­clasps and put them in the ­loops to fas­
ten the tent to­geth­er as a unit. z 12 As for
the ad­di­tion­al ­length of the tent cur­tains,
the half cur­tain that is left over is to hang
down at the rear of the tab­er­na­cle. 13 The
tent cur­tains will be a cu­bit d lon­ger on
both ­sides; what is left will hang over
the ­sides of the tab­er­na­cle so as to cov­er
it. 14 Make for the tent a cov­er­ing a of ram
­skins dyed red, and over that a cov­er­ing of
the oth­er du­ra­ble leath­er. e b
15 “Make up­right ­frames of aca­cia wood
for the tab­er­na­cle. 16 Each ­frame is to be
ten cu­bits long and a cu­bit and a half
wide, f 17 with two pro­jec­tions set par­al­
lel to each oth­er. Make all the ­frames of
goat hair (vv. 7 – 13) and two additional coverings of leather,
one made from ram skins dyed red and one from “another
. . . durable leather” (25:5; see NIV text note there; cf. 26:14).
Internally, the ceiling was probably flat, but whether the
leather coverings had a ridge line with sloping sides (like a
tent) is not known. The tabernacle represented God’s royal
tent. Its form and adornment (like those of the later temples
that replaced it) marked it as a symbolic representation of
the created cosmos over which God is sovereign as Creator
and Lord. As such, it stood for the center of the cosmos
from which the Creator reigns, the place where the heavenly and earthly realms converge. There God “lived” among
his ­people (Immanuel, “God with us”), and his ­people could
come near to him. At this sanctuary Israel lived symbolically
at the gate of Paradise — ​very near though still outside,
awaiting the fulfillment of God’s redemptive program (see
vv. 31 – 35; Ge 3:24 and notes; see also Rev 21:1 — ​22:6 and
notes). finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn.
See note on 25:4. cherubim. Signifying a royal chamber (see
25:18 and note).
26:7 goat hair. See note on 25:4.
26:14 ram skins dyed red . . . other durable leather. See note
on 25:5.
26:17 projections. Lit. “hands”; probably the two pegs at the
the New
testament
The Gospels
and the
Early CHurch
1582
1646
1754
1818
Matthew
John
T
Mark
1693
Luke
Acts
he first four books of the NT are known as the Gospels,
from the Greek word for “good news.” The good news
is that ­Jesus Christ and his redemptive work on the
cross fulfill Messianic promises in the OT (see note on
Lk 24:44). Matthew, Mark and Luke are often called the Synoptic
Gospels, because they are written from a similar viewpoint (see
essay, p. 0000). These texts are historical narratives, relating the
story of the life and ministry of Christ. The Gospel of John differs
in emphasis from the Synoptics. With a more theological tone,
John is concerned more with examining the special significance
and meaning behind ­Jesus’ words, works and identity. The book
of Acts is a companion piece to Luke, picking up where the Gospel narrative ends and telling the story of the early church and
the work of the Holy Spirit through the apostles, especially Peter
and Paul.
The Synoptic Gospels
Four Portraits of the One Jesus
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
The Gospel of the Messiah
The Gospel of the suffering
Son of God
The Gospel of the Savior
for all ­people
The Gospel of the divine Son who
reveals the Father
Most structured
Most dramatic
Most thematic
Most theological
Photo Credits (l to r):The Supper at Emmaus, Champaigne, Philippe de/Musee des Beaux-Arts, Angers, France/Giraudon/The Bridgeman Art Library, Scala/Art Resource, NY,
Scala/Art Resource, NY, Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY
Taken from Four Portraits, One Jesus by MARK L. STRAUSS. Copyright © 2007 by Mark L. Strauss, p. 24. Used by permission of Zondervan.
A comparison of the four Gospels reveals that Matthew, Mark and Luke are noticeably similar, while
John is quite different. The first three Gospels agree extensively in language, in the material they
include, and in the order in which events and sayings from the life of Christ are recorded. (Chronological order does not appear to have been rigidly followed in any of the Gospels, however.) Because of this agreement, these three books are called the Synoptic Gospels (syn, “together with”;
optic, “seeing”; thus “seeing together”). For an example of agreement in content, see Mt 9:2 – 8; Mk
2:3 – 12; Lk 5:18 – 26. An instance of verbatim agreement is found in Mt 10:22a; Mk 13:13a; Lk 12:17.
