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The Seed in the Book of Genesis

One of the most important themes of the Book of Genesis is the concept of the seed or offspring. It is this theme which brings the whole book together, as well as linking it to the rest of the Old Testament.

The Book of Genesis gives us a very selective record of events from Creation to the death of Joseph in Egypt. It begins with a broad picture of the early history of mankind, but the focus gradually narrows to one family, and this family line is traced down the generations.

In the account, there is a special focus on some particular individuals like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob and Joseph. The genealogical lists move quickly down the generations to the next individual to be focussed on. Chapter five gives a father-son list linking Adam to Noah, and similarly, chapter eleven gives a father-son list linking Noah to Abraham. There are no branches in these lists, as no brothers or sisters are named. Occasionally some branches are briefly followed, like the descendants of Cain (ch 4), the table of the nations (ch 10), Nahor (ch 22), Keturah (ch 25) and Esau (ch 36). Apart from these, the major literary feature of the Book of Genesis is that it follows a single and distinctive family line, causing all the main characters and narratives to fit in this family line.

Closely linked with the genealogical structure is the Hebrew word 'zera', which is translated 'seed', 'offspring', 'child', or 'descendants'. It is used 59 times in Genesis, and only 165 times in the whole of the rest of the Old Testament. By definition, a seed continues the line from whatever or whoever produced it, just as seeds produce only after their own kind (1:11-12).

Connection between the seed and the promise

In the Abraham stories there is an emphasis on barrenness of Sarah. She is introduced as being barren (11:29-30), but God promises that Abraham will become a great nation (12:2), saying: “To your offspring (seed) I will give this land (Canaan)” (12:7). The promise is repeated later, that the land will be given to your offspring (seed), and this offspring (seed) will be like the dust of the earth" (13:14-17).

Later, Abraham seeks assurance from God because he is still childless, complaining, “You have given me no offspring (seed)”, and saying that a slave is to be his heir (15:3). God’s answer was to tell Abraham to look at the stars, and count them, promising, “So shall your descendants (seed) be” (15:5).

In the Hagar stories, when Ishmael is born, he is described as Abraham’s offspring (seed) (21:13), but Ishmael is not the promised son. Instead, Sarah will bear a son, who will be named Isaac. God promised that he will make a covenant with Isaac and his offspring (seed) (17:19-21, 21:12), so Hagar and Ishmael are expelled from Abraham’s household. This promise is repeated following Abraham’s test to sacrifice Isaac (22:16-18), and then renewed with Isaac (26:1-5, 24).

Abraham was determined that Isaac’s wife must come from his father’s household, so he sent a servant back to Aram. When Rebecca left Aram, her relatives gave her this blessing: “May you, our sister, become thousands of myriads; may your offspring (seed) gain possession of the gates of their foes.” (24:60).

In the next generation, Rebecca is also barren (25:21), but prays and has twins: Jacob and Esau. There is a prediction of enmity between them, that the younger will be stronger (25:23). The struggle between Jacob and Esau becomes a focus of the family story (ch 27-33). When Jacob goes to Aram to find a wife, by contrast Esau marries two Hittite women.

After the vision of Jacob’s Ladder, God renewed the promise to Jacob (28:13-15). The land will be given to your offspring (seed), your offspring (seed) will be like dust, and the nations blessed in your offspring (seed). Jacob eventually went to Egypt, with all his offspring (seed) with him (46:6-7), a total of 70 people.

In the complicated family life of Jacob, Rachel was initially barren (29:30), but eventually has Joseph, who became Jacob’s favourite son. The three oldest sons were excluded from the promise. Simeon and Levi were excluded after they took revenge on Shechem for the rape of Dinah (ch 34), which brought trouble on Jacob (v30). Reuben was excluded after he slept with father’s concubine Bilhah (35:22).

The Joseph stories are interrupted by strange story of Judah and Tamar (ch 38). There are three sons: Er, Onon and Shelah. Er marries Tamar, but Er and Onan are put to death. Lacking any sons, Tamar becomes pregnant by posing as cult prostitute to sleep with Judah (15-18). She has twin sons, Perez and Zerah, so the seed of Judah continues. Later we see that the family line down to David in the Book of Ruth starts with Perez (Ruth 4:18). Genesis gives a very negative account of Judah, but he gradually improves through the rest of the Joseph stories. He takes responsibility for Benjamin (43:8-9), acknowledges guilt of brothers (44:16), and volunteers to be Joseph’s slave so Benjamin can return to his father (44:18-34). Later Jacob sends Judah ahead to lead way to Goshen (46:28).

When Jacob blesses his sons (ch 48), there is a blessing on both sons of Joseph, a double blessing on the favourite son, who is treated as the firstborn. Both the sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, receive a blessing (v14-20), with a greater blessing on the younger son Ephraim. In Jacob’s blessing, there is a particular focus on Judah (v8-12) and on Joseph (v22-26).

Some interesting features concerning the seed

1. The line of descent is shown very clearly and accurately, without any gaps. The ancestry is through the father, and descendants are always clearly named.

2. Each descendant must be biologically the seed of the father. Abraham could have adopted a slave as his heir (15:2-3), but God promised that his heir would come from his own body (15:4).

3. Barrenness was a major barrier, whether Sarah (11:30), Rebecca (25:21), or Rachel (29:31). All these women eventually bore children through divine intervention: Sarah (21:1), Rebecca (25:21) and Rachel (30:22).

