Genesis, by Andrew E. Steinmann. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2019. xxi + 474 pp. $28.00.
As the first and foundational book of Scripture, Genesis casts a broad shadow on the biblical canon. In turn, the interpreter’s handling of Genesis sets a significant hermeneutical and theological trajectory for the rest of the Bible. Steinmann has provided an insightful and concise commentary that will aid pastors, teachers, and Christian readers in interpreting this seminal book. Steinmann serves as the Distinguished Professor of Theology and Hebrew at Concordia University in Chicago. He is a prolific scholar and author. In addition to his highly-acclaimed chronology of the Bible (From Abraham to Paul: A Biblical Chronology [Concordia, 2011]) and a raft of journal articles, Steinmann has completed his sixth commentary, having previously written in the Concordia Commentary series on 1–2 Samuel, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Proverbs. This TOTC update replaces and improves upon Derek Kidner’s slim 1967 volume: Kidner’s work comprises 224 pages while Steinmann’s spans 474. Beyond the page count, Steinmann has drawn upon a wealth of up-to-date archaeological, literary, and exegetical studies to explain perceptively the meaning and message of Genesis.
Steinmann holds to young-earth creationism but contends that there are gaps in the genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11 which prohibit them from being used as strict chronologies in determining the age of the earth (contra, e.g., Answers in Genesis). This reviewer is sympathetic to Steinmann’s arguments here, and I found his treatment of the creation account in Genesis 1–2 to be one of the best succinct overviews supporting YEC among recent commentaries. In addition, Steinmann’s interaction with the Documentary Hypothesis is a strength. Steinmann highlights the flaws of the JEDP theory with tact and precision, offering an excellent resource for readers who wish to interact with recent arguments for and against the Graf-Wellhausen theory. In addition, Steinmann’s firm grasp of biblical chronology is a boon for the reader, as he repeatedly correlates significant events in the book within their historical timeline.
An overview of other noteworthy interpretive positions includes the following. Steinmann takes the reference to “seed” in Genesis 3:15 as a Messianic prophecy (70). The sons of God in Genesis 6 are the godly line of Seth rather than angels (83–84). The Noahic covenant is the first covenant mentioned in Scripture, sealed with a sign, and is constitutive of a distinctively new order, realities that hint against the notion of a covenant with creation (106–7). Noah is cast as a second Adamic figure (114–15). The Table of Nations follows a geographical arrangement by distance from Abram’s original home (121), Ur, which is located north of modern Syria, not in Mesopotamia (142). The meaning of the Niphal verb in the Abrahamic Covenant’s blessing on the nations is that “all peoples will consider themselves blessed” (12:3) (146). The Egyptian pharaoh physically consummates his marriage with Sarai (151–52).
Genesis carries inspired post-Mosaic textual updates and additions in the changing of place names, such as Dan (Gen 14) (162) and Rameses (Gen 47) (432), and in people’s names, as with the Edomite kings (Gen 36) (343) and Potiphar (Gen 39) (369). Gen 15:6 is the most important verse in the book from the NT perspective (168). The reference to the “fourth generation” returning to Canaan (Gen 15:16) begins from the onset of Egyptian oppression, which he places in the generation of Moses’s parents (vis-à-vis an Israelite subservience all 400 years) (171). Genesis 18 and 19 are parallel accounts to be read in tandem so as to distinguish Abraham and Lot (190–91). Contextual clues demonstrate that Abraham’s deception of King Abimelech in Genesis 20 is not simply a doublet of his earlier deception of the Egyptian pharaoh (205). Abimelech is a Gerarite throne name, accounting for why Isaac later interacts with another king of the same name (Gen 26) (206). Ishmael is a believer in Yahweh in view of his being “gathered to his people,” which Steinmann takes as indicative of a blessed afterlife for believers (248). Jacob’s success at breeding speckled livestock relates to epigenetics, with a change in the prenatal nutrition leading to a certain kind of offspring (289). Rachel steals the household gods not due to inheritance rights but because of their monetary value (297). Jacob’s conversion occurs during his wrestling match with the Angel of Yahweh at the Jabbok River (312–13). The rape of Dinah by Hamor (Steinmann argues convincingly against consensual relations) and the destruction of Shechem by Simeon and Levi highlight rifts between Leah’s children and the rest of the family (321–26).
Joseph’s special tunic was not a multi-colored one but a long gown with long sleeves (350). The brothers’ deception of Jacob with Joseph’s garment and goat’s blood mirrors Jacob’s deception of Isaac with Esau’s garment and goat’s hair (354), while Joseph’s non-duplicitous request for inheritance blessing on his sons from the blind Jacob contrasts with Jacob’s own duplicity in stealing inheritance blessing from the blind Isaac (445). In fact, Joseph brings to an end the deception and trickery of all the earlier major characters in Abraham’s line (473). Judah’s liaison with Tamar in Genesis 38 is not a literary intrusion but carries numerous affinities with Genesis 37 and 39 (359) and marks a transformation in Judah that will be evident in the ensuing chapters (365–66). The nature of Joseph’s incarceration hints that Potiphar may not have believed his wife’s story (372). The concentration of Egyptian loanwords in Genesis 41 signals Joseph’s assimilation into Egyptian society as vizier (379). Paired dreams occur thrice in Joseph’s narrative and are conceptually connected in affirming God’s sovereignty (385–86). Joseph’s life shares numerous affinities with Daniel’s, hinting that the latter modeled his narrative on that of the former (392–93). Joseph detains Simeon (not Reuben) because the brothers’ conversation reveals that Reuben, the firstborn, was not responsible for Joseph’s enslavement (Gen 42:24) (399). Joseph’s reference to his cup of divination maintains the ruse of his Egyptian identity rather than avouches he practiced occultic arts (408). Judah’s speech in 44:18–34 is the longest in the book and underscores family solidarity in contrast to the earlier dissension (410). Joseph’s parting words to his brothers mean “Do not be afraid,” rather than “Do not quarrel” (417). The seventy persons entering Egypt mirror the seventy nations of Genesis 10, signaling that Israel will bring blessing to the nations (424). A striking feature of Jacob’s blessing of his sons is its pervasive animal imagery (each used metaphorically and positively) (450), and Jacob functions here as a prophet in foretelling the future (451).
Steinmann is to be commended for an excellent addition to studies on the book of Genesis, to the rich benefit of preachers, teachers, and other interpreters. While the brevity of the work ensures it will not replace the fuller studies of Wenham, Mathews, Hamilton, and others, the commentary provides an accessible, discerning, and rewarding study for those who seek a deeper understanding of this significant biblical book.