A mathematical comparison shows that 91 percent of Mark’s Gospel is contained in Matthew, while
53 percent of Mark is found in Luke. Such agreement raises questions as to the origin of the Synoptic Gospels. Did the authors rely on a common source? Were they interdependent? Questions such
The Synoptics and John
Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke)
Gospel of John
1. Emphasize the Galilean setting of the first part of Jesus’ ministry
1. Considerable movement between Galilee and Judea
2. Little information given to determine the length of Jesus’ ministry;
material could fit into a single year
2. Mentions at least three different Passover festivals (2:13; 6:4; 13:1),
and so a ministry of 2 ½ to 3 ½ years
3. Jesus teaches mostly in parables, short sayings and epigrams
3. Relates long speeches by Jesus, dialogues with his opponents and
interviews with individuals
4. Teaching focuses on the kingdom of God; healings and exorcisms
demonstrate the power of the kingdom and the dawn of
eschatological salvation
4. Teaching focuses on Jesus himself and the Son’s revelation of the
Father. Signs or miracles reveal Jesus’ identity and glorify the Father;
no exorcisms
Taken from Four Portraits, One Jesus by MARK L. STRAUSS. Copyright © 2007 by Mark L. Strauss, p. 25. Used by permission of Zondervan.
The Synoptic Gospels ❘ 1581
as these constitute what is known as the Synoptic Problem. Many solutions have been proposed,
of which these are the most important:
1. Complete independence. Some hold
that the Synoptic writers worked independently of each other, perhaps using
various written or oral sources. According
to this view, the similar — ​sometimes even
verbatim — ​choice and order of words
and events are best explained by the infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit on the
authors.
Two-source theory
2. The use of an early Gospel. Some have
postulated that the Synoptic authors all
had access to an earlier Gospel, now lost.
3. The use of two major sources. The
most common view currently is that the
Gospel of Mark and a hypothetical document, called Quelle (German for “source”)
or Q, were used by Matthew and Luke as
sources for most of the materials included
in their Gospels.
mark
Q
matthew
Luke
Matthean Priority
4. The priority and use of Matthew. Another view suggests that the other two
Synoptics drew from Matthew as their
main source.
5. A combination of the above. This theory assumes that the authors of the Synoptic Gospels made use of oral tradition,
written fragments, mutual dependence on
other Synoptic writers or on their Gospels,
and the testimony of eyewitnesses.
Matthew
Luke
mark
Dating the Synoptic Gospels
mark
matthew
luke
Assumption A— Matthew and Luke used Mark as a major source
View No. 1 Mark written in the 50s or early 60s AD
(1) Matthew written in late 50s or the 60s
(2) Luke written 59–63
View No. 2 Mark written 65–70
(1) Matthew written in the 70s or later
(2) Luke written in the 70s or later
matthew
mark
luke
Assumption B— Matthew and Luke did not use Mark as a
source; any of the three could have been written from the 50s onward
(see Introductions to Matthew, Mark and Luke)
Matthew
Introduction
Author
Although the first Gospel is anonymous, the early church fathers were unanimous in holding
that Matthew, one of the 12 apostles, was its author. However, the results of modern critical
studies — ​in particular those that stress Matthew’s alleged dependence on Mark for a substantial part of his Gospel — ​have caused some Biblical scholars to abandon Matthean authorship.
Why, they ask, would Matthew, an eyewitness to the events of our Lord’s life, depend so heavily
on Mark’s account? The best answer seems to be that Mark’s Gospel represents the testimony of
Peter (see Introduction to Mark: Author), and Matthew would certainly be willing to follow Peter’s
apostolic authority.
Matthew, whose name means “gift of the Lord,” was a tax collector who left his work to follow
­Jesus (9:9 – 13). In Mark and Luke he is called by his other name, Levi; in Mk 2:14 he is further identified as “son of Alphaeus.”
r Date and Place of Writing
Some have argued on the basis of its Jewish characteristics that
Matthew’s Gospel was written in the early church period, possibly the early part of AD 50, when the church was largely Jewish
and the gospel was preached to Jews only (Ac 11:19). However,
those who have concluded that both Matthew and Luke drew
extensively from Mark’s Gospel date it later — ​after the Gospel
of Mark had been in circulation for a period of time. See essay
and chart, p. XXXX. Accordingly, some feel that Matthew would
have been written in the late 50s or in the 60s. Others, who assume that Mark was written between 65 and 70, place Matthew
in the 70s or even later. However, there is insufficient evidence
to be dogmatic about either view.
The Jewish nature of Matthew’s Gospel may suggest that it
was written in the Holy Land, though many think it may have
originated in Syrian Antioch. The church in Antioch had a large
Greek-speaking Jewish population and was at the forefront
of the mission to the Gentiles, a theme Matthew emphasizes
(e.g., 28:18 – 20).
a quick look
Author:
Matthew, also called Levi
Audience:
Greek-speaking Jewish
Christians
Date:
Between AD 50 and 70
Theme:
Matthew presents Jesus as the
Jewish Messiah sent by God to
fulfill Old Testament prophecy.
