The Pre-Patriarchal Narratives
- An Overview

The term Pre-Patriarchal Narratives (PPN) refers to the first eleven chapters of Genesis because they deal with the story of the human race before the book turns its attention to God's call to the father (patriarch) of the election nation of Israel.

Like the other narratives in the book, the PPN is a carefully crafted story that can be appreciated from a number of different perspectives. Let us look at two which I have often used in my lectures at the seminary and in my preaching in churches.

Creation, Uncreation, and Re-Creation

This view1 sees the PNN as consisting of a pair of closely similar units, each mirroring the motifs of their respective units:

A. Creation Story: first beginning — divine blessing, 1:1-2:4b.

B. Sin of Adam: nakedness-perceiving his own nakedness — curse, 2:4-3:24.

C. Fate of the younger, righteous son (Abel), 4:1-16.

D. Descendants of sinful son Cain, 4:17-26.

E. Descendants of chosen son Seth — ten generations from Adam to Noah, 5:1-32.

F. Downfall from unlawful union, 6:1-4.

G. Brief introduction to Noah, 6:5-8.

A. Flood Story: reversal of creation — new beginning — divine blessing, 6:9-9:19.

B. Sin of Noah: nakedness — seeing/uncovering nakedness — curse, 9:20-29.

C. Fate of the younger, righteous son (Japheth), 10:1-5.

D. Descendants of sinful son Ham, 10:6-20.

E. Descendants of chosen son Shem — ten generations from Noah to Terah, 10:21-32.

F. Downfall: rebellious union (Tower of Babel), 11:1-9.

G. Brief introduction to Abram, 11:27-32.

In this way the PPN points clearly to the two different paths that humans have followed in their relationship with God.2 It is obvious from all these that the PPN is not a story complete in its own. The PPN of necessity continues into the Patriarchal Narratives. So having charted out these two paths, the Patriarchal Narratives take the story of what happens to the line of the elect, those who chose to walk with God.

One very important question biblical scholars ask all the time concerns how the New Testament is related to the Old. It is a question capable of many different and not necessarily mutually exclusive answers. We believe that the manner in which the PPN sets out the events it relates itself reveals some very important connections not often appreciated. In order to see this, let me first summarize how all stories work, then summarize the events related here and finally gather up the crumbs, as it were, and see what is the shape of the cake they make.

How Stories Work

All stories—unless, like some modern ones which aim rather at unseating us and leave us dangling at the end with the aim of disorientating us—follow a pattern. They begin with introducing us to a particular setting ("Once upon a time . . .," "It's raining cats and dogs. This should surprise no one. This is Vancouver." "I was on my way to work last Tuesday when . . .") Then the main characters are introduced ("there lived a beautiful girl called Cinderella. She lived with her wicked step-mother and two step-sisters") and their relationships are explored, and tensions and minor conflicts are revealed. These relationships and minor conflicts—usually only partially explored—lead inevitably to a major conflict that seems to puncture everything they share together beyond repair. From that point onwards the story will tell of events which often seem to be doing nothing (though they can be very interesting in and of themselves) but which, without us noticing it, lead to the minor conflicts being resolved, partially and one by one (and not always in the order in which they arose) which add up to the resolution of the major one. (The major conflict in Cinderella occurred when she was banned from attending the ball; not having any suitable clothes to wear, no carriage to take her to the palace, having a be home when the clock struck twelve, etc., being some of the minor ones. As each of them are resolved by the fairy-godmother and her animal friends, she is finally rescued from her disenfranchised fate.)

Setting and Conflicts in the PNN3

(Important Note: you will find at the end of each of these summaries a button like this: Context DO NOT click on them until you are instructed to later.)

Setting (Gen 1 & 2) : Genesis opens the story of the human race by setting the scene with an account of creation, Chap 1 in a panoramic sort of way. Chap 2, and v1a of Chap 3, zoom-in on the particular setting of Eden and introduce us to the main characters (God, the man and woman, and the serpent) and their relationship with one another.
Context

The Major Conflict (Gen 3): This chapter punctures the network of relationships in Eden, resulting in the first couple being evicted from Eden with the way back to it blocked by "cherubim and a flaming sword." The crucial question it raises for the reader (listener in ancient Israel) is whether the kind of life the first couple had with God in Eden can ever be restored. If the question is not (or, for the moment, cannot be) answered, what is said leaves some hope of its possibility: there is here a (major) conflict for which they were judged (therefore, resolving the conflict partially4) but there was also grace: God clothed them properly, the death promised for their transgression was delayed (they did not immediately die) and, though not related here, Eve would conceive.
Context

First Minor Conflict - The First Murder (Gen 4): Out of Eden, this chapter relates a new setting, and new characters (Abel and Cain), their relationship (Abel was ... but Cain was ...), but also conflict—though serious and resulting in the first death—one which counts, from the perspective of the larger story, as a minor one. Again there was judgment (Cain was exiled to be a wanderer and, therefore, partial resolution to the problem) but also grace: Cain was protected by a God-gifted mark, and Eve conceived again.
Context

