Genesis Bible study guide

Group study · 8 sessions

Work through Genesis in order

Read each passage aloud before discussion. The questions begin with observation, then move toward interpretation and faithful response.

1. Session 1 · 184 verses

   Genesis 1-7

   People and terms: Noah, Cain, Adam, Seth, Eden, Enoch

   • Try to state the argument in one sentence before anyone reacts to it.
   • What does the writer repeat? Repetition is usually the point, not a habit.
   • What surprised you, or what did you have to read twice?
   • Why does the writer bring Cain into this argument, and what claim does the example support?
   • The word garden is doing real work here. What did you assume it meant, and does the passage agree?
   • What problem was this letter written to solve, and does knowing that change how the instruction lands?
   • Where does this cut against something you already believe or already do?

2. Session 2 · 198 verses

   Genesis 8-15

   People and terms: Noah, Lot, Shem, Sodom, Canaan, Eber

   • What is the writer trying to get these readers to do or stop doing?
   • Who is being addressed here, and what do they already know that we do not?
   • What is assumed rather than argued? Those assumptions are often the real claim.
   • What does the writer assume the readers know about Eber, and how is that knowledge being used?
   • Define abram from this passage alone, without reaching for what you already know.
   • Is this a command, a description, or an argument? They are not read the same way.
   • What would actually be different this week if you took this seriously?

3. Session 3 · 190 verses

   Genesis 16-22

   People and terms: Abraham, Sarah, Abimelech, Isaac, Lot, Hagar

   • What has the writer already established that this section is building on?
   • Which single verse carries the weight of this section?
   • What is left unsaid that you expected to be said?
   • Which detail about Abimelech matters to the argument here, and which familiar details do not?
   • Where else have you heard wife used, and is it being used that way here?
   • What did the first readers face that we do not, and what does that change?
   • Who do you know who needs to hear this, and what stops you saying it?

4. Session 4 · 202 verses

   Genesis 23-27

   People and terms: Isaac, Abraham, Esau, Rebekah, Abimelech, Kedar

   • Where does the writer expect pushback, and how do you know?
   • Where does the tone shift, and what causes it?
   • What question does this section answer that you had not thought to ask?
   • Trace the sentence or paragraph that mentions Kedar. What conclusion does the writer want the readers to reach?
   • The word jacob is doing real work here. What did you assume it meant, and does the passage agree?
   • Where does the writer move from what God has done to what we should do?
   • What is the hardest thing in this passage to accept, and why that one?

5. Session 5 · 187 verses

   Genesis 28-32

   People and terms: Laban, Rachel, Leah, Esau, Isaac, Abraham

   • If you disagreed with this, where would you push first?
   • What does the writer repeat? Repetition is usually the point, not a habit.
   • What surprised you, or what did you have to read twice?
   • Why does the writer bring Laban into this argument, and what claim does the example support?
   • Define jacob from this passage alone, without reaching for what you already know.
   • What problem was this letter written to solve, and does knowing that change how the instruction lands?
   • If this is true, what have you been getting wrong?

6. Session 6 · 189 verses

   Genesis 33-38

   People and terms: Esau, Shechem, Judah, Joseph, Hamor, Rachel

   • What would be missing from the letter if this section were cut?
   • Who is being addressed here, and what do they already know that we do not?
   • What is assumed rather than argued? Those assumptions are often the real claim.
   • What does the writer assume the readers know about Hamor, and how is that knowledge being used?
   • Where else have you heard jacob used, and is it being used that way here?
   • Is this a command, a description, or an argument? They are not read the same way.
   • What would you want to be reminded of from this section in six months?

7. Session 7 · 175 verses

   Genesis 39-43

   People and terms: Joseph, Pharaoh, Egypt, Benjamin, Canaan, Ephraim

   • Try to state the argument in one sentence before anyone reacts to it.
   • Which single verse carries the weight of this section?
   • What is left unsaid that you expected to be said?
   • Which detail about Ephraim matters to the argument here, and which familiar details do not?
   • The word seven is doing real work here. What did you assume it meant, and does the passage agree?
   • What did the first readers face that we do not, and what does that change?
   • Where does this cut against something you already believe or already do?

8. Session 8 · 208 verses

   Genesis 44-50

   People and terms: Joseph, Egypt, Pharaoh, Israel, Canaan, Gershon

   • What is the writer trying to get these readers to do or stop doing?
   • Where does the tone shift, and what causes it?
   • What question does this section answer that you had not thought to ask?
   • Trace the sentence or paragraph that mentions Gershon. What conclusion does the writer want the readers to reach?
   • Define jacob from this passage alone, without reaching for what you already know.
   • Where does the writer move from what God has done to what we should do?
   • What would actually be different this week if you took this seriously?

Deep study

Keep the book in context

For fuller background, use the companion Genesis commentary and the Bible dictionary as you work through each session.