Introduction: Mat thew ❘ 1583
Recipients
Many elements in Matthew’s Gospel point to a Jewish or Jewish-Chris­tian readership: Matthew’s
concern with fulfillment of the OT (he has more quotations from and allusions to the OT than any
other NT author); his tracing of ­Jesus’ descent from Abraham (1:1 – 17); his lack of explanation of
Jewish customs (especially in contrast to Mark); his use of Jewish terminology (e.g., “kingdom of
heaven,” where “heaven” reveals the Jewish reverential reluctance to use the name of God; see note
on 3:2); and his emphasis on ­Jesus’ role as “Son of David” (1:1; 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30 – 31; 21:9,15;
22:41 – 45). This does not mean, however, that Matthew restricts his Gospel to Jews. He records the
coming of the Magi (non-Jews) to worship the infant ­Jesus (2:1 – 12), as well as ­Jesus’ statement that
the “field is the world” (13:38). He also gives a full statement of the Great Commission (28:18 – 20).
These passages show that, although Matthew’s Gospel is Jewish, it has a universal outlook.
Purpose
Matthew’s main purpose is to confirm for his Jewish-Chris­tian readers that ­Jesus is their Messiah.
He does this primarily by showing how ­Jesus in his life and ministry fulfilled the OT Scriptures.
Although all the Gospel writers quote the OT, Matthew includes many proof texts unique to his
Aerial view of Capernaum, along the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. Matthew was a tax collector in
Capernaum, and was met there and called by ­Jesus (Mt 9:9).
© Duby Tal/Albatross/age fotostock
House of Herod
(22.5% for 2”)
Damascus
IT
IDUMEA
Med
T
BA
Jo rd a n R .
A
ran
iter
Jo rd a n R .

Archelaus
Jerusalem
20 km.
20 miles
JUDEA
Dead
I D U M E A Sea
Herod the Great

Herod
Antipas
0
20 km.
0
Herod Philip
Herod Antipas
Archelaus
2nd Generation
1st Generation
 Herod Philip II (MOTHER: CLEOPATRA) Tetrach of Iturea
and Traconitis (4 bc–ad 34) (Lk 3:1)
 Archelaus (MOTHER: MALTHACE) Ethnarch of Judea,
Idumea and Samaria (4 bc–ad 6); when Mary and Joseph
left Egypt, they avoided Judea and settled in Nazareth
(Mt 2:19-23)

Herod the Great King of Judea, ­
Galilee, Iturea, Traconitis (37– 4 bc)
Aristobulus (MOTHER: MARIAMNE) (d. 10 bc) Not mentioned
in the Bible
Birth of Jesus (Mt 2:1-19; Lk 1:5)
KEY:


 Herod Antipas (MOTHER: MALTHACE) Tetrarch of Galilee
and Perea (4 bc–ad 39) (Lk 3:1); second husband of
Herodias; he put John the Baptist to death (Mt 14:1-12;
Mk 6:14 -29); Pilate sent Jesus to him (Lk 23:7-12)
King
Ethnarch/Tetrarch
Herod Philip I (MOTHER: MARIAMNE) He did not rule; first
BERNICE italic capi­­­­­tals denote females
Antipaterbold type: bloodline of Herod the Great
Felix light type: non-bloodline
Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son
18 This is how the ­birth of ­Jesus the Mes­
si­ah came ­about a: His moth­er Mary was
­pledged to be mar­ried to Jo­seph, but be­
husband of Herodias (Mt 14:3; Mk 6:17) (died c. ad 34)
Antipater (MOTHER: DORIS)
fore they came to­geth­er, she was ­found to
be preg­nant ­through the Holy Spir­it. p 19 Be­
cause Jo­seph her hus­band was faith­ful to
1:18 p Lk 1:35
1:18 pledged to be married. There were no sexual relations
during a Jewish betrothal period, but it was a much more
binding relationship than a modern engagement and could
be broken only by divorce (see v. 19). In Dt 22:24 a betrothed
woman is called a “wife,” though the preceding verse speaks
of her as being “pledged to be married.” Matthew uses the
terms “husband” (v. 19) and “wife” (v. 24) of Joseph and Mary
a 18 20 miles
EA
0
JUDEA
Dead
Sea
G
TA
BA
LIS
0
SAMARIA

Herod
Philip II
PER
PO
EA
Jerusalem
T
G AU L A N I T I S E A
N
A
EE
Sea of
IL
L
Galilee
AU R A N I T I S
TIS
E
A
PER

Herod
the Great
Damascus
NI
TIS
AU R A N I T I S
C
SAMARIA
D
EA
O
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NI
U
GA
Sea of
Galilee
GALILEE
TR
A
EA
R
AC
IT
LAN IS
U
R
nean
EA
O
erra
R
(~22.5% for 2”)
C
dit
U
map_41_02_houseofherod2
#1 Palestine (Old Galilee)
Sea
IT
Sea
map_41_02_houseofherod1
Me
#1 Palestine (Old Galilee)
M at t h e w 1 : 1 8 ean
❘ 1588 Or The origin of Jesus the Messiah was like this before their marriage was consummated (see note on Joel
1:8). the Holy Spirit. The common NT way of referring to the
divine Spirit, who in the OT was almost always called “the
Spirit of God” or “the Spirit of the Lord.” See Ps 51:11 and
note. Chris­tian reflection on the Biblical word about him (see
3:16 – 17; 28:19; 2Co 13:14 and notes) led to the understanding that he is one of the three persons of the Trinity.
