“Provides an original look at these captivating chapters of Genesis. . . . careful attention to details brings fresh insight . . . a delightful read.” —Kyle Greenwood, H-Net
This book invites readers to reconsider what they think they know about the opening chapters of the Book of Genesis, from the creation of the world, through the Garden of Eden, Cain and Abel, the Flood, and the Tower of Babel, to the introduction of Abraham. Edwin M. Good offers a new translation of and literary commentary on these chapters, approaching the material as an ancient Hebrew book. Rather than analyzing the chapters in light of any specific religious position, he is interested in what the stories say and how they work as stories, indications in them of their origins as orally performed and transmitted, and how they do and do not connect with one another. Everyone, from those intimately familiar with Genesis to those who have never read it before, will find something new in Genesis 1–11: Tales of the Earliest World.
“Good’s translation yields new insights even for those who have worked with the Hebrew.” —A. J. Levine, Choice
“A rare combination of outstanding linguistic analysis, keen literary-critical insight, and uniquely engaging prose. . . . The result is a new translation that is as provocative and readable as Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf, with the much added value of a highly accessible scholarly commentary.” —Timothy Beal, Case Western Reserve University
“Written in clear, smooth-flowing prose, [the book] introduces the reader to the challenges of the Hebrew text of Genesis 1–11.” —Steven Weitzman, Stanford University