4. The family line exists only due to the gracious work of God. After the birth of Seth, Eve said that God has granted her another child (4:25). God opened the womb of Sarah, Rebecca and Rachel. Abraham, aged 100, and Sarah, aged 90, were too old to bear children, but “The Lord was gracious to Sarah” (21:1). For Rebecca, Isaac prayed, and the Lord answered his prayer (25:21), and Rachel declared: “God has taken away my disgrace” (30:22-24).

5. The key figures in the family line had a special relationship with God, even if they had faults (like Noah being drunk, Abraham telling a lie about his wife and Jacob being a deceiver). Noah was a righteous man who walked with God (6:9). In the covenant made with Abraham, God declared him righteous (15:6). This is repeated with Isaac, with less information, but Isaac certainly received God’s favour. Jacob’s character improves through the story. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all build altars, offer sacrifices, and actively worship God, and we clearly see God’s care for Joseph.

6. The 'seed' means there is a resemblance between the seed and the one who produced it, so the sons will resemble their fathers. Isaac has similarities with Abraham: both pretend their wives are their sister, both make a covenant with Abimelech, both have dispute with Gerar about wells, and for both the seed passes through the younger son.

7. There is a need to maintain the purity of the seed. Marriages with Canaanites are discouraged, so Abraham wants wife for Isaac from his relatives in Haran (ch 24), Isaac wants wife for Jacob from his relatives (28:1-5), and Esau’s marriage to two Hittite women distresses his parents (26:34-35). But, by contrast, there is the strange relationship between Judah and Tamar (ch 38).

8. The descent is not always through oldest son. In the story of Jacob and Esau (ch 25-27), Esau marries Hittite women so the descent goes through Jacob. With Isaac and Ishmael (ch 17, 21), Ishmael excluded because he is not the son of Sarah. Judah, the fourth son, is raised above his older brothers, Reuben, Simeon, Levi (ch 49), all of whom displease Jacob (35:22, 34:25-30). Joseph was the eleventh son, then Ephraim, the younger son, gets a greater blessing above his older brother Manasseh.

What is significance of this family tree?

This family tree has huge historical and theological significance. After the birth of Seth, Eve declared, “God has appointed for me another child (seed) instead of Abel because Cain killed him” (4:25). God said to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring (seed) and hers; he will strike your head and you will strike his heel.” (3:15). These words of victory over the serpent will be fulfilled through the seed of Seth, rather than the seed of Abel.

The concept of 'seed' can be either be singular or collective. Eve uses it in the singular, but it is used collectively elsewhere (15:5, 28:14). However the line of descent is traced through book of Genesis through specific individuals, so the ultimate offspring (seed) of Eve refers to a specific individual. Therefore this passage often seen as the beginning of the Gospel. The seed of the serpent is Satan, while the seed of Eve is ultimately Jesus. Satan struck Jesus on the cross, but Jesus defeated him through his death and resurrection.

Through the Book of Genesis there is also a hint towards the establishment of the monarchy, the Davidic promise. This is seen when the line of the seed is traced down through Judah, that the seed will eventually become a royal dynasty. Even in Genesis, kings are often mentioned: kings will come from Abraham (17:6) and Sarah (17:16). Abraham has the status of a king without being a king. He is described as being superior to the kings of the east (ch 14). Abimelech king of Gerar makes treaty with Abraham (ch 21), and with Isaac (ch 26), showing their equal status. Kings will also come from Jacob (35:11), and the Hittites describe him as a mighty prince (23:6). Through his dreams God predicts that Joseph will rule over his brothers (37:8), and later becomes ruler of Egypt. In Jacob’s blessing on Judah (49:8-12), his brothers bow down to him, and he holds the sceptre and ruler’s staff. Later in history we see that the Davidic kings came from the tribe of Judah, and Jesus came as the son of David. In Jacob’s blessing on Joseph (49:22-26), there is no mention of either being king, but the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh became prominent in northern kingdom of Israel, and the first king of northern kingdom of Israel was Jeroboam of the tribe of Ephraim.

One of the purposes of the Book of Genesis is to give the early ancestry of the royal line of David. The book traces one line of descent, which ends with Judah. Later in the Old Testament we see that there are similarities between the covenants with Abraham and with David, as both appear to be unconditional promises. There are also parallels between Tamar (ch 38) and Ruth, as both appear in Matthew’s genealogy (Matt 1). David was youngest son of family, which parallels the line of the seed in Genesis, that descent is not always through the oldest son.

In the New Testament, Paul sees the seed as being Christ. "The promise was made to Abraham and his offspring, to one person, who is Christ. Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring (seed); it does not say, 'And to offsprings (seeds),' as of many; but it says, 'And to your offspring (seed) that is, to one person, who is Christ'." (Gal 3:16). Throughout the New Testament Jesus is described as son of David (eg. Rom 1:3, 2 Tim 2:8).

This theme of the seed means we need to read the Book of Genesis on these three different levels
1. Stories of particular individuals: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph
2. Stories which lead into the history of Israel and the establishment of Davidic monarchy
3. Stories which point to Christ, which lead to him through history of Israel.

It also points to the importance of reading Genesis as a complete document, with important themes and purposes running through the whole book.

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