❘ M atthew 1:20 #1 Palestine (Old Galilee)
A
I
L
A
Me
dit
err
ane
an
Jo rd a n R .
SAMARIA
Controlled
by Roman
procurators
PE
Dead
I D U M E A Sea
A
JUDEA
RE
us
Jerusalem
IAS
TIS
Antipas

Herod
Agrippa I
T
ER
NI
Philip
GA
O
20 miles
SAMARIA
TRACONITIS
Sea of
Galilee
EE
0
Jerusalem
20 km.
0
20 miles
IDUMEA
T
A
A
A
NE CONI
TI
A
S
TR

Herod
Agrippa II
0
ABILA
0
Dead
Sea
3rd Generation
4th Generation
Herod of Chalcis
Felix (Governor of Judea)
 Herod Agrippa I King of Judea (ad 37– 44); killed
IL
Sea of A U R A N I T I S
Galilee
JUDEA
Herod Agrippa I
B
Damascus
Sea
Damascus
IB
AC
20 km.
Me
dit
err
an
ean
R
ITIS
IL
(22.5% for 2”)
A
A
B
Sea
scus
map_41_02_houseofherod4
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AL
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C
IS
Jo rd a n R .
(22.5% for 2”)
L
map_41_02_houseofherod3
#1 Palestine (Old Galilee)
1589
20 km.
20 miles
Controlled by Roman
procurators
Herod Agrippa II
DRUSILLA
Married Felix, governor of Judea (ad 52–59);
Felix tried Paul (Ac 24:24)
James; put Peter into prison; struck down by an angel
(Ac 12:1-24)
HERODIAS Married her uncle Herod Philip I, and then
a second uncle, Herod Antipas (Mt 14:3; Mk 6:17)
 Herod Agrippa II
King of Judea; Paul makes a legal defense before him
(Ac 25:13–26:32)
Denotes Herodias’s marriage to Herod Antipas
BERNICE
With her brother at the time of Paul’s defense
(Ac 25:13)
Denotes Herodias’s marriage to Herod Philip I and daughter of that marriage
SALOME
Daughter of Herodias and Herod Philip I; danced for
the head of John the Baptist (Mt 14:1-12; Mk 6:14-29)
the law, and yet a did not want to ex­pose
her to pub­lic dis­grace, he had in mind to
di­vorce q her qui­et­ly.
20 But af­ter he had con­sid­ered this, an
1:19 q Dt 24:1
1:20 r S Ac 5:19
s S Mt 27:19
1:19 divorce her quietly. He would sign the necessary legal
papers but not have her judged publicly and stoned (see Dt
22:23 – 24).
1:20 in a dream. The phrase occurs five times in the first two
chapters of Matthew (here; 2:12 – 13,19,22) and indicates the
means the Lord used for speaking to Joseph. Joseph son of
David. See notes on 1:1,16; perhaps a hint that the message
an­gel r of the Lord ap­peared to him in a
­dream s and said, “Jo­seph son of ­Da­vid, do
not be ­afraid to take Mary home as your
a 19 Or was
a righteous man and of the angel related to the expected Messiah. take Mary home
as your wife. They were legally bound to each other but not
yet living together as husband and wife. what is conceived in
her is from the Holy Spirit. This agrees perfectly with the announcement to Mary (Lk 1:35), except that the latter is more
specific (see note on Lk 1:26 – 35).
1594 ❘ M at t h e w 4 : 4 Herod’s Temple
20 bc–ad 70
Begun in 20 bc, Herod’s new structure towered 15 stories high, following the floor
dimensions of the former temples in the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. The
high sanctuary shown here in a cutaway view was built on the site of the former
temples of Solomon and Zerubbabel.
The outer courts surrounding the temple mount were not completed until ad 64.
The entire structure was demolished by the Romans in ad 70.
Dimensions of rooms,
steps, doorways, cornices
and exterior mea­sure­
ments are mentioned in
history (Josephus and the
Mishnah) but are subject
to interpretation, and all
drawings vary.
