Which event marks the ending of Genesis?

• A. Death of Joseph
• B. Death of Moses
• C. The flood
• D. The destruction of Sodom

Answer: (A)

Genesis closes the story of the patriarchs with the death of Joseph in Egypt. This moment serves as the natural ending because it brings full circle the key threads of God’s faithfulness to Abraham’s descendants—surviving famine, reconciliation within the family, and the continuation of the people, even while they remain in Egypt. Joseph dies at 110 years old and is embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt, a concrete image that the narrative will move forward into the next book, Exodus, where God delivers the descendants of Abraham from Egypt. The other events happened earlier or belong to different books: the flood is at the start of humanity’s story, the destruction of Sodom occurs earlier in Genesis, and Moses’ death marks the end of Deuteronomy, not Genesis. So the ending is defined by Joseph’s death.