Structure of Genesis

The book of Genesis can be naturally divided into sections. The English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible translates the Hebrew אֵ֣לֶּה תוֹלְד֧וֹת as "These are the generations of." This phrase occurs in ten places throughout the text and forms a natural outline for the book. Biblical scholars call the divisions toledoth meaning "generations.” Here are the natural divisions in Genesis:

• Genesis 2:4
  “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.

• Genesis 5:1
  “This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.”

• Genesis 6:9
  “These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.”

• Genesis 10:1
  “These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.”

• Genesis 11:10
  “These are the generations of Shem. When Shem was 100 years old, he fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood.”

• Genesis 11:27
  “Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot.”

• Genesis 25:12
  “These are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's servant, bore to Abraham.”

• Genesis 25:19
  “These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham fathered Isaac,”

• Genesis 36:1
  “These are the generations of Esau (that is, Edom).”

• Genesis 37:2
  “These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father.”

You can also simply divide Genesis into 4 major events and 4 major characters.