© 2011 by Zondervan. All rights reserved.
❘ M atthew 4:12 4 Jesus
an­swered, “It is writ­ten: ‘Man
shall not live on ­bread ­alone, but on ev­ery
word that ­comes from the ­mouth of God.’ a ” a
5 Then the dev­il took him to the holy
city b and had him ­stand on the high­est
­point of the tem­ple. 6 “If you are the Son
of God,” c he said, “throw your­self down.
For it is writ­ten:
“ ‘He will command his angels
concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot
against a stone.’ b ” d
7 Jesus an­swered him, “It is also writ­
ten: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the
test.’ c ” e
Jn 4:34
4:5 b Ne 11:1;
Da 9:24;
Mt 27:53
4:6 c S ver 3
d Ps 91:11, ​12
4:7 e Dt 6:16
4:10 f 1Ch 21:1;
Job 1:6-9;
Mt 16:23;
Mk 4:15;
Lk 10:18;
13:16; 22:3, ​
31; Ro 16:20;
2Co 2:11;
11:14; 2Th 2:9;
Rev 12:9
g Dt 6:13
4:11 h Jas 4:7
i Mt 26:53;
Lk 22:43;
Heb 1:14
#1 Palestine (Old Galilee)
4:4 Just as God gave the Israelites manna in a supernatural way
(see Dt 8:3 and note), so also ­people today must rely on God for
spiritual nourishment. ­Jesus relied on his Father, not his own
miracle power, for provision of food (cf. Jn 4:34 and note; 6:27).
4:5 See note on Lk 4:2. highest point of the temple. See note on
Lk 4:9. temple. The temple, including the entire temple area,
had been rebuilt by Herod the Great (see notes on 2:1; Jn 2:20;
see also diagram, p. XXXX).
the dev­il took him to a very
high moun­tain and ­showed him all the
king­doms of the ­world and ­their splen­dor.
9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you
will bow down and wor­ship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Sa­
tan! f For it is writ­ten: ‘Wor­ship the Lord
your God, and s­ erve him only.’ d ” g
11 Then the dev­il left him, h and an­gels
came and at­tend­ed him. i
Jesus Begins to Preach
12 When ­Jesus ­heard that John had been
put in pris­on, j he with­drew to Gal­i­lee. k
a 4 Deut. 8:3 b 6 d 10 Deut. 6:13 Psalm 91:11,12 c 7 Deut. 6:16 4:12 j Mt 14:3 k Mk 1:14
4:6 throw yourself down. See note on Lk 4:9. it is written. See
note on Lk 4:10.
4:9 worship me. See note on Lk 4:7.
4:10 Satan. See note on v. 1.
4:11 the devil left him. See note on Lk 4:13.
4:12 See map No. 11 at the end of this study Bible. John had
been put in prison. See Mk 1:14 and note on Lk 3:20. The reason for John’s imprisonment is given in 14:3 – 4.
Many interpreters place John’s baptismal
ministry at a point on the middle reaches
of the Jordan River, where trade routes
converge at a natural ford not far from the
modern site of Tell Shalem.
EE
I L Capernaum
A
L
~ 66%
Sepphoris
Caesarea
Maritima
S
RIA
D
U M E A
Beersheba
Jesus’ Temptation
nes
Ju d e a n W i l d e
r
Jerusalem
I
Scythopolis
Salim
(Tell Shalem)
Aenon
s
Me
A
AM
A
J U D E
Gaza
Gadara
Nazareth
di
ter
ran
ean
G
Sea of
Galilee
Jo rd a n R .
For Jesus’ temptation, see notes on Mt
4:1-11; Lk 4:1-13.
Sea
Jesus’ Baptismmap_41_04_jesusbaptismtemptation
and Temptation
Events surrounding Jesus’ baptism
reveal the intense religious excite­
ment and social ferment of the early
days of John the Baptist’s minis­
try. Herod had been rapacious and
extravagant; Roman military occupa­
tion was harsh. Some agitation cen­
tered around the change of governors
from Gratus to Pilate in AD 26. Most of
the people hoped for a religious solu­
tion to their intolerable political situ­
ation, and when they heard of a new
prophet, they flocked out into the
desert to hear him. The religious sect
(Essenes) from Qumran professed sim­
ilar doctrines of ­repentance and bap­
tism. Jesus was baptized at Bethany
on the other side of the Jordan (see
Jn 1:28). John also baptized at “Aenon
near Salim” (Jn 3:23).
1595
8 Again,
4:4 a Dt 8:3;
Jericho
Bethany on the other
side of the Jordan
Qumran
Dead
Sea
Jesus’ Baptism?
Machaerus
0
0
10 km.
