Category: A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 30
What does Genesis Chapter 30 mean? Genesis 30 is characterized by sibling conflict between Jacob’s wives, the birth of many more children under the blessing of God, and Jacob eventually achieving great wealth after striking an unusual bargain with his father-in-law. Chapter 29 described the treacherous circumstances of Jacob’s marriage to…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 29
What does Genesis Chapter 29 mean? After his journey east, Jacob arrives at the home of Laban, his mother’s brother. Laban lives in Haran in Mesopotamia, outside of the land God has promised to Abraham, Isaac and, in the previous chapter, to Jacob. Jacob had left his homeland in Canaan,…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 28
What does Genesis Chapter 28 mean? Genesis 28 is the story of Jacob leaving home to begin his journey to Mesopotamia. Based on recent events, however, it would be more accurate to describe it as fleeing from his home. Jacob’s brother Esau wants to kill him for cheating him out of Isaac’s blessing…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 27
What does Genesis Chapter 27 mean? By the end of Genesis 27, Isaac will have handed the family blessing down to his second-born, Jacob. This should seem unusual, since Esau is technically oldest and is entitled to that inheritance. At the start of the chapter, though, Isaac has no intention of…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 26
What does Genesis Chapter 26 mean? Genesis 26 focuses on the Lord reassuring Isaac. God states that His relationship with Abraham, and its blessings, are for Isaac, as well. God appears to Isaac not once, but twice in this chapter. In both cases, the Lord restates and emphasizes the covenant promises…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 25
What does Genesis Chapter 25 mean? Genesis 25 records the deaths of both Abraham and Ishmael, as well as the births of Jacob and Esau, and the purchase of the most expensive bowl of stew in history. First, though, we learn about Abraham’s “other wife” Keturah. Scholars are divided about whether…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 24
What does Genesis Chapter 24 mean? Genesis 24 describes in great detail how Rebekah came to be the wife of Abraham’s son Isaac. The story begins with what sounds like a deathbed scene, though Abraham will apparently live another 35 years. Abraham summons his oldest and most trusted servant and commissions…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 23
What does Genesis Chapter 23 mean? The story of Genesis leaps forward several decades. It’s likely been around 20 years or so since Abraham prepared to offer Isaac on the altar. It’s been about 35 years since last we saw Sarah, insisting that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away. Now…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 22
What does Genesis Chapter 22 mean? Genesis 22 contains one of the most iconic stories in all of literature: Abraham’s near-sacrifice of his son, Isaac. It’s a troubling story for many, mostly because it is so often misunderstood. When read as part of the long, detailed story of Abraham, this is…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 21
What does Genesis Chapter 21 mean? Genesis 21 begins with the long-awaited birth of the son God had promised to Abraham and Sarah. This is the child through whom God would make of Abraham a great nation (Genesis 17:6–7). More recently, the Lord had promised both Abraham and Sarah that they…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 20
What does Genesis Chapter 20 mean? Genesis chapter 20 should be familiar to anyone who has read Genesis chapter 12. In the prior account, Abraham and his household moved to Egypt to escape a devastating famine (Genesis 12:10). Worried that the people would see how beautiful his wife was and…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 19
What does Genesis Chapter 19 mean? Chapter 19 is one of the most dramatic and shocking chapters in Genesis—which is saying something! The events recorded here reveal the utter wickedness of the people of Sodom. They display God’s grace to Abraham in rescuing Lot and his family. They show God’s…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 18
What does Genesis Chapter 18 mean? The events of Genesis 18 take place not long after God’s visit with Abraham in chapter 17. This visit from the Lord is quite different, however. It’s not clear, at first, if Abraham even recognizes the three men who appear outside of his tent as the…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 17
What does Genesis Chapter 17 mean? One of the most influential names in human history is that of Abraham—a man whom Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all claim as a patriarch. However, to this point in the Bible, that name has not been used. This important historical figure is still carrying…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 16
What does Genesis Chapter 16 mean? Genesis 16 continues to follow the life of one of Israel’s greatest patriarchs: Abram, who will soon be renamed Abraham. To this point, Abram and his wife Sarai are still childless, despite Abram being well over seventy-five years old (Genesis 12:4). In fact, at this…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 15
What does Genesis Chapter 15 mean? Genesis 15 consists entirely of an extended encounter between the Lord and Abram, the man who will later be renamed Abraham. This concludes with the formal establishment of God’s covenant promise to Abram: to give him and his descendants the land of Canaan. The chapter…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 14
What does Genesis Chapter 14 mean? Genesis 14 is an action-packed story of war between ancient city-states with a surprising conclusion. For 12 years, the four kings of an eastern group of city-states—Elam, Shinar, Ellasar, and Goiim—had ruled over the city-states in and around Canaan. Finally, the kings of five cities…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 13
What does Genesis Chapter 13 mean? In chapter 12, Abram—the man later named renamed Abraham—lied about Sarai being his wife, out of fear. As a result, God afflicted Pharaoh’s household with a plague for taking Sarai. Pharaoh allowed Abram to keep the dowry he’d paid, but sent them away as…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 12
What does Genesis Chapter 12 mean? Genesis chapter 12 declares a simple, powerful, and surprisingly deep truth: God chose Abram. God’s plan was to make for Himself a great nation, a people that were His own, and He chose to begin it with Abram. Genesis 12 records this moment, which is vital in the…
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A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Genesis, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 11
What does Genesis Chapter 11 mean? Genesis 11 contains three sections: the story of the Tower of Babel, the genealogy from Shem to Abram, and a description of the life of Terah, Abram’s father. Abram will later be renamed Abraham and he will become one of the most important figures in…
Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded 