Genesis: 50 chapters

Reading Genesis in a year

The easiest book in the plan to start and the easiest to mistake for the whole Bible's register. Read it as narrative and keep moving; the genealogies are load-bearing but not where the meaning lives.

In a one-year plan, Genesis occupies days 1 to 13 — 13 days out of 365, or 4.2% of the Bible's 1189 chapters. That is a long stretch on one book, and it is worth knowing before you start rather than discovering it on day three.

The exact days

• Day 1 — Genesis 1–4
• Day 2 — Genesis 5–8
• Day 3 — Genesis 9–12
• Day 4 — Genesis 13–16
• Day 5 — Genesis 17–20
• Day 6 — Genesis 21–24
• Day 7 — Genesis 25–28
• Day 8 — Genesis 29–32
• Day 9 — Genesis 33–36
• Day 10 — Genesis 37–40
• Day 11 — Genesis 41–44
• Day 12 — Genesis 45–48
• Day 13 — Genesis 49–50, Exodus 1–2

Questions

How many chapters are in Genesis?

Genesis has 50 chapters, which is 4.2% of the Bible's 1189 chapters.

How long does it take to read Genesis?

In a one-year plan of three to four chapters a day, Genesis takes 13 days — days 1 to 13.

What is the book of Genesis about?

Genesis covers origins — of the world, of humanity, and of the family that becomes Israel. The first eleven chapters move at the scale of civilisations; from chapter twelve it narrows to Abraham and his descendants, and stays there.

Is Genesis in the Old or New Testament?

Genesis is in the Old Testament, classified as Law. It is book 1 of 66 in canonical order.