10 miles
1682 ❘ M a r k 1 4 : 2 Centuries-old olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane.
© William D. Mounce
ar­rest ­Jesus se­cret­ly and kill him. c 2 “But
not dur­ing the fes­ti­val,” they said, “or the
peo­ple may riot.”
3 While he was in Beth­a­ny, d re­clin­ing at
the ta­ble in the home of Si­mon the Lep­
er, a wom­an came with an al­a­bas­ter jar
of very ex­pen­sive per­fume, made of pure
nard. She ­broke the jar and ­poured the
per­fume on his head. e
4 Some of ­those pres­ent were say­ing in­
dig­nant­ly to one an­oth­er, “Why this ­waste
of per­fume? 5 It ­could have been sold for
more than a ­year’s wag­es a and the mon­ey
giv­en to the poor.” And they re­buked her
harsh­ly.
14:1
c S Mt 12:14
14:3
d S Mt 21:17
e Lk 7:37‑39
14:7 f Dt 15:11
14:8 g Jn 19:40
14:9
h S Mt 24:14;
Mk 16:15
14:10
i Mk 3:16-19
14:2 not during the festival. During Passover and the weeklong Festival of Unleavened Bread, the population of Jerusalem increased from about 50,000 to a few hundred thousand. It would have been too risky to apprehend ­Jesus with
so large and excitable a crowd present.
14:3 – 9 In John’s Gospel this incident is placed before
the beginning of Passion Week (see Jn 12:1 – 11 and
note). Matthew and Mark may have placed it here to contrast
the hatred of the religious leaders and the betrayal by Judas
with the love and devotion of the woman who anointed ­Jesus.
14:3 Bethany. See note on Mt 21:17. reclining at the table.
The usual posture for eating at a banquet. Simon the Leper.
See note on Mt 26:6. woman. We know from Jn 12:3 that she
was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. alabaster jar. A
sealed flask with a long neck that was broken off when the
contents were used and that contained enough ointment for
one application. nard. See notes on SS 1:12; Jn 12:3. poured
the perfume on his head. Anointing was a common custom at
r 6 “Leave her ­alone,” said ­Jesus. “Why
are you both­er­ing her? She has done a
beau­ti­ful ­thing to me. 7 The poor you will
al­ways have with you, b and you can help
them any time you want. f But you will not
al­ways have me. 8 She did what she ­could.
She ­poured per­fume on my body be­fore­
hand to pre­pare for my buri­al. g 9 Tru­ly I
tell you, wher­ev­er the gos­pel is ­preached
through­out the ­world, h what she has done
will also be told, in mem­o­ry of her.”
10 Then Ju­d as Is­c ar­i­o t, one of the
­Twelve, i went to the ­chief ­priests to be­tray
a 5 Greek than three hundred denarii b 7 See
Deut. 15:11. feasts (see Ps 23:5 and note). The woman’s action expressed
her deep devotion to ­Jesus.
14:4 Some of those present. Mt 26:8 identifies them as the disciples, while Jn 12:4 – 5 singles out Judas Iscariot.
14:5 given to the poor. It was a Jewish custom to give gifts to
the poor on the evening of Passover (see Jn 13:29).
14:7 The poor you will always have with you. See Dt
15:11 and note. ­Jesus’ statement did not express lack
of concern for the poor, for their needs lay close to his heart
(see Mt 6:2 – 4; Lk 4:18; 6:20; 14:13,21; 18:22; Jn 13:29). He was
simply stating the truth.
14:8 prepare for my burial. It was a normal Jewish custom
to anoint a dead body with aromatic oils in preparing it for
burial (see 16:1 and note). ­Jesus seems to anticipate suffering
a criminal’s death, for only in that circumstance was there no
anointing of the body.
14:9 Truly I tell you. See note on 3:28. gospel. See note on 1:1.
14:10 Judas Iscariot. See note on 3:19. chief priests. See note
n M a rk 14:30 them. j 11 They
­Jesus to
were de­light­ed to
hear this and prom­ised to give him mon­ey.
So he ­watched for an op­por­tu­ni­ty to hand
him over.
14:10
j S Mt 10:4
14:12 k Ex 12:111; Dt 16:1-4;
1Co 5:7
14:15 l Ac 1:13
The Last Supper
14:12-26pp —​Mt 26:17-30; Lk 22:7-23
14:22-25pp —​1Co 11:23-25
12 On the ­first day of the Fes­ti­val of Un­
leav­ened ­Bread, when it was cus­tom­ary
to sac­ri­fice the Pass­over lamb, k ­Jesus’ dis­
ci­ples ­asked him, “Where do you want us
to go and make prep­a­ra­tions for you to eat
the Pass­over?”
