A Commentary on Genesis is a concise, text-oriented, literary commentary on this fundamental book of the Bible. Martin Kessler and Karel Deurloo maintain a clear focus on Genesis and what its words mean in themselves, in their narrative context, and in the context of the entire Bible. The unifying subject is the birth of Israel among the peoples of the world, beginning with the universal story of God's creation of earth, sky, and seas, moving toward the call of Abram, the first of the patriarchs, through Jacob, his grandson, and Jacob's sons, the progenitors of the twelve tribes of Israel. This clearly written commentary, which strives to be faithful to each narrative in its immediate context and the thrust of the book as a whole, will encourage readers to reach beyond their usual assumptions to find not only information, but also deeper levels of understanding about this richly layered text. - Back cover.