“The Books of Genesis, Moses, and Abraham,” Old Testament Seminary Student Study Guide (2002), 9–41

“The Books of Genesis, Moses, and Abraham,” Old Testament Seminary Student Study Guide, 9–41

The Books of Genesis, Moses, and Abraham

The Book of Genesis

The book of Genesis is the first of five books written by Moses. It covers roughly twenty-five hundred years of history—more than all the rest of the Bible, including the New Testament! Many of the most famous Bible stories come from Genesis, such as the Fall of Adam and Eve, Cain killing Abel, Noah and the Flood, the building of the Tower of Babel, Abraham nearly offering his son Isaac as a sacrifice, and Joseph being sold into Egypt. To learn more about the book, look up “Genesis” in the Bible Dictionary of the Latter-day Saint edition of the King James Version of the Bible (pp. 678–79).

The Book of Moses

Within a few months after the organization of the Church on 6 April 1830, the Lord commanded the Prophet Joseph Smith to make a “translation” of the Bible. From the Book of Mormon, the Prophet had learned that “many plain and precious things” were missing from the Bible (see 1 Nephi 13:23–28). His translation of the Bible involved restoring truths that were lost from the Bible because of the carelessness of those who copied the text or because wicked men took out truths they did not want people to know. A completed version of this translation of the Bible was never published in the Prophet Joseph Smith’s lifetime. Today, however, we can read the changes he made, the most important of which are found in the footnotes and following the Bible Dictionary in the Latter-day Saint edition of the King James Version of the Bible.

So many changes were made in the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) of Genesis 1–6 that they were printed separately in the Pearl of Great Price and called the book of Moses. In Moses there are eight chapters. Moses 1 is like a preface to what we normally consider the beginning of the Bible and contains information not found in Genesis.

Because the book of Moses is a more complete and accurate version of the teachings in Genesis 1–6, this study guide will help you read, understand, and learn from the book of Moses.

The Book of Abraham

Because the revelations in Abraham relate to the earlier parts of the Bible, they are studied with the first part of Genesis and the book of Moses. In 1835 the Prophet Joseph received some ancient Egyptian writings that were found by archaeologists in Egypt. These writings included some of the writings and teachings of the prophet Abraham, which the Prophet Joseph Smith translated. They are also included in the Pearl of Great Price and are called the book of Abraham. The first two chapters are specifically concerned with Abraham’s life and are discussed in this study guide with Genesis 11–12. The last three chapters of the book of Abraham contain revelations Abraham received concerning the premortal life and the creation of the earth. You will begin your study of the Old Testament by reading the account of premortal life found in Abraham 3.

The following chart should help you see how inspired additions from the books of Moses and Abraham relate to the book of Genesis.

Inspired additions to the book of Genesis

The Book of Moses

The Book of Genesis

The Book of Abraham

No equivalent material in Genesis

3:1–28

1:1–42

2:1–31

4:1–31

3:1–25

5:1–21

4:1–32

5:1–59

6:1–4

6:5–68

7:1–69

8:1–13

8:14–30

1:1–31

2:1–5

2:6–25

1:1–31

2:1–25

3:1–24

4:1–26

5:1–32

6:1–13

11:27–32

Content Comparison

12:1–13