God in Genesis and Exodus: Human Attributes of the Divine
This paper examines how the God of the Old Testament is depicted through distinctly human attributes in the first two books of the Bible: Genesis and Exodus. Written by Moses, these books portray a God who creates, protects, grieves, provides, fulfills promises, tests, and takes vengeance—emotions and behaviors that mirror human experience. The paper argues that biblical authors described God in human terms because that was the only framework available to them, and that such anthropomorphic portrayals help believers understand and relate to the divine. Key episodes analyzed include the Creation, Noah's Ark, the lives of Abraham and Joseph, and the ten plagues of Egypt.
- Introduction: God in Human Terms: Why biblical authors described God in human terms
- God as Creator and Protective Father: God's creative power and parental protection of key figures
- God as Provider and the God Who Grieves: God provides manna and grieves humanity's wickedness
- The Vengeful God: The Ten Plagues of Egypt: God's escalating vengeance through the ten plagues
- God as Promise-Keeper and Tester: God fulfills covenants and tests Abraham's faith
- God's Mercy and Conclusion: God's mercy and the purpose of anthropomorphic portrayal
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper anchors every claim in specific, cited scripture passages (e.g., Genesis 6:6, Exodus 9:10), giving the argument textual credibility even in a short essay.
- It organizes God's many attributes into distinct thematic categories—creator, protector, provider, avenger, promise-keeper—making a broad topic manageable and readable.
- The framing device (humans describe God in human terms because it is the only language available) gives the paper a unifying interpretive thesis that runs from introduction to conclusion.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates thematic biblical analysis: rather than narrating scripture chronologically, it groups episodes from Genesis and Exodus under recurring divine attributes and uses direct citation to support each claim. This technique shows readers how to extract patterns from a primary text without simply retelling the story.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens by establishing the interpretive lens—God described in human terms—then moves through six attributes in roughly sequential biblical order: creation, protection, provision, grief, vengeance (the most detailed section, covering all ten plagues), promise-keeping and testing, and finally mercy. A brief conclusion restates the central thesis. Each section is compact and evidence-driven, making this a strong model for short analytical responses to primary texts.
Introduction: God in Human Terms
The God of the Old Testament displays many human qualities and emotions. Even though humanity is, after all, created in His image, it still shocks the reader to encounter an angry God or a vengeful God. God seems to play favorites on occasion. We must keep in mind, however, that the Bible was written by human hands. Man wrote of God in the only manner he could — in human terms.
Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Genesis means "beginning" or "origin." It is the beginning of mankind, the beginning of sin, and the beginning of our fall from Grace. Exodus recounts the story of the Israelites in Egypt and their escape from such harshness. Leviticus details the laws set down by God and the Levites — the twelve tribes of Israel. Numbers deals with the census on the surface; however, the underlying story follows the Israelites in the desert and into the land of Canaan. Deuteronomy continues the journey of the Israelites up to the last days of Moses. For the purpose of this paper, we shall examine the first two books: Genesis and Exodus.
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