Volume 1

Foreword.

In the name of God, the first volume of the old Walch edition of Dr. Luther's works, well known and highly esteemed in the Lutheran Church, is hereby presented to the public in a r

Foreword by Dr. Walch.

Among the glorious gifts of grace that God had placed in the blessed D. Martin Luther, as the chosen instrument of the blessed Church Reformation, one of the most distinguished was

The translator Basil Faber's Inscription.

My favorable Junker. How Moses is to be read and what one is to learn from it is abundantly indicated by the venerable, our dear father, Doctor Luther in many places of his writing

M. Veit Dietrich's Letter

To the Most Serene Prince and Lord, This glorious and beautiful building, the world, heaven and earth, with all that is in it, such as the heavenly bodies, elements, trees and plan

D. Martin Luther's Foreword

These lectures and interpretations of mine on the first book of Moses I have never made in this opinion, that I would have been inclined to let them go into print publicly, which t

Interpretation of the first Book of Moses.

This first chapter is described with the simplest words, but it contains the most important and darkest things. Therefore it was forbidden to both Jews (as St. Jerome writes) that

The second chapter.

Of the rest of God, sanctification of the Sabbath, and Adam's creation. 1 Our Latin text has: "With all their adornment"; but in the Hebrew is: "with their army", zebaam. And the p

From the paradise.

Here is a whole heap of questions about paradise. And first of all, the word paradise, whether it is Hebrew, Chaldean, or Persian (for I do not consider it to be Greek, although Su

The third chapter.

From temptation to fall. In the previous chapter we heard how man was created on the sixth day in the image and likeness of God, that his will should be good and pure, and that his

The fourth chapter.

Of the work of procreation and of the state of marriage. Item, from Cain and Abel, concerning their birth and education. We have now almost completed the greatest work and are thro

The fifth chapter.

Of the genealogical register of men and of the glory of the Cainites. Genesis counts here and counts the generations for two reasons: First, because of the promise of the blessed s

The Cainite Glory.

(12) But the Cainites also had to boast: for they had among them the very wisest men in all kinds of worldly dealings, also the very most beautiful glorifiers and hypocrites, who c

From Enoch.

44 However, he did not want to pass over the history of Enoch, who was the seventh from Adam, as it is particularly excellent, although he is also very short in it. For with the ot

The sixth chapter.

From the sins of the first bet at all, as the cause of their downfall. (1) In the first five chapters Moses described the birth of mankind as it was in the first world, and painted

The seventh chapter.

How Noah was commanded to go into the box, and proved obedient to the same. I. Now that the great building of the box is built and finished, God tells Noah to go into it, because t

The eighth chapter.

Of Noah's condition in the box, and how the flood stopped. Now that the terrible wrath has come to an end and all flesh has been destroyed with the earth, the promise which God mad

The ninth chapter.

From the blessing, so that God blesses Noah and the whole human race after the Flood. This was truly a necessary consolation after the entire human race, except for eight souls tha

From the allegories.

69 Thus we have now completed the story of the Flood, which Moses described sufficiently, as being a horrible example of an exuberant and almost infinite wrath of God, which cannot

From the family of Zajcheth.

It seems from the appearance that this 10th chapter does not have much special about it, nor is it very useful or necessary; especially because we, who were born after so many chan

From the lineage of Ham.

33) Now it is truly surprising that the lineage of the godless Ham is told rather than that of Shem, the blessed one; but this is perhaps because of Christ's saying in the gospel M

The eleventh chapter.

Of the building of the tower of Babel and the confusion of languages, as a punishment of the same, in general. This chapter also belongs to the excellent and special example of the

The twelfth chapter.

About Abraham and his profession. This is the third age (as it is called), in which the holy scripture begins the description of the church at a new stem. For so far the line has g

The thirteenth chapter.

OfAbraham's Wealth and Transactions on His Tires. Abram went up from Egypt with his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, toward the south.

The fourteenth chapter.

Of the war of the four kings against the king of Sodom, Gomorrah, Adama, Zeboim and Zoar. V. l. 2. And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of El

The fifteenth chapter.

Abraham's challenge and how he is comforted by God in it. After these things it came to pass, that the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am t

The sixteenth chapter.

How Sarah gives Abraham the advice to lie down with Hagar. V. 1. 2. Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him nothing. But she had an Egyptian maid, whose name was Hagar. And she said unto Abr

From circumcision.

When Abram was nine and ninety years old, the Lord appeared to him and said to him, "I am the Almighty God; walk before me and be righteous. 1. Genesis has so far told the story of

The eighteenth chapter.

Of the appearance of three men, as Abraham receives them, and that through them the mystery of the Holy Trinity is portrayed. 001 As I have said above, the ninety and ninth year of

The nineteenth chapter.

How the three men arrived in Sodom and were taken in by Lot. In this chapter the punishment of the sins is described, which Moses thought of in the previous chapter, that the cry o

The twentieth chapter.

Abraham's journey and pilgrimage to Gerar, how Abimelech took his wife from him, and how he apologized for it. (1) Now I have often said that Moses describes the life of the most h

The twenty-first chapter.

Of Isaac's beard and circumcision, and of the banquet that Abraham made about it. (1) I have often admonished that good attention should be paid to the time as it is described in t

The twenty-second chapter.

How Abraham is tempted by God and ordered to sacrifice his son Isaac. Luther began this chapter on the 27th day of October 1539, since the day before the respectable and renowned D

About Sarah and her death.

Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old, and she died in Hebron, the capital of the land of Canaan. Then came Abraham to lament and weep over her. (1) Lest any man thin

From the burial of Sarah.

41. the dead shall be mourned and lamented, but in such a way that one also Keep moderation. "Over a dead person one is wont to mourn, but one should not mourn too much," says Sira

The twenty-fourth chapter.

How Abraham gives the household to Eliezer and seeks to marry his son Isaac. V. 1-4. Abraham was old and well-born, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. And he said unto his

The twenty-fifth chapter.

How Abraham remarries and bears children. V. 1-4 Abraham took a wife again, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Simran and Jaksan, Medan and Midian, Jezbak and Shuah. And Jaksan b