First Genealogy - From Adam to Noah (Gen 5): This chapter of names of Adam's descendants do not make much sense to most readers of the Bible. It is, however, very important for the being told. We will come back in a short while and you will see why. Context

Second Minor Conflict - The Flood (Gen 6-9): This story fascinates us as well as distracts us: most of us want to know what were the "sons of God," "the nephilim," and if the flood was historical (did it actually happen and was it worldwide)? To do that is to listen to our own voices, not to the story. As far as the author was concerned the main point was that humans have posed another conflict with God: they have become so wicked that "every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time" (6:5). They were met with judgment (and, therefore, partial resolution to the conflict) but, again, there was grace, one family was saved.
Context

The Table of Nations (Gen 10): Again we have a list of names of people (so-called nations) with which most of us do not know what to do except, perhaps, to use it to speculate which people are related to whom and use it to justify our racial prejudice. But, again, this 'table of nation' is extremely important, and we will come back to it in a while.
Context

The Third Minor Conflict - The Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9): The shortest story in the PPN, this tells us of another conflict though the specific nature of their rebellion or sin is difficult to pinpoint: "Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.'" (v4). The most likely reading is that they wanted to "make a name for ourselves." As will be explained in detail in the commentary on this chapter, "to name" something requires one to discern and determine its nature. Naming it thus places that object within one's sphere of understanding, and thus establishes its relationship to us. To "make a name for ourselves" is, therefore, to decide who we are in relation to everything else, and thus to assert that we shall be who we shall be. It is the call to self-determination. In the context of this chapter, it most likely suggests that they were determined to live without recourse to God; they would determine their own fate and future. This was the ultimate rebellion against God. They were judged: God scattered them and confused their languages so that they could not communicate freely to plot rebellion again. Now, notice the severity of this judgment: there is no hint of grace at all in the story; this is a story without the slightest hint of resolution. Every human from that point onwards was affected by that judgment. We still, much of the time, identify ourselves by what language we speak natively; Te Reo, Indians, Chinese, Malay, Siamese, Vietnamese, Fulanis, Amharic, Bantus, English, German, Welsh, Portugese.5
Context

Second Genealogy - Shem to Abram (Gen 11:10-32): We have here something similar to the first genealogical list in Gen 5. There are, however, significant differences and they are important for understanding what is point of it here.
Context

Now that we have summarized the various segments that make up the PPN, let us see if we can make some sense of it.

Contexts

Words have no meaning on their own. That is why sentences have subjects and predicates. But how well we understand depends not only on how well we perceive of the context within which things are spoken, but also how what is said creates context/s for what follows.6 Let us see how this works with our summaries of the various chapters; Go back and re-read the summaries above and then click on the Context buttons to read the notes relevant to each summary (which will appear in the right column). Do not scroll further down until you have completed this exercise. A "Back to the main article" message at the end of the exercise will bring you automatically to the next part of this article.

We can summarize our exploration so far with a table like this:

Passage Context

Gen 1-2 Grace

Gen 3 Judgment

Gen 4 Judgment

Gen 5 Judgment

Gen 6-9 Grace

Gen 10 ?

Gen 11:1-9 Judgment

Gen 11:10-32 Grace

So what are we to do with "the table of nations," Gen 10?

The account of Babel, as we have noted, ends abruptly, and as it is, the fate of the nations is left hanging in suspense, uncertainty. The "table of nations" hints at that fate. One of the most interesting things about Gen 10 is that it is in the wrong place. Gen 11:1-9 tells us the story of Babel and how in the beginning people spoke one language but God confused and scattered them. Out of this arose the different nations. Logically, Gen 10 should follow Gen 11:1-9. If the author had done that, "the table of nations" would be placed in a context of judgment, suggesting that the nations are doomed. By moving "the table" from its "logical" place after Babel to where it sits now, the author moved the "the table" from a context into a context of grace, that of God's covenant with Noah; there is hope for the nations.7 But if, as we have said above, there is not the slightest hint of resolution at all in the Babel account, what does that hope consists of?

The account of the Tower of Babel comes to an abrupt end. Gen 11:10 begins a totally new story, taking us from Shem to Abram. But the story is not ended at 11:32 but continues on. At 12:3 we hear the first hint of this hope of the nations, when God blessed Abram and promised that "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." More is revealed at 17:4 when God promised Abraham again, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: you will be the father of many nations." By now we realize that this new story continues on to the end of the book of Genesis. But, even there the story is not finished, and we have to read on into Exodus, and then Leviticus and all through the rest of the Old Testament. Still, the story is not ended (that is why believing Jews are still waiting for any signs of the Messiah). A Christian reading of the Bible takes the story into the Gospels, the story of the Greater Son of Abram (Abraham) and what He did, and then into Acts. There Luke describes for us what happened on the day of Pentecost (Chap 2). A chart at this point makes it easier to appreciate the significance of both days:

So, there was resolution to the Babel incident afterall, though it took a long time to work itself out. Whether Paul understood things the way I have explained it or not, he captures my sentiments exactly when he says:

Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith—to the only wise God be glory for ever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
(Rom. 16:25-27)

Low Chai Hok
©Alberith, 2022

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