13 So he sent two of his dis­ci­ples, tell­ing
them, “Go into the city, and a man car­ry­
ing a jar of wa­ter will meet you. Fol­low
him. 14 Say to the own­er of the ­house he
en­ters, ‘The Teach­er asks: ­Where is my
­guest room, ­where I may eat the Pass­over
with my dis­ci­ples?’ 15 He will show you a
­large room up­stairs, l fur­nished and ­ready.
Make prep­a­ra­tions for us there.”
16 The dis­ci­ples left, went into the city
and ­found ­things just as ­Jesus had told
them. So they pre­pared the Pass­over.
17 When eve­ning came, ­Jesus ar­rived
with the ­Twelve. 18 While they were re­clin­
ing at the ta­ble eat­ing, he said, “Tru­ly I tell
you, one of you will be­tray me — ​one who
is eat­ing with me.”
19 They were sad­dened, and one by one
they said to him, “Sure­ly you don’t mean
me?”
20 “It is one of the ­Twelve,” he re­plied,
❘ 1683
“one who dips ­bread into the bowl with
me. m 21 The Son of Man n will go just as it
is writ­ten ­about him. But woe to that man
who be­trays the Son of Man! It ­would be
bet­ter for him if he had not been born.”
22 While they were eat­ing, ­Jesus took
­bread, and when he had giv­en ­thanks, he
­broke it o and gave it to his dis­ci­ples, say­
ing, “Take it; this is my body.”
23 Then he took a cup, and when he had
giv­en ­thanks, he gave it to them, and they
all ­drank from it. p
24 “This is my ­blood of the a cov­enant, q
­which is ­poured out for many,” he said to
them. 25 “Tru­ly I tell you, I will not ­drink
­again from the ­fruit of the vine un­til that
day when I ­drink it new in the king­dom
of God.” r
26 When they had sung a hymn, they
went out to the ­Mount of Ol­ives. s
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
14:27-31pp —​Mt 26:31-35
27 “You will all fall away,” ­Jesus told
them, “for it is writ­ten:
14:20
m Jn 13:18‑27
14:21
n S Mt 8:20
14:22
o S Mt 14:19
14:23
p 1Co 10:16
14:24
q S Mt 26:28
14:25 r S Mt 3:2
14:26
s S Mt 21:1
14:27 t Zec 13:7
14:28 u Mk 16:7
on 8:31. This was an unexpected opportunity that they
seized, even though they had intended not to apprehend
­Jesus during the festival (see v. 2 and note).
14:11 money. Thirty silver coins (see Mt 26:15 and note).
14:12 first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread. Here the
14th of Nisan is meant because Passover lambs were killed
on that day (Ex 12:6). The entire eight-day celebration was
sometimes referred to as the Festival of Unleavened Bread.
make preparations. These preparations would have included
obtaining food for the meal, such as unleavened bread, wine,
bitter herbs and a lamb.
14:13 two of his disciples. Peter and John (Lk 22:8). man carrying a jar. See note on Lk 22:10.
14:14 The Teacher asks. See note on Lk 22:11. Where is my
guest room . . . ? It was a Jewish custom that anyone in Jerusalem who had a room available would give it upon request
to a pilgrim to celebrate the Passover. Apparently ­Jesus had
made previous arrangements with the owner of the house
(cf. note on Ac 12:12).
14:16 as ­Jesus had told them. See note on Lk 22:13.
14:17 evening. Thursday of Passion Week.
14:18 reclining at the table eating. Originally the Passover
meal was eaten standing (see Ex 12:11), but in ­Jesus’ time it
was customary to eat it while reclining (cf. v. 3 and note). Truly
I tell you. See note on 3:28.
14:20 dips bread into the bowl with me. See note on Mt 26:23.
14:21 Son of Man. See note on 8:31. as it is written about him.
­Jesus may have had the “suffering servant” passage of Isa 53
in mind. See vv. 27,49 and note on Lk 24:44.
“ ‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’ b t
28 But
af­ter I have ris­en, I will go ­ahead of
you into Gal­i­lee.” u
29 Pe­ter de­clared, “Even if all fall away,
I will not.”
30 “Tru­ly I tell you,” ­Jesus an­swered,
“to­day — ​yes, to­night — ​be­fore the roost­er
a 24 Some manuscripts the new b 27 Zech. 13:7 NT gives four accounts of the Lord’s Supn 14:22 The
per (here; Mt 26:26 – 28; Lk 22:19 – 20; 1Co 11:23 – 25).
Matthew’s account is very much like Mark’s, and Luke’s and
Paul’s have similarities. All the accounts include the taking of
the bread; the thanksgiving or blessing; the breaking of the
bread; the saying, “This is my body”; the taking of the cup;
and the explanation of the relation of blood to the covenant.
