College Press NIV Commentary: Genesis, Volume 1

Top Highlights

“The woman will desire to dominate in the relationship and will frustratingly lose the battle for control to which history amply testifies.” (Page 204)

“The Bible begins with God the creator. There is no attempt to explain the existence of God. The Bible assumes his existence. What the Bible does explain is just what sort of God he is. He is already there ‘in the beginning.’ Nothing precedes him and everything in the cosmos finds its origin in him.” (Page 82)

“Certainly Christ, as the seed of Abraham and the new Adam, fulfills in himself God’s ultimate purpose for creation. While the original audience would probably not have seen the prophecy of an individual messiah in this passage, it seems quite appropriate for Christians who have read the back of the book to see the anticipation if not the specific prediction of the work of Christ in defeating the devil.” (Page 202)

“The word ‘some’ seems innocuous enough, until the reader compares it with the description of Abel’s offering. When read in light of the entire Pentateuch, the implication seems clear that Cain did not obey the most basic principle of sacrifice, give the first and the best. Cain did not give the firstfruits, but only ‘some’ of the fruits. Behind Cain’s actions lies an attitude which is problematic.” (Page 220)

“The implication seems to be that the perpetrator of the Fall, the serpent, tempts the original human pair to try to find wisdom without God.” (Page 183)