Estudio Hidrológico

The motif of blessing has been masterfully woven through the narrative structure of Genesis. Structurally, Genesis can be broken down along the lines of the “generations” (

תוֹד ְלוֹת

), which yields a striking pattern with regard to blessing and cursing. The introduction is followed by ten generations which can be divided into major generations (which include extended narrative) and minor generations (with little or no narrative). The introductory section of Genesis (1:1–2:3) speaks of God’s blessing three times (1:22, 28; 2:3), giving special attention to its beginning upon earth, with no mention of a curse. The second section, “the generations of heaven and earth,” speaks of God’s curse three times (3:14, 17; 4:11) without direct reference to God’s blessing, thus emphasizing the beginning of the curse on earth. After this, each major generation is marked by a single mention of cursing4 and a minimum

of one mention of blessing. As shown in Table 1, this consistent configuration of blessing and cursing reinforces the understanding that Genesis’ structure is based on the “generations.”

Table 1 – The Pattern of Blessings and Curses in the Generations of Genesis

Section in Genesis Occurrences of Blessing Occurrences of Cursing

Introduction (1:1–2:3) 1:22, 28; 2:3 -

Generations of Heaven and Earth (2:4–4:26) - 3:14, 17; 4:11

Generations of Adam (5:1–6:8) 5:2 5:29

Generations of Noah (6:9–9:29) 9:1, 26 9:255

Generations of the sons of Noah (10:1–11:9) - -

Generations of Shem (11:10–26) - - Generations of Terah (11:27–25:11) 12:2 (2x), 3 (3x); 14:19 (2x), 20; 17:16 (2x), 20; 18:18; 22:17, 18; 24:1, 27, 31, 35, 48, 60; 25:11 12:3 Generations of Ishmael (25:12–18) - - Generations of Isaac (25:19–35:29) 26:3, 4, 12, 24, 29; 27 (23x in this chapter); 28:1, 3, 4, 6 (2x), 14; 30:27, 30; 31:55; 32:26, 29; 33:11; 35:9 27:29 (2x) Generations of Esau (36:1–8; 36:9–37:1) - - Generations of Jacob (37:2–50:26) 39:5 (2x); 47:7, 10; 48–49 (15x in these chapters) 49:7 5

According to Hamilton, the pattern of generations in Genesis emphasizes “movement, a plan, something in progress and motion. What is in motion is nothing less than the initial stages of a divine plan.”6 Throughout Genesis, the narrative strikingly portrays the divine agenda of blessing and cursing,

which endures throughout Scripture until the consummation of history when, finally, there will be “no

4_{Gen 27:29 contains the word curse twice in a single mention of cursing.}

5Gen 8:21; 27:12, 13 contain a different Hebrew word which is also translated “curse.” These are not included

in the generational pattern (cf. 12:3).

more curse” (Rev 22:3).7 Even at the cataclysmic condemnation in the Garden of Eden, the Lord made

it absolutely clear that he would never abandon his people under the curse and its results. From Genesis 3 onward, the blessing and the curse both are intricately woven into the very fabric of human existence. In the generations of Adam, this intertwining of the blessing and the curse is forcefully depicted through their respective effects: men multiply, and they die.8 In the generations of Noah, hope twinkles at the

edge of God’s catastrophic judgment of humanity as the creation blessings are expanded after the flood. Two minor generations then compound the post-flood disaster while tracing the line which God has selected (10:1–11:9; 11:10–26). By the time the reader reaches the generations of Terah, hope is scarce. Blessing has only been mentioned three times since the completion of creation (2:4). Meanwhile, the curse has been more plentiful and seems poised to utterly overwhelm the battered blessing. Then, God speaks blessing to Abram five times in just two verses, “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will

bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (12:2–3; emphasis added). Blessing all around! In the final three major generations (Terah’s, Isaac’s, and Jacob’s), blessing will be mentioned eighty-one times, the curse only three.9 As James McKeown points out,

“The blessing of Abraham is strategically positioned between the primeval narrative and the patriarchal narratives so that it marks a turning point in the book of Genesis – a turning point from an agenda dominated by cursing to one that is dominated by blessing.”10 The curse, however, is not forgotten in the

Abrahamic blessing; it will rest on anyone who dishonors the blessed one.

One final structural area should be noted from Table 1. The four minor generations are shorter and primarily contain genealogies, with little or no narrative; they also have no direct mention of either blessing or cursing. These generations have a housekeeping role showing the narrowing pattern of selected and non-selected lines, which Ross calls, “a tidying up process of the line not chosen.”11

Thus, the generations of the sons of Noah, of Shem, of Ishmael, and of Esau show selection and non- selection, rather than directly referencing blessing or cursing like the generations upon which the author focuses. They clarify where God’s blessing has been given and where it has not. Beyond that, the minor generations have an additional critical function, which will be explored further later: they demonstrate the actualization of God’s blessings, showing the multiplication of humanity, the fulfillment of God’s blessings which overflowed to Ishmael and Esau, and a few of the kings who were descended from Abraham. This brief consideration of the structure of Genesis and its relationship to blessing and cursing lays a foundation for considering the nature of blessing in Genesis.

7_{Scriptural quotations follow the ESV.}

8_{As Claus Westermann says, “Despite man’s disobedience and punishment, the blessing given with the act}

of creation remains intact…. Man who is now far from God is always man blessed by God, and man’s life remains open to the future just because of the power of God’s blessing” (Creation, trans. John J. Scullion [Philadelphia: Fortress, 1974], 104).

9_{During the first three major generations (heaven and earth’s, Adam’s, and Noah’s), the blessing was men-}

tioned three times, the curse five times.

10James McKeown, Genesis, Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008),

222.

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