The purpose of the present work is to meet the needs of such as desire to understand the argument of the Hebrew writers in the first eleven chapters of the Book of Genesis. To attain this end a para phrase of the text based upon a comparison of the Hebrew original has been largely used, and free com ment on the story told by the paraphrase has been employed to draw out the implications of the writer's narrative. In the notes related to the page of text some matters of essential importance are discussed. To have thrown such discussions into the text would in most instances have obscured the continuity of thought.