Only Paul and Luke record ­Jesus’ command to continue to
celebrate the Supper. this is my body. The bread represented
his body, given for them (see 1Co 11:24 and note).
14:23 had given thanks. The word “Eucharist,” often used to
refer to the Lord’s Supper, is derived from the Greek term
used here.
14:24 my blood of the covenant. The cup represents the
blood of ­Jesus, which, in turn, represents his pouredout life (i.e., his death). God’s commitments to his ­people in
the new covenant are possible only through Christ’s atoning
death (see Ex 24:6,8; Jer 31:31 – 34; Lk 22:20; Heb 8:8 – 12 and
notes). for many. See Ro 5:15 and note.
14:25 Truly I tell you. See note on 3:28. kingdom of God. See
note on Mt 3:2.
14:26 hymn. See note on Mt 26:30. Mount of Olives. See note
on 11:1.
14:27 You will all fall away. Not that the disciples will lose
their faith in ­Jesus but that their courage will fail and they
will forsake him (see note on Mt 26:31).
14:28 I will go ahead of you into Galilee. See 16:7.
14:30 Truly I tell you. See note on 3:28. crows twice. See NIV
text note here and on v. 72.
n 1684 ❘ Mark 14:31
Passion Week
Bethany, the Mount of Olives and Jerusalem
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© 2011 by Zondervan. All rights reserved.
The Roman road climbed steeply to the crest of the Mount of
Olives, affording spectacular views of the Desert of Judea to the
east and of ­Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley to the west.
● Arrival in Bethany
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FRIDAY (Jn 12:1)
Jesus arrived in Bethany six days before the ­Passover to spend
some time with his friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus. On the
following Tuesday evening, while Jesus was still in Bethany,
Mary anointed his feet with costly perfume as an act of humil­
ity. This tender expression indicated Mary’s devotion to Jesus
and her willingness to serve him.
● Sabbath—day of rest
➋
SATURDAY
Not mentioned in the Gospels.
The Lord spent the Sabbath day in ­traditional fashion with his
friends.
● The Triumphal Entry
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SUNDAY (Mt 21:1-11; Mk 11:1-11; Lk 19:28-44; Jn 12:12-19)
On the first day of the week Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a
donkey, fulfilling an ancient prophecy (Zec 9:9). The crowd
welcomed him with the words of Ps 118:25-26, thus ascribing
to him a Messianic title as the agent of the Lord, the coming
King of Israel.
● Clearing of the temple
➍
MONDAY (Mt 21:12-17; Mk 11:15-18; Lk 19:45-48)
Jesus returned to the temple and found the court of the Gen­
tiles full of traders and money changers making a large profit.
Jesus drove them out and overturned their benches and tables.
● Day of controversy and parables
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TUESDAY (Mt 21:23–24:51; Mk 11:27–13:37; Lk 20:1–21:36)
IN JERUSALEM
Jesus evaded the traps set by the priests.
M ark 14:31 ❘ 1685
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ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES OVERLOOKING JERUSALEM
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● Crucifixion
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(Tuesday afternoon, exact location unknown)
FRIDAY (Mt 27; Mk 15; Lk 22:66–23:56; Jn 18:28–19:37)
He taught in parables and warned the people against the Phar­
isees. He predicted the destruction of Herod’s great temple and
told his disciples about future events, including his own return.
Following betrayal, arrest, desertion, false trials, denial, condem­
nation, beatings and mockery, Jesus was required to carry his
cross to “the place of the skull”, where he was crucified with two
other prisoners.
Day of rest
WEDNESDAY
Although the Gospels do not mention this day, the counting
of the days (Mk 14:1; Jn 12:1) seems to indicate that there was
another day about which the Gospels record nothing.
● Passover, Last Supper
➏
THURSDAY (Mt 26:17-30; Mk 14:12-26; Lk 22:7-23)
In an upper room Jesus prepared both himself and his disciples
for his death. He gave the Passover meal a new meaning. The
loaf of bread and cup of wine represented his body soon to be
sacrificed and his blood soon to be shed. And so he instituted the
“Lord’s Supper.” After singing a hymn they went to the Garden
of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed in agony, knowing what lay
ahead for him.
● In the tomb
➑
Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb before 6:00 p.m. Friday night,
when the Sabbath began and all work stopped, and it lay in the
tomb throughout the Sabbath.
● Resurrection
➒
SUNDAY (Mt 28:1-10; Mk 16:1-8; Lk 24:1-49; Jn 20)
Early in the morning, women went to the tomb and found that
the stone closing the tomb’s entrance had been rolled back.
An angel told them Jesus was alive and gave them a message.
Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene in the garden, to Peter, to
two disciples on the road to Emmaus and later that day to all the
disciples but